Living in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Ho Chi Minh City is a major coastal city in Vietnam (over 5 million people in the city proper). It has a warm climate, averaging 28°C over the year with about 1,846 mm of rain. We estimate a couple needs about €2,475 a month to live centrally, and Vietnam sits in our low to medium tax tier. For foreigners, long-term residency in Vietnam is possible, with conditions.
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- Est. cost
- €2,475
- a month for a couple
- Tax tier
- Low to medium
- personal income tax
- Climate
- 28°C
- 1,846 mm rain a year
- Size
- Major
- over 5 million people
- Safety
- 62/100
- country-level
- Internet
- ~130 Mbps
- median fixed broadband
- Residency
- Possible, with conditions
- for most foreigners
What stands out about Ho Chi Minh City
- Warmer than 94% of the cities we track
- Wet: about 1,846 mm of rain a year
- On or near the sea
Climate
Ho Chi Minh City averages 28°C across the year with about 1,846 mm of rain, which makes it warm and very wet. It is warmer than 94% of the 1225 cities we track, and it sits on the coast.
Source: Temperature from the Open-Meteo historical weather archive, daily means for 2019 to 2023; rainfall from TerraClimate (University of Idaho) 1991 to 2020 normals. Annual averages; monthly breakdowns are not in our dataset yet.
Healthcare
Vietnam scores 60 out of 100 for healthcare, stronger than 27% of the cities we compare.
Source: Our own country-level healthcare estimate (0 to 100), shared by every city in Vietnam.
Residency and visas
Possible, with conditions. Realistic long-term residency runs through an employer-sponsored work-permit temporary residence card or the DT investor visa, since Vietnam has no retirement, passive-income, or digital-nomad route and its touted 10-year golden visa remains an unenacted proposal.
The cheapest self-funded routes we track for Vietnam:
- Investment: about $114k (Vietnam DT3 investor visa, capital contribution VND 3 billion (lowest tier granting a multi-year temporary residence card), converted at 26,348.5 VND/USD; as of June 2026)
For short visits, 27 of 198 passports can enter visa-free and 171 can get an e-visa or visa on arrival.
Source: OurNextCity residency dataset, hand-reviewed approximations researched against published immigration rules, figures as of June 2026. Not legal advice: check the official source before you apply. Short-stay entry from the passport-index dataset (ilyankou, MIT).
Cost of living
We estimate a couple needs about €2,475 a month to live centrally in Ho Chi Minh City, 9% below the €2,729 median across the 900 cities we compare. That makes it more affordable than 68% of them.
Source: OurNextCity model: a country-level cost index (New York = 100) scaled up for larger cities. An estimate for comparing cities, not a budget.
Language and culture
Main languages: Vietnamese. English proficiency: limited. Social openness scores 60 out of 100.
Source: EF English Proficiency Index (country-level); social openness is our secularism and tolerance composite.
Taxes
Vietnam sits in our low to medium tax tier: moderate personal income tax. We use three tiers (zero or very low, low to medium, high) and apply them to every city in the country.
Taxes are a dealbreaker filter in OurNextCity: a couple who caps tax at zero or very low will not see Ho Chi Minh City in their results.
Source: OurNextCity tax tiers, assigned by hand from each country's top marginal personal income tax rate and overall tax reputation, with no fixed rate cut-offs. Country-level and coarse by design; not tax advice.
Safety and stability
Vietnam scores 62 out of 100 on safety, safer than 55% of the cities we compare. Its EIU Democracy Index score is 2.7 out of 10.
Source: Our own country-level safety estimate (0 to 100, higher is safer), shared by every city in Vietnam. Stability: EIU Democracy Index.
Internet and remote work
Median fixed broadband in Vietnam runs at about 130 Mbps, faster than 49% of the cities we compare.
Source: Ookla Speedtest Global Index, median fixed broadband download speed, country-level.
Questions couples ask about Ho Chi Minh City
Is Ho Chi Minh City a good place to live for couples?
It depends on what the two of you weigh most. It is weaker on healthcare, English and political stability. Expect a warm, very wet climate (28°C average). OurNextCity has each partner answer 12 questions privately, then ranks Ho Chi Minh City and 914 other cities for both of you at once.
How much does it cost a couple to live in Ho Chi Minh City?
We estimate about €2,475 a month for a couple living centrally, 9% below the €2,729 median across the cities we compare. It is a model estimate from a country-level cost index adjusted for city size, so use it to compare cities rather than to set a budget.
What are taxes like in Ho Chi Minh City?
Vietnam is in our low to medium tax tier (moderate personal income tax). Tiers are country-level and deliberately coarse: zero or very low, low to medium, and high. Couples who make zero or very low tax a must-have will not see Ho Chi Minh City in their results.
Can foreigners live in Vietnam long term?
Our assessment: possible, with conditions. Realistic long-term residency runs through an employer-sponsored work-permit temporary residence card or the DT investor visa, since Vietnam has no retirement, passive-income, or digital-nomad route and its touted 10-year golden visa remains an unenacted proposal. The cheapest self-funded routes we track: investment, about $114k (as of 2026-06).
What is the weather like in Ho Chi Minh City?
Ho Chi Minh City averages 28°C across the year with about 1,846 mm of rain, which makes it warm and very wet. It is warmer than 94% of the cities we track.
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