3.6/5
1,503 reviews
Photo by Georgios Domouchtsidis via Unsplash

Cost of Living in Ho Chi Minh City

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food

terrible

cheap

good

stay

pollution

great

pretty

friendly

locals

saigon

nice

plenty

grab

walk

aggressive

quality

district

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is an affordable city with decent infrastructure and fast internet. There’s vibrant nightlife and a good selection of bars and cafes, many of which are freelancer-friendly with work-conducive spaces. Ride-sharing is convenient and cheap, and while there isn't a metro system yet, one is under construction. It's a place many people enjoy visiting for a few weeks, especially budget travelers or digital nomads looking to socialize and enjoy the urban setting.

However, most agree it's not suitable for long-term living. Pollution—air, noise, and street cleanliness—is a consistent issue. Streets are not pedestrian-friendly, with blocked or broken sidewalks forcing people into traffic. Traffic overall is chaotic and dangerous. Locals can be hit-or-miss—some friendly, others distant or even hostile—and some reviewers noted scams and cultural disconnects in dating. Many complain that public spaces are dirty, and while some areas and apartments are nice, they are the exception. The overall experience can be frustrating, and most visitors are ready to leave after a month. It’s worth visiting briefly, but not recommended for those expecting comfort or a deep sense of local warmth.

AI-generated summary of reviews
8 months ago

Full of scams, surprisingly expensive, too hot and humid, too busy, food is mostly terrible. Definitely NOT recommended for beginners.

12 months ago

Pros: cheap, unique/interesting vibe, decent infrastructure, good food.
Cons: dangerous traffic, intense pollution, hit-or-miss local attitudes, annoying tourist visa process

1 year ago

I really like living here. The only thing to note is that the concept of responsibility for public spaces doesn’t exist. Beautiful cafes will have disgusting sidewalks. Luxury hotels will be next to a road filled with trash or potholes. I leased an apartment in a private neighborhood and everything is clean and pretty (and still relatively cheap).

1 year ago

I noticed most cafes are very work friendly! (eg: fast wifi, abundance of power plugs and nobody will pressure you to keep ordering, altho i'd recommend to support local busineses ;) )

1 year ago

I did not care for this city! Was super polluted, muggy, and not very walkable at all. I also ended up getting food poison before leaving. I will never return here again .

1 year ago

You could do worse, you could do better. Filthy & stressful, you have to Grab everywhere, even a short walk results in dodging aggressive motorbikes. Locals are super unfriendly, way worse than Hanoi, so not sure why everyone raves about how friendly they are in comparison. Poor quality in everything, even the luxury experiences are a total rip-off. Surprisingly underdeveloped too, not even a bar on their observation deck in Bitexco. Internet is really good, but stay as far from D1 as you can - somehow it's filthier than everywhere else & seems like they're trying to turn this area into a red light district, so it's very noisy with a lot of obvious prostitution happening. No matter what you ask for in a cafe or restaurant, you'll get what they feel like serving lol Grab drivers are not helpful or friendly at all, all of them seemed bothered by having to deal with you, but there's no other way to get around. Being here for 2 months cured me of ever wanting to visit SEA ever again, so there's that.

2 years ago

Saigon has things going for it—great food, beautiful French architecture, interesting history, steady development, and nice enough people. But overall, the vibes are mediocre. Again, the locals are nice enough, though, as a Westerner, you're not going to feel as welcomed as you are in surrounding countries (I don't mean to sound entitled, that's an honest assessment). You just sort of exist; people stare at you and will be amused by you, but don't expect the celebrity treatment you get in other countries. Dating is a thing—it's not terrible, but it's probably the least compatible with Western-style dating I've experienced in any Asian country (people take things much slower, even if you're long-term/marriage minded, it's going to frustrate you). Oh, and the pollution is terrible, and doesn't let up like it does in other countries because it's more city-based vs. rural based. I do recommend visiting here for a week or so to see the sights, but no longer—not when you can have a 1000x better time in other nearby countries.

2 years ago

Definitely worth visiting, but just visiting. I don't recommend living here for reasons others have outlined. But again—definitely worth visiting, DO try it for a shorter trip.

