The three months we spent in Vietnam were diverse. In two of them we settled down in one place without too much moving (a month in Mui Ne and a month in Hoi An). On a third month we have been on the move. Expenses were accordingly. Meaning that once months without movement are much cheaper than months we’re on the move.
Vietnam is cheap. Generally, the south is cheaper than the north. Surprisingly the cheapest place was Mui Ne. Surprising considering the fact that it’s a town whose economy is based a lot on foreign tourism. We should mention that we haven’t been the “regular” tourists. We bought a lot in the market and didn’t do a lot of tourists activity – surfing, touring etc.
Here is a summary of our expenses between 28/12/2014 and 21/3/2015:
Food 2000$
Lodging 1290$
Local Transportation 90$ (mainly bicycle)
Miscellaneous 280$
Unexpected 30$ (mainly health stuff)
In total 3690$, which is 1342$ per month. 20% below our monthly budget! It definitely compensates for the deviations of the previous months.
How did we live with that budget?
Our lodging expenses were significantly lower than the budget because we have found two places with an option for a monthly commitment in advance. The prices drop dramatically when you can deposit a month downpayment and the quality of the lodging climbs up accordingly. We rented an excellent house in Hoi An for 450$ a month including electricity, water, internet and gas costs. Even without a monthly rental it is possible to find in Vietnam without particular problems very good accommodations for 20$-25$ for a big family room or two double rooms.
When it as possible we bought food in the market and made our meals in the kitchen. Cheaper, healthier, tastier and most of all – we like it. Our estimation is that cooking instead of going to restaurants saves 30%-40% of the food costs. When we did ate in restaurants it was usually in local ones and then the prices are much lower comparing to courses like pasta, pizza and hamburgers which are usually more expensive and less tasty in Vietnam.
Some prices for example:
1kg of rice 14,000 dong (0.75$)
Noodles with chicken 35,000 dong (2.75$)
Pineapple 15,000 dong (0.75$)
Bicycle one day rental 20,000 dong (1$)
Local beer 1/2 liter 15,000 dong (0.75$)
Bottle of mineral water 1.5 liter 10,000 dong (0.5$)
Milk 1 liter 45,000 dong (2.5$)
Chocolate ice cream 11,000 (0.5$)
Apart of the living expenses there are of course the trip expenses. Here are some more price examples:
3 months visa to Vietnam 90$
Day trip in Cu Chi tunnels (transportation + entrance fees) 866,000 dong (23$)
Boat cruise in Hoi An 150,000 dong (7$)
Bus from Saigon to Mui Ne 600,000 dong (30$)
Hue Old Citadel entrance fees 250,000 dong (12$)
3 days trip in Ha Giang, including car, driver and gas 6,000,000 dong (280$)
