Cost of Living
#6
of 124 cities
22/100
Current value (lower is better)
#121 of 124
Asia
Ho Chi Minh City
Vietnam
Salary & Cost of Living
How do salaries and expenses in Ho Chi Minh City compare to Sacramento?
Purchasing Power Comparison
An engineer in Ho Chi Minh City is 70% worse off vs in Sacramento
This shows how far a software engineer's salary goes in Ho Chi Minh City compared to Sacramento, taking into account both salary differences and cost of living.
Net Salary
$9,710
-$89K (-90%) vs Sacramento
Tax Rate: 26%
Community Insights
NewHo Chi Minh City offers a polarizing but potentially rewarding experience for software engineers, defined largely by extreme contrasts. It is a haven for remote workers and digital nomads who can leverage high Western salaries against a very low cost of living, unlocking a lifestyle of convenience and luxury that would be impossible elsewhere. However, the trade-offs are significant: the pollution and noise are among the worst in the region, and the local job market is largely inaccessible to foreign juniors. It is a city of high energy and chaos—exhilarating for some, exhausting for others.
Resident Sentiment
Current residents, particularly transplants, express a distinct "love-hate" relationship with the city. They are often euphoric about their purchasing power and the friendly local culture, frequently mentioning they "live better here than back home." However, long-term residents often express fatigue over the environmental factors—specifically the worsening air quality and relentless noise. A common sentiment is that HCMC is a fantastic place to spend a few years to save money and have fun, but many eventually leave for cleaner cities like Da Nang or move abroad when they want to settle down or raise children.
Rankings
Top 5%
Tax Rate
#27
of 124 cities
26%
Current value (lower is better)
Community Events
#40
of 124 cities
6 events on luma
Current value
Housing Affordability
How affordable is housing for a software engineer in Ho Chi Minh City compared to Sacramento?
Salary Converter
Enter your annual gross salary (before taxes) to see what you would need to earn in Ho Chi Minh City to maintain the same standard of living.
$
