What I Spend in a Day Living in Saigon – Real Life, Real Prices

🌿 What I Spend in a Day Living in Saigon – Real Life, Real Prices
Some days begin with the hum of motorbikes. Others, with the gentle clinking of a coffee spoon in my small home kitchen. But every day, life here in Saigon moves just a little slower than it used to. And it costs a lot less than most people imagine.

I live with my husband in a simple home in Ho Chi Minh City. We’re both from the Mekong Delta, now living and working here. No kids, no frills. Just a life that feels… enough.

Today, I want to show you what I actually spend in a typical day living in Saigon — not as a tourist, but as someone who truly lives here.

 
☕ Morning – A Quiet Start (30,000 VND / $1.20)
I brew my own Vietnamese coffee at home, the traditional phin dripping slowly over condensed milk. I don’t go out for breakfast often — not because I can’t afford it, but because I genuinely love the silence of morning at home.

Sometimes we take a short walk through the nearby market, buy a few fruits — bananas, a dragon fruit — maybe 15,000–20,000 VND. That’s about $0.60–$0.80 for breakfast for two.

 
🍲 Lunch – Honest Food, Simple Joys (50,000 VND / $2)
Most days, I cook. But if we do eat out, it’s usually a bowl of cơm tấm (broken rice) or hủ tiếu. Local food stalls serve meals that are fresh, filling, and kind on the wallet.

For lunch, we might spend 25,000–30,000 VND per person. That’s about $1–$1.20.

 
🚗 Transportation – Motorbike Life (20,000 VND / $0.80)
We own a motorbike — like most locals — and refill fuel every few days. A day’s ride might cost us 20,000 VND, or less than a dollar.

No monthly subway passes. No Uber surge pricing. Just the smell of gasoline and the breeze through side streets.

 
🍃 Afternoon – Work & Coffee (50,000 VND / $2)
I work remotely, so I often spend afternoons at home. But sometimes, I visit a quiet café — a place with open windows, soft light, and no loud music. A cappuccino costs about 40,000–50,000 VND.

That’s not “cheap coffee.” It’s coffee with atmosphere, and that, to me, is priceless.

 
🥘 Dinner – Shared at Home (80,000 VND / $3.20)
Dinner is usually cooked — a pot of canh chua, some stir-fried veggies, a grilled fish. For two people, it costs less than 100,000 VND, often closer to 60,000. That’s $2.50–$4 for a full, fresh meal for two.

No delivery apps. Just home cooking, conversation, and the scent of lemongrass.

 
🧾 So, What’s the Total?
Item                           Cost (VND)            Cost (USD)
Breakfast                  30,000                     $1.20
Lunch                        50,000                     $2.00
Transportation        20,000                     $0.80
Coffee                       50,000                     $2.00
Dinner                       80,000                     $3.20
Total (2 people)     230,000                   ~$9.20
 
For two adults, that’s less than $10 per day — with real food, real peace, and a real life.

 
🌇 Living in Saigon as a Local – What Matters Most
We don’t live like expats in high-rise apartments with infinity pools.
We don’t eat out every night or order $5 lattes.

We live like locals — with simplicity, comfort, and rhythm.
And what we’ve found is not just a lower cost of living — but a deeper quality of life.

We didn’t just spend less. We gained more:
More mornings without rush.
More evenings at the dinner table.
More space to feel — and to breathe.

 
🔗 More from Living in Vietnam
– How I Eat Well on $10 a Day in Saigon
– Why Americans Are Leaving Their $75K Jobs for Vietnam
– 5 Things I Wish I Knew Before Escaping Burnout

 
✨ Curious what life in Vietnam really feels like?
Explore more stories at 👉 thekimngan.com/living-in-vietnam