Cost of Living in Vietnam in 2020

Hi,
About the house or apartment is independent how big you want .
So just normal for expat with 2 bedroom apartment is about $700 -$1200 .. 3 bedroom is a little bit more expensive.
Nice villa in expat area cost about $2000-$5000
About food is like $500/ month.. family with 2 kids. If you are single is more cheap .
50 cent for a break. Very cheap local food here too. For enjoy party is independent how often you go out . So like $4 for a beer here .
Anyway all this cost is for expat . But if you want to live like a local then much cheap per . You can rent just a studio here for $300-$500 .
So about $1500/ month is easy to live here in HCMc . But Ofcoz you can get more then this. So no worry ... everything here is cheap .
About Healthy care , you should find a job who pay for you health insurance. Because hospitals here is a little expensive.
Any questions you are able to ask me.
Have nice day

Good morning everybody,
I'm living almost 3 years in the Central Highlands of Vietnam. Costs are much lower than in HCM or Hanoi. Have lived  1 year in Hoi An,  will return there next year to construct my house ( land bought with my girlfriend ).
Paying less than 120$ every month  for my nice apartment with a view of the surrounding hills and temple , fast Wi-Fi, water and electricity, private backyard with a fishpond and big BBQ. Even my monthly mobile  (90.000 d /mobiphone ) is included .
First of all, supermarkets are more expensive than the local shops (markets ) for almost everything !
Twice a week at the local market for my fresh herbs, noodles, vegetables and local fruit (10$ max a week). Buying baguette at the bakery 5.000 d, little ones 2.000 d. 10 Eggs  20.000 d. Little bag of charcoal with wood around 20.000 d.
Going at the supermarket for meat, imported fruit, etc...). Chicken,pork is around 5$ / kg, have my own meat grinder ( hamburger, meatballs, sausage….). Fish from 4$ - 10$ / kg. Beef around 10$ / kg.
Beer (24 cans) from 220.00 d - 360.000 d , Cola 22.000 d for 2.25l , Water 20.000 d for 5l bottle, Milk around 30.000 d, a bottle of Dalat wine around 120.000d.
Ham 125.000 d for 500g, German smoked bbq sausage 125.000 d for 6(500g), Cheese (Gouda) 40.000d for 100g . Apples from 70.000d - 250.000 d a kg, grapes from 70.000d - 500.000d a kg.
Drinking a coffee is from 10.000d - 30.000d. 1kg coffee beans ( 80.000d -200.000d ) at the local coffee shop.
Bought a second hand Honda Air Blade  < 1000 $, fuel ~20.000d/l .
Restaurants , cheap ( like bbq, rice and chicken, …) around 5$-10$ with a few beers , expensive ( best where I live) menu around 5/7$ ( French style, so always ordering several different dishes with my girlfriend ) total with the more expensive tiger beers around 20-25$ and the hotpot is around 15$ (>2persons).
The gym ( good one ) is  680.000 d for 3 months.
So live could be cheap if you stay at home but I like to travel around for a week or more every month, visiting all the little places , sometimes  trail running, diving or just relaxing in a nice hotel somewhere at the beach.  I would say 500$ to live (1 person) and 300$ /1000$ more for the little adventures.
Eddy

Great detailed reply eddy

Sobie wrote:

