Last update: Oct 2026

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

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.

42

Cost of Living Index in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in George Town
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George Town Living Index

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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$859

/mo nomad

George Town

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$956

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and in George Town

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 George Town actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Living in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) costs roughly 10% less than in George Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.91 ₫49.6K

$3.41 MYR 13.92

-43.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.84 ₫591.2K

$15.33 MYR 62.5

48.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.54 ₫117.6K

$4.55 MYR 18.58

-0.22%

Cappuccino

$1.85 ₫48.0K

$2.61 MYR 10.66

-29.12%

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

$0.56 ₫14.6K

$0.78 MYR 3.16

-28.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₫8,185

$0.35 MYR 1.43

-8.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.06 ₫27.5K

$2.42 MYR 9.88

-56.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ₫44.5K

$4.46 MYR 18.21

-61.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ₫42.9K

$1.85 MYR 7.56

-10.27%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 ₫28.7K

$1.05 MYR 4.28

5.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ₫25.9K

$1.68 MYR 6.85

-40.48%

Eggs

$1.67 ₫43.1K

$2.21 MYR 9.03

-24.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.08 ₫312.8K

$13.65 MYR 55.7

-11.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.68 ₫95.2K

$4.51 MYR 18.38

-18.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.24 ₫265.1K

$8.49 MYR 34.62

20.61%

Apples (1kg)

$2.96 ₫76.5K

$2.43 MYR 9.89

21.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 ₫32.2K

$1.43 MYR 5.84

-13.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 ₫40.3K

$2.23 MYR 9.12

-30.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.30 ₫33.6K

$1.19 MYR 4.86

9.24%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 ₫31.9K

$0.93 MYR 3.77

32.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 ₫29.8K

$0.85 MYR 3.45

35.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 ₫19.1K

$0.70 MYR 2.87

5.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₫14.4K

$0.57 MYR 2.31

-1.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.24 ₫32.1K

$4.42 MYR 18.03

-71.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.60 ₫326.1K

$18.74 MYR 76.5

-32.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₫24.9K

$2.42 MYR 9.89

-60.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 ₫39.6K

$3.59 MYR 14.65

-57.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₫6,694

$0.47 MYR 1.91

-44.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.51 ₫297.9K

$10.84 MYR 44.24

6.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.75 ₫19.5K

$1.24 MYR 5.08

-39.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.67 ₫17.4K

$0.51 MYR 2.09

31.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.03 ₫78.5K

$6.87 MYR 28.03

-55.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 ₫24.8K

$0.84 MYR 3.43

14.29%

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

$31.1K ₫804.3M

$42.3K MYR 172.6K

-26.59%

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

$30.4K ₫785.9M

$28.7K MYR 117.0K

5.82%

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

$102 ₫2.6M

$36.87 MYR 150

176.59%

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

$5.89 ₫152.5K

$8.21 MYR 33.51

-28.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.49 ₫271.6K

$28.51 MYR 116

-63.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.54 ₫661.2K

$40.21 MYR 164

-36.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.92 ₫308.5K

$5.04 MYR 20.55

136.51%

Cinema Ticket

$3.53 ₫91.3K

$4.76 MYR 19.43

-25.84%

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

$436 ₫11.3M

$173 MYR 705

152.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K ₫602.8M

$4,848 MYR 19.8K

380.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 ₫1.4M

$53.1 MYR 216

-0.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.15 ₫884.1K

$34.45 MYR 141

-0.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.3 ₫2.3M

$74.5 MYR 304

21.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.0 ₫2.5M

$69.8 MYR 285

36.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$589 ₫15.3M

$505 MYR 2,059

16.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ₫7.7M

$374 MYR 1,524

-20.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,292 ₫33.5M

$932 MYR 3,804

38.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$711 ₫18.4M

$992 MYR 4,046

-28.35%

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

$1,094 MYR 4,462

-55.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.64

4.04

113.86%

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 George Town: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$298 34.7%

George Town

$374 39.1% 25.4% $76

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$207 24.1%

George Town

$240 25.1% 15.8% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$122 14.3%

George Town

$104 10.9% 14.8% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.8%

George Town

$74 7.7% 37.8% $45

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4%

George Town

$98 10.2% 54.2% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8%

George Town

$50 5.2% 52.5% $17

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 1.9%

George Town

$17 1.7% 0.8% $0.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $505 in George Town. 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: $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) vs $15.00 in George Town. Groceries flip the comparison at $207 vs $240, with Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇲🇾 George Town

🕒 Local time

01:34 1:34 AM

02:34 2:34 AM

1 h ahead of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

794,313

💱 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 25,889 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 29,108 VND (100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR).

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).

USD to VND in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
George Town

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 George Town: 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.

On paper, salaries run 123% lower in George Town. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $505 in George Town. 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 $436 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $173 in George Town. 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, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and George Town 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.