2 years ago

Saigon has some nice areas with good apartments and nature e.g. central park, golden river, empire city. Rest of the city more or less sucks, too much traffic, pollution and noise. Overall pretty meh, no real reason to visit or live there.

2 years ago

Stayed here for a month. It reminds me of a less-developed Bangkok. Although there are a lot of high-rise buildings being built at the moment. Very cheap place compared to lots of places in Asia however it's one of the most expensive places in Vietnam. I wouldn't stay here long term, good for a month but was ready to move on.
Pros:
- Cheap city
- Has lots of bars and restaurants
- Has some good day trips and activities
- Safe
- Very cheap Ubers
Cons:
- Can be extremely hot during the day which makes it unbearable to walk around
- Dating as a guy here is not the best, local women think they are queens and have unrealistic expectations, they are a 4 that expects a 9/10 guy to take them seriously. Not all are like this but the girls that have been "westernised"are.
- Food was terrible, I mostly ate international dishes for that reason
- Pollution varies so much, some days it was literally the worst pollution I have witnessed, and other days it was fine
- I had a lot of locals trying to trip me off, sometimes 10x the amount

3 years ago

I liked Ho Chi Minh City a lot. It has all of the convivences one could expect from the city except for an MRT system which as of September 2022, they are in the middle of building one anyway. Things are affordable although I have noticed a tamer street food scene compared to other places in Vietnam like Hanoi. Seems to be making more room for higher end dining but affordability is still easy. HCMC without a doubt has some great nightlife, so party animals are going to be very happy here. I am sure those willing to use grab or even rent a motorbike may find even more affordability outside of District 1.

4 years ago

Been living here for more than 3 years. Overall I do not recommend it. Its not terrible but overall theres better options in asia.

The city is constantly busy, noisy and polluted (air and landscapes). You can hardly go out for breeze of fresh air or to relax and ease your mind. There is not much nature, beach or mountains for you to escape. Traveling is very restriced because people go crazy due to covid. During the lockdown you couldnt even leave your appartment for a walk outside. They trapped everyone inside. It was like a prison! It is very hostile for dogs as most Vietnamese treat animals like trash. The people can be rude and xenophobic. Some people are nice and helpful if you ask them but overall very uneducated, sleezy and close minded. The girls are attractive in looks department but dont make great long term partners as they are too childish, insecure, and stupid. In general the people are funny and sociable but uneducated, immature, poor. It is an interesting place to discover for a few weeks after that you wanna get away

4 years ago

Only thing to add is that in general Saigon has terrible walkability. I love Saigon, lived there for 3 years. But motorbikes are always parked on the sidewalks so you constantly have to step onto the road which is a little hair raising. And if it's not motorbikes then there are restaurant tables scattered across the pavement. Plus the pavement is almost always cracked. I'm a pretty chill person. But going for a random walk in Saigon always leaves me kind of irritated after a while. Of course the parks and pedestrian zones are all fine though.
Great city, but you need to drive everywhere.

5 years ago

Usually goes dead after one month. Polluted streets and antisocial locals. It’s okay for a few weeks, but the fun diminishes quickly and boredom sets in. You are left with high rent and no fun after about a month.

5 years ago

It used to have a lot of character and charm but all the construction is making the city lose its culture.

Apartments and accommodation are ridiculously expensive. 300 to 500 a month for tiny rooms in a shared house.

For single guys go elsewhere. Women here are rude, ultra conservative and have flat personalities with nothing going for them.

Food is okay but plenty of MSG and food safety is atrocious. In addition motorists are aggressive and plenty of accidents take place.

Don't live here imo but come and visit.

6 years ago

Main advantage of Vietnam in general is the ease of getting a visa. That's real nice but there are some big problems here.

The food is terrible. Bland soups with slippery, boring rice noodles topped with weird stuff like pig's feet are not my idea of a good meal. Neither are sandwiches with fatty mystery meats. Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia all have way better food. The sushi I've had here was also terrible.

The city itself is pretty ugly. Every building is the same tall, skinny shape. Overall safety is low and you'll probably end up in a traffic accident if you stay here long enough.