Good morning everybody,
I'm living almost 3 years in the Central Highlands of Vietnam. Costs are much lower than in HCM or Hanoi. Have lived  1 year in Hoi An,  will return there next year to construct my house ( land bought with my girlfriend ).
Paying less than 120$ every month  for my nice apartment with a view of the surrounding hills and temple , fast Wi-Fi, water and electricity, private backyard with a fishpond and big BBQ. Even my monthly mobile  (90.000 d /mobiphone ) is included .
First of all, supermarkets are more expensive than the local shops (markets ) for almost everything !
Twice a week at the local market for my fresh herbs, noodles, vegetables and local fruit (10$ max a week). Buying baguette at the bakery 5.000 d, little ones 2.000 d. 10 Eggs  20.000 d. Little bag of charcoal with wood around 20.000 d.
Going at the supermarket for meat, imported fruit, etc...). Chicken,pork is around 5$ / kg, have my own meat grinder ( hamburger, meatballs, sausage….). Fish from 4$ - 10$ / kg. Beef around 10$ / kg.
Beer (24 cans) from 220.00 d - 360.000 d , Cola 22.000 d for 2.25l , Water 20.000 d for 5l bottle, Milk around 30.000 d, a bottle of Dalat wine around 120.000d.
Ham 125.000 d for 500g, German smoked bbq sausage 125.000 d for 6(500g), Cheese (Gouda) 40.000d for 100g . Apples from 70.000d - 250.000 d a kg, grapes from 70.000d - 500.000d a kg.
Drinking a coffee is from 10.000d - 30.000d. 1kg coffee beans ( 80.000d -200.000d ) at the local coffee shop.
Bought a second hand Honda Air Blade  < 1000 $, fuel ~20.000d/l .
Restaurants , cheap ( like bbq, rice and chicken, …) around 5$-10$ with a few beers , expensive ( best where I live) menu around 5/7$ ( French style, so always ordering several different dishes with my girlfriend ) total with the more expensive tiger beers around 20-25$ and the hotpot is around 15$ (>2persons).
The gym ( good one ) is  680.000 d for 3 months.
So live could be cheap if you stay at home but I like to travel around for a week or more every month, visiting all the little places , sometimes  trail running, diving or just relaxing in a nice hotel somewhere at the beach.  I would say 500$ to live (1 person) and 300$ /1000$ more for the little adventures.
Eddy

Man you are living the dream for sure. you got any photos to share of the area where you live etc?

& now from a different perspective from a fairly well off xpat owning his apartment & living in the suburbs HCMC & not Q1,2 & 7 or other xpat enclaves. Others living outside HCMC & Ha Noi will have a different take on it I am sure.

1usd = 23,300vnd used for expenditures estimates.

MONTHLY OUTGOINGS

Apartment monthly management fee...........45usd
                                                      electric...........45usd
                          fast internet & cable TV......…..15usd
                                          drinking water.........10usd
                           supermarket shopping........150usd
           street market & other shopping..........25usd
Eating & drinking out 4 times a month……15usd
at all you can eat Beer & BBQ places
with Beer Saigon or Tiger at max 1usd a can....60usd per person max!….PER MONTH.
Eating out on the street 8 times a month.......... 12usd per person max……PER MONTH.
Eating out Western food 1 time every
month at Union Jacks or Hungry Pig…………..20usd per person per month.
Misc expenses like going out for coffee,
upkeep of apartment etc etc .........................100usd
Mobifone 4g etc ………………………………...........4usd
Petrol…………………………………………...................10usd
Health Insurance………………………………...........800usd per month.
Visa & visa runs, I fly to Bangkok…………….....300usd every 3 months
but soon to change & increase after new tourist visa rules come into play July.

TOTAL....1,611USD based on 1 person for eating out, but could double depending on the arrangement you have with any friend, GF or wife
Also if we are being honest that total could easy double for some depending on how much they are forking out to keep the hot GF in designer clothes, family & village of GF in beer etc.


OTHER EXPENSES

Travel within Vietnam, every 2 months I usually either visit
Tuyen Lam Lake Da Lat or Ho Tram Strip or Vinh Long area  stay for 2 days. I am registered for price reductions at Swiss Bellresort, Grand Ho Tram & Saigon Vinh Long & usually get a daily rate incl breakfast 2 person at max 50usd per night. To get there I go by motorbike & the costs are minimal say at 10usd per trip.

RENTING ROUND WHERE I LIVE

2 bed, 2 shower 75m2 pool, shops gym etc fully furnished ready to move in 350usd to 500 usd
with management, elect, wifi etc on top.

Sobie wrote:

