Everyone keeps saying that the reason why a lot of expats like living in Saigon because of the lower cost of living. So how much does the usual items actually cost? Here's a list of the usual items with an average price per item.

Note: Prices may vary from district to district and may have changed from the time of this writing. 

Market Prices

Regular Milk (1 liter) VND32,500

Loaf of Fresh White Bread (500g) VND17,000

White Rice (1kg) VND19,000

Eggs (1 dozen) VND31,000

Local Cheese (1kg) VND329,000

Chicken Breast fillet (1kg) VND74,000

Beef Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg): VND224,000

Apples (1kg)VND64,000

Banana (1kg)VND20,500

Oranges (1kg)VND33,000

Tomato (1kg)VND20,000

Potato (1kg)VND24,000

Onion (1kg)VND22,000

Lettuce (1 head)VND15,000

Water (1.5 liter bottle)VND12,000

Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range)VND250,000

Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)VND16,000

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)VND30,000

Coke/Pepsi (2 liter bottle): VND22,000

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro)VND25,000

Personal Care

Deodorant (50ml-1.5oz) VND60,000

Hair shampoo (400ml-12oz) VND80,000

Toothpaste VND24,000

Transportation

Taxi fare from the airport to the city centre: VND180,000

One-way Ticket (Local Transport) VND7,000

Monthly Pass (Regular Price) VND150,000

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) VND11,000

Taxi 1km (Normal Tariff) VND12,000

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) VND30,000

Gasoline (1 liter) VND20,000

Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) VND1,000,000,000

Toyota Corolla 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car) VND824,000

Utilities

Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 85m2 Apartment VND1,452,000

1 min. of Prepaid Mobile Tariff Local (No Discounts or Plans) VND1,800

Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) VND248,000

Sports And Leisure

Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult: VND573,000

Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend)VND168,000

Cinema, International Release, 1 SeatVND80,000

Childcare

Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child VND3,300,000

International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child VND180,000,000

Clothing And Shoes

1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) VND965,000

1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, etc) VND728,000

1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) VND1,974,000

1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes VND1,737,000

Monthly Rent 

Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre VND9,129,000

Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of CentreVND5,891,000

Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City CentreVND20,257,000

Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of CentreVND12,130,000

Others

McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal): VND100,000

Coffee, sidewalk vendor (one cup): VND20,000

Bowl of phở noodle soup: VND40,000

Coffee, Starbucks, one cup: VND80,000

Dinner for two, including alcohol and dessert, at an upscale restaurant: VND1M+

Laundry, per kg: VND30,000

Cleaning help (per hour) VND 75,000

Massage treatment, one hour: VND500,000

Manicure and pedicure: VND130,000

Ticket to 3D movie: Wednesday showing at CGV Cinema: VND100,000