Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living costs are similar in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and in Kulim: $853 and $891 a month, rent and utilities included.

41

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 Kulim
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Kulim Living Index

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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$853

/mo nomad

Kulim

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$891

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $853 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $891 in Kulim.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $853
Kulim $891

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,391 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,374 in Kulim.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,391
Kulim $1,374

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,930 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,857 in Kulim.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,930
Kulim $1,857

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

Both cities sit below the global median: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 37% lower, Kulim 35% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.91 ₫49.3K

$3.72 MYR 15.17

-48.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.93 ₫592.4K

$19.45 MYR 79.3

17.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.69 ₫121.2K

$4.53 MYR 18.45

3.53%

Cappuccino

$1.80 ₫46.5K

$2.89 MYR 11.76

-37.72%

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

$0.55 ₫14.3K

$0.78 MYR 3.19

-29.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.34 ₫8,812

$0.42 MYR 1.70

-19.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.03 ₫26.7K

$3.90 MYR 15.90

-73.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ₫44.4K

$4.61 MYR 18.76

-62.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 ₫43.1K

$1.96 MYR 7.97

-14.80%

White Bread (500g)

$1.09 ₫28.2K

$1.23 MYR 5.00

-11.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.06 ₫27.3K

$1.30 MYR 5.29

-18.46%

Eggs

$1.60 ₫41.3K

$2.23 MYR 9.07

-28.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.08 ₫312.1K

$12.68 MYR 51.7

-4.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.66 ₫94.5K

$3.85 MYR 15.70

-4.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.35 ₫267.3K

$10.72 MYR 43.69

-3.45%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 ₫77.7K

$3.05 MYR 12.42

-1.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 ₫32.6K

$1.89 MYR 7.68

-33.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.62 ₫41.9K

$2.55 MYR 10.37

-36.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.27 ₫32.7K

$1.44 MYR 5.88

-11.81%

Potato (1kg)

$1.18 ₫30.5K

$1.19 MYR 4.83

-0.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.19 ₫30.7K

$1.36 MYR 5.54

-12.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.78 ₫20.1K

$1.08 MYR 4.41

-27.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ₫14.3K

$0.53 MYR 2.15

3.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.26 ₫32.5K

$4.47 MYR 18.22

-71.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.85 ₫331.9K

$21.05 MYR 85.8

-38.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 ₫23.1K

$3.07 MYR 12.49

-70.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.46 ₫37.6K

$3.90 MYR 15.90

-62.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 ₫7,260

$0.75 MYR 3.06

-62.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.42 ₫295.0K

$12.64 MYR 51.5

-9.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.70 ₫18.2K

$1.04 MYR 4.23

-32.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 ₫16.3K

$0.56 MYR 2.28

12.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.09 ₫79.8K

$8.26 MYR 33.64

-62.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 ₫24.6K

$0.74 MYR 3.00

28.38%

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

$30.5K ₫788.3M

$48.9K MYR 199.1K

-37.56%

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

$29.7K ₫767.8M

$30.9K MYR 125.9K

-3.84%

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

$102 ₫2.6M

$45.19 MYR 184

126.20%

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

$5.65 ₫145.8K

$8.70 MYR 35.44

-35.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.43 ₫269.5K

$25.83 MYR 105

-59.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.30 ₫498.7K

$36.10 MYR 147

-46.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.81 ₫305.1K

$7.37 MYR 30.04

60.24%

Cinema Ticket

$3.83 ₫98.9K

$4.46 MYR 18.16

-14.13%

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

$484 ₫12.5M

$268 MYR 1,091

80.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K ₫602.3M

$7,096 MYR 28.9K

228.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.3 ₫1.4M

$62.2 MYR 253

-15.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.35 ₫887.3K

$30.78 MYR 125

11.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.3 ₫2.4M

$77.2 MYR 314

19.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.2 ₫2.4M

$70.8 MYR 289

32.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$647 ₫16.7M

$419 MYR 1,707

54.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$297 ₫7.7M

$265 MYR 1,079

12.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,291 ₫33.3M

$763 MYR 3,110

69.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$719 ₫18.6M

$497 MYR 2,026

44.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,327 ₫111.8M

$2,141 MYR 8,723

102.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,987 ₫51.3M

$1,272 MYR 5,184

56.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 ₫12.7M

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 26, 2026

Last update for Kulim: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$297 34.9%

Kulim

$265 29.7% 10.9% $32

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$208 24.4%

Kulim

$262 29.4% 25.7% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$123 14.4%

Kulim

$108 12.2% 11.8% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.9%

Kulim

$80 9% 32.6% $39

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4%

Kulim

$112 12.5% 76.7% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$27 3.2%

Kulim

$45 5.1% 67% $18

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$16 1.9%

Kulim

$19 2.2% 18.8% $3.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $647 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $419 in Kulim. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $23 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) vs $19 in Kulim. Groceries flip the comparison at $208 vs $262, with Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇲🇾 Kulim

🕒 Local time

21:22 9:22 PM

22:22 10:22 PM

1 h ahead of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

319,056

💱 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 = 0.221 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 = 28,750 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 = 4.53 MYR (1 MYR = 0.221 EUR).

USD to VND in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Kulim 910 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Kulim

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 Kulim: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) wins on cost – living expenses run 4% lower than in Kulim. 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 $1,279 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $1,336 in Kulim 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: $647 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $419 in Kulim. 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 $891 in Kulim – 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 10% less than in Kulim. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching 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 Kulim are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.