Good morning everybody,
I'm living almost 3 years in the Central Highlands of Vietnam. Costs are much lower than in HCM or Hanoi. Have lived  1 year in Hoi An,  will return there next year to construct my house ( land bought with my girlfriend ).
Paying less than 120$ every month  for my nice apartment with a view of the surrounding hills and temple , fast Wi-Fi, water and electricity, private backyard with a fishpond and big BBQ. Even my monthly mobile  (90.000 d /mobiphone ) is included .
First of all, supermarkets are more expensive than the local shops (markets ) for almost everything !
Twice a week at the local market for my fresh herbs, noodles, vegetables and local fruit (10$ max a week). Buying baguette at the bakery 5.000 d, little ones 2.000 d. 10 Eggs  20.000 d. Little bag of charcoal with wood around 20.000 d.
Going at the supermarket for meat, imported fruit, etc...). Chicken,pork is around 5$ / kg, have my own meat grinder ( hamburger, meatballs, sausage….). Fish from 4$ - 10$ / kg. Beef around 10$ / kg.
Beer (24 cans) from 220.00 d - 360.000 d , Cola 22.000 d for 2.25l , Water 20.000 d for 5l bottle, Milk around 30.000 d, a bottle of Dalat wine around 120.000d.
Ham 125.000 d for 500g, German smoked bbq sausage 125.000 d for 6(500g), Cheese (Gouda) 40.000d for 100g . Apples from 70.000d - 250.000 d a kg, grapes from 70.000d - 500.000d a kg.
Drinking a coffee is from 10.000d - 30.000d. 1kg coffee beans ( 80.000d -200.000d ) at the local coffee shop.
Bought a second hand Honda Air Blade  < 1000 $, fuel ~20.000d/l .
Restaurants , cheap ( like bbq, rice and chicken, …) around 5$-10$ with a few beers , expensive ( best where I live) menu around 5/7$ ( French style, so always ordering several different dishes with my girlfriend ) total with the more expensive tiger beers around 20-25$ and the hotpot is around 15$ (>2persons).
The gym ( good one ) is  680.000 d for 3 months.
So live could be cheap if you stay at home but I like to travel around for a week or more every month, visiting all the little places , sometimes  trail running, diving or just relaxing in a nice hotel somewhere at the beach.  I would say 500$ to live (1 person) and 300$ /1000$ more for the little adventures.
Eddy

Where are you living in the Highlands? I really liked Mang Den, but there are FAR too many westerners in Hoi An for me.

Wow much cheaper than living in HCM
We have been in our apartment for newrly a month at $600 plus the two month deposit.
We argued about a break clause that if the apartment necome unusable we would leave early and get deposit back. Owner 2asnt having any of it. Anyway apartment seemed modern and well maintained, but after two weeks the floor tiles cracked and lifted. Not expecting a quick fix... however two days later a gang of 8 men arrived at 07.00 am without prior notice.

Spent the next 2 days stuck in apartment to ensure none of our possessions went missing.
Third day, inspection from Novaland to kake sure work completed to high standard....and nope it wasnt.

Went out for the day after to get irate builders on phone cannot get in... no one said theh come that day or time.
So come back next day, two more days of dust, disruption and stuck at home guarding valuables.
Job eventually done but decided easier to cut a tile rather than replace. Didnt  care, glad its done.

Next up, resident access card doesnt gain access to pool or gym - wifes cad does ...
Two days ago, told power off from 09.00am for maintenance, no problem ..... woke at 7am to no power..

So it aeems country life is much better than city life ? Cheaper, cleaner air...
Thats before you get to the markets. I had been warned about Ben Thanh market, but decided to have a wander around. Some woman insist she has my size, drag me off to a stall and try to flog me four t-shirts for 850,000 each... whe  i say too expensive and show her the same items on a website (genuine items too) she drop to 800,000 which i again say no and walk away. You expecgthis sort of thing, but not to be followed by th same person and told to F**k off in english in the middle kf a market.

And yet, most if not all places people are honest and friendly..
Most things i buy are so cheap.. even if they are not genuine brand items who cares

Jlgarbutt wrote:

Wow much cheaper than living in HCM
We have been in our apartment for newrly a month at $600 plus the two month deposit.
We argued about a break clause that if the apartment necome unusable we would leave early and get deposit back. Owner 2asnt having any of it. Anyway apartment seemed modern and well maintained, but after two weeks the floor tiles cracked and lifted. Not expecting a quick fix... however two days later a gang of 8 men arrived at 07.00 am without prior notice.

Spent the next 2 days stuck in apartment to ensure none of our possessions went missing.
Third day, inspection from Novaland to kake sure work completed to high standard....and nope it wasnt.

Went out for the day after to get irate builders on phone cannot get in... no one said theh come that day or time.
So come back next day, two more days of dust, disruption and stuck at home guarding valuables.
Job eventually done but decided easier to cut a tile rather than replace. Didnt  care, glad its done.

Next up, resident access card doesnt gain access to pool or gym - wifes cad does ...
Two days ago, told power off from 09.00am for maintenance, no problem ..... woke at 7am to no power..

