Cost of Living in Vietnam as an Expat: How Much Do You Need Per Month? (2026)

Vietnam remains one of Southeast Asia’s most affordable destinations for expats, with monthly budgets ranging from around US$700 for a frugal lifestyle to over US$2,500 for comfortable city living.

Possibly the most famous (infamous?) perk of living in South East Asia is the cost of living, and Vietnam is no exception. If you’re used to living in a first-world country, the idea of only needing to spend US$2 for a meal and US$300 for rent is probably a dream come true.

You can survive in Vietnam on a much smaller budget than in many other countries, but that doesn’t mean budgeting isn’t important. Opinions differ widely on how much money you need to get by.

I’ve met some who have told me you can live on a little over 12 million VND per month (about US$468), and others who wouldn’t accept anything less than 50 million (US$1,951).

In truth, both are correct. The difference lies in your lifestyle, your location, and whether or not you plan to save any money.

The dollar conversions in this guide use VND25,633 to US$1, the State Bank of Vietnam’s rate on 19 October 2026.

What Are Going To Be Your Major Expenses?

Your basic living costs in Vietnam can run anywhere from 5 million to 40 million VND (US$195 to US$1,560) a month, or even higher, depending on your choices. As anywhere else, they take up a large part of your budget:

• Rent
• Food
• Water and electricity
• Transportation
• Phone bills

Many urban Vietnamese people live reasonably well on around 6 million dong (~US$234) per month. They’re not scraping by, either. They have motorbikes and phones, go out for food and drinks with their friends, and even save some money on the side.

If it’s possible for them, it’s possible for you, right?

Well, sort of. With some significant exceptions (rent above all), you too can survive on a Vietnamese budget, provided you’re willing to live a Vietnamese lifestyle. This guide covers everything from the absolute bare minimum to the lavish and unnecessary.

Rent

Like most things in Vietnam, rent is cheap. A decent one-bedroom apartment in Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City costs 10–12 million VND (US$390–468) a month. The urban centres are developing rapidly with few restrictions on construction, leading to low housing prices and low rent as a consequence.

Unfortunately, foreigners pay somewhat more, because landlords face extra costs to have foreigners live on their property legally.

A small studio apartment in Saigon or Hanoi can go as low as 7–8 million VND (US$273–312) monthly, but won’t be particularly high-quality. If you’re willing to spend a bit more, 10–12 million (US$390–468) will get you a spacious and modern serviced one-bedroom apartment in a prime location. Expats living in popular districts like Thảo Điền or Tây Hồ typically pay US$600–1,200 per month for a modern one- or two-bedroom with amenities such as a pool and gym. That matches what expats report on forums and community groups as of early 2026.

The rent is even lower in the smaller cities. In a city such as Hạ Long you can get a serviced two-bedroom apartment with a sea view for as low as 6 million (US$234), although these prices are not standard. If you want to know the best places to live in Vietnam, smaller cities often offer surprisingly good value alongside a slower pace of life.

If you’re on a tight budget you can get a small air-conditioned studio for as low as two million (US$78).

Long-term residents consistently warn against locking in a rental from abroad months ahead. Sight-unseen bookings for a single month tend to go badly, and you’ll almost always negotiate a better rate once you’re here and can look at the place.

If you’d prefer your own detached house, this is also an option, although the prices go up significantly. A house with a garden in a good district can cost you 34 million (US$1,326) on the low end, and upwards of 70 million (US$2,731) on the high end. Districts vary considerably in both price and expat-friendliness. For more detail, see our guide to the best places to live in Ho Chi Minh City.

Banking, Money Transfers, and the VND/USD Exchange Rate

The Vietnamese dong is the country’s sole legal tender. Paying rent, food, or a motorbike in cash US dollars is technically against Vietnam’s foreign exchange rules (Decree 101/2012/ND-CP, as amended, and Decree 88/2019/ND-CP on administrative penalties), even though some landlords and international schools still quote figures in USD informally. In practice, you’ll pay in dong for almost everything day to day.

The State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) sets a daily central reference rate and lets commercial banks trade within a band around it. That’s why the rate at an ATM or bank counter differs slightly from the mid-market rate quoted by Google or Wise. On 19 October 2026 the SBV rate was VND25,633 to the dollar, and that’s the rate every conversion here uses.