It costs more to rent a place and if you're on a low budget you'll likely end up in a home stay or guesthouse when you could have rented an apartment for the same price in another city. Many places have curfews, even as early as 8pm, so make sure to ask your Airbnb about that because they won't bother to mention it in the listing.

Stay in D1/D10/D3/D4/Phu nhuan. Avoid Tan phu, D7, D2, Tan binh, and Go vap.

Avoid the rainy season.

6 years ago

Ho Chi Minh City is clearly the place to be right now. What I like most is the diversity : there are quiet places, busy places, cheap places, fancy places. Above all, the most important thing for a digital nomad is the Internet and it's almost perfect (there are some breakdowns a few seconds here and there) but overall it's pretty fast. You can feel a great vibe, there is just the right balance between chaos and comfort. Highly recommend.

7 years ago

Great city for working that is incredibly cheap and has great cafes to work at. There's plenty of activities and social events so making friends was easy. Sadly food quality and air quality is very poor and there is a lack of nature nearby. I recommend staying here three months to half a year if you want a big city life but longer than that and you will get bored. Also stay out of district one as outside of it everything is cheaper and there's still plenty to do.

7 years ago

"omagad they like totally stole my iphone", "it's like the worst, everybody is like so aggressive" welcome to the Real World, maybe you now learn to appreciate your cosy first world country and stop bitching about your oppression and your rights.

Ho Chi Minh is an awesome upcoming city. It has an original and still traditional look and vibe to it, interesting colors (check out japanese district) not swamped with brand shops (the local coffee shops dominate starbucks in terms of quality and design and some are open 24h !). The nightlife also has plenty of options and be sure to enjoy the view from a the many rooftop bars in the city.

You get to see a city full of energetic, young people growing their country after a devastating war and under an authoritarian regime. You get a choice between older buildings in D1 or totally new apartment buildings in D2 all at great value prices.

There are a lot of people coming here to work remotely and also to start businesses.

Decent sports facilities readily available (check out mach's gym, UFC center). If you don't want to spend money on the gym you can always do a workout on one of the many parks that have bars for chalistenics available.

However, beware the pollution and always wear a mask, especially in D1. This is the biggest con here in my opinion.

7 years ago

worst place I have ever been to. walking is difficult. weather is extremely humid. lack of infrastructure so terrible smells which are hard to cope with. they keep trying to sell you things. lastly, aggressive people all around the place, especially males.

7 years ago

Cheap and friendly city. very spread out with limited public transport but there is an Uber-like app called Grab you can use to get a ride to anywhere in the city cheaply.

7 years ago

my girlfriend's iPhone was stolen from a backpack in Ho Chi Minh City - be careful in this city

7 years ago

Ho Chi Minh City is a big hot spot for digital nomads. Currently experiencing huge growth in the number of co-working spaces available. It has a slower pace of life compared to other cities. Ho Chi Minh City is well known for its coffee culture (many local cafés), traditional architecture, and friendly locals. Prices for food and accommodation are low in comparison to other South East Asian locations. Added bonus: weekend getaways at the beach are just a bus ride away.

8 years ago

Big, dirty, vibrant, and cheap.

Not an easy city compared to somewhere like Bangkok, but it's a good experience. I recommend at least a three-month stay.

8 years ago

✅ Very affordable

✅ Good nightlife

✅ Fast internet

✅ Affordable to live

✅ Pretty safe

✅ Lots of fun stuff to do

✅ Warm now

✅ Warm all year round

✅ Good air quality on average

✅ Many Nomads.com members here all year round

✅ Very easy to make friends

✅ Easy to do business

✅ Great hospitals

✅ Safe for women

❌ Polluted

❌ Not walkable

❌ Unfriendly locals

❌ Poor quality infrastructure

❌ Dating culture mismatch

❌ No freedom of speech

❌ No democracy

❌ Very sweaty and humid now

❌ Nomads.com members didn't like going here

❌ Feels crowded

❌ Quality of education is low

❌ Roads can be dangerous

❌ People don't speak English well

❌ Not family friendly

❌ Hostile towards LGBTQ+

❌ Many people smoke tobacco

❌ Marijuana is illegal

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Feels (median)

