Living Wage Update: Urban Vietnam, 2020

This report updates the living wage and living expenses for a basic but decent living standard for a family for urban Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh City. The net living wage (i.e. take home pay required for decency) and cost of a basic but decent living standard for a family are updated to the study month (March) of 2020 to take into account the amount of inflation since the original study in March 2016. Without accounting for inflation, the net living wage estimated in 2016 would not be sufficient for workers to have a basic but decent standard of living in 2020 because the purchasing power of the living wage would have decreased. Similarly, living expenses for a reference family are also updated to March 2020 to account for inflation. The gross living wage is updated to March 2020 by also taking into consideration income taxes and mandatory payroll deductions that workers would need to pay on the updated March 2020 living wage. This is done using March 2020 laws.