A Breakdown of Expenses So Far

Too many people believe that traveling to another country costs an exorbitant amount of money, and they believe that up until they are unable to travel anywhere. While I won’t deny that some of the costs can be high, they are well worth it — and if you pick the right place to go, living there barely costs anything at all.

Airfare: $1470

The cost of the ticket to get here was by far my highest expense. I could have gotten a ticket for as little as $750 had I wanted, but I opted to fly with a bit more luxury than I may have otherwise. (Still wound up with a middle seat for both legs of a 22 hour flight!)

Visa: $180

You can get a basic, single-use visa into Vietnam for as little as $30. However, I wanted to stay for longer, and have the option of traveling to nearby countries, so I paid for the longest multiple entry visa I could.

Apartment: $350

My two bedroom apartment costs $350 for a single month. I paid $500 as a deposit, but I’ll receive some of that back at the end of the month. This cost doesn’t include utilities, but those shouldn’t cost more than $20 total, as I don’t use the gas at all, and my air conditioner only runs at night. Note that I could have once again paid less, opting for a homestay or a hotel for as little as $150 for the month. Because I work on the road, I wanted a bit more privacy.

Miscellaneous Items: $19.76

As with any trip, there were a few things I didn’t realize I needed when I left, or either didn’t pack with me. Flip-flops and a helmet were two of those items. Last night, I bought a new pair of flip-flops for 80,000 VND and a helmet for 130,000 VND. Sound like a lot? That’s about $3.75 and $6.09, respectively. I spent less than $10 on them together. Within the first few days of being here, I went to the supermarket and bought detergent for my clothes, water, beer (Vietnamese beer is some of the best in the world), and snacks for the apartment. Altogether, I spent around 175,000 VND — $8.20. I also bought four rolls of toilet paper for around $1.72.

Food:

The cost of food in Vietnam is absurdly low. While I don’t have an exact total, I have likely spent less than $30 altogether. I’m eating breakfast while typing this up, and I paid $1.45 for a big glass of delicious oolong tea and steamed rice cakes. When out with friends a few nights ago, I paid for dinner for six people. It totaled less than $10 for six huge bowls of pho, stuffed with noodles, bean sprouts, pork, tofu, and a number of other ingredients. A breakfast of Vietnamese coffee, fresh vegetables topped with ground peanuts, shrimp, and a bowl of soup cost less than $12 for three.

The biggest expense is getting here. Once you arrive, you’ll constantly find yourself amazed at how inexpensive it is to live here. It’s entirely possible to get by spending less than $25. That’s about $750 per month — or the equivalent of what I paid for rent back home.

EDIT: Shortly after publishing this post, I received my first electric bill for my stay. I’ve only been here since last Saturday, so take it with a grain of salt — but the bill came out to be 62.599 VND, or roughly $2.97. Even if I use that in power per week, my bill for the month will be no more than $12. I should also mention that I hired a housekeeper to clean my apartment a few days after moving in. For two hours of work (and a spotlessly clean apartment afterwards. She did a fantastic job), I paid only 100,000 VND — $4.96.