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Banks trade a bit either side of that. The same morning, Vietcombank paid VND25,720 for a dollar sent by transfer and charged VND26,100 to sell you one. So US$1,000 wired in from abroad would land as about VND25.7 million, before fees. If the dong moves sharply in either direction, treat the USD figures here as approximate rather than exact. (Verified October 2026.)

For day-to-day banking, most foreigners on a work permit or long-term visa can open a Vietnamese bank account once they have a valid residence document. That makes paying rent, receiving a local salary, and using local payment apps far easier than relying on a foreign card. If you are sending money in from abroad rather than earning locally, compare a few money transfer services before you commit. Bank wires and card networks both take a cut, and the spread between providers on a single transfer can easily run into tens of dollars.

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Utilities

Electricity in Vietnam costs between 1 and 2 million VND (US$39–78) per month, depending on how much you use the air conditioning, while water is about 100k (US$3.90). Prices are pretty much the same throughout the country.

Expats in online communities often report electricity bills spiking in the hot season, with heavy AC use pushing them to US$80–120 per month at the peak of summer.

Vietnamese tap water isn’t safe to drink, so you’ll need bottled water. Budget another 100k (US$3.90) monthly on safe drinking water.

Food

Food in Vietnam can cost as little as US$94 a month if you live on street food, or more than US$234 if you eat Western nearly every night. Street food is extraordinarily affordable. Cooking yourself is a bit more expensive. Foreign and fancy restaurants, even more so.

Vietnamese street food is famously cheap, and famously excellent. A full meal in a cheap restaurant, be it phở, fried rice, bún bò huế, etc., almost always costs between 20k and 40k VND (US$0.78–1.56).

If you need something even cheaper, a reasonably sized streetside bánh mì sandwich, stuffed bánh bao, or sticky-rice ball can be easily found for 10k (US$0.39), although the quality won’t be anything to write home about.

So if you have a bánh mì for breakfast, a bowl of phở for lunch, and fried rice for dinner, you’ll be spending around 80k (US$3.12) per day on food, or roughly US$94 per month, without ever having to cook.

Not everyone can handle exclusively eating Vietnamese street food, of course.

A meal at a regular foreign restaurant typically costs between 80k (US$3.12) and 150k (US$5.85), and at a fancy restaurant can reach up to 300k (US$11.70). If you, like many foreigners who live here, go to or order from a western restaurant nearly every night, you can expect to spend more than 6 million (US$234) on food monthly. Most expats find that a mix of local street food and occasional Western meals keeps their total food bill around US$200–350 per month. That figure comes up consistently in community discussions.

If you prefer to stay at home, delivery is between 20k and 40k, depending on distance.

Drink

Alcohol is, unsurprisingly, quite cheap. A bottle of local beer at a restaurant will rarely cost you more than 30k, and between 10–20k (US$0.39–0.78) from a shop. Even a heavy drinker will find it difficult to make drinking a significant chunk of their budget.

Wine is also available in Vietnam, but substantially more expensive. A bottle of Vietnamese wine will cost you around 200k (US$7.80), whereas imported wine is upwards of 400k (US$15.60).

Vietnam is the second largest producer of coffee globally, after Brazil.

That means Vietnamese coffee is available on every street at a reasonable price. A cup of the famous cà phê sữa đá will cost you about 20k (US$0.78) at a regular cafe, but if you’re craving western or espresso-based coffee, you can pay between 40–60k (US$1.56–2.34) at a more upscale coffee shop.

Transportation

Getting around Vietnam is cheap. Most expats ride their own motorbike, and Grab rides and city buses cost well under US$3 for a typical trip across town.

Motorbikes

Motorbikes and scooters are the main way people get around Vietnam, and after living here for a while, it’s easy to see why. They beat cars on cost, fuel efficiency, convenience, and speed.

You can rent an automatic scooter, most typically a Yamaha Nuovo, for 500k (US$20) to 800k (US$31) per month. These are notoriously unreliable machines, though, and I’d strongly recommend you either buy a different bike or learn to ride a semi-automatic or manual instead.

