Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): $859 a month against $927 in Gombak, rent and utilities included – about $820 less a year. The total is higher in Gombak despite lower rent and utilities.

42

Cost of Living Index in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Gombak
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Gombak Living Index

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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$859

/mo nomad

Gombak

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$927

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $927 in Gombak.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $859
Gombak $927

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,395 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,429 in Gombak.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,395
Gombak $1,429

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

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,931
Gombak $1,931

Living in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) costs roughly 7% less than in Gombak, 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, Gombak 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.91 ₫49.6K

$3.71 MYR 15.12

-48.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.84 ₫591.2K

$24.58 MYR 100

-7.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.54 ₫117.6K

$4.96 MYR 20.23

-8.47%

Cappuccino

$1.85 ₫48.0K

$2.98 MYR 12.15

-37.92%

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

$0.56 ₫14.6K

$0.92 MYR 3.74

-39.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₫8,185

$0.42 MYR 1.69

-23.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.06 ₫27.5K

$3.23 MYR 13.16

-67.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ₫44.5K

$5.79 MYR 23.63

-70.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ₫42.9K

$1.88 MYR 7.69

-11.70%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 ₫28.7K

$1.03 MYR 4.19

7.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ₫25.9K

$1.42 MYR 5.80

-29.58%

Eggs

$1.67 ₫43.1K

$1.85 MYR 7.55

-9.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.08 ₫312.8K

$10.03 MYR 40.93

20.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.68 ₫95.2K

$3.27 MYR 13.34

12.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.24 ₫265.1K

$9.82 MYR 40.06

4.28%

Apples (1kg)

$2.96 ₫76.5K

$3.52 MYR 14.37

-15.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 ₫32.2K

$1.91 MYR 7.81

-35.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 ₫40.3K

$2.64 MYR 10.79

-40.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.30 ₫33.6K

$1.82 MYR 7.44

-28.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 ₫31.9K

$2.08 MYR 8.50

-40.87%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 ₫29.8K

$1.98 MYR 8.08

-41.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 ₫19.1K

$1.48 MYR 6.04

-50.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₫14.4K

$0.55 MYR 2.24

1.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.24 ₫32.1K

$4.41 MYR 17.97

-71.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.60 ₫326.1K

$19.70 MYR 80.4

-36.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₫24.9K

$2.64 MYR 10.78

-63.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 ₫39.6K

$4.67 MYR 19.04

-67.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₫6,694

$0.67 MYR 2.73

-61.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.51 ₫297.9K

$12.05 MYR 49.15

-4.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.75 ₫19.5K

$1.23 MYR 5.03

-39.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.67 ₫17.4K

$0.35 MYR 1.44

91.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.03 ₫78.5K

$8.72 MYR 35.57

-65.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 ₫24.8K

$0.80 MYR 3.27

20.00%

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

$31.1K ₫804.3M

$42.6K MYR 173.6K

-27.01%

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

$30.4K ₫785.9M

$32.0K MYR 130.6K

-5.17%

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

$102 ₫2.6M

$49.80 MYR 203

104.78%

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

$5.89 ₫152.5K

$8.34 MYR 34.02

-29.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.49 ₫271.6K

$27.39 MYR 112

-61.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.54 ₫661.2K

$40.60 MYR 166

-37.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.92 ₫308.5K

$7.17 MYR 29.23

66.25%

Cinema Ticket

$3.53 ₫91.3K

$3.26 MYR 13.29

8.28%

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

$436 ₫11.3M

$274 MYR 1,120

59.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K ₫602.8M

$10.4K MYR 42.3K

124.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 ₫1.4M

$50.4 MYR 206

4.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.15 ₫884.1K

$30.06 MYR 123

13.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.3 ₫2.3M

$76.4 MYR 312

18.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.0 ₫2.5M

$86.2 MYR 352

10.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$589 ₫15.3M

$405 MYR 1,650

45.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ₫7.7M

$303 MYR 1,235

-1.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,292 ₫33.5M

$682 MYR 2,781

89.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$711 ₫18.4M

$554 MYR 2,261

28.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,676 ₫121.1M

$2,059 MYR 8,400

127.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,904 ₫49.3M

$1,053 MYR 4,295

80.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 ₫12.7M

$538 MYR 2,193

-8.92%

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 Gombak: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$298 34.7%

Gombak

$303 32.7% 1.6% $4.9

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$207 24.1%

Gombak

$252 27.1% 21.4% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$122 14.3%

Gombak

$109 11.8% 10.7% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.8%

Gombak

$86 9.2% 27.7% $33

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4%

Gombak

$113 12.2% 78.6% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8%

Gombak

$47 5.1% 44.5% $15

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 1.9%

Gombak

$18 1.9% 6.5% $1.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $405 in Gombak. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gombak pays 10% 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 $25.00 in Gombak for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $207 vs $252 per month, with Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇲🇾 Gombak

🕒 Local time

11:22 11:22 AM

12:22 12:22 PM

1 h ahead of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

41,699

💱 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

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Between locations

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Gombak 1,000 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Gombak

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 Gombak: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) wins on cost – living expenses run 8% lower than in Gombak. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 10% lower in Gombak. 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 $405 in Gombak. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 21% higher in Gombak. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) – a meal for two runs $23.00 versus $25.00 in Gombak. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $927 in Gombak, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) but tight or insufficient in Gombak. The gap between the two cities makes Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $859 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Gombak 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 8% less than in Gombak. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.