So it aeems country life is much better than city life ? Cheaper, cleaner air...
Thats before you get to the markets. I had been warned about Ben Thanh market, but decided to have a wander around. Some woman insist she has my size, drag me off to a stall and try to flog me four t-shirts for 850,000 each... whe  i say too expensive and show her the same items on a website (genuine items too) she drop to 800,000 which i again say no and walk away. You expecgthis sort of thing, but not to be followed by th same person and told to F**k off in english in the middle kf a market.

And yet, most if not all places people are honest and friendly..
Most things i buy are so cheap.. even if they are not genuine brand items who cares

It is very easy to fall foul of landlords and wait until you try and get your deposit back, then it can get really interesting ! Having been here more or less for 12 yrs now with several rental experiences I am yet to meet a reasonable landlord. HCM is certainly much more expensive than out in the country, excluding the tourist towns that I avoid like the plague anyway. Personally I really dislike HCM and when my current lease runs out next month will be heading to an area in the north west of Tra Vinh where my wife's family have a farm. Have reserved a house there twice the size of my current apartment and a little over half the rental price. Good local markets, cheaper fresh vegetables and meat and much much cleaner air. I guess it depends on what you want and what life style you want to pay for. Personally I prefer some peace and quiet without being surrounded by westerners. As for attitudes in some HCM markets it helps to speak Vietnamese fluently, you won't get half the hassles. As far as costs are concerned it is easily possible to cut monthly outlays by at least 1/3rd minimum by moving out of the city.

Jlgarbutt wrote:

Wow much cheaper than living in HCM
We have been in our apartment for newrly a month at $600 plus the two month deposit.
We argued about a break clause that if the apartment necome unusable we would leave early and get deposit back. Owner 2asnt having any of it. Anyway apartment seemed modern and well maintained, but after two weeks the floor tiles cracked and lifted. Not expecting a quick fix... however two days later a gang of 8 men arrived at 07.00 am without prior notice.

Spent the next 2 days stuck in apartment to ensure none of our possessions went missing.
Third day, inspection from Novaland to kake sure work completed to high standard....and nope it wasnt.

Went out for the day after to get irate builders on phone cannot get in... no one said theh come that day or time.
So come back next day, two more days of dust, disruption and stuck at home guarding valuables.
Job eventually done but decided easier to cut a tile rather than replace. Didnt  care, glad its done.

Next up, resident access card doesnt gain access to pool or gym - wifes cad does ...
Two days ago, told power off from 09.00am for maintenance, no problem ..... woke at 7am to no power..

So it aeems country life is much better than city life ? Cheaper, cleaner air...

Bet 100 people on here can tell you similar experiences with apartment landlords & work men coming to do work....its pretty much par for the course here I think, drove me nuts many times thats for sure.

As far as moving to the country, I lived in the country for best part of 8 years & it was good, but dont think just because its the country everything is rosy there either. Noise pollution can be just as bad if not worse (loud karaoke is everywhere even out in the sticks), every morning at about 5am in our village there was loud speakers shouting out the local party message, dogs barking all night, cockerels giving their wake up calls starting 4 am,  plastic rubbish is everywhere even in the country. Air pollution OK not from exhaust fumes but from burning toxic rubbish incl plastic, rubber & god knows what (no refuse collection) & from road dust can be bad. Horrible rodents & creepy crawly things sharing your home & garden is quite normal. Living in a house in preference to an apartment can have its down side too, dont think there is no crime in the country lots of very poor people & a house is much easier to get into than an apartment. Once I figure out how to post a photo here I will show you what we came home to once at our house in the country (remember as a foreigner you are prime target) & it was not a house in a secluded location.
Food for thought I think & just my experience.

goodolboy wrote:

Jlgarbutt wrote:

Wow much cheaper than living in HCM
We have been in our apartment for newrly a month at $600 plus the two month deposit.
We argued about a break clause that if the apartment necome unusable we would leave early and get deposit back. Owner 2asnt having any of it. Anyway apartment seemed modern and well maintained, but after two weeks the floor tiles cracked and lifted. Not expecting a quick fix... however two days later a gang of 8 men arrived at 07.00 am without prior notice.

Spent the next 2 days stuck in apartment to ensure none of our possessions went missing.
Third day, inspection from Novaland to kake sure work completed to high standard....and nope it wasnt.