If cost and reliability are your main concerns, you can buy a Honda Dream or Honda Wave for around 7 million dong (US$273) used or 17 million (US$663) new. Both are famously durable semi-automatics, and any streetside repair shop can fix them cheaply.

Fuel won’t dent your budget either. At Petrolimex, Vietnam’s state-owned fuel group, petrol costs VND24,150 to VND24,950 a litre (about US$0.94-0.97) in most areas, depending on the grade. (Verified November 2026.)

More expensive bikes are available depending on your needs. If you need an automatic with a lot of storage space, you can get a Honda Lead for upwards of 15 million (US$585) used, or 38 million (US$1,482) new.

If you want a fast, agile manual, the Yamaha Exciter and Honda Winner X go for around 25 million (US$975) used and 45 million (US$1,756) new.

Grab and Taxis

Few people jump straight on their own motorbike as soon as they arrive in Vietnam. Most use apps to call motorcycle taxis instead, and the best known is Grab.

Grab is cheap enough to be your primary form of transportation if you need it, although over time it will become significantly more expensive than having your own bike. Prices vary dramatically with location, time, and weather, so it’s hard to give a solid estimate. A 15-minute Grab ride can cost between 20k (US$0.78) and 60k (US$2.34) depending on conditions.

If you’re travelling for 30 minutes every day, you could be spending around 3 million (US$117) on Grabs per month.

Another option is to book a car-taxi, which makes sense if:

• it’s raining or extremely hot
• you’re travelling in a group
• you’re concerned about safety

Car-taxis are substantially slower (especially during rush hour) and more expensive, at around 3x the cost of the same trip by bike. That means you could be paying 150k (US$5.85) and upwards for your commute.

Bus

A bus is by far the cheapest and safest way to get around, at 5–10k (US$0.20–0.39) to go from anywhere to anywhere else. If you can tolerate the inconvenience and discomfort, it’s ideal for someone on a budget.

Healthcare

Healthcare in Vietnam is affordable at every level, with public hospital consultations from around US$3 and international hospital visits from US$59. As a foreigner, you can choose public, private, or international care, depending on your budget and how much you trust the Vietnamese healthcare system.

Public

All employers in Vietnam must provide their employees with public healthcare insurance. As long as you’re working legally in Vietnam, you’ll have subsidised access to Vietnam’s large number of public hospitals.

Visiting these hospitals should be affordable to just about anybody. A GP consultation at Hanoi’s Bạch Mai hospital can be as cheap as 70k (US$2.73), and seeing a highly trained specialist is around 500k (US$20).

The hospitals may be cheap, but the doctors are all well-trained professionals with access to reasonably good equipment.

Private

If the prospect of spending weeks in a cramped hospital room shared with 7 other people concerns you, Vietnam’s private hospitals are an alternative. The quality of medical care is roughly the same, although you can expect much cleaner and more comfortable facilities and shorter waiting times.

Private healthcare is also much cheaper than in developed countries. Paying out of pocket may well be within your budget, with a GP consultation in the range of 300–600k (US$11.70–23.41).

International

If first-world standard facilities and foreign-trained doctors are important to you, Vietnam’s major cities have international hospitals at a significantly higher price point. A GP consultation at the Hanoi French Hospital costs 1.5 million (US$59), and a hospital bed will range between 6–8 million (US$234–312) nightly depending on your needs.

Insurance

Although many expats in Vietnam are content with paying out of pocket for their healthcare expenses, insurance remains the wise option. Aside from the mandatory public insurance provided by your employer, you have the option of Vietnamese private insurance.

Vietnamese private insurance is cheap by western standards. A higher-end package might cost you 3 million per year, and maybe 1 million (US$39) on the lower end. Insurance from an international provider is, as you may expect, more expensive.

You may be spending upward of 50 million (US$1,951) per year, depending on your age, health, etc.

Health Checks

Getting a work permit will require a full health check. Navigating all the requirements is best left to Vietnam’s private hospitals, which offer this exact service.

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Fortunately, it’s affordable even without insurance. A full health check (including blood tests, dental, a GP consultation, and a personal translator) at Thu Cúc hospital in Hanoi cost me only 1.5 million (US$59).

