Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): $853 a month against $877 in Kedah, rent and utilities included – about $290 less a year. The total is higher in Kedah despite lower rent and utilities.

41

Cost of Living Index in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Kedah
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Kedah Living Index

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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$853

/mo nomad

Kedah

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$877

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $853 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $877 in Kedah.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $853
Kedah $877

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,391 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,399 in Kedah.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,391
Kedah $1,399

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,930 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,920 in Kedah.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,930
Kedah $1,920

Living in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) costs roughly 3% less than in Kedah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 37% lower, Kedah 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.91 ₫49.3K

$3.72 MYR 15.14

-48.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.93 ₫592.4K

$12.32 MYR 50.2

86.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.69 ₫121.2K

$4.56 MYR 18.59

2.85%

Cappuccino

$1.80 ₫46.5K

$2.91 MYR 11.87

-38.14%

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

$0.55 ₫14.3K

$0.77 MYR 3.14

-28.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.34 ₫8,812

$0.39 MYR 1.59

-12.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.03 ₫26.7K

$4.24 MYR 17.26

-75.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ₫44.4K

$4.36 MYR 17.75

-60.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 ₫43.1K

$1.88 MYR 7.66

-11.17%

White Bread (500g)

$1.09 ₫28.2K

$1.06 MYR 4.32

2.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.06 ₫27.3K

$1.72 MYR 6.99

-38.37%

Eggs

$1.60 ₫41.3K

$2.19 MYR 8.91

-26.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.08 ₫312.1K

$13.55 MYR 55.2

-10.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.66 ₫94.5K

$4.34 MYR 17.69

-15.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.35 ₫267.3K

$8.84 MYR 36.02

17.08%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 ₫77.7K

$2.94 MYR 11.98

2.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 ₫32.6K

$1.63 MYR 6.65

-22.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.62 ₫41.9K

$2.75 MYR 11.20

-41.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.27 ₫32.7K

$1.45 MYR 5.92

-12.41%

Potato (1kg)

$1.18 ₫30.5K

$1.10 MYR 4.48

7.27%

Onion (1kg)

$1.19 ₫30.7K

$1.09 MYR 4.43

9.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.78 ₫20.1K

$1.13 MYR 4.61

-30.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ₫14.3K

$0.57 MYR 2.34

-3.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.26 ₫32.5K

$4.62 MYR 18.83

-72.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.85 ₫331.9K

$18.76 MYR 76.5

-31.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 ₫23.1K

$2.98 MYR 12.15

-69.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.46 ₫37.6K

$5.33 MYR 21.72

-72.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 ₫7,260

$0.76 MYR 3.10

-63.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.42 ₫295.0K

$12.85 MYR 52.4

-11.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.70 ₫18.2K

$1.66 MYR 6.76

-57.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 ₫16.3K

$0.38 MYR 1.54

65.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.09 ₫79.8K

$7.29 MYR 29.70

-57.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 ₫24.6K

$0.60 MYR 2.46

58.33%

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

$30.5K ₫788.3M

$45.6K MYR 185.9K

-33.13%

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

$29.7K ₫767.8M

$35.8K MYR 146.1K

-17.08%

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

$102 ₫2.6M

$36.47 MYR 149

180.29%

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

$5.65 ₫145.8K

$9.66 MYR 39.35

-41.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.43 ₫269.5K

$29.48 MYR 120

-64.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.30 ₫498.7K

$34.63 MYR 141

-44.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.81 ₫305.1K

$6.85 MYR 27.92

72.41%

Cinema Ticket

$3.83 ₫98.9K

$4.79 MYR 19.53

-20.04%

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

$484 ₫12.5M

$388 MYR 1,579

24.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K ₫602.3M

$10.7K MYR 43.4K

118.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.3 ₫1.4M

$58.9 MYR 240

-11.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.35 ₫887.3K

$34.76 MYR 142

-1.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.3 ₫2.4M

$81.6 MYR 333

13.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.2 ₫2.4M

$70.7 MYR 288

33.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$647 ₫16.7M

$358 MYR 1,458

80.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$297 ₫7.7M

$258 MYR 1,051

15.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,291 ₫33.3M

$712 MYR 2,902

81.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$719 ₫18.6M

$607 MYR 2,472

18.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,327 ₫111.8M

$1,930 MYR 7,865

124.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,987 ₫51.3M

$1,258 MYR 5,124

57.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 ₫12.7M

$1,339 MYR 5,456

-63.39%

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 26, 2026

Last update for Kedah: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$297 34.9%

Kedah

$258 29.4% 13.2% $39

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$208 24.4%

Kedah

$257 29.3% 23.4% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$123 14.4%

Kedah

$111 12.6% 10% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.9%

Kedah

$76 8.6% 36.1% $43

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4%

Kedah

$113 12.9% 78.8% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$27 3.2%

Kedah

$44 5% 64% $17

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$16 1.9%

Kedah

$19 2.2% 18.5% $3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $647 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $358 in Kedah. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kedah pays about 2.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $23 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) vs $12 in Kedah. Groceries flip the comparison at $208 vs $257, with Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇲🇾 Kedah

🕒 Local time

03:59 3:59 AM

04:59 4:59 AM

1 h ahead of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

417,800

💱 Currency

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 VND = 3.87 USD

100,000 VND = 3.48 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 25,832 VND (100,000 VND = 3.87 USD). 1 EUR = 28,757 VND (100,000 VND = 3.48 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4.07 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.54 MYR (1 MYR = 0.22 EUR).

USD to VND in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Kedah 870 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Kedah

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 Kedah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) wins on cost – living expenses run 3% lower than in Kedah. 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 63% lower in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). 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: $647 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $358 in Kedah. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $853 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $877 in Kedah – Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is about 3% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) runs roughly 11% less than in Kedah. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Kedah are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) wins on affordability, Kedah on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.