Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ampang Jaya and Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

For one person, living is cheaper in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): $859 a month against $1,009 in Ampang Jaya, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Ampang Jaya
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Ampang Jaya 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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Ampang Jaya

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,009

/mo nomad

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$859

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ampang Jaya 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 Ampang Jaya and in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,009 per month in Ampang Jaya vs $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent included.

Ampang Jaya $1,009
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $859

A couple spends around $1,506 per month in Ampang Jaya vs $1,395 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent included.

Ampang Jaya $1,506
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,395

A family of three spends $2,003 per month in Ampang Jaya vs $1,931 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent included.

Ampang Jaya $2,003
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,931

Ampang Jaya costs about 17% more than Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Ampang Jaya and Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) are more affordable than the global median – Ampang Jaya 25% lower, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.69 MYR 15.07

$1.91 ₫49.6K

93.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.43 MYR 99.6

$22.84 ₫591.2K

6.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.95 MYR 20.19

$4.54 ₫117.6K

9.03%

Cappuccino

$3.06 MYR 12.48

$1.85 ₫48.0K

65.41%

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

$0.93 MYR 3.79

$0.56 ₫14.6K

66.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 MYR 2.26

$0.32 ₫8,185

71.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.37 MYR 17.82

$1.06 ₫27.5K

312.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.42 MYR 26.19

$1.72 ₫44.5K

273.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 MYR 7.10

$1.66 ₫42.9K

4.82%

White Bread (500g)

$1.08 MYR 4.41

$1.11 ₫28.7K

-2.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 MYR 6.10

$1.00 ₫25.9K

50.00%

Eggs

$1.76 MYR 7.18

$1.67 ₫43.1K

5.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 MYR 40.76

$12.08 ₫312.8K

-17.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.47 MYR 14.16

$3.68 ₫95.2K

-5.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.91 MYR 40.42

$10.24 ₫265.1K

-3.22%

Apples (1kg)

$3.37 MYR 13.73

$2.96 ₫76.5K

13.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 MYR 6.91

$1.24 ₫32.2K

36.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.21 MYR 13.09

$1.56 ₫40.3K

105.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.62 MYR 6.62

$1.30 ₫33.6K

24.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.43 MYR 5.83

$1.23 ₫31.9K

16.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.72 MYR 7.02

$1.15 ₫29.8K

49.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.38 MYR 5.61

$0.74 ₫19.1K

86.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 MYR 2.13

$0.56 ₫14.4K

-7.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.54 MYR 18.51

$1.24 ₫32.1K

266.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.73 MYR 80.5

$12.60 ₫326.1K

56.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.85 MYR 11.61

$0.96 ₫24.9K

196.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 MYR 18.70

$1.53 ₫39.6K

199.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 MYR 4.10

$0.26 ₫6,694

288.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.59 MYR 79.9

$11.51 ₫297.9K

70.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.25 MYR 5.08

$0.75 ₫19.5K

66.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 MYR 1.44

$0.67 ₫17.4K

-47.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.21 MYR 25.33

$3.03 ₫78.5K

104.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 MYR 3.55

$0.96 ₫24.8K

-9.37%

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

$42.5K MYR 173.4K

$31.1K ₫804.3M

36.80%

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

$34.6K MYR 141.0K

$30.4K ₫785.9M

13.82%

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

$48.90 MYR 199

$102 ₫2.6M

-52.05%

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

$11.23 MYR 45.79

$5.89 ₫152.5K

90.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.37 MYR 116

$10.49 ₫271.6K

170.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.16 MYR 148

$25.54 ₫661.2K

41.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.54 MYR 30.76

$11.92 ₫308.5K

-36.74%

Cinema Ticket

$5.04 MYR 20.54

$3.53 ₫91.3K

42.78%

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

$193 MYR 786

$436 ₫11.3M

-55.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,453 MYR 18.2K

$23.3K ₫602.8M

-80.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.2 MYR 217

$52.8 ₫1.4M

0.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.19 MYR 123

$34.15 ₫884.1K

-11.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.6 MYR 333

$90.3 ₫2.3M

-9.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.6 MYR 353

$95.0 ₫2.5M

-8.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$436 MYR 1,780

$589 ₫15.3M

-25.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$364 MYR 1,484

$298 ₫7.7M

22.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,491 MYR 6,083

$1,292 ₫33.5M

15.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$590 MYR 2,407

$711 ₫18.4M

-16.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,676 ₫121.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,904 ₫49.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$836 MYR 3,412

$490 ₫12.7M

70.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.51

8.64

-47.80%

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

Last update for Ampang Jaya: 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

Ampang Jaya

$364 36.1%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$298 34.7% 18.1% $66

Groceries & Markets

Ampang Jaya

$249 24.7%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$207 24.1% 16.6% $41

Eating Out

Ampang Jaya

$122 12.1%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4% 47.9% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Ampang Jaya

$113 11.2%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$122 14.3% 8.2% $9.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ampang Jaya

$88 8.8%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.8% 33.8% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Ampang Jaya

$46 4.6%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8% 29.5% $14

Getting Around

Ampang Jaya

$27 2.6%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 1.9% 37.5% $10

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $436 in Ampang Jaya 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 71% higher in Ampang Jaya, 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 $24.00 in Ampang Jaya versus $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $249 vs $207 – making Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Ampang Jaya

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🕒 Local time

17:13 5:13 PM

16:13 4:13 PM

1 h behind Ampang Jaya

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

531,904

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 18, 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 25,889 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 29,105 VND (100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Ampang Jaya Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 1,010 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Ampang Jaya
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $1,009 in Ampang Jaya, $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) – roughly 17% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,513 per month in Ampang Jaya 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,009 in Ampang Jaya and $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). That's a gap of about 17%.

Public transport costs about 70% less in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), where all-in costs run around $859, than in Ampang Jaya at $1,009. In Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ampang Jaya it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) to $1,009 in Ampang Jaya. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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, Ampang Jaya makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.