Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between George Town and Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

For one person, living is cheaper in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): $859 a month against $956 in George Town, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

46

Cost of Living Index in George Town
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George Town 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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George Town

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$956

/mo nomad

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$859

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $956 in George Town versus $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

George Town $956
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $859

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,599 in George Town versus $1,395 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

George Town $1,599
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,395

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,243 in George Town versus $1,931 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

George Town $2,243
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,931

Living in George Town is roughly 11% more expensive than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: George Town 29% lower, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.41 MYR 13.92

$1.91 ₫49.6K

78.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$15.33 MYR 62.5

$22.84 ₫591.2K

-32.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.55 MYR 18.58

$4.54 ₫117.6K

0.22%

Cappuccino

$2.61 MYR 10.66

$1.85 ₫48.0K

41.08%

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

$0.78 MYR 3.16

$0.56 ₫14.6K

39.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 MYR 1.43

$0.32 ₫8,185

9.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.42 MYR 9.88

$1.06 ₫27.5K

128.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.46 MYR 18.21

$1.72 ₫44.5K

159.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 MYR 7.56

$1.66 ₫42.9K

11.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.05 MYR 4.28

$1.11 ₫28.7K

-5.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 MYR 6.85

$1.00 ₫25.9K

68.00%

Eggs

$2.21 MYR 9.03

$1.67 ₫43.1K

32.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.65 MYR 55.7

$12.08 ₫312.8K

13.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.51 MYR 18.38

$3.68 ₫95.2K

22.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.49 MYR 34.62

$10.24 ₫265.1K

-17.09%

Apples (1kg)

$2.43 MYR 9.89

$2.96 ₫76.5K

-17.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MYR 5.84

$1.24 ₫32.2K

15.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.23 MYR 9.12

$1.56 ₫40.3K

42.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.19 MYR 4.86

$1.30 ₫33.6K

-8.46%

Potato (1kg)

$0.93 MYR 3.77

$1.23 ₫31.9K

-24.39%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 MYR 3.45

$1.15 ₫29.8K

-26.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.70 MYR 2.87

$0.74 ₫19.1K

-5.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 MYR 2.31

$0.56 ₫14.4K

1.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.42 MYR 18.03

$1.24 ₫32.1K

256.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.74 MYR 76.5

$12.60 ₫326.1K

48.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 MYR 9.89

$0.96 ₫24.9K

152.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 MYR 14.65

$1.53 ₫39.6K

134.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.47 MYR 1.91

$0.26 ₫6,694

80.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.84 MYR 44.24

$11.51 ₫297.9K

-5.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.24 MYR 5.08

$0.75 ₫19.5K

65.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.51 MYR 2.09

$0.67 ₫17.4K

-23.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.87 MYR 28.03

$3.03 ₫78.5K

126.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.84 MYR 3.43

$0.96 ₫24.8K

-12.50%

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

$42.3K MYR 172.6K

$31.1K ₫804.3M

36.22%

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

$28.7K MYR 117.0K

$30.4K ₫785.9M

-5.50%

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

$36.87 MYR 150

$102 ₫2.6M

-63.85%

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

$8.21 MYR 33.51

$5.89 ₫152.5K

39.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.51 MYR 116

$10.49 ₫271.6K

171.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.21 MYR 164

$25.54 ₫661.2K

57.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.04 MYR 20.55

$11.92 ₫308.5K

-57.72%

Cinema Ticket

$4.76 MYR 19.43

$3.53 ₫91.3K

34.84%

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

$173 MYR 705

$436 ₫11.3M

-60.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,848 MYR 19.8K

$23.3K ₫602.8M

-79.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.1 MYR 216

$52.8 ₫1.4M

0.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.45 MYR 141

$34.15 ₫884.1K

0.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.5 MYR 304

$90.3 ₫2.3M

-17.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.8 MYR 285

$95.0 ₫2.5M

-26.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$505 MYR 2,059

$589 ₫15.3M

-14.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 MYR 1,524

$298 ₫7.7M

25.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$932 MYR 3,804

$1,292 ₫33.5M

-27.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$992 MYR 4,046

$711 ₫18.4M

39.56%

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)

$1,094 MYR 4,462

$490 ₫12.7M

123.41%

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 George Town: October 12, 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

George Town

$374 39.1%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$298 34.7% 20.3% $76

Groceries & Markets

George Town

$240 25.1%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$207 24.1% 13.7% $33

Clothing & Footwear

George Town

$104 10.9%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$122 14.3% 17.4% $18

Eating Out

George Town

$98 10.2%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4% 35.2% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

George Town

$74 7.7%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.8% 60.8% $45

Sport & Entertainment

George Town

$50 5.2%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8% 34.4% $17

Getting Around

George Town

$17 1.7%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 1.9% 0.8% $0.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $505 in George Town and $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

George Town pays 123% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $15.00 in George Town vs $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Groceries flip the comparison at $240 vs $207, with Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇾 George Town

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🕒 Local time

01:44 1:44 AM

00:44 12:44 AM

1 h behind George Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

794,313

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

George Town Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 920 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

George Town
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

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

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 11% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 123% higher in George Town, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $505 in George Town versus $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) runs roughly 6% less than in George Town. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $173 in George Town versus $436 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $956 in George Town, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) but tight or insufficient in George Town. The gap between the two cities makes Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in George Town, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, George Town and Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) gentler on the wallet – expenses run 11% less than in George Town. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.