Followed closely by Hanoi and Da Nang, the southern stronghold took the top spot due in large part to high tuition fees.
The recently released spatial cost of living indices (SCOLI) of the General Statistics Office of Vietnam measure the cost of living for different cities and regions in the country, as reported by Tuoi Tre. Using Hanoi as a 100% standard, it determines how other places compare and notes that Saigon has costs equaling 101.47% that of the capital. Da Nang, which came third, is slightly cheaper at 97.81%.
While Saigon and Hanoi have similar prices for most goods, services and activities, tuition for public school 11th graders and vocational schools are 14.46% higher in the southern metropolis. Mobile phones and repairs as reflective of the entire telecommunications industry are also 103.97% as expensive as in Hanoi.
Hau Giang Province in the Mekong Delta is the cheapest locale at 90.5% of Hanoi followed by Dong Thap at 90.67% and Tra Vinh at 90.84%. Overall costs didn't increase over the last year for most places, and the northern provinces that did see an uptick can credit the rises to fuel costs associated with the transportation of goods to remote areas. Elsewhere in the north, numbers fell because of greater infrastructure connecting them with neighbors.
Putting the numbers in perspective, both Saigon and Hanoi were recently named as two of the top ten most affordable cities to live in Southeast Asia. The entire country was also recently listed as the most affordable country in the world for expats while Nha Trang, Hanoi and Da Lat were recognized by a major Australian news source as best places to live as a digital nomad.
