Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Kyzylorda: $655 a month against $853 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

41

Cost of Living Index in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Kyzylorda
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Kyzylorda Living Index

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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$853

/mo nomad

Kyzylorda

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$655

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $853 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $655 in Kyzylorda.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $853
Kyzylorda $655

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,391 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,023 in Kyzylorda.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,391
Kyzylorda $1,023

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,930 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,391 in Kyzylorda.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,930
Kyzylorda $1,391

Living in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is roughly 30% more expensive than in Kyzylorda, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 37% lower, Kyzylorda 52% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.91 ₫49.3K

$9.20 ₸4,190

-79.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.93 ₫592.4K

$32.65 ₸14.9K

-29.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.69 ₫121.2K

Cappuccino

$1.80 ₫46.5K

$2.39 ₸1,090

-24.69%

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

$0.55 ₫14.3K

$1.29 ₸588

-57.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.34 ₫8,812

$0.45 ₸206

-24.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.03 ₫26.7K

$2.50 ₸1,139

-58.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ₫44.4K

$3.42 ₸1,556

-49.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 ₫43.1K

$1.33 ₸605

25.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.09 ₫28.2K

$0.24 ₸108

354.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.06 ₫27.3K

$1.01 ₸459

4.95%

Eggs

$1.60 ₫41.3K

$1.37 ₸626

16.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.08 ₫312.1K

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.66 ₫94.5K

$2.02 ₸921

81.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.35 ₫267.3K

$4.71 ₸2,145

119.75%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 ₫77.7K

$1.39 ₸635

116.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 ₫32.6K

$2.03 ₸927

-37.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.62 ₫41.9K

$1.98 ₸902

-18.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.27 ₫32.7K

$2.45 ₸1,115

-48.16%

Potato (1kg)

$1.18 ₫30.5K

$1.36 ₸622

-13.24%

Onion (1kg)

$1.19 ₫30.7K

$0.66 ₸301

80.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.78 ₫20.1K

$1.35 ₸616

-42.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ₫14.3K

$1.00 ₸457

-45.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.26 ₫32.5K

$2.49 ₸1,133

-49.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.85 ₫331.9K

$2.38 ₸1,084

439.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 ₫23.1K

$1.20 ₸545

-25.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.46 ₫37.6K

$1.93 ₸879

-24.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 ₫7,260

$0.21 ₸96.4

33.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.42 ₫295.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.70 ₫18.2K

$0.87 ₸398

-19.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 ₫16.3K

$0.80 ₸364

-21.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.09 ₫79.8K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 ₫24.6K

$0.58 ₸262

63.79%

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

$30.5K ₫788.3M

$29.1K ₸13.3M

4.77%

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

$29.7K ₫767.8M

$31.0K ₸14.1M

-4.21%

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

$102 ₫2.6M

$74.1 ₸33.7K

38.04%

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

$5.65 ₫145.8K

$8.73 ₸3,977

-35.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.43 ₫269.5K

$15.29 ₸6,965

-31.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.30 ₫498.7K

$33.51 ₸15.3K

-42.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.81 ₫305.1K

$17.58 ₸8,007

-32.82%

Cinema Ticket

$3.83 ₫98.9K

$6.07 ₸2,763

-36.90%

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

$484 ₫12.5M

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K ₫602.3M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.3 ₫1.4M

$43.70 ₸19.9K

19.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.35 ₫887.3K

$55.0 ₸25.0K

-37.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.3 ₫2.4M

$54.3 ₸24.7K

70.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.2 ₫2.4M

$65.2 ₸29.7K

44.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$647 ₫16.7M

$191 ₸87.2K

237.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$297 ₫7.7M

$153 ₸69.5K

94.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,291 ₫33.3M

$284 ₸129.4K

354.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$719 ₫18.6M

$223 ₸101.5K

222.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,327 ₫111.8M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,987 ₫51.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 ₫12.7M

$334 ₸152.2K

46.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.64

-62.43%

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 Kyzylorda: 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%

Kyzylorda

$153 23.3% 48.6% $144

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$208 24.4%

Kyzylorda

$126 * 19.3% 39.3% $82

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$123 14.4%

Kyzylorda

$98 15% 20.1% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.9%

Kyzylorda

$98 15% 17.1% $20

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4%

Kyzylorda

$129 * 19.6% 104% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$27 3.2%

Kyzylorda

$46 7% 69.3% $19

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$16 1.9%

Kyzylorda

$5.7 * 0.9% 65.1% $11

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $647 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $191 in Kyzylorda. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) pays 47% 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 $33 in Kyzylorda. Groceries flip the comparison at $208 vs $126, with Kyzylorda cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇰🇿 Kyzylorda

🕒 Local time

21:11 9:11 PM

19:11 7:11 PM

2 h behind Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

206,719

💱 Currency

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 VND = 3.87 USD

100,000 VND = 3.48 EUR

1,000 KZT = 2.2 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KZT, 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).

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 455 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.2 USD). 1 EUR = 507 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR).

USD to VND in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Kyzylorda 5,450 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Kyzylorda

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 Kyzylorda: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kyzylorda wins on cost – living expenses run 23% lower than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Kyzylorda the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 47% 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: $647 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $191 in Kyzylorda. 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 $655 in Kyzylorda – a 30% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Supermarket bills run roughly 65% higher in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $655 in Kyzylorda versus $853 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), a $800 budget is realistic in Kyzylorda but tight or insufficient in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The gap between the two cities makes Kyzylorda the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

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