Moving to Ho Chi Minh City

District 1 is the obvious starting point — central, walkable to a lot of what you'll want, and priced accordingly. District 2 (Thao Dien) is where a lot of expat families end up, partly because several international schools are nearby. District 7 is quieter and more built around newer condo developments, with wider roads and shopping malls, and a slightly more suburban feel than District 1.

None of these are the only option. Plenty of people land in District 3 or Binh Thanh for something closer to local life at a lower price, within a short ride of the centre.

Foreigners can rent apartments directly — you don't need a local co-signer in the way some countries require. Expect to be asked for your passport and a valid visa or work permit, and for the landlord to register your stay with the local police within a day or two of signing (this is a legal requirement, not optional paperwork you can skip).

Prices quoted online don't always include management fees, electricity, water or internet, so ask for the real all-in monthly number before you get excited about a listing. Leases are typically written for a year, though you can sometimes negotiate shorter terms, especially through an agent who deals with foreign tenants regularly.

HCMC is not the cheapest city in Vietnam — that's usually smaller cities or rural areas — but it's still a meaningful step down from most Western capitals for day-to-day spending: food, transport, and casual dining in particular. Where the maths changes is imported goods, international schooling and private healthcare, all of which can add up fast if you're used to a Western lifestyle and don't adjust.

For specific numbers with sources, see our cost of living in Vietnam guide — HCMC tends to sit at the higher end of the national range, not the lower end, because it's the biggest and busiest city.

Most people get around by motorbike taxi apps (Grab, Xanh SM, Be) rather than owning a car — car ownership is expensive and largely unnecessary here. Traffic is real and takes some getting used to; crossing the street as a pedestrian is a skill you'll pick up in your first week whether you mean to or not.

HCMC has the strongest private healthcare infrastructure in the country, including hospitals used to treating foreign patients. Most people relocating here carry international health insurance rather than relying on the public system, which is set up primarily for Vietnamese nationals and isn't the easiest to navigate without Vietnamese.

If you're moving with children, this is the city with the most international school options in the country — British, American, IB and French curricula are all represented. District 2 is popular with families partly for this reason; several schools sit within a short drive of each other there. Fees vary a lot by school and curriculum, so it's worth comparing a shortlist rather than assuming one price applies across the board.

Opening a local bank account, getting a SIM card and setting up utilities are all routine once you have your visa or TRC sorted — they're generally the easier part of the move, not the hard part. The harder part tends to be the visa and housing decisions that come before any of this.