Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): $859 a month against $1,056 in Johor Bahru, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 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
51

Cost of Living Index in Johor Bahru
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Johor Bahru Living Index

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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$859

/mo nomad

Johor Bahru

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,056

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,056 in Johor Bahru.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $859
Johor Bahru $1,056

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,395 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,551 in Johor Bahru.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,395
Johor Bahru $1,551

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,931 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $2,046 in Johor Bahru.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,931
Johor Bahru $2,046

Living in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) costs roughly 19% less than in Johor Bahru, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower, Johor Bahru 22% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.91 ₫49.6K

$3.56 MYR 14.53

-46.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.84 ₫591.2K

$18.68 MYR 76.2

22.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.54 ₫117.6K

$4.93 MYR 20.11

-7.91%

Cappuccino

$1.85 ₫48.0K

$2.86 MYR 11.67

-35.31%

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

$0.56 ₫14.6K

$0.84 MYR 3.45

-33.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₫8,185

$0.55 MYR 2.25

-41.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.06 ₫27.5K

$4.54 MYR 18.52

-76.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ₫44.5K

$6.20 MYR 25.31

-72.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ₫42.9K

$1.66 MYR 6.79

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 ₫28.7K

$1.11 MYR 4.52

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ₫25.9K

$1.50 MYR 6.13

-33.33%

Eggs

$1.67 ₫43.1K

$1.72 MYR 7.00

-2.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.08 ₫312.8K

$17.86 MYR 72.9

-32.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.68 ₫95.2K

$4.56 MYR 18.58

-19.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.24 ₫265.1K

$10.49 MYR 42.80

-2.38%

Apples (1kg)

$2.96 ₫76.5K

$3.26 MYR 13.28

-9.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 ₫32.2K

$1.70 MYR 6.94

-27.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 ₫40.3K

$3.91 MYR 15.96

-60.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.30 ₫33.6K

$1.68 MYR 6.86

-22.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 ₫31.9K

$1.47 MYR 6.00

-16.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 ₫29.8K

$1.65 MYR 6.74

-30.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 ₫19.1K

$1.32 MYR 5.37

-43.94%

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

$4.17 MYR 17.01

-70.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.60 ₫326.1K

$13.98 MYR 57.1

-9.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₫24.9K

$2.84 MYR 11.59

-66.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 ₫39.6K

$3.11 MYR 12.68

-50.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₫6,694

$0.71 MYR 2.90

-63.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.51 ₫297.9K

$12.11 MYR 49.42

-4.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.75 ₫19.5K

$0.96 MYR 3.90

-21.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.67 ₫17.4K

$0.70 MYR 2.85

-4.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.03 ₫78.5K

$9.50 MYR 38.75

-68.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 ₫24.8K

$0.83 MYR 3.40

15.66%

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

$31.1K ₫804.3M

$41.1K MYR 167.8K

-24.45%

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

$30.4K ₫785.9M

$36.1K MYR 147.2K

-15.88%

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

$102 ₫2.6M

$53.0 MYR 216

92.31%

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

$5.89 ₫152.5K

$10.99 MYR 44.84

-46.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.49 ₫271.6K

$28.42 MYR 116

-63.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.54 ₫661.2K

$39.45 MYR 161

-35.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.92 ₫308.5K

$5.63 MYR 22.97

111.72%

Cinema Ticket

$3.53 ₫91.3K

$4.92 MYR 20.08

-28.25%

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

$436 ₫11.3M

$161 MYR 658

170.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K ₫602.8M

$4,478 MYR 18.3K

419.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 ₫1.4M

$54.2 MYR 221

-2.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.15 ₫884.1K

$16.54 MYR 67.5

106.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.3 ₫2.3M

$81.5 MYR 332

10.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.0 ₫2.5M

$97.3 MYR 397

-2.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$589 ₫15.3M

$517 MYR 2,109

14.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ₫7.7M

$397 MYR 1,620

-25.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,292 ₫33.5M

$900 MYR 3,673

43.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$711 ₫18.4M

$624 MYR 2,548

13.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,676 ₫121.1M

$2,019 MYR 8,238

131.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,904 ₫49.3M

$1,167 MYR 4,759

63.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 ₫12.7M

$1,060 MYR 4,325

-53.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.64

4.06

112.81%

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 Johor Bahru: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$298 34.7%

Johor Bahru

$397 37.6% 33.4% $99

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$207 24.1%

Johor Bahru

$267 25.3% 28.8% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$122 14.3%

Johor Bahru

$112 10.6% 8.3% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.8%

Johor Bahru

$92 8.8% 21.9% $26

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4%

Johor Bahru

$118 11.2% 86.4% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8%

Johor Bahru

$49 4.7% 51.2% $17

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 1.9%

Johor Bahru

$19 1.8% 16.5% $2.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $517 in Johor Bahru. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Johor Bahru pays 117% 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 Johor Bahru. Groceries flip the comparison at $207 vs $267, with Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇲🇾 Johor Bahru

🕒 Local time

05:18 5:18 AM

06:18 6:18 AM

1 h ahead of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

858,118

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Johor Bahru 1,090 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Johor Bahru

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 Johor Bahru: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) wins on cost – living expenses run 23% lower than in Johor Bahru. 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 117% lower in Johor Bahru. 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 $517 in Johor Bahru. 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 $1,056 in Johor Bahru – a 23% 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 5% less than in Johor Bahru. 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 $1,056 in Johor Bahru, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) but tight or insufficient in Johor Bahru. 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 Johor Bahru 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 23% less than in Johor Bahru. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.