For those who have/are living in Saigon or Nha Trang How is the overall cost of living , considering exchange rates, apartment rent , so on ,

compare to Bangkok / Pattaya equivalent cost of living ?

Depends very much on one's lifestyle, but I would hazard a guess at between 60% and 75% of cost in Pattaya.

When the poster above says it is dependant on lifestyle i would tend to agree. That being said no matter how much money you have you can not buy a western lifestyle in VN as you are marginally able to do so in Thailand.

^if you stick to the main cities in VN you can have the same western lifestyle as in the main cities in Thailand, but you have to spend the money to maintain it, same like here.

But the OP didn't even mention what sort of lifestyle he has here for comparison.

To be more specific, the question is on the whole range of equivalent lifestyles.

For example if one spends 5000 to 10 000 baht rent in Pattaya or Bangkok . Then how would that Dong equivalent in Saigon or Nha Trang for an apartment compare in accomodation ?

And 10 000 - 20 000

And 20 000 - 30 000

I live in District 7 in Ho Chi Minh City, also called South Saigon.

This should give you some idea.

I live in new 2 bedroom, two bathroom house with open plan living, kitchen, dining room in a quiet, friendly residential cul-de-sac. I pay US$550.

An apartment in Phu My Hung, also in District 7 would range from $350 - $700 depending on size and furnishings.

Serviced apartments in town go for up to $2,000.

A villa or big house could be $1,500 - $5,000.

My electric bill for a small house, living alone, is 600,000 - 900,00 VND per month. ($30 - $45), depending on use of air-con.

Water is about $3 per month.

Internet with reasonable speeds and free unlimited downloads is 400,000 VND ($20).

Draught beer in an expat bar is $1.50 - $2.50 for a small one.

Cooking at home, you could live on $500 per month, but you wouldn't have a great social life.

Hope that helps.

When the poster above says it is dependant on lifestyle i would tend to agree. That being said no matter how much money you have you can not buy a western lifestyle in VN as you are marginally able to do so in Thailand.

How do you define a "western lifestyle"?

I live in District 7 in Ho Chi Minh City, also called South Saigon.

This should give you some idea.

I live in new 2 bedroom, two bathroom house with open plan living, kitchen, dining room in a quiet, friendly residential cul-de-sac. I pay US$550.

An apartment in Phu My Hung, also in District 7 would range from $350 - $700 depending on size and furnishings.

Serviced apartments in town go for up to $2,000.

A villa or big house could be $1,500 - $5,000.

My electric bill for a small house, living alone, is 600,000 - 900,00 VND per month. ($30 - $45), depending on use of air-con.

Water is about $3 per month.

Internet with reasonable speeds and free unlimited downloads is 400,000 VND ($20).

Draught beer in an expat bar is $1.50 - $2.50 for a small one.

Cooking at home, you could live on $500 per month, but you wouldn't have a great social life.

Hope that helps.

What's the visa situation like?

I live in District 7 in Ho Chi Minh City, also called South Saigon.

This should give you some idea.

I live in new 2 bedroom, two bathroom house with open plan living, kitchen, dining room in a quiet, friendly residential cul-de-sac. I pay US$550.

An apartment in Phu My Hung, also in District 7 would range from $350 - $700 depending on size and furnishings.

Serviced apartments in town go for up to $2,000.

A villa or big house could be $1,500 - $5,000.

My electric bill for a small house, living alone, is 600,000 - 900,00 VND per month. ($30 - $45), depending on use of air-con.

Water is about $3 per month.

Internet with reasonable speeds and free unlimited downloads is 400,000 VND ($20).

Draught beer in an expat bar is $1.50 - $2.50 for a small one.

Cooking at home, you could live on $500 per month, but you wouldn't have a great social life.

Hope that helps.

What's the visa situation like?

It is getting stricter. My employer deals with mine and they're having problems at the moment. I'm pretty sure you can still get a 3 month visa through the many agents in District 1. It'll cost about $100. Basically, you give a man your passport and 7-10 days later it comes back with a 3 month visa. There's no limit as to the number of renewals you can get, you don't have to do any paperwork and you don't have to leave the country.

Things are changing rapidly here so it may be different next month.

how about the WOMEN????

What about the people ? Still give you the feeling that US should have finished the job long time ago ? This is what I have been thinking when visiting there...

I found Vietnam a LOT more expensive than Thailand. The same house I rent for U$600 here in Thailand would cost me over $1500 in Vietnam. You could, I guess, find a cheaper house (I never lived in apartments because I have dogs) but you would be stuck in a Vietnamese-style house and I hated those (very, very dark and claustrophobic). Electricity goes off frequently during the summer, sometimes for 10+ hours at a time. Not fun when it's +40C. And yes, having a western lifestyle is more expensive there (want western food? you have to go a special store and pay a fortune for it). My electric bill was also higher than it is in Thailand too (close to U$200 in summer; here it's around $100-120).

I found Vietnam a LOT more expensive than Thailand. The same house I rent for U$600 here in Thailand would cost me over $1500 in Vietnam. You could, I guess, find a cheaper house (I never lived in apartments because I have dogs) but you would be stuck in a Vietnamese-style house and I hated those (very, very dark and claustrophobic). Electricity goes off frequently during the summer, sometimes for 10+ hours at a time. Not fun when it's +40C. And yes, having a western lifestyle is more expensive there (want western food? you have to go a special store and pay a fortune for it). My electric bill was also higher than it is in Thailand too (close to U$200 in summer; here it's around $100-120).

Yes, this is true ! And so many other bad experiences there...

I wonder if some people can still imagine telling that life in Vietnam is better than in Thailand as some dare to say that life in Philippines is better than in Thailand... Hey guys, you must be right, this is why most foreigners choose Vietnam and Phils to live... :-)

I found Vietnam a LOT more expensive than Thailand. The same house I rent for U$600 here in Thailand would cost me over $1500 in Vietnam. You could, I guess, find a cheaper house (I never lived in apartments because I have dogs) but you would be stuck in a Vietnamese-style house and I hated those (very, very dark and claustrophobic). Electricity goes off frequently during the summer, sometimes for 10+ hours at a time. Not fun when it's +40C. And yes, having a western lifestyle is more expensive there (want western food? you have to go a special store and pay a fortune for it). My electric bill was also higher than it is in Thailand too (close to U$200 in summer; here it's around $100-120).

Are you referring to those special stores named KFC? Pizza Hut? Starbucks?

I found Vietnam a LOT more expensive than Thailand. The same house I rent for U$600 here in Thailand would cost me over $1500 in Vietnam. You could, I guess, find a cheaper house (I never lived in apartments because I have dogs) but you would be stuck in a Vietnamese-style house and I hated those (very, very dark and claustrophobic). Electricity goes off frequently during the summer, sometimes for 10+ hours at a time. Not fun when it's +40C. And yes, having a western lifestyle is more expensive there (want western food? you have to go a special store and pay a fortune for it). My electric bill was also higher than it is in Thailand too (close to U$200 in summer; here it's around $100-120).

So for western / mediterranean food, are there supermarkets like Foodland ?

I took the train from Hanoi to Saigon in 1998 and stayed at a few beachs on the way . I dont remember seeing any Foodland type supermarkets .

Anyway the Vietnam Central Coast is beautiful with island like clear water.

^There's Big C