Went out for the day after to get irate builders on phone cannot get in... no one said theh come that day or time.
So come back next day, two more days of dust, disruption and stuck at home guarding valuables.
Job eventually done but decided easier to cut a tile rather than replace. Didnt  care, glad its done.

Next up, resident access card doesnt gain access to pool or gym - wifes cad does ...
Two days ago, told power off from 09.00am for maintenance, no problem ..... woke at 7am to no power..

So it aeems country life is much better than city life ? Cheaper, cleaner air...

Bet 100 people on here can tell you similar experiences with apartment landlords & work men coming to do work....its pretty much par for the course here I think, drove me nuts many times thats for sure.

As far as moving to the country, I lived in the country for best part of 8 years & it was good, but dont think just because its the country everything is rosy there either. Noise pollution can be just as bad if not worse (loud karaoke is everywhere even out in the sticks) plastic rubbish is everywhere even in the country. Air pollution OK not from exhaust fumes but from dust can be bad. Horrible rodents & creepy crawly things sharing your home is quite normal. Living in a house in preference to an apartment can have its down side too, dont think there is no crime in the country lots of very poor people & a house is much easier to get into than an apartment. Once I figure out how to post a photo here I will show you what we came home to once at our house in the country (remember as a foreigner you are prime target) & it was not a house in a secluded location.
Food for thought I think & just my experience.

The locals see nothing when you are being robbed, but see and know everything to report to the local Cong An about your daily life.

totally off topic Colin but  Not sure if this is still relevant but every time I came back from work (once a month)in them days I had to go down the local cop shop & check in with the head hauncho, drink a few glasses of rice whiskey & of course give a little donation to the "local poor people" 
and back then visiting the local cop shop for me was like being in something out of a Humphrey Bogard movie or "The Deer Hunter" ahhhhhhhhh the memories.

Goes to show who you know is more important than what you know

Jlgarbutt wrote:

Goes to show who you know is more important than what you know

10 minutes kissing ass better than 10 years hard labor!!

goodolboy wrote:

Jlgarbutt wrote:

Wow much cheaper than living in HCM
We have been in our apartment for newrly a month at $600 plus the two month deposit.
We argued about a break clause that if the apartment necome unusable we would leave early and get deposit back. Owner 2asnt having any of it. Anyway apartment seemed modern and well maintained, but after two weeks the floor tiles cracked and lifted. Not expecting a quick fix... however two days later a gang of 8 men arrived at 07.00 am without prior notice.

Spent the next 2 days stuck in apartment to ensure none of our possessions went missing.
Third day, inspection from Novaland to kake sure work completed to high standard....and nope it wasnt.

Went out for the day after to get irate builders on phone cannot get in... no one said theh come that day or time.
So come back next day, two more days of dust, disruption and stuck at home guarding valuables.
Job eventually done but decided easier to cut a tile rather than replace. Didnt  care, glad its done.

Next up, resident access card doesnt gain access to pool or gym - wifes cad does ...
Two days ago, told power off from 09.00am for maintenance, no problem ..... woke at 7am to no power..

So it aeems country life is much better than city life ? Cheaper, cleaner air...

Bet 100 people on here can tell you similar experiences with apartment landlords & work men coming to do work....its pretty much par for the course here I think, drove me nuts many times thats for sure.

As far as moving to the country, I lived in the country for best part of 8 years & it was good, but dont think just because its the country everything is rosy there either. Noise pollution can be just as bad if not worse (loud karaoke is everywhere even out in the sticks), every morning at about 5am in our village there was loud speakers shouting out the local party message, dogs barking all night, cockerels giving their wake up calls starting 4 am,  plastic rubbish is everywhere even in the country. Air pollution OK not from exhaust fumes but from burning toxic rubbish incl plastic, rubber & god knows what (no refuse collection) & from road dust can be bad. Horrible rodents & creepy crawly things sharing your home & garden is quite normal. Living in a house in preference to an apartment can have its down side too, dont think there is no crime in the country lots of very poor people & a house is much easier to get into than an apartment. Once I figure out how to post a photo here I will show you what we came home to once at our house in the country (remember as a foreigner you are prime target) & it was not a house in a secluded location.
Food for thought I think & just my experience.

