Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): $859 a month against $939 in Kuala Lipis, rent and utilities included – about $960 less a year. The total is higher in Kuala Lipis 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 Kuala Lipis
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Kuala Lipis Living Index

Jump to prices

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$859

/mo nomad

Kuala Lipis

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$939

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $939 in Kuala Lipis.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $859
Kuala Lipis $939

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

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,395
Kuala Lipis $1,395

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,931 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,852 in Kuala Lipis.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,931
Kuala Lipis $1,852

Living in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) costs roughly 9% less than in Kuala Lipis, 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, Kuala Lipis 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.91 ₫49.6K

$3.72 MYR 15.17

-48.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.84 ₫591.2K

$24.25 MYR 98.9

-5.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.54 ₫117.6K

$4.97 MYR 20.26

-8.65%

Cappuccino

$1.85 ₫48.0K

$3.12 MYR 12.74

-40.71%

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

$0.56 ₫14.6K

$0.85 MYR 3.47

-34.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₫8,185

$0.45 MYR 1.83

-28.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.06 ₫27.5K

$3.37 MYR 13.76

-68.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ₫44.5K

$5.84 MYR 23.84

-70.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ₫42.9K

$1.93 MYR 7.86

-13.99%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 ₫28.7K

$1.07 MYR 4.36

3.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ₫25.9K

$1.47 MYR 6.00

-31.97%

Eggs

$1.67 ₫43.1K

$1.86 MYR 7.57

-10.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.08 ₫312.8K

$9.63 MYR 39.28

25.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.68 ₫95.2K

$3.30 MYR 13.45

11.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.24 ₫265.1K

$9.46 MYR 38.59

8.25%

Apples (1kg)

$2.96 ₫76.5K

$3.47 MYR 14.16

-14.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 ₫32.2K

$1.87 MYR 7.64

-33.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 ₫40.3K

$2.63 MYR 10.75

-40.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.30 ₫33.6K

$1.74 MYR 7.09

-25.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 ₫31.9K

$2.10 MYR 8.59

-41.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 ₫29.8K

$1.95 MYR 7.95

-41.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 ₫19.1K

$1.44 MYR 5.89

-48.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₫14.4K

$0.51 MYR 2.09

9.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.24 ₫32.1K

$4.55 MYR 18.56

-72.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.60 ₫326.1K

$19.95 MYR 81.4

-36.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₫24.9K

$2.76 MYR 11.28

-65.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 ₫39.6K

$4.68 MYR 19.11

-67.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₫6,694

$0.70 MYR 2.86

-62.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.51 ₫297.9K

$14.01 MYR 57.1

-17.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.75 ₫19.5K

$1.21 MYR 4.93

-38.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.67 ₫17.4K

$0.38 MYR 1.57

76.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.03 ₫78.5K

$8.96 MYR 36.55

-66.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 ₫24.8K

$0.86 MYR 3.52

11.63%

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

$31.1K ₫804.3M

$42.4K MYR 172.9K

-26.72%

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

$30.4K ₫785.9M

$32.6K MYR 133.1K

-6.96%

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

$102 ₫2.6M

$50.1 MYR 205

103.39%

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

$5.89 ₫152.5K

$8.01 MYR 32.68

-26.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.49 ₫271.6K

$26.76 MYR 109

-60.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.54 ₫661.2K

$38.90 MYR 159

-34.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.92 ₫308.5K

$6.94 MYR 28.30

71.76%

Cinema Ticket

$3.53 ₫91.3K

$4.91 MYR 20.05

-28.11%

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

$436 ₫11.3M

$274 MYR 1,119

59.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K ₫602.8M

$10.5K MYR 42.6K

122.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 ₫1.4M

$52.2 MYR 213

1.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.15 ₫884.1K

$29.64 MYR 121

15.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.3 ₫2.3M

$77.9 MYR 318

15.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.0 ₫2.5M

$85.9 MYR 350

10.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$589 ₫15.3M

$433 MYR 1,767

36.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ₫7.7M

$309 MYR 1,260

-3.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,292 ₫33.5M

$777 MYR 3,171

66.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$711 ₫18.4M

$467 MYR 1,907

52.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,676 ₫121.1M

$1,798 MYR 7,336

160.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,904 ₫49.3M

$1,129 MYR 4,606

68.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 ₫12.7M

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 Kuala Lipis: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$298 34.7%

Kuala Lipis

$309 32.9% 3.7% $11

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$207 24.1%

Kuala Lipis

$250 26.6% 20.6% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$122 14.3%

Kuala Lipis

$111 11.8% 9.7% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.8%

Kuala Lipis

$85 9% 28.3% $33

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4%

Kuala Lipis

$116 12.3% 82.6% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8%

Kuala Lipis

$49 5.2% 49.5% $16

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 1.9%

Kuala Lipis

$20 2.1% 19.8% $3.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $433 in Kuala Lipis. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) vs $24.00 in Kuala Lipis for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $207 vs $250 per month, with Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇲🇾 Kuala Lipis

🕒 Local time

10:41 10:41 AM

11:41 11:41 AM

1 h ahead of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

20,000

💱 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) Kuala Lipis 890 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Kuala Lipis

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 Kuala Lipis: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) wins on cost – living expenses run 9% lower than in Kuala Lipis. 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.

You'd need roughly $1,288 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $1,408 in Kuala Lipis to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $433 in Kuala Lipis. 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 $939 in Kuala Lipis – a 9% 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 22% less than in Kuala Lipis. 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 $939 in Kuala Lipis, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) but tight or insufficient in Kuala Lipis. 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 Kuala Lipis 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 9% less than in Kuala Lipis. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.