Last update: Oct 2026

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

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.

42

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

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Ampang Jaya
Learn more

Ampang Jaya Living Index

Jump to prices

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$859

/mo nomad

Ampang Jaya

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,009

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and in Ampang Jaya

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is about 15% cheaper than Ampang Jaya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.91 ₫49.6K

$3.69 MYR 15.07

-48.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.84 ₫591.2K

$24.43 MYR 99.6

-6.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.54 ₫117.6K

$4.95 MYR 20.19

-8.28%

Cappuccino

$1.85 ₫48.0K

$3.06 MYR 12.48

-39.54%

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

$0.56 ₫14.6K

$0.93 MYR 3.79

-39.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₫8,185

$0.55 MYR 2.26

-41.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.06 ₫27.5K

$4.37 MYR 17.82

-75.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ₫44.5K

$6.42 MYR 26.19

-73.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ₫42.9K

$1.74 MYR 7.10

-4.60%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 ₫28.7K

$1.08 MYR 4.41

2.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ₫25.9K

$1.50 MYR 6.10

-33.33%

Eggs

$1.67 ₫43.1K

$1.76 MYR 7.18

-5.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.08 ₫312.8K

$9.99 MYR 40.76

20.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.68 ₫95.2K

$3.47 MYR 14.16

6.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.24 ₫265.1K

$9.91 MYR 40.42

3.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.96 ₫76.5K

$3.37 MYR 13.73

-12.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 ₫32.2K

$1.69 MYR 6.91

-26.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 ₫40.3K

$3.21 MYR 13.09

-51.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.30 ₫33.6K

$1.62 MYR 6.62

-19.75%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 ₫31.9K

$1.43 MYR 5.83

-13.99%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 ₫29.8K

$1.72 MYR 7.02

-33.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 ₫19.1K

$1.38 MYR 5.61

-46.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₫14.4K

$0.52 MYR 2.13

7.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.24 ₫32.1K

$4.54 MYR 18.51

-72.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.60 ₫326.1K

$19.73 MYR 80.5

-36.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₫24.9K

$2.85 MYR 11.61

-66.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 ₫39.6K

$4.58 MYR 18.70

-66.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₫6,694

$1.01 MYR 4.10

-74.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.51 ₫297.9K

$19.59 MYR 79.9

-41.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.75 ₫19.5K

$1.25 MYR 5.08

-40.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.67 ₫17.4K

$0.35 MYR 1.44

91.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.03 ₫78.5K

$6.21 MYR 25.33

-51.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 ₫24.8K

$0.87 MYR 3.55

10.34%

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

$31.1K ₫804.3M

$42.5K MYR 173.4K

-26.90%

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

$30.4K ₫785.9M

$34.6K MYR 141.0K

-12.14%

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

$102 ₫2.6M

$48.90 MYR 199

108.55%

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

$5.89 ₫152.5K

$11.23 MYR 45.79

-47.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.49 ₫271.6K

$28.37 MYR 116

-63.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.54 ₫661.2K

$36.16 MYR 148

-29.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.92 ₫308.5K

$7.54 MYR 30.76

58.09%

Cinema Ticket

$3.53 ₫91.3K

$5.04 MYR 20.54

-29.96%

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

$436 ₫11.3M

$193 MYR 786

126.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K ₫602.8M

$4,453 MYR 18.2K

422.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 ₫1.4M

$53.2 MYR 217

-0.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.15 ₫884.1K

$30.19 MYR 123

13.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.3 ₫2.3M

$81.6 MYR 333

10.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.0 ₫2.5M

$86.6 MYR 353

9.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$589 ₫15.3M

$436 MYR 1,780

35.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ₫7.7M

$364 MYR 1,484

-18.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,292 ₫33.5M

$1,491 MYR 6,083

-13.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$711 ₫18.4M

$590 MYR 2,407

20.44%

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)

$490 ₫12.7M

$836 MYR 3,412

-41.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.64

4.51

91.57%

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

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

Last update for Ampang Jaya: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$298 34.7%

Ampang Jaya

$364 36.1% 22.1% $66

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$207 24.1%

Ampang Jaya

$249 24.7% 19.9% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$122 14.3%

Ampang Jaya

$113 11.2% 7.6% $9.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.8%

Ampang Jaya

$88 8.8% 25.2% $30

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4%

Ampang Jaya

$122 12.1% 91.8% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8%

Ampang Jaya

$46 4.6% 41.8% $14

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 1.9%

Ampang Jaya

$27 2.6% 59.9% $10

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $436 in Ampang Jaya. 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 $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $24.00 in Ampang Jaya. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $207 vs $249 – making Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇲🇾 Ampang Jaya

🕒 Local time

17:44 5:44 PM

18:44 6:44 PM

1 h ahead of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

531,904

💱 Currency

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MYR, USD, EUR to VND – Vietnamese Dong Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇻🇳 Vietnamese Dong (₫)

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).

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).

USD to VND in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Ampang Jaya

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

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

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,288 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $1,513 in Ampang Jaya. 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 $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $1,009 in Ampang Jaya. 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.