3697°
hot

42108°
scorching

41106°
scorching

38100°
hot

42108°
scorching

40104°
hot

43109°
scorching

41106°
scorching

39102°
hot

3493°
hot

Real (median)

3086°
very warm

3391°
hot

3188°
hot

3086°
very warm

3188°
hot

3086°
very warm

3188°
hot

3086°
very warm

2984°
very warm

Humidity

sweaty
73%

nice
70%

sweaty
80%

sweaty
83%

sweaty
86%

sweaty
90%

sweaty
88%

sweaty
94%

sweaty
93%

sweaty
88%

sweaty
77%

Most common

☀️ Clear

☔️ Rain

☀️ Clear

Rain

dry
9mm

dry
4mm

dry
29mm

rainy
75mm

rainy
207mm

rainy
154mm

rainy
252mm

rainy
251mm

rainy
325mm

rainy
282mm

rainy
149mm

dry
37mm

Cloud

pockets
38%

pockets
29%

pockets
30%

pockets
44%

cloudy
51%

pockets
48%

cloudy
53%

cloudy
54%

cloudy
57%

cloudy
56%

cloudy
51%

pockets
42%

Air quality

bad
105 US AQI

okay
91 US AQI

okay
78 US AQI

okay
67 US AQI

okay
80 US AQI

okay
70 US AQI

okay
67 US AQI

okay
64 US AQI

okay
69 US AQI

okay
88 US AQI

okay
91 US AQI

okay
96 US AQI

Sun

avoid sun
8 UVI

avoid sun
10 UVI

avoid sun
7 UVI

avoid sun
6 UVI

avoid sun
7 UVI

Remote workers

7,770 people

8,329 people

8,775 people

7,760 people

5,871 people

5,520 people

5,360 people

6,000 people

4,659 people

6,480 people

7,600 people

9,450 people

Green is good. Red is bad. Values shown are the medians of all daily highs in a month based on past few years, not necessarily current numbers. Remote worker count is estimated based on the total amount of trips logged by Nomads.com members.

If you'd like to filter destinations based on their climate, try Nomads.com's Climate Finder

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✈️60min

$1,618 / mo

24 Mbps

Vietnam

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

🌥 Feels 38° 100° 30° 86° 🥵 AQI 28

✈️49min

$1,125 / mo

🌇 Also went here481 people

Bangkok

Thailand

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

🌥 Feels 45° 113° 34° 93° 🥵 AQI 40

✈️60min

$1,618 / mo

🌇 Also went here1,067 people

Phuket

Thailand

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

☀️ Feels 42° 108° 33° 92° 🥵

✈️1h

$1,673 / mo

🌇 Also went here459 people

Kuala Lumpur

Malaysia

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked good

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

🌤 Feels 42° 108° 32° 90° 🥵

✈️1h

$1,619 / mo

🌇 Also went here701 people

Germany

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🧐 Very expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

🌥 Feels 12° 54° 12° 53° AQI 74 😷

✈️12h

$4,092 / mo

🌇 Also went here437 people

Paris

France

Members who will be here soon

Members who have been here

Values shown are estimated visits by traveling remote workers based on the total amount of trips logged by Nomads.com members. Visits to a place are only counted once per year per user, even if they visit more in that year. Visits are also normalized by overall trips added per month on the site, so if site usage goes up or down it does not affect trends. Not all digital nomads are on Nomads.com, and not all Nomads.com members log their trips. So the data is only indicative.

The chart below shows visitors by nationality normalized for population size. This means we take all trips logged on Nomads.com, check which country of origin the user is from, then divide that total visit count by the country of origin's population. If we didn't, it'd just show the big countries like US, Brazil and India always on top. Instead, this shows which nationalities worldwide proportionally visit more or less, which is more useful.

