Living costs in Hanoi, HCM City rise sharply

Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City continue to be among the world’s top 100 most-expensive cities for expatriates, ranking the 58th and 69th, respectively.

The cost-of-living ranking of 143 cities in the world, done by the US human resource, financial and service researcher, Mercer, was announced on July 8.

Compared to last year’s list, Hanoi jumped 33 places and HCM City, 31 places. But, in terms of cost-of-living points, Hanoi fell from 79 to 77.7, while HCM City dropped to 74.9 from last year’s 76.3.

Mercer explained that although the Vietnamese currency (VND) has weakened slightly against the US dollar, inflation for purchases in Mercer’s international basket of goods was higher in Vietnam than in New York City, thus pushing Hanoi and HCM City up through the ranks.

vov, vietnamplus

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