Gym

A gym in Vietnam costs from about 500k (US$20) a month at a cheap place to 1–2 million (US$39–78) a month at a higher-end one. That’s either trivially cheap or similar to what you pay back home, depending on what you want.

You can pay 50–70k (US$1.95–2.73) per visit, or about 500k (US$20) monthly, at a cheap gym and get fully functional equipment, but it may be a bit more crowded and sweaty than you like. Most lack air-conditioning, which is not ideal in a Vietnamese summer.

A higher-end gym, with air-con, uniformed staff, state-of-the-art equipment, and smaller crowds, can cost a fair bit more. Most will charge 1–2 million (US$39–78) per month, but they usually ask you to pay upfront for a whole year. Expect to pay 10–25 million (US$390–975) up front.

Visa

Since August 2023, Vietnam has offered a 90-day e-visa open to citizens of all countries, available at evisa.gov.vn for US$25 (single entry) or US$50 (multiple entry). Most applications are processed within three to five working days. Vietnam’s immigration policymakers have historically been unpredictable, but long-term stays are now far more straightforward than they used to be.

With a Work Permit

If you’re able to get a Vietnamese work permit, your life just became a lot easier. From there, your company should be able to get you a Temporary Residence Card (TRC), which lets you stay in Vietnam hassle-free for up to two years at a time. The card can’t outlast your passport, though. It has to expire at least 30 days before your passport does, so if yours is running low, renew it first.

You may need to pay 1.15 million (US$45) or so for your first visa, but from there it’s smooth sailing.

Without a Work Permit

If you’re living in Vietnam but not working, say you’re a retiree or a digital nomad, the 90-day e-visa is your most practical option. It can be renewed by briefly leaving the country or, in some cases, by applying for a new one online. If you want to stay longer term, look into Vietnam’s retirement visa, provided you meet the eligibility criteria.

A lot of visa companies will also offer packages for those who need to make border runs. A return trip to Thailand handling all paperwork for a new visa runs around 5.7 million (US$222). A cheaper option is to take the bus to Laos or Cambodia, depending on your location, though this is hardly pleasant.

Personal Income Tax for Expats

If you earn money while living in Vietnam, whether from a local job, a work permit, or freelance income paid into a Vietnamese account, it pays to know whether you owe tax here. The answer changes your effective monthly budget.

You’re generally treated as a Vietnamese tax resident if either:

• you spend 183 days or more in the country in a calendar year (or in any 12 consecutive months from your arrival date)
• you have a registered permanent residence or a rented home under a fixed-term lease

Tax residents pay progressive personal income tax on employment income, in five bands running from 5 percent up to 35 percent on the portion of monthly income above 100 million VND. Non-residents, by contrast, pay a flat 20 percent on Vietnam-sourced income, with no personal deduction.

Monthly taxable income (VND)	Tax rate (residents)
Up to 10 million	5%
10-30 million	10%
30-60 million	20%
60-100 million	30%
Over 100 million	35%

Starting from the 2026 tax year, resident taxpayers get a personal deduction of 15.5 million VND per month (186 million per year), plus 6.2 million VND per month for each registered dependent. Those are up from 11 million and 4.4 million previously. That means a single filer with no dependents only starts owing tax once monthly income passes roughly 17.3 million VND (about US$675). Many expats in entry- to mid-level local jobs pay little or nothing.

This is a summary, not tax advice. Your actual liability depends on your visa type, whether your employer withholds tax on your behalf, and whether Vietnam has a double-taxation agreement with your home country. If you are on a work permit, ask your employer’s HR or payroll team how your salary is taxed before you finalize a monthly budget.

Phone

A phone plan in Vietnam rarely costs more than 100k (US$3.90) per month, and it’s often much less than that. Calls, texts, and data are probably much cheaper than what you’re used to. The prices vary somewhat between providers, with Viettel being one of the more expensive but higher-quality choices.

Internet

Like much of East Asia, the internet in Vietnam is cheap and relatively fast. A typical plan costs between 100–400k (US$3.90–15.60) per month, and offers speeds of 60+ Mbps with unlimited data. Unfortunately, you won’t get much choice of provider. You’ll probably be stuck with whichever one the property you rent uses.