What you say can be a common and unsettling experience but I have to say that caution before renting anywhere is vital. It often makes the cost aspect irrelevant. I guess the true cost of living in Vietnam is whether the experience matches the benefits, whatever the location. Hard to put a price on the way of life that makes you feel comfortable. Fortunately I know the area around where I am going to move very well and have a long history there way beyond my current 12yr residency and never have the problems there that you have experienced, apart from the local wildlife that doesn't bother me anyway. So . . ..  as per the thread, cost of living in Vietnam ?
You pay your money you take your choice.

Went several times to Mang Den (lake, waterfalls). Nice place, but most of the hotels were closed. Was checking for a piece of land near the lake ( not so expensive ). If you go direction the eco village ( from Kontum to Quang Ngai) you'll find a lot of little roads, not so easy for non experienced drivers, with rice fields , little villages. Will go back in March to check when the harvesting period is and stay  a few days in Mang Den. Just 100 km from where I live.

Ok living in Pleiku, just at the border (6km from the centre ) not far away from the caldera lake (1 km) , airport (4 km), flower mountain (10km). But there is a problem, if you're a tourist and not on a business visa you can not stay. Let's say  connections will help ( police and military ) and I'm also living in a restricted area. That's normally a no-go area for Western people !

Hello. What do you think about living in Da Nang or Nha Trang? Is it more expensive?  How much to rent a nice apartment looking at the water?

thanks

Nha Trang's pollution is bad.
Da Nang is cleaner and far more cheaper than NT.
NT is over rated and the Chinese/Russians are taking over.
Da Nang is close to so many beautiful places.
NT is good for a visit/holiday.

Chuman8325 wrote:

Nha Trang's pollution is bad.
Da Nang is cleaner and far more cheaper than NT.
NT is over rated and the Chinese/Russians are taking over.
Da Nang is close to so many beautiful places.
NT is good for a visit/holiday.

What does any of that have to do with the subject of the OP?

OceanBeach92107 wrote:

Chuman8325 wrote:

Nha Trang's pollution is bad.
Da Nang is cleaner and far more cheaper than NT.
NT is over rated and the Chinese/Russians are taking over.
Da Nang is close to so many beautiful places.
NT is good for a visit/holiday.

What does any of that have to do with the subject of the OP?

I don't think there is a rule that one can only respond to the OP, particularly if the topic is, like this thread, one of those phony ones thrown up by forum moderators and not a genuine query from an actual expat.  She was clearly responding to the post just before hers, even if she failed to use the quote function, another of your favorite bugaboos.

Jlgarbutt wrote:

Goes to show who you know is more important than what you know

That usually works until you find out the other bloke's a bullshitter. 😆

THIGV wrote:

OceanBeach92107 wrote:

Chuman8325 wrote:

Nha Trang's pollution is bad.
Da Nang is cleaner and far more cheaper than NT.
NT is over rated and the Chinese/Russians are taking over.
Da Nang is close to so many beautiful places.
NT is good for a visit/holiday.

What does any of that have to do with the subject of the OP?

I don't think there is a rule that one can only respond to the OP, particularly if the topic is, like this thread, one of those phony ones thrown up by forum moderators and not a genuine query from an actual expat.  She was clearly responding to the post just before hers, even if she failed to use the quote function, another of your favorite bugaboos.

So cute you coming to the rescue of the damsel in distress 🥰

And look at you, saying that an OP created by an EXPATdotCOM team member is "phony".

Now that you mention it, there is a rule, but it's in the forum code of conduct written by EXPATdotCOM, so WhyTF would you follow it?

Far better for you to sniff behind the tail of my most recent post.

Good boy! 😎~~~🐕

Bella Versteeg wrote:

Hi,
About the house or apartment is independent how big you want .
So just normal for expat with 2 bedroom apartment is about $700 -$1200 .. 3 bedroom is a little bit more expensive.
Nice villa in expat area cost about $2000-$5000
About food is like $500/ month.. family with 2 kids. If you are single is more cheap .
50 cent for a break. Very cheap local food here too. For enjoy party is independent how often you go out . So like $4 for a beer here .
Anyway all this cost is for expat . But if you want to live like a local then much cheap per . You can rent just a studio here for $300-$500 .
So about $1500/ month is easy to live here in HCMc . But Ofcoz you can get more then this. So no worry ... everything here is cheap .
About Healthy care , you should find a job who pay for you health insurance. Because hospitals here is a little expensive.
Any questions you are able to ask me.
Have nice day

Not really cheap. I pay a lot less in the USA for the same.

