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anubistaima
Joined: 02 Nov 2004
Posts: 110
Location: Thailand
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 Posted: Fri Aug 06, 2010 6:09 am Post subject: |
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| Jalowsky wrote: |
| How much should I realistically be expecting to pay for an apartment. I don't need anything fancy, just a simple one bedroom/bathroom with a kitchen. Even studio type of stuff, it doesn't matter to me, just livable. |
That's basically impossible to answer. Where do you want to live? Do you want something furnished? With AC? Modern furniture or Vietnamese style? (Vietnamese-style places are dark and claustrophobic; rent a Western-style place and you get big windows with lots of light). Easy access to Western stuff or out in the boonies is ok?
I'll say you need $500 for a decent place. I've found that style/location has a lot more impact on price than size. You can have a studio for $600 or a three-bedroom house for $500. Depends more on location and look. When I was looking for a place, anything I saw for under $500 was a dump (to me, anyway, maybe others might find it livable). If your goal is to go the cheapest possible way, you might find something for $350-400, but that $100 extra buys you a lot of comfort. It's up to you. |
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CThomas
Joined: 21 Oct 2009
Posts: 380
Location: HCMC, Vietnam
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| Posted: Fri Aug 06, 2010 9:56 am Post subject: |
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Saigon Green by the case = 120k vnd or 6k/beer. Free delivery if you order two cases 
This alone will save some people on this forum some fairly significant change. |
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hot_rock
Joined: 16 Apr 2010
Posts: 107
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| Posted: Fri Aug 06, 2010 12:22 pm Post subject: |
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| I rent a small studio with hot water, nice bathroom, air-con, double bed, sat tv for $155 |
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Passion for ESL
Joined: 15 Jun 2010
Posts: 18
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| Posted: Sat Sep 18, 2010 6:21 am Post subject: |
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| Hi, I'm pretty new around here but just noticed your post Snollygoster - are you saying you support a family on $2000 a month teaching or does your partner also work? Curious, as I have a young family and am thinking about Vietnam for teaching work. Cheers. |
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snollygoster
Joined: 04 Jun 2009
Posts: 478
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| Posted: Sat Sep 18, 2010 11:24 pm Post subject: $2000 month |
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| I have a dependant wife and child, and live a reasonable life style. |
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CThomas
Joined: 21 Oct 2009
Posts: 380
Location: HCMC, Vietnam
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| Posted: Sun Sep 19, 2010 2:22 am Post subject: |
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| For an expat family moving in, there may be other issues -- space, stuff, food, education -- that might differ from a locally-grown family. A lot of variables there. |
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Passion for ESL
Joined: 15 Jun 2010
Posts: 18
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| Posted: Sun Sep 19, 2010 7:54 am Post subject: family in Vietnam |
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| Thanks for those responses. Yes, realising there are more things to consider when it's not just me to think about I want to look at all these issues as much as possible and know as much as I can. My kids are young so education won't be an issue yet - and we're happy to home school our eldest who would officially start school in our home country next year. We could get by on a two bedroom place, cooking at home a lot etc. I'm not sure what stuff we'd need - probably look at a furnished place to make it easier. Transport may be one of the biggest issues with young ones to keep safe? Thanks again for the info. |
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snollygoster
Joined: 04 Jun 2009
Posts: 478
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| Posted: Sun Sep 19, 2010 11:35 am Post subject: Family life |
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I also know an ex pat family that have 2 kids- pre-school, and they both work (the parents I mean).
Transport IS a safety issue in Vietnam with little ones. I have no trouble with my wife and little one on a motor bike, but drive carefully and very defensively.
My other mentioned ex pats have 2 bikes- he drives one and she the other, each with one of the children on the bike.
Works, but its not ideal- Other option is bus, and there are always taxis. |
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CThomas
Joined: 21 Oct 2009
Posts: 380
Location: HCMC, Vietnam
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| Posted: Sun Sep 19, 2010 2:55 pm Post subject: |
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About to get married, I'm thinking hard about this issue of transporting children. We've traveled all around the south together, so I know the issues, but I'm ready to shell out whatever taxi money is necessary and economize the trips rather than put a baby in that little chair yet. This may change as I've already put massive amount of groceries and shopping onto a motorbike successfully.