Cleaning

Hiring a cleaner in Vietnam rarely costs more than 150k (US$5.85) per session, because labour here is cheap, as in most developing countries. If you don’t feel like cleaning your own house, you can find one without too much hassle, though costs vary between individuals.

Travel

Virtually every region of Vietnam has something worth visiting, so you may well want to build travel into your budget. Like most things in the country, it’s very affordable.

Plane, Bus, or Train?

Vietnam is a deceptively long country. A car trip from north to south covers over 2,000 kilometres, so air travel is essential for long-distance travel on all but the tightest of budgets. A one-way flight from Saigon to Hanoi, under normal circumstances, costs about 1,200k (US$46.81), and shorter flights are generally cheaper.

For shorter distances, the bus is your main option. The bus from Saigon to Da Nang (a popular getaway for both locals and expats) takes around 15–18 hours, costing between 200–300k (US$7.80–11.70) each way. These buses are generally well-equipped for long journeys, being fully air-conditioned and offering beds instead of seats.

For another 100k (US$3.90) or so, you can also get a “limousine” service, i.e., a ride in a smaller and more comfortable van.

Vietnam also has trains running throughout the country, offering more comfort than a bus, but at a much higher price point. A train from Hanoi to Da Nang could cost you over a million (US$39), only scarcely cheaper than a flight.

I’d recommend taking the train if you need more comfort than a bus but are carrying more luggage than you can bring on a plane. Otherwise it’s probably the weakest of the three options.

Hotels and Hostels

The main form of cheap accommodation for locals in Vietnam is the Nhà Nghỉ, literally “rest house,” which you will find anywhere you care to look throughout the country. While far from luxurious, they offer private rooms, air-conditioning, and double beds.

A night at a nhà nghỉ usually costs between 200 and 300k (US$7.80–11.70), although price will vary with quality.

The nhà nghỉ isn’t for everybody. They typically have hard, old-fashioned wooden beds which are a nightmare if you’re used to a soft mattress. You can also find western-style hostels and hotels in tourist areas.

Hostels are fairly cheap, costing between 150–400k (US$5.85–15.60) per night depending on quality, whereas upscale hotels can reach first-world prices in some areas, upwards of 2 million (US$78) per night.

Haircuts & Cosmetics

Hair and beauty services in Vietnam are cheap. A roadside men’s haircut costs under 30k (US$1.17), and even an hour-long full-body massage tops out at around 1 million (US$39).

Men’s Haircuts

You can get a side-of-the-road men’s haircut for less than 30k (US$1.17) if you’re on a budget, but fancier options are available too. More upscale salons will offer a haircut, hair wash, face-massage, and shave combo package for 80–150k (US$3.12–5.85).

I wouldn’t recommend spending much more than that. You might get a fancier location but the quality won’t change too much.

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Women’s Haircuts

As in much of the world, women can expect to spend a bit more on hair care than men. A haircut at a regular Vietnamese salon ranges from 100–300k (US$3.90–11.70) depending on quality, although prices can go much higher at fancier locations, from 500k to 1 million (US$20–39).

Hairwash

Hairwashes are cheap enough to be a regular thing if you want them to be. You can get a reasonably high-quality hair wash and face massage combo at a Vietnamese salon for no more than 30k (US$1.17). More expensive options are available, but it’s not clear if the quality is any higher.

Massage

As in the rest of South East Asia, massages here are affordable and popular among both expats and locals. A foot massage at a parlour costs between 150k (US$5.85) and 300k (US$11.70), while an hour-long full-body massage costs from 400k to 1 million (US$15.60–39) depending on quality and location.

A cheaper option, if you’re willing to skip the “spa experience,” is a home massage, which can go down to 250k (US$9.75).

International Schools

International school fees in Vietnam run from about US$7,800 to almost US$40,000 a year, and you’ll likely need one if you want your child to get an English-language education.

When researching international schools, keep in mind that the term “international school” is used somewhat differently in Vietnam than in many countries.

There are plenty of “international schools” throughout the country that almost exclusively teach local Vietnamese students. In effect, they’re more expensive private schools that offer a bilingual curriculum and use the name “international school” as a way to amp up their status.

If you want a genuine international school, complete with qualified foreign teachers, expect to pay a lot. A name-brand school like the United Nations International School costs from about US$17,460 per year for Early Years up to US$39,870 for Grades 11-12, depending on age level. While this is certainly more expensive than average, the cheaper options aren’t too much better.

