Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): $859 a month against $922 in Ipoh, rent and utilities included – about $760 less a year. The total is higher in Ipoh 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 Ipoh
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Ipoh Living Index

Jump to prices

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$859

/mo nomad

Ipoh

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$922

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $922 in Ipoh.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $859
Ipoh $922

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,395 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,372 in Ipoh.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,395
Ipoh $1,372

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,931 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,821 in Ipoh.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,931
Ipoh $1,821

Living in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) costs roughly 7% less than in Ipoh, 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, Ipoh 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.91 ₫49.6K

$3.26 MYR 13.29

-41.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.84 ₫591.2K

$19.29 MYR 78.7

18.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.54 ₫117.6K

$4.51 MYR 18.38

0.67%

Cappuccino

$1.85 ₫48.0K

$2.80 MYR 11.41

-33.93%

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

$0.56 ₫14.6K

$0.70 MYR 2.87

-20.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₫8,185

$0.44 MYR 1.81

-27.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.06 ₫27.5K

$4.34 MYR 17.70

-75.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ₫44.5K

$4.52 MYR 18.42

-61.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ₫42.9K

$1.97 MYR 8.05

-15.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 ₫28.7K

$1.05 MYR 4.29

5.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ₫25.9K

$1.36 MYR 5.56

-26.47%

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

$4.56 MYR 18.62

-19.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.24 ₫265.1K

$7.64 MYR 31.16

34.03%

Apples (1kg)

$2.96 ₫76.5K

$3.01 MYR 12.27

-1.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 ₫32.2K

$1.77 MYR 7.21

-29.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 ₫40.3K

$2.22 MYR 9.05

-29.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.30 ₫33.6K

$1.56 MYR 6.34

-16.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 ₫31.9K

$1.28 MYR 5.22

-3.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 ₫29.8K

$1.34 MYR 5.48

-14.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 ₫19.1K

$1.13 MYR 4.62

-34.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₫14.4K

$0.45 MYR 1.82

24.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.24 ₫32.1K

$4.32 MYR 17.63

-71.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.60 ₫326.1K

$16.98 MYR 69.3

-25.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₫24.9K

$3.48 MYR 14.22

-72.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 ₫39.6K

$4.57 MYR 18.64

-66.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₫6,694

$0.62 MYR 2.54

-58.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.51 ₫297.9K

$11.56 MYR 47.14

-0.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.75 ₫19.5K

$1.24 MYR 5.07

-39.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.67 ₫17.4K

$1.23 MYR 5.04

-45.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.03 ₫78.5K

$5.04 MYR 20.56

-39.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 ₫24.8K

$0.52 MYR 2.11

84.62%

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

$31.1K ₫804.3M

$41.3K MYR 168.7K

-24.85%

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

$30.4K ₫785.9M

$34.7K MYR 141.4K

-12.41%

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

$102 ₫2.6M

$61.9 MYR 253

64.64%

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

$5.89 ₫152.5K

$8.92 MYR 36.37

-33.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.49 ₫271.6K

$26.24 MYR 107

-60.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.54 ₫661.2K

$40.16 MYR 164

-36.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.92 ₫308.5K

$6.93 MYR 28.26

72.01%

Cinema Ticket

$3.53 ₫91.3K

$3.33 MYR 13.59

6.01%

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

$436 ₫11.3M

$305 MYR 1,242

43.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K ₫602.8M

$13.3K MYR 54.2K

75.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 ₫1.4M

$61.5 MYR 251

-14.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.15 ₫884.1K

$36.00 MYR 147

-5.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.3 ₫2.3M

$61.8 MYR 252

46.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.0 ₫2.5M

$62.0 MYR 253

53.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$589 ₫15.3M

$401 MYR 1,635

47.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ₫7.7M

$298 MYR 1,217

-0.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,292 ₫33.5M

$679 MYR 2,770

90.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$711 ₫18.4M

$490 MYR 2,001

44.91%

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

$1,093 MYR 4,458

74.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 ₫12.7M

$973 MYR 3,968

-49.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.64

3.99

116.54%

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 Ipoh: 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%

Ipoh

$298 32.4% 0.2% $0.5

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$207 24.1%

Ipoh

$250 27.2% 20.9% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$122 14.3%

Ipoh

$100 10.8% 18.7% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.8%

Ipoh

$97 10.5% 18% $21

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4%

Ipoh

$108 11.8% 70.9% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8%

Ipoh

$47 5.1% 43.7% $14

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 1.9%

Ipoh

$21 2.3% 28.9% $4.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $401 in Ipoh. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ipoh pays 99% 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 $19.00 in Ipoh. Groceries flip the comparison at $207 vs $250, with Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇲🇾 Ipoh

🕒 Local time

10:53 10:53 AM

11:53 11:53 AM

1 h ahead of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

759,952

💱 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) Ipoh 920 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Ipoh

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 Ipoh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) wins on cost – living expenses run 7% lower than in Ipoh. 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 99% lower in Ipoh. 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 $401 in Ipoh. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $859 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $922 in Ipoh – a 7% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) runs roughly 0% less than in Ipoh. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $922 in Ipoh, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) but tight or insufficient in Ipoh. 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 Ipoh 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 7% less than in Ipoh. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.