Chuman8325 wrote:

Nha Trang's pollution is bad.
Da Nang is cleaner and far more cheaper than NT.
NT is over rated and the Chinese/Russians are taking over.
Da Nang is close to so many beautiful places.
NT is good for a visit/holiday.

Nha Trang over rated???
It is a sh*it hole. A really dirty city with the locals, Russians and Chinese behaving badly.
Russians smoking while eating, Chinese's and Russians throwing their garbage on the  streets.
The locals park their bikes on the sidewalks and the people have to walk on the streets avoiding bad drivers.
It's a beach city that grew into a city without any planning.
Avoid it.

Ready2jump wrote:

Hello. What do you think about living in Da Nang or Nha Trang? Is it more expensive?  How much to rent a nice apartment looking at the water?

thanks

Two totally different cities.
Check them out and see what you like.
Da Nang is mor calm and peaceful
Lights turn off even at 9 or 10 pm,
while Nha Trang is more touristy and night life goes on.

Health Insurance………………………………...........800usd per month.

WOW, 800usd monthly? You can as well fly home for a treatment every time u catch a flu and you will probably save money.

Are you sure it wasnt 80USD per month?:-)

Dan911 wrote:

Health Insurance………………………………...........800usd per month.

WOW, 800usd monthly? You can as well fly home for a treatment every time u catch a flu and you will probably save money.

Are you sure it wasnt 80USD per month?:-)

69 years old & yup 800 usd per month & happy to pay it! (& that dont cover previous illness) what happens if I cant fly home? obviously the cost depends on the cover I have, but hey  if you can get me a quote with exactly same cover for less I am open to offers. Have already a quote from someone on this forum for next time with a saving, but not at 80usd a month  & at 70 this year all bets are off with many private medical cover companies!

Tell you a story......2015 here in Vietnam I contracted Salmonella which then caused my immune system to react & gave me "severe reactive arthritis" Overnight I went from a fully strong & healthy 65 year old to basically a wreck. I was taken to a local private hospital here where they prescribed a healthy doze of steroid tablets (no mention or reason what had triggered the reaction)   & hey as if by magic I was cured....or so I thought. Contacted my area company medical office in Sing ( I worked for a major oil company) & they immediately medevac  me out to Thailand to Bumrungrad International Hospital. After about a week off the steroids & them trying to kill the Salmonella infection I went into a coma that lasted just short of 2 weeks. Now I will cut to the chase.............still on the company medical thank god (BUPA International) & 2 years treatment later I was basically clear & off treatment & meds & the cost to my company Insurer was ...............in the region of.................. 250,000usd.
So 800usd a month medical cover!  well you pay for what you get I guess & I am "lucky in life" as the Vietnamese say & 800usd a month not like its gonna break me, just less to leave the kids & grand kids

Thank U Bella,
That was reasonable amount of information to help me with.
Do you know any job recruitment agency, as I was looking for a change.
Would be grateful.

Regards
Theo.

It seems to me every expat has a different idea about cost of living in Vietnam.  For my husband and me, less than 19M is what we spend every month on everything except travel:

Rent (2br 2 bath):  11M
Electricity & water usage: 600k
Cell phones (one with plan and one without): 100K
Drinking water (4-19L bottles of La Vie): 230K
Groceries: 2M
Eating out: 200k (NOT street food)
Carton of 333 beer: 235k
2 bottles of Campari:  720k
Beauty care (facial, massage, nails, hair):  750k
Medical (transportation, hotel, dr, prescriptions, blood test, full cardio test, divided to 12 from total yearly cost, all in cash as we don't have insurance): 1M
Miscellaneous (clothing, shoes, a bottle of single malt every now and then): 2M

Total:  18,835,000 = approximately $815/m

Due to VEC, we must leave the country every 6 months.  We could do the inexpensive way (Cambodia, Thailand, Singapore, KL) and it would probably cost us 25M a year, which means 2M or so being added to the budget, bringing it up to about 21M.  In reality, we spend approximately $12K each year for 2 long trips and several short trips, but that's our choice, not the requirement to live here.

In short, we live VERY comfortable in VT for $900/m, a whole lot less than the budget of several posters above.

Note:  Our grocery bill seems low only because we cook at home, but that doesn't mean we skim on food.  We don't eat beef, rarely buy pork, and cook chicken probably once a week.  The bulk of our food consists of the freshest and highest quality seafood (3, 4 times weekly) and we buy only home grown vegetable and fruits.  We eat a huge amount of fruits, about 40 kg of each type of fruit in season.

