Livin’ on the Cheap in Asia
Interesting to note… Seattle is now neck-‘n-neck with NYC!
Inspired by my U.S. chums’ lately bemoaning the lofty price of gasoline on Facebook this morning (apparently it’s now over 4 bucks a gallon in Seattle), it got me to thinking…
Oh it’s surely cheap for a Westerner to live in Asia, no doubt about it. But interestingly, after nearly six months here in Vietnam, I’m already beginning to wail about the price of electricity for my apartment (a breathtaking $30 last month even with stringent use of the air-con), and a se om motorbike taxi (40,000 dong each way to go to/fro my school – life-threatening near-misses, no extra charge!) 😉
My rent is less than half what I’d pay comparably in Seattle of course, and a delish lunch of “Bun Thit Nuong” at the market is but a single buck (20,000 dong), but still…
So I Googled for the “Cost of living” and found a very nifty site – Numbeo.com where you can compare the cost of living in relative dollars across most every corner of the globe. Comparing Ho Chi Minh City to Seattle for example, proved most dong-bolstering:
A liter of milk is slightly higher here in Saigon ($1.74 vs. $1.33 in Seattle) and gasoline’s about the same (Seattle currently about $1.05 per liter vs. Saigon .96), but everything else is at least half- and often a third or a QUARTER of what things cost back in the States.
Indeed, comparing overall cost-of-living across the board, the only place cheaper to live than here in Vietnam is somewhere in BANGLADESH!
It’s all relative of course, as the price of necessity goods (basic foodstuffs, shelter, fuel, etc.) must necessarily match up with local incomes. But for “rich” foreigners like myself (which of course with but a small pension is a joke back in the States), it just means we can either:
A. Live a bit more comfortable life-style abroad, or…
B. Choose to live somewhat like a local and save a bundle each month (to squander on airline tickets and travel to exotic places like Sumatra, Mongolia, etc. – YESSSSSSS!)
In short – no complaints here – clearly you can see on which side of those two choices my bread is buttered. 😉
About the Author
Dyanne Off-the-beaten-path travel is my passion,and I’ve always lived life “like-a-kid-in-a-candy-store” – eager to sample as many flavors as I can. Indeed, my life motto has long been: This ain’t a dress rehearsal, folks!
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Off-the-beaten-path travel is my passion, and I’ve always lived life “like a kid in a candy store” – eager to sample as many flavors as I can. Indeed, my life motto has long been:
@Cindy – yes, thanks for the link to priceoftravel. Likewise interesting.
So… just where did you/have you chosen to live as expats?
As I noted in my “Narrowing Down the Expat Options” post (back in December 2010), there are LOTS of options, and we each have our druthers (beyond the nickles ‘n dimes of cost-of-living) as to why we might choose Asia over say… Mexico or Costa Rica, etc.
Would love to hear details of what a fellow Seattleite is doing!
I’m from Seattle as well and the hubs and I recently “retired” after figuring out we could either work for 10+ years more in Seattle or we could quit now and live quite comfortably outside of the States.
You might want to check out priceoftraveldotcom if you like numbeo – love your blog by the way!
@Fly, Icarus, Fly – just took a peek at your blog. Very nice digs indeed! Seems a bit high though for that area (Binh Thanh), but yes, for 2 BR w/ pool, etc. here in Dist. 1 it would likely be over $600. My own (1 BR, see my earlier “Newbie EFL Teacher Comes Up for Air…” post here for pics/details) was $450 incl. cable, internet and daily maid service.
10 yrs. Cambodia, yes? Wow that’s a goodly chunk of time. Coincidentally I’m planning a quick run to PP/SR/AW in early May (just 4 nts. M-F as I teach on the weekends). The cost to fly is breathtaking ($350+ rt.!!!) so plan to take the bus. Any tips?
@Gail – goodness, $260 for electric? I guess I can’t whine about a mere $30. And yes, no doubt cooking at home is a big savings there, but here it’s actually cheaper to eat out!
I just landed in HCMC about a month ago and after living for 10 years in Cambodia, find that it’s costing me a bit more than I had hoped! Food is great and cheap but rents are pretty high. My (brand new) 2-bedroom apartment works out to USD 518. Eeeek! But must say that the quality of life is good here and you can pretty much find anything you want. I’m still anxiously awaiting a trip to Metro…
Good info, yikes my elec bill was 260; cable 120, wi-fi/landline phone 60…..then there’s the cell phone…..I do save on food and cooking though.. 😉