Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living costs are similar in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and in Kuching: $855 and $887 a month, rent and utilities included.

42

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

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Kuching
Learn more

Kuching Living Index

Jump to prices

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$855

/mo nomad

Kuching

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$887

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $855 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $887 in Kuching.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $855
Kuching $887

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,400 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,389 in Kuching.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,400
Kuching $1,389

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,944 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,892 in Kuching.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,944
Kuching $1,892

Living in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) costs roughly 4% less than in Kuching, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower, Kuching 34% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.90 ₫49.1K

$3.33 MYR 13.60

-42.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.32 ₫603.5K

$24.53 MYR 100

-4.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.67 ₫120.9K

$4.87 MYR 19.89

-4.11%

Cappuccino

$1.85 ₫47.9K

$3.17 MYR 12.93

-41.64%

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

$0.56 ₫14.4K

$0.74 MYR 3.04

-24.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.34 ₫8,857

$0.36 MYR 1.47

-5.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.01 ₫26.2K

$4.51 MYR 18.43

-77.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 ₫43.7K

$6.16 MYR 25.15

-72.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 ₫40.8K

$2.31 MYR 9.42

-31.60%

White Bread (500g)

$1.04 ₫27.0K

$1.26 MYR 5.16

-17.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.99 ₫25.7K

$1.15 MYR 4.68

-13.91%

Eggs

$1.60 ₫41.5K

$2.46 MYR 10.03

-34.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.23 ₫316.6K

$10.95 MYR 44.72

11.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.54 ₫91.7K

$4.45 MYR 18.17

-20.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.44 ₫270.2K

$9.90 MYR 40.42

5.45%

Apples (1kg)

$3.09 ₫79.9K

$3.17 MYR 12.93

-2.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 ₫32.5K

$1.37 MYR 5.59

-8.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 ₫40.6K

$2.40 MYR 9.80

-34.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.26 ₫32.5K

$1.82 MYR 7.42

-30.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 ₫30.4K

$1.41 MYR 5.75

-17.02%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 ₫29.7K

$1.19 MYR 4.86

-3.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ₫18.7K

$1.56 MYR 6.35

-53.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₫14.0K

$0.54 MYR 2.22

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.22 ₫31.5K

$4.51 MYR 18.41

-72.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.28 ₫317.8K

$21.59 MYR 88.2

-43.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 ₫25.4K

$4.06 MYR 16.58

-75.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.49 ₫38.5K

$5.19 MYR 21.19

-71.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 ₫7,249

$0.58 MYR 2.37

-51.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.62 ₫300.8K

$12.36 MYR 50.5

-5.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.73 ₫18.9K

$1.00 MYR 4.09

-27.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₫16.7K

$1.24 MYR 5.06

-48.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.17 ₫82.0K

$8.32 MYR 33.99

-61.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 ₫24.6K

$0.90 MYR 3.68

5.56%

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

$30.7K ₫795.6M

$40.9K MYR 167.2K

-24.93%

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

$30.6K ₫791.6M

$36.1K MYR 147.4K

-15.29%

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

$102 ₫2.6M

$35.18 MYR 144

190.79%

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

$5.65 ₫146.1K

$9.95 MYR 40.63

-43.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.52 ₫272.2K

$25.26 MYR 103

-58.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.86 ₫669.2K

$30.24 MYR 123

-14.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.82 ₫305.9K

$12.38 MYR 50.6

-4.52%

Cinema Ticket

$3.39 ₫87.8K

$4.83 MYR 19.72

-29.81%

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

$438 ₫11.3M

$135 MYR 551

224.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K ₫603.1M

$7,000 MYR 28.6K

232.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.5 ₫1.3M

$63.3 MYR 258

-18.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.56 ₫894.3K

$37.67 MYR 154

-8.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.3 ₫2.4M

$90.2 MYR 368

1.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.9 ₫2.5M

$65.8 MYR 269

44.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$577 ₫14.9M

$360 MYR 1,471

60.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$292 ₫7.6M

$245 MYR 1,001

19.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,293 ₫33.5M

$647 MYR 2,642

99.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 ₫18.6M

$478 MYR 1,953

49.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,714 ₫122.0M

$2,073 MYR 8,464

127.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,882 ₫48.7M

$1,508 MYR 6,157

24.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$486 ₫12.6M

$530 MYR 2,165

-8.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.64

4.37

97.71%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): October 5, 2026

Last update for Kuching: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$292 34.3%

Kuching

$245 27.8% 16.1% $47

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$206 24.1%

Kuching

$271 30.7% 31.8% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$123 14.4%

Kuching

$116 13.1% 5.7% $7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.9%

Kuching

$70 8% 40.6% $48

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.5%

Kuching

$119 13.4% 86.8% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8%

Kuching

$40 4.5% 22.2% $7.3

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 2%

Kuching

$22 2.5% 31% $5.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $577 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $360 in Kuching. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kuching pays 9% 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 $25.00 in Kuching for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $206 vs $271 per month, with Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇲🇾 Kuching

🕒 Local time

21:16 9:16 PM

22:16 10:16 PM

1 h ahead of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

349,147

💱 Currency

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.45 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.219 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 25,879 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 28,999 VND (100,000 VND = 3.45 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.58 MYR (1 MYR = 0.219 EUR).

USD to VND in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Kuching 1,100 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Kuching

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 Kuching: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) wins on cost – living expenses run 4% lower than in Kuching. 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 9% lower in Kuching. 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: $577 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $360 in Kuching. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $855 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $887 in Kuching – a 4% 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 6% less than in Kuching. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $855 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $887 in Kuching, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) but tight or insufficient in Kuching. 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 $855 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 Kuching 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 4% less than in Kuching. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.