How much does it cost to live in Ho Chi Minh City?
Typical Month (Mid Range)
$1,450 (₫37,576,380)
Housing, food, transport, mobile, coworking and gym.
Updated September 2026 · Sources cited: dotproperty.com.vn, rentapartment.vn
- Typical Month (Lower End)
- $412 (₫10,681,737)
- Typical Month (Premium)
- $3,496 (₫90,572,597)
- Furnished 1-bed rent
- $1,100 (₫28,494,643)
District 2 (Thao Dien area)
Good to know
Good to Know
- Thao Dien and An Phu (District 2) carry a clear rent premium over the rest of the city because of the concentration of international schools, Western cafes, and gourmet grocery stores (e.g. Annam Gourmet, MEGA Market) — budget-conscious nomads often find better value in District 1, District 3, or Binh Thanh while staying close to the same amenities.
- Serviced apartments often quote a base rent that excludes electricity — several long-term renters report landlords using sub-metered electricity billing that can add significantly to the monthly total, so always confirm whether utilities are included before signing.
- Grocery costs vary hugely by where you shop: local wet markets are dramatically cheaper than Western-style supermarkets that stock imported goods, so your real grocery bill depends heavily on shopping habits.
- Short-term (1-month minimum) furnished listings are common in Thao Dien and District 1 and are priced noticeably higher per month than a standard 12-month unfurnished local lease — expect a premium for the flexibility.
- Vietnam's e-visa (90 days, multiple entry) costs USD 50 when applied for directly on the official government portal — third-party agencies charge extra service fees on top of this for faster processing, which isn't necessary if you apply a few days ahead.
- HCMC's new Metro Line 1 (Ben Thanh–Suoi Tien) is very cheap (VND 300,000/month) but only covers one east-west corridor toward Thu Duc/District 9 — most nomads based in District 1, 3 or Thao Dien will still rely on ride-hailing apps (Grab/Xanh SM) or a rented motorbike for daily transport.
- Coworking prices vary a lot by district and brand — District 1 and Thao Dien (District 2) spaces tend to sit at the higher end, while spaces further out or smaller local operators can be noticeably cheaper.
- Local Vietnamese health insurance is generally not built for foreigners' needs; most long-stay nomads instead carry an international/travel health plan for coverage at the city's private international clinics.
Monthly Totals
- Mid-range month
- ₫37,576,380
Includes 4 estimated components
- Lean month
- ₫10,681,737
Includes 3 estimated components
- Comfortable month
- ₫90,572,597
Includes 6 estimated components
Living Costs
- Where nomads live
- Thao Dien and An Phu wards (District 2, administratively part of Thu Duc City) are the documented primary cluster for nomads and expats in HCMC, with District 1 as a secondary hub favored by those who want to be closer to the central business district. All housing figures below reflect Thao Dien/District 2 unless otherwise noted.
Housing (per month)
- Mid-range 1-bed
- ₫28,494,643
Local listing
Rentapartment.vn live listing: 1-bedroom river-view apartment, 88sqm, District 2, listed at $1,100/month, furnished.
Published in USD
- Budget studio / 1-bed
- ₫13,915,000
Local listing
Dot Property live listing: studio serviced apartment, 40sqm + 15sqm balcony, No.15 Street 4, Thao Dien Ward, District 2, listed at $520/month (~13.915 million VND/month), 1-year rental.
- Premium apartment
- ₫71,236,607
Estimated
Midpoint estimate of the $1,500-$4,000/month range stated for 3-bedroom apartments in premium Thao Dien complexes (Masteri Thao Dien, Gateway Thao Dien, Estella Heights) per VNRentHome's 2026 expat rental guide.
Published in USD
- Private room in a shared home
- ₫6,500,000
Estimated
No live listing for a private room in a shared home in HCMC was found in the sources we checked; figure is an estimate based on the general local rental market tier below full studio/1BR serviced-apartment pricing (which starts around $500-520/month per live listings).