In any case, don’t expect to pay less than 200 million (US$7,802) for primary school, rising to 600 million (US$23,407) for high school.

This may well be higher than your yearly salary. One possible exception is for qualified teachers: many international schools offer free tuition for their teachers’ children. If you’re a teacher, this may be the only way to make it affordable.

Language Classes

I encourage anyone who lives in Vietnam to at least try to learn the language. This is made substantially easier by the myriad centres, classes, and tutors you can find in any town or city. Group classes are cheap, often no more than 100k (US$3.90) per class.

A private tutor, while recommended, comes with a higher price tag, usually around 250–300k (US$9.75–11.70) per hour.

So How Much Does It Actually Cost To Live Here?

A single expat can live comfortably in Vietnam’s major cities on US$1,200–1,800 a month, but there’s no single figure I can give you for everyone, because there are too many variables.

How much can you tolerate Vietnamese food? Do you need to live in a house, or can you tolerate an apartment? Are you bringing children? Do you need foreign health insurance? Do you need a cleaner or can you do it yourself? How often will you be travelling? Will you be living in a big city, regional city, or in the countryside?

Roughly, the costs break down into four budget levels.

10–25 Million (US$390–975) Per Month: Life as a Lower-Middle Class Vietnamese

It is indeed possible to live on 10 million per month, but you probably won’t be saving very much, and you probably won’t be particularly comfortable. You will have to adapt to an exclusively Vietnamese diet, not that there’s anything wrong with this.

You will probably live in a small studio apartment or sharehouse. You may need to cut down on some daily pleasures such as coffee, but not by too much.

25–40 Million (US$975–1,560) Per Month: The Standard Expat Experience

Between 25 and 40 million per month you can enjoy most “foreign comforts” without needing to think too hard about how much they cost.

You can get pizza or Indian food on a regular basis, although probably not every night. You can get a nice apartment and hire someone to clean it for you. You can ride a bike that’s more than just the cheapest option available to you. You can go to bars instead of Bia Hơis. You can travel throughout the country fairly regularly.

You could even put some money away on the side, although you’re not going to be rich any time soon. Overall your consumption will be similar to or higher than that of a middle-income childless person in the west.

40–80 Million (US$1,560–3,121) Per Month: Expat Deluxe

If you make more than 40 million you can start getting pretty decadent. You can afford your own house in a small city or a luxury apartment in a big one. Food, alcohol, and coffee are cheap enough for you to never really think about how much they cost.

Unless you have a particularly expensive hobby (or addiction) you’re likely to save a large portion of your income without even thinking about it. You will have money left over to travel comfortably within South East Asia. If you’re considering whether to retire in Vietnam, this budget range makes it a genuinely comfortable option.

80 Million+ (US$3,121+): You Should Probably Be Saving

On more than 80 million per month, there is basically nothing you need but can’t afford. You will be struggling to spend more than half your income, meaning you should consider how and where to save the rest.

The only exceptions are for those who feel driven towards luxury goods (expensive bikes, cars, holidays in Europe) or those with families. Your level of consumption will be comparable to someone making low six figures in a city in America. Life is good.

Sample Monthly Budgets: Hanoi vs. Ho Chi Minh City vs. Da Nang

A comfortable single budget runs about US$1,200-1,800 a month in Hanoi, US$1,200-1,900 in Ho Chi Minh City, and US$900-1,450 in Da Nang, the three places most expats settle. These are composite estimates built from the rent, food, and transport ranges in this guide, not an official cost-of-living index. Treat them as a starting range rather than a fixed number.

