Salary of 8 million in the city: Difficult to spend, don't dare to think about getting married

A salary of 8 million is only enough to cover basic needs. Staying in the city is difficult. Sometimes, near the end of the month, I have to borrow from friends to survive until payday...

Prices are climbing but many people's salaries are still stagnant - Photo: AN VI

In a small rented room in Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City, Minh (26 years old) sat and sighed, looking at his monthly spending table.

He used to think that as long as he had a stable job, his life would gradually improve. But after three years of working in an office, with a salary of 8.4 million VND per month, he is just holding on.

The number of restaurants offering full meals is decreasing, and the price of haircuts is also increasing by 5,000 - 10,000 VND.

Rent is 2.5 million VND, food is 3 million VND, gas, electricity and water, and other miscellaneous expenses such as car repairs, clothes, and occasional coffee with colleagues, all of which leave Minh with no surplus.

"Sometimes at the end of the month I have to borrow a few hundred from friends to get by. If I keep doing this, I will never be able to save money" - Minh sighed.

He also did not dare to think about getting married: "I have not finished taking care of myself, how can I take care of another person? Where will I live after getting married? Real estate prices are sky high, the cheapest apartment costs 5-6 million VND, what will I have to spend?"

Many times, feeling desperate, he wondered whether he should return to his hometown. But that thought was quickly extinguished when he remembered his friends who had tried to return to their hometown to start a business and then had to return.

Hung (Minh's roommate) returned to his hometown Ben Tre after the COVID-19 pandemic with the hope of finding a stable job near home. But after only three months, he returned to Saigon.

"In the countryside, I just woke up in the morning and sat drinking coffee with my neighbors. There was nothing to do. I tried to apply for a job as a worker in an industrial park, but the salary was only 6 million VND including overtime pay. Opening a shop meant few customers. In the end, I returned to the city," Hung said.

There is another obsession that Hung does not want to face, which is the scrutinizing eyes of acquaintances.

The day he returned to his hometown, many people said: "Didn't you do well in Saigon so you went back to your hometown?", seemingly harmless words that cut into the young man's self-esteem.

Minh knows that if he returns, he will hear similar things. And then someone will say: "People who are good will live well, but low salary is due to lack of ability."

Under the article "The time of free meals is over, students have 3 million VND but not enough to spend, employees have 8 million VND but not enough to spare" , many readers also left many thoughts.

Reader Thi recalls, "In 2010, when I went to study at Thu Duc University Village, a meal cost only about 5,000 - 10,000 VND. Now, prices are skyrocketing, but making money is difficult, and spending is not enough. If I were to send my child to university now, I probably wouldn't be able to afford it, everything is 4 - 5 times more expensive than back then."

Reader Ben Ngo asked: “For young people like that, what about people with families and children? Every month, they receive their salary in their account for fun, but they can’t touch it or see it. They are broke.”

Readers of Bonggon26 also feel that prices are increasing every day. In the suburbs, a normal meal costs only 20,000 VND to be full, but now it costs 25,000 - 30,000 VND to be full.

According to a reader, nowadays, there are fewer full-service restaurants on the street than before.

Reader Le Van Vinh even cited the increase in haircut prices: "They keep coming up, last year after Tet a haircut cost 60,000 VND, this year the price increased to 65,000 VND, some places 70,000 VND."

Reader An listed in detail the essential expenses for a month: room rent is 3 million VND, shared accommodation costs 1.5 million VND per person. Electricity, water, and telephone are at least 500,000 VND, which is 2 million VND. Eating three meals a day also costs 2.7 million VND...

“This 5 million VND is only used for survival. Not to mention transportation costs. Riding a motorbike requires gas, repairs... Living a “poor lifestyle” costs at least 6 million VND/month.

“Graduating with a university degree and an average income of 10 million VND/month, then getting married, having children, continuing education… is an extremely difficult problem,” said reader An.

"This life is like a loop: work - spend - run out of money - wait for salary. I don't know when I will get better" - reader Khanh wrote.

Cook lunch to bring, limit eating out to save money

Many people now cook their own meals and bring them to work, as a way to cut down on expensive office lunches.

"Before, I stopped by a restaurant for lunch and it cost 40,000 - 50,000 VND. Now, if I cook and bring my own, it only costs about 20,000 VND," Minh said.

Similarly, reader Fan shared that he has limited eating out: "Before, my family ate out 2-4 times/week, now it's 3-4 times/month, even half a year without eating out."

Reader Hoang Phuong shares his experience: “Try to cook at home, it's cheap, delicious, and hygienic.

I see many people complaining that their salary is not enough to spend, mainly because they eat out. The elders say: "If you eat well, you will be full, if you dress well, you will be warm!"

Sharing the same view, reader Hiep Kute noticed that there are still young people and workers who regularly go out drinking and do not cut down on entertainment, so it is difficult to earn enough to live.

Reader Hamvui007 pointed out the fact that despite skyrocketing prices, milk tea shops are still packed with people, and milk tea is not cheap!

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/luong-8-trieu-o-thanh-pho-chi-tieu-chat-vat-khong-dam-nghi-toi-chuyen-lap-gia-dinh-20250304144327125.htm