Groceries
- Groceries for one (month)
- ₫3,000,000
Survey / cost-of-living site
Vietnam Airlines-sourced figure cited in a 2025 Yahoo Lifestyle piece: shopping at local markets in Ho Chi Minh City can cost up to 3 million VND per month for one person.
Sample prices
Milk, 1 Liter
- Milk, 1 Liter
- ₫38,000
Estimated
Hikersbay's Vietnam-wide average price (not HCMC-specific) for 1L milk/carton; used as a proxy since no HCMC-specific figure was found.
Cheese, 1 Kg
- Cheese, 1 Kg
- ₫300,000
Estimated
Hikersbay's Vietnam-wide average price for 1kg of popular yellow cheese, used as a national proxy in the absence of an HCMC-specific figure.
Cold Cuts / Sausage, 1 Kg
- Cold Cuts / Sausage, 1 Kg
- ₫433,000
Estimated
Hikersbay's Vietnam-wide average price for 1kg of sausage/cold cuts, used as a national proxy in the absence of an HCMC-specific figure.
Eating out
- Cheap meal
- ₫37,500
Estimated
VietnamSpot's 2026 Ho Chi Minh City price guide: a meal at a local eatery costs about 50,000 VND. [Adjusted 2026-09-18: the source's 50000 VND reduced by 25%; see "adjusted".]
- High-end meal
- ₫2,250,000
Estimated
Midpoint of the 1,500,000-3,000,000 VND range Indochinatour cites for a multi-course tasting menu at a top-tier restaurant specifically in Ho Chi Minh City or Hanoi, excluding drinks.
- Mid-range meal
- ₫150,000
Estimated
Midpoint of VietnamSpot's stated 150,000-250,000 VND range for a tourist-oriented restaurant meal in HCMC. [Adjusted 2026-09-18: the source's 200000 VND reduced by 25%; see "adjusted".]
Work, Transport & Essentials
Coworking
- Day pass
- ₫300,000
Survey / cost-of-living site
Hive Life nomad coworking guide lists Spiced (District 1, 21 Nguyen Trung Ngan St) hot desk day rate at VND 300,000/day
- Monthly hot desk
- ₫2,800,000
Survey / cost-of-living site
Same Hive Life listing states Spiced monthly hot desk price at VND 2,800,000/month
Transport
Mobile & data
- Monthly plan
- ₫150,000
Estimated
Estimated from typical Viettel/Mobifone prepaid data-heavy plans (5-8GB/day) commonly used by expats; not read from a single carrier page at the time of research
Short Stays (per night)
- Seasonal pricing
- Yes
- Why
- Dry season (December–April) experiences peak tourism with sustained high accommodation prices, while rainy season (May–November) sees sustained 30–50% price reductions across most/all accommodation types.
Low season
- Budget
- ₫390,000
2-star hotel floor pricing; confirmed May-September low-season rates
- Luxury
- ₫1,950,000
5-star hotel seasonal reduction; luxury Airbnb properties maintaining premium but with 25-30% markdown from peak
- Premium
- ₫1,300,000
4-star hotel base rates; premium Airbnb listings with 30-40% seasonal discount
- Standard
- ₫1,170,000
3-star hotel/comparable Airbnb median rates; Airbtics May/September ADR $45-50
High season
- Budget
- ₫520,000
2-star hotel (Beautiful Saigon Hotel, Papaya Hotel & Café 2) from KAYAK/Tripadvisor aggregates
- Luxury
- ₫2,730,000
5-star hotel (An Lam Retreats Saigon River, Hotels.com reference); top-tier Airbnb properties in District 1/Thao Dien (20-40% premium)
- Premium
- ₫1,820,000
4-star hotel range ($51-78 weekend rates from Trip.com); mid-premium Airbnb listings
- Standard
- ₫1,560,000
3-star hotel/comparable Airbnb (median premium properties); Airbtics high-season ADR data January peak
Low-season months
- May
- June
- July
- August
- September
- October
- November
High-season months
- December
- January
- February
- March
- April
Sources cited for this category
These are the sources cited in this cost of living research for this city. Individual figures may not each trace to one of them.
More About Ho Chi Minh City
Data last updated September 2026 · Verify anything important.