How much money do university students in Ho Chi Minh City need per month?

Average about 5 million VND/month

New students in 2024 are eagerly awaiting the admission scores that will be announced by universities from August 17. However, another concern is the increasingly expensive tuition and study costs, especially in big cities like Ho Chi Minh City.

Dang Thuy (from Nghi Loc, Nghe An ) is a second-year student at a university in Go Vap district, Ho Chi Minh City. Since Thuy entered her first year, her mother had to temporarily leave her hometown to work as a maid in Ho Chi Minh City to earn money to support her children's education.

Thuy shared that the mother and daughter rented a room in a small alley on Nguyen Lam Street, Ward 3, Binh Thanh District for 1.6 million VND/month, including electricity, water, and living expenses.

"The room is about 8 square meters wide, without windows, beds or any furniture. It is hot and hard to breathe day or night. I almost have to sleep with the door open day and night. However, I have to try because my family does not have the means," Thuy shared.

In addition to the rent, Thuy will spend about 3 million VND on food, 500,000 VND on other expenses... Thus, she will have to spend about more than 5 million VND/month.

As a new student next school year, Phan Duy (former student of Luong The Vinh Secondary and High School, Binh Phuoc ) arranged to go to Ho Chi Minh City early to find a cheap place to stay, and at the same time find more work to cover his study expenses.

Duy rents a room on Truong Sa Street, Binh Thanh District for 1.5 million VND/month, with an area of less than 10 square meters. Other expenses are also around 4 million VND.

Ngoc Mai (2nd year student, majoring in multimedia communications, Gia Dinh University) said that even if she is frugal, she still spends 3-4 million VND/month.

The girl from Kien Giang listed the amount of money she needed to spend each month: Dormitory fee: 1.3 million VND; electricity and water bill: 300,000 VND; incidental expenses for studying: 500,000 VND; shopping for clothes and personal items: 1.1 million VND; going out and eating out with friends: 400,000 VND...

"My parents often send food from the countryside, I cook for myself so I don't have much money for food. Even so, I still spend about 4 million VND each month on other living expenses," Mai said.

The female student confided that she lives in a dormitory on campus with 4 other friends so she saves money on rent, the room is spacious and clean, and there is no transportation cost, but it is also quite inconvenient because it is crowded and complicated.

Not renting a room also costs 3-5 million VND/month

Even though he lives with his family, Dang Nguyen (District 12, Ho Chi Minh City) said he still has to ask his mother for about 2-3 million VND each month.

Expenses to be spent include: Gasoline 650,000 VND; costs for studying and skills courses about 500,000 to 1 million VND; experience activities 300,000 VND; eating out 700,000 VND; shopping 100,000 VND...

My Duyen (Quy Nhon, Binh Dinh) also does not have to pay for rent because she lives with her sister, but still has other expenses.

She said she would spend about 1.5 million VND on lunch; 500,000 VND on gas; 500,000 VND on textbooks, printing exercises, pens and notebooks; 1 million VND on makeup and skin care; 1 million VND on clothes and other expenses... Total expenses for 1 month are about 4.5 million VND.

Mai Vy (3rd year student, Ho Chi Minh City University of Law) spends about 5 million VND per month on personal expenses. She is from Bien Hoa, Dong Nai and feels lucky to live with her grandmother so her rent and electricity and water bills are "covered".

Additional expenses include: Gasoline 300,000 VND; food 3 million VND; partying with friends 500,000 VND, coffee and drinks, snacks 500,000 VND; short-term travel (if any) 1 million VND...

The cost of about 5 million VND (not including tuition and major purchases such as computers, phones, motorbikes...) is almost the minimum cost to live and study in the center of Ho Chi Minh City.

For students studying in suburban areas, the cost may be somewhat lower, but it is still a large sum of money for many families in rural areas.

"Rich" students spend tens of millions of dong

For "rich kids", the cost of studying at university will be higher, even up to tens of millions per month. Earlier this year, a female student named T. (a student at Van Lang University) caused a stir when she shared that she spent 25 million VND per month on "basic living expenses".

Because she has no house in Ho Chi Minh City, the female student and her friend rent a 2-bedroom apartment for 8.5 million VND/month. Including electricity and water bills, this amount is divided equally into 5 million VND/person/month.

Other necessary expenses for a month that she listed include: Food, coffee, and gasoline costs 4.5 million VND; university tuition 5 million VND, additional skills training 2 million VND; gym 4.5 million VND; hair washing and health care 500,000 VND...

In addition, due to the nature of her part-time job related to image, this female student spent 2 million VND on clothes, cosmetics and 2 million VND on makeup for events.

T.'s total monthly living expenses are about 25 million VND.

"I'm saving a lot because my job is related to image and I'm also pursuing a minimalist lifestyle," said this female student.

The female student expressed that due to the nature of her job and other factors, this cost is a bit higher for students, but for others, spending only about 5-7 million VND/month is enough.

The cost of studying and living is a difficult problem for many families. To save on tuition fees, many students choose to work part-time to help their parents.

Dr. Mai Duc Toan, Director of the Admissions and Communications Center, Gia Dinh University, said that depending on the circumstances, geography, school, and part-time job, each student will have different living expenses.

However, to avoid economic pressure during university, Dr. Toan advises each family to choose a learning environment that suits their family's conditions and not try too hard to affect their lives.

He said that in addition to monthly tuition fees, other necessary expenses include: rent, electricity, water, food, transportation, health care, entertainment, etc. Not to mention, the university study process will incur additional costs for textbooks, computers, and additional skills training, etc.

"Families that do not have much money should choose a school with reasonable tuition fees and a central location for convenience in working part-time. Creating financial pressure will somewhat affect students' academic performance and make it difficult for parents," said Mr. Toan.

*Students' names have been changed