Ciambella wrote:

It seems to me every expat has a different idea about cost of living in Vietnam.  For my husband and me, less than 19M is what we spend every month on everything except travel:

Rent (2br 2 bath):  11M
Electricity & water usage: 600k
Cell phones (one with plan and one without): 100K
Drinking water (4-19L bottles of La Vie): 230K
Groceries: 2M
Eating out: 200k (NOT street food)
Carton of 333 beer: 235k
2 bottles of Campari:  720k
Beauty care (facial, massage, nails, hair):  750k
Medical (transportation, hotel, dr, prescriptions, blood test, full cardio test, divided to 12 from total yearly cost, all in cash as we don't have insurance): 1M
Miscellaneous (clothing, shoes, a bottle of single malt every now and then): 2M

Total:  18,835,000 = approximately $815/m

Due to VEC, we must leave the country every 6 months.  We could do the inexpensive way (Cambodia, Thailand, Singapore, KL) and it would probably cost us 25M a year, which means 2M or so being added to the budget, bringing it up to about 21M.  In reality, we spend approximately $12K each year for 2 long trips and several short trips, but that's our choice, not the requirement to live here.

In short, we live VERY comfortable in VT for $900/m, a whole lot less than the budget of several posters above.

Note:  Our grocery bill seems low only because we cook at home, but that doesn't mean we skim on food.  We don't eat beef and rarely buy pork, instead we consume the freshest and highest quality seafood 3, 4 times weekly, and we buy only home grown vegetable and fruits.  We eat a huge amount of fruits, about 40 kg each of every type of fruit in season.

Im with you, we spend about 16m a month.

Many expats seem to eat breakfast,lunch and dinner at Western style cafes/restaurants, I think that adds a huge cost.

colinoscapee wrote:

Im with you, we spend about 16m a month.

Many expats seem to eat breakfast,lunch and dinner at Western style cafes/restaurants, I think that adds a huge cost.

My sin comes in the form of twice a month beauty care.  As I couldn't afford it in the States, I'm indulging myself here.

colinoscapee wrote:

Ciambella wrote:

It seems to me every expat has a different idea about cost of living in Vietnam.  For my husband and me, less than 19M is what we spend every month on everything except travel:

Rent (2br 2 bath):  11M
Electricity & water usage: 600k
Cell phones (one with plan and one without): 100K
Drinking water (4-19L bottles of La Vie): 230K
Groceries: 2M
Eating out: 200k (NOT street food)
Carton of 333 beer: 235k
2 bottles of Campari:  720k
Beauty care (facial, massage, nails, hair):  750k
Medical (transportation, hotel, dr, prescriptions, blood test, full cardio test, divided to 12 from total yearly cost, all in cash as we don't have insurance): 1M
Miscellaneous (clothing, shoes, a bottle of single malt every now and then): 2M

Total:  18,835,000 = approximately $815/m

Due to VEC, we must leave the country every 6 months.  We could do the inexpensive way (Cambodia, Thailand, Singapore, KL) and it would probably cost us 25M a year, which means 2M or so being added to the budget, bringing it up to about 21M.  In reality, we spend approximately $12K each year for 2 long trips and several short trips, but that's our choice, not the requirement to live here.

In short, we live VERY comfortable in VT for $900/m, a whole lot less than the budget of several posters above.

Note:  Our grocery bill seems low only because we cook at home, but that doesn't mean we skim on food.  We don't eat beef and rarely buy pork, instead we consume the freshest and highest quality seafood 3, 4 times weekly, and we buy only home grown vegetable and fruits.  We eat a huge amount of fruits, about 40 kg each of every type of fruit in season.

Im with you, we spend about 16m a month.

Many expats seem to eat breakfast,lunch and dinner at Western style cafes/restaurants, I think that adds a huge cost.

Hey after your 2 posts & because I dont eat breakfast, Lunch & dinner out (actually cook western  most days myself) I just did an add up to my post & have to apologies for misleading, must be an age thing or too much drink that day
Using the same figures I posted & considering I dont pay rent & taking out my medical insurance costs  my actual outgoings for general living are about 586 usd so lets say 14 million based on one person,
Sorry about that!

Nice break up of costs. Thanks.