Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Kota Bharu: $692 a month against $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

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Cost of Living Index in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Kota Bharu
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Kota Bharu Living Index

Jump to prices

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$859

/mo nomad

Kota Bharu

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $692 in Kota Bharu.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $859
Kota Bharu $692

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,395 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,072 in Kota Bharu.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,395
Kota Bharu $1,072

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,931 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,452 in Kota Bharu.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,931
Kota Bharu $1,452

Living in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is roughly 24% more expensive than in Kota Bharu, 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, Kota Bharu 49% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.91 ₫49.6K

$2.18 MYR 8.90

-12.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.84 ₫591.2K

$19.41 MYR 79.2

17.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.54 ₫117.6K

$4.58 MYR 18.70

-0.87%

Cappuccino

$1.85 ₫48.0K

$2.18 MYR 8.89

-15.14%

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

$0.56 ₫14.6K

$0.48 MYR 1.94

16.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₫8,185

$0.26 MYR 1.05

23.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.06 ₫27.5K

$4.24 MYR 17.29

-75.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ₫44.5K

$4.49 MYR 18.33

-61.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ₫42.9K

$1.62 MYR 6.62

2.47%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 ₫28.7K

$0.92 MYR 3.74

20.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ₫25.9K

$0.83 MYR 3.39

20.48%

Eggs

$1.67 ₫43.1K

$1.61 MYR 6.58

3.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.08 ₫312.8K

$13.74 MYR 56.1

-12.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.68 ₫95.2K

$2.94 MYR 12.00

25.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.24 ₫265.1K

$6.65 MYR 27.13

53.98%

Apples (1kg)

$2.96 ₫76.5K

$2.91 MYR 11.88

1.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 ₫32.2K

$1.50 MYR 6.12

-17.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 ₫40.3K

$2.73 MYR 11.15

-42.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.30 ₫33.6K

$1.13 MYR 4.60

15.04%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 ₫31.9K

$0.97 MYR 3.94

26.80%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 ₫29.8K

$1.12 MYR 4.59

2.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 ₫19.1K

$1.14 MYR 4.64

-35.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₫14.4K

$0.45 MYR 1.84

24.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.24 ₫32.1K

$3.34 MYR 13.61

-62.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.60 ₫326.1K

$19.00 MYR 77.5

-33.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₫24.9K

$2.91 MYR 11.88

-67.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 ₫39.6K

$5.32 MYR 21.71

-71.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₫6,694

$0.77 MYR 3.12

-66.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.51 ₫297.9K

$12.33 MYR 50.3

-6.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.75 ₫19.5K

$1.73 MYR 7.05

-56.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.67 ₫17.4K

$0.37 MYR 1.53

81.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.03 ₫78.5K

$3.69 MYR 15.04

-17.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 ₫24.8K

$0.52 MYR 2.14

84.62%

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

$31.1K ₫804.3M

$31.5K MYR 128.5K

-1.33%

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

$30.4K ₫785.9M

$29.0K MYR 118.2K

4.80%

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

$102 ₫2.6M

$37.43 MYR 153

172.46%

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

$5.89 ₫152.5K

$8.65 MYR 35.27

-31.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.49 ₫271.6K

$25.39 MYR 104

-58.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.54 ₫661.2K

$49.63 MYR 202

-48.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.92 ₫308.5K

Cinema Ticket

$3.53 ₫91.3K

$4.48 MYR 18.26

-21.21%

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

$436 ₫11.3M

$125 MYR 508

250.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K ₫602.8M

$10.8K MYR 44.2K

115.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 ₫1.4M

$54.5 MYR 222

-3.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.15 ₫884.1K

$19.29 MYR 78.7

77.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.3 ₫2.3M

$79.0 MYR 322

14.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.0 ₫2.5M

$69.6 MYR 284

36.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$589 ₫15.3M

$248 MYR 1,010

138.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ₫7.7M

$122 MYR 499

143.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,292 ₫33.5M

$673 MYR 2,745

92.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$711 ₫18.4M

$224 MYR 913

217.55%

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

$299 MYR 1,221

63.58%

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 Kota Bharu: 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%

Kota Bharu

$122 17.7% 58.9% $175

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$207 24.1%

Kota Bharu

$230 33.2% 10.7% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$122 14.3%

Kota Bharu

$100 14.5% 18.3% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.8%

Kota Bharu

$71 10.3% 39.6% $47

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4%

Kota Bharu

$90 13.1% 42.5% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8%

Kota Bharu

$59 8.5% 79.7% $26

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 1.9%

Kota Bharu

$19 2.8% 14.1% $2.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $248 in Kota Bharu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) pays 64% 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 Kota Bharu. Groceries flip the comparison at $207 vs $230, with Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇲🇾 Kota Bharu

🕒 Local time

08:02 8:02 AM

09:02 9:02 AM

1 h ahead of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

568,900

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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) Kota Bharu 710 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Kota Bharu

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 Kota Bharu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kota Bharu wins on cost – living expenses run 24% lower than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Kota Bharu the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 64% higher in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $248 in Kota Bharu. 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 $692 in Kota Bharu – a 24% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Kota Bharu runs roughly 7% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $692 in Kota Bharu versus $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), a $1,000 budget is realistic in Kota Bharu but tight or insufficient in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The gap between the two cities makes Kota Bharu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Kota Bharu delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $692 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Kota Bharu hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Kota Bharu 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 Kota Bharu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 24% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.