HCMC cheapest place for American expats: survey

By Nguyen Quy   November 6, 2020 | 11:29 pm PT
HCMC cheapest place for American expats: survey
Foreigners watch fireworks display on the Saigon sky during the New Year's Eve 2018. Photo by VnExpress/Thanh Nguyen.
Ho Chi Minh City tops a list of 10 most affordable cities for American expats with typical monthly costs of $462.62 per person, according to an InterNations’s survey.

The southern metropolis is followed by Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia ($509.46) and Bangkok in Thailand ($643.54), Business Insider reported, citing the survey.

The survey, that polled expats already living in major cities around the world, looked at the cost of living, how expats felt about their own finances, and housing availability.

InterNations, the world’s largest network for people who live and work abroad, ranked cities with 50 or more survey respondents according to how positively expats felt about these factors.

"In southern Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh City offers the bustle of a vibrant city without the high price tag you might find in the U.S.," Business Insider said.

The typical rent for a one-bedroom apartment in HCMC was $560.86, cheaper than Bangkok ($665.44) and Montreal ($982.57).

A strong majority (77 percent) of surveyed expats living in Ho Chi Minh City said that they felt satisfied with their living standards and financial conditions. These rates in Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok were 73 percent and 63 percent respectively.

Around 90,000 foreigners lived and worked in Vietnam, mainly in Hanoi and HCMC, as of last year, according to official data.

 
 
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