Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Alor Setar and Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

For one person, living costs are similar in Alor Setar and in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): $881 and $859 a month, rent and utilities included.

43

Cost of Living Index in Alor Setar
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Alor Setar Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Living Index

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Alor Setar

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$881

/mo nomad

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$859

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Alor Setar and in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Alor Setar and in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $881 per month in Alor Setar vs $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent included.

Alor Setar $881
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $859

A couple spends around $1,277 per month in Alor Setar vs $1,395 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent included.

Alor Setar $1,277
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,395

A family of three spends $1,672 per month in Alor Setar vs $1,931 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent included.

Alor Setar $1,672
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,931

Alor Setar costs about 3% more than Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Alor Setar and Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) are more affordable than the global median – Alor Setar 35% lower, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.08 MYR 8.48

$1.91 ₫49.6K

8.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.30 MYR 50.2

$22.84 ₫591.2K

-46.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.28 MYR 17.44

$4.54 ₫117.6K

-5.73%

Cappuccino

$1.82 MYR 7.40

$1.85 ₫48.0K

-1.62%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 MYR 2.30

$0.56 ₫14.6K

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 MYR 1.24

$0.32 ₫8,185

-6.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.25 MYR 17.33

$1.06 ₫27.5K

300.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.33 MYR 17.68

$1.72 ₫44.5K

151.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 MYR 6.51

$1.66 ₫42.9K

-3.61%

White Bread (500g)

$0.85 MYR 3.49

$1.11 ₫28.7K

-23.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 MYR 6.85

$1.00 ₫25.9K

68.00%

Eggs

$1.51 MYR 6.17

$1.67 ₫43.1K

-9.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.63 MYR 55.6

$12.08 ₫312.8K

12.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.35 MYR 17.76

$3.68 ₫95.2K

18.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.75 MYR 35.68

$10.24 ₫265.1K

-14.55%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 MYR 11.98

$2.96 ₫76.5K

-0.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 MYR 5.04

$1.24 ₫32.2K

Oranges (1kg)

$2.72 MYR 11.10

$1.56 ₫40.3K

74.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.45 MYR 5.91

$1.30 ₫33.6K

11.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 MYR 4.33

$1.23 ₫31.9K

-13.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 MYR 4.62

$1.15 ₫29.8K

-1.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 MYR 4.48

$0.74 ₫19.1K

48.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 MYR 2.18

$0.56 ₫14.4K

-3.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.50 MYR 18.37

$1.24 ₫32.1K

262.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.89 MYR 77.1

$12.60 ₫326.1K

49.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 MYR 11.83

$0.96 ₫24.9K

202.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.36 MYR 21.88

$1.53 ₫39.6K

250.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.79 MYR 3.21

$0.26 ₫6,694

203.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.78 MYR 43.98

$11.51 ₫297.9K

-6.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 MYR 6.80

$0.75 ₫19.5K

122.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 MYR 1.65

$0.67 ₫17.4K

-40.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.37 MYR 30.08

$3.03 ₫78.5K

143.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.51 MYR 2.09

$0.96 ₫24.8K

-46.87%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$41.8K MYR 170.3K

$31.1K ₫804.3M

34.41%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$35.9K MYR 146.6K

$30.4K ₫785.9M

18.38%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$37.61 MYR 153

$102 ₫2.6M

-63.12%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$7.49 MYR 30.57

$5.89 ₫152.5K

27.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.82 MYR 89.0

$10.49 ₫271.6K

108.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.96 MYR 163

$25.54 ₫661.2K

56.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.19 MYR 29.33

$11.92 ₫308.5K

-39.68%

Cinema Ticket

$4.95 MYR 20.19

$3.53 ₫91.3K

40.23%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$427 MYR 1,741

$436 ₫11.3M

-2.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.7K MYR 43.7K

$23.3K ₫602.8M

-54.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.3 MYR 246

$52.8 ₫1.4M

14.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.46 MYR 141

$34.15 ₫884.1K

0.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.4 MYR 336

$90.3 ₫2.3M

-8.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.8 MYR 281

$95.0 ₫2.5M

-27.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$371 MYR 1,513

$589 ₫15.3M

-37.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 MYR 1,246

$298 ₫7.7M

2.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$662 MYR 2,700

$1,292 ₫33.5M

-48.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$449 MYR 1,831

$711 ₫18.4M

-36.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,986 MYR 8,103

$4,676 ₫121.1M

-57.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$970 MYR 3,958

$1,904 ₫49.3M

-49.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,642 MYR 6,697

$490 ₫12.7M

235.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.04

8.64

-53.24%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Alor Setar: October 11, 2026

Last update for Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Alor Setar

$305 34.7%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$298 34.7% 2.5% $7.5

Groceries & Markets

Alor Setar

$246 27.9%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$207 24.1% 15.6% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Alor Setar

$111 12.6%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$122 14.3% 10.7% $12

Eating Out

Alor Setar

$85 9.6%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4% 25% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Alor Setar

$67 7.6%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.8% 76.9% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Alor Setar

$50 5.7%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8% 34.6% $17

Getting Around

Alor Setar

$18 2%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 1.9% 5.5% $1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $371 in Alor Setar versus $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 235% higher in Alor Setar, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $12.00 in Alor Setar versus $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Groceries tell a different story – $246 in Alor Setar vs $207 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) – so Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Alor Setar

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🕒 Local time

03:57 3:57 AM

02:57 2:57 AM

1 h behind Alor Setar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

423,868

9,456,700

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

VND, USD, EUR to MYR – Malaysian Ringgit Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇾 Malaysian Ringgit (RM)

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.59 MYR (1 MYR = 0.218 EUR).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 25,889 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 29,108 VND (100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Alor Setar Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 870 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Alor Setar
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Alor Setar vs Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Alor Setar costs about 3% more than Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,321 per month in Alor Setar and $1,288 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $427 per month in Alor Setar and $436 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 19% more in Alor Setar, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), where all-in costs run around $859, than in Alor Setar at $881. In Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) it covers expenses comfortably, while in Alor Setar it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) costs $859 versus $881 in Alor Setar. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Alor Setar makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.