🎒 Nomad Score™	3.6/5 (Rank #41) 1503 reviews
❤️ Liked by members	👍12 liked it 👎9 disliked it
👍 Quality of life score	Okay
👶 Family score	Bad
🎒 Community score	Okay
🤯 Overcrowding score	0% is nomad here
💵 Cost	😙 Affordable: $1,044 / mo
📡 Internet	😡 Slow: 12 Mbps (avg)
😝 Fun	Good
⛅️ Temperature (now)	🥵 Too hot: 32°C89°F (feels 42°C108°F)
💦 Humidity (now)	🥵 Sweaty: 74%
❄️ % of buildings with AC	😊 High: 75%
💨 Air quality (now)	🌱 Good: 43 US AQI
💨 Air quality (annual)	🌱 Good: 69 US AQI
👌 Safety	Good
👩 Safe for women	Okay
🌈 Safe for LGBTQ+	Bad
🤮 Food safety*	Good
👮‍♀️ Lack of crime*	Good
🤝 Lack of racism*	Bad
🎓 Education level*	Low
⚡️ Power grid	Great
💰 Income level*	Very low: $181 / mo
🙊 English speaking*	Bad
😤 People density	🧘‍♀️ Low density: 9k ppl/km² (1 per 10x10m)
🚶 Walkability	Great
🚦 Traffic safety*	Bad
✈️ Airline scores*	Good
🧳 Lost luggage*	Great
🏥 Hospitals	Good
😄 Happiness*	Bad
🍸 Nightlife	Good
📶 Free WiFi in city	Okay
🖥 Places to work from	Great
❄️ A/C or heating	Okay
😁 Friendly to foreigners	Okay
🗯 Freedom of speech*	Bad
🎅 Startup Score	Bad

🌍 Continent	Asia
🚩 Country	Vietnam
🗓️ Average trip length	9 days
📡 Internet speed (avg)	12 Mbps
⛅️ Weather (now)	🌥 32°C 89°F + 🥵 Sweaty (74%) = feels 42°C 108°F
💨 Air quality (now)	👍 43 US AQI 🍃 OK
💨 Air quality (annual avg)	👎😷 69 US AQI
🔌 Power	230V 50Hz
🚕 Best taxi app*	Grab
🚑 Travel medical insurance	Safetywing
💸 100,000 VND in USD	USD 3.82
🏧 Suggested ATM take out:	VND 10,000,000 = USD 382
💸 Tipping	No
💳 Cashless	💳 Yes, cards OK almost everywhere
💻 Best coworking space	Start Saigon
💻 Best alt. coworking space	The Hive
☕️ Best coffee place	Lusine Space
🚰 Tap water	🚫 No, not drinkable
♻️ Return rate	👍13% of visitors return
📸 Visitors per year	5,500,000 visitors
📸 Tourists now	105,407 tourists
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Population	7,400,000 people
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 GDP per capita*	$2,171 / year
😤 Population density	🤨 busy: 10x10m (100m²) per person
👫 Gender ratio (population)	👨 57% 👱‍♀️ 43%
👫 Gender ratio (young adults)	👨 54% 👱‍♀️ 46%
👫 Gender ratio (nomads)	👨 85% 👱‍♀️ 15%
⛪️ Religious government	Non-religious
💻 Online electronics shop	Nguyen Kim
🏠 Apartment listings	Airbnb
✈️ Best short-haul air carrier	Air Asia
✈️ Best int'l air carrier	Etihad

💵 Cost of living for nomad	$1,044 / month
💵 Cost of living for expat	$749 / month
💵 Cost of living for family	$1,844 / month
💵 Cost of living for local	$527 / month
🏨 Hotel (median price)	$515 / month
🏡 Airbnb (median price)	$1,016 / month
🏠 1br studio rent in center	$424 / month
🏠 Median home price	$191,095
🏨 Hotel (median price)	$24 / night
🏠 Airbnb (median price)	$33 / night
🏢 Coworking hot desk	$145 / month
🍛 Dinner	$2
🥤 Coca-Cola (0.3L)	$0
🍺 Beer in cafe (0.5L)	$1
☕️ Coffee in cafe	$2
👩‍🏫 International school	$13,368 / year
📱 Mobile data (~10GB)	$6 / month
🚕 Taxi price (avg trip ~3km/2mi)	$2 / trip