Category (monthly)	Hanoi	Ho Chi Minh City	Da Nang
1-bedroom apartment, decent area	US$380-456	US$380-600	US$260-420
Expat-favored district apartment	US$600-1,200 (Tay Ho)	US$600-1,200 (Thao Dien)	US$400-800 (An Thuong/My Khe)
Food (mixed local + Western)	US$200-350	US$200-350	US$160-280
Utilities + internet	US$50-100	US$50-100	US$40-80
Rough total, comfortable single	US$1,200-1,800	US$1,200-1,900	US$900-1,450

Ho Chi Minh City tends to sit slightly above Hanoi once you factor in the most expat-dense districts, mainly because demand for serviced apartments is higher. Da Nang runs 20-30 percent below both, which lines up with what this guide already notes about smaller cities generally. It also comes with a smaller but growing expat community and fewer international healthcare options than the two big metros. For a full category-by-category breakdown of Saigon specifically, see our cost of living in Ho Chi Minh City guide. For what day-to-day life is like in Da Nang beyond the numbers, see our guide to living in Da Nang.

Frequently Asked Questions

Has the cost of living in Vietnam gone up recently?

Gradually, yes. Prices in the first nine months of 2026 were 4.52 percent higher on average than a year earlier, according to Vietnam’s National Statistics Office. Eating out rose faster, at 7.14 percent, and rent was up 4.91 percent. (Verified October 2026.)

Wages are climbing too. The same office reported average employee income up about 8.9 percent in 2025. Vietnam is still one of the cheapest places to live in Southeast Asia, but the “dirt cheap” prices from a decade ago are less common in the big cities than they used to be.

Do foreign residents have to pay Vietnamese income tax?

If you are in Vietnam 183 days or more in a year, or you have a registered residence here, you are a tax resident and owe progressive tax on your Vietnam-based income, same as a local employee. If you fall short of that and earn no Vietnam-sourced income, you generally will not. Foreign-sourced income and double-taxation treaties complicate this, so check with a local tax advisor if your situation is not straightforward employment.

Is the US dollar accepted for everyday payments in Vietnam?

Not officially. The Vietnamese dong is the only legal tender, and paying cash in US dollars for everyday purchases is technically against Vietnam’s foreign exchange regulations. Some landlords, international schools, and tour operators still quote prices in USD as a reference, though. Budget in dong and treat USD figures as a conversion, not a payment method.

How hard is it to open a bank account as a foreigner in Vietnam?

Straightforward if you have a valid long-term visa or a Temporary Residence Card and proof of address, harder on a short tourist e-visa. Most major banks (Vietcombank, VPBank, Techcombank) accept foreign passport holders with the right paperwork. Requirements vary by branch, so it helps to call ahead.

Do I still need private health insurance if my employer provides public insurance?

Most expats still take out private or international insurance on top of the mandatory public coverage their employer provides. Public insurance covers Vietnam’s public hospitals, which are affordable but come with longer waits and language barriers. Private or international insurance opens up the private and international hospitals covered elsewhere in this guide.

What surprises new expats most about the cost of living in Vietnam?

Usually two things:

• How quickly Western-restaurant habits erase the savings from cheap street food.
• How much international school tuition dominates a family’s budget compared to everything else combined.

Day-to-day local living is genuinely cheap. The exceptions are eating out at foreign restaurants nightly and educating children internationally.

What’s the cheapest way to send money into Vietnam from abroad?

It depends on the amount and how often you are sending it. Specialist transfer services usually beat a traditional bank wire on both fee and exchange rate for regular transfers. A bank wire can make more sense for a single large transfer tied to a property purchase or long-term lease. Compare a couple of providers on the actual VND you will receive, not just the advertised fee.

Sources Cited

• Vietnam National Electronic Visa System (evisa.gov.vn), official e-visa fees and validity
• Vietnam Electricity (EVN), official retail electricity tariff (Decision 1279/QD-BCT)
• PwC Vietnam Tax Summaries, personal income tax rates for residents and non-residents
• Resolution 110/2025/UBTVQH15, National Assembly Standing Committee, personal income tax deduction levels from 2026
• National Statistics Office of Vietnam, socio-economic situation Q4 and full-year 2025 (average worker income)
• State Bank of Vietnam, daily central reference exchange rate
• National Statistics Office of Vietnam, press release on prices for September, Q3 and the first nine months of 2026 (CPI, rent and eating-out indices)
• Law 51/2019/QH14 amending the Law on Entry, Exit, Transit and Residence of Foreigners, Article 38 (temporary residence card terms)
• United Nations International School Hanoi, official 2026-2027 tuition and fees schedule
• Petrolimex press release 59/2026/PLX-TCBC: retail petrol prices from 1 November 2026