I think I could drop a half-million/month for baby taxies, though I think I can do the toddler in the chair thing as well.
But that's the future. Something to think about.
Good thread. |
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Passion for ESL
Joined: 15 Jun 2010
Posts: 18
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| Posted: Mon Sep 20, 2010 11:55 pm Post subject: Transport |
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| I guess transport would be something to decide on once where there but they're a few good ideas/thoughts, thanks, and something to think about when working out costs. Snollygoster, what kind of care did your friends' pre-schoolers have if they both worked, or did both partners work different shifts, if you don't mind answering?? |
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I'm With Stupid
Joined: 03 Sep 2010
Posts: 432
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| Posted: Tue Sep 21, 2010 8:04 pm Post subject: Re: How is $1500 a month good enough to live on? |
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| septum1234 wrote: |
$1500 probably taxed around 20%
The leaves close to $1100
Then an apartment in Hanoi for $300
Yes, food is cheap, but that leaves maybe another $4oo for entertainment and food.
So like$300 savings? That is awful. How are people saying they are living great lives in Vietnam, seems like I would barely just scrape by.
Maybe I have this wrong? |
You seem to have it wrong, yes.
For a start, 20% off $1500 leaves $1200 not $1100.
Secondly, like every other country, the higher rates of tax are only for earnings above a certain amount. So you may be in the 20% tax bracket, but that doesn't mean you're being taxed 20% of your entire earnings.
$1500 a month equates to 342,000,000VND a year (assuming 19000VND per dollar). On that, you would've paid 48,600,000VND in tax in 2009, which works out at 14.21% of total earnings, leaving you with $1286.85 per month from your $1500. I don't know what the tax brackets are for 2010, but I doubt it's massively different.
If you're not a resident, you pay a flat rate of 20%. However, once you become a resident you can have the new rate applied retrospectively and claim back the extra tax you paid because of your non-resident status. You have to reside in Vietnam for 183 days to get residency status, I believe, so before this you will be paying 20%, which you can then claim back. And it works the other way around too, so that if they give you residency status straight away (usually when you sign a year's contract somewhere), and you bail on your employer before the 183 days, they will apply the 20% retrospectively and give you a massive tax bill on your last month's pay.
But assuming you sign a full time contract at a half-decent school, you should be earning more than $1500 even as a first job. $17 an hour for 24 contact hours a week is more than $1600 a month, even assuming 4 weeks of unpaid holidays. The take-home pay from that is �1360, and the costs of $300 a month for food and rent can easily be slashed without much compromise, just by knowing where to look, and getting a few friends to club together on a house. Things like medical insurance should be paid for, motorbikes are fairly cheap to rent (especially if you're okay with a manual), normal bikes are even cheaper, beer can be had for a dollar, which means drunkeness can be had for $10. Okay, you might not want to be that frugal, but the point is that there will be areas where you can decide you don't need to spend as much. And I think if less than half of your take home salary is going on food and rent, then you're going to be able to save. |
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Passion for ESL
Joined: 15 Jun 2010
Posts: 18
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| Posted: Tue Sep 21, 2010 10:09 pm Post subject: Hours of work |
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| So would around 20-25 hours teaching a week be about usual, or does needing to do overtime push that number of hours higher? |
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BrentBlack
Joined: 11 Apr 2010
Posts: 96
Location: Quan 3, Saigon
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| Posted: Wed Sep 22, 2010 12:10 am Post subject: |
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I'm With Stupid,
Good post! I learned a lot a valuable information. Thanks!
BB |
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snollygoster
Joined: 04 Jun 2009
Posts: 478
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| Posted: Wed Sep 22, 2010 1:28 am Post subject: nanny |
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| My friends both worked and they hired a nanny (Ao sin). Here a nanny is not like back home, but she takes care of kids, does a good job, and gets paid chicken feed. She can be also a maid. Need to negotiate just what you want her to do. |
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snollygoster
Joined: 04 Jun 2009
Posts: 478
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| Posted: Wed Sep 22, 2010 1:31 am Post subject: hours |
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| 20-25 contact hrs a week is pretty usual. You can increse it usually by just asking. Above 25, burn out is common. |
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