Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): $859 a month against $1,020 in Labuan, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. The total is higher in Labuan 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
48

Cost of Living Index in Labuan
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Labuan Living Index

Jump to prices

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$859

/mo nomad

Labuan

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,020

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,020 in Labuan.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $859
Labuan $1,020

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,395 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,487 in Labuan.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,395
Labuan $1,487

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,931 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,953 in Labuan.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,931
Labuan $1,953

Living in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) costs roughly 16% less than in Labuan, 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, Labuan 24% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.91 ₫49.6K

$5.52 MYR 22.53

-65.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.84 ₫591.2K

$24.16 MYR 98.6

-5.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.54 ₫117.6K

$6.66 MYR 27.19

-31.83%

Cappuccino

$1.85 ₫48.0K

$3.93 MYR 16.05

-52.93%

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

$0.56 ₫14.6K

$1.06 MYR 4.34

-47.17%

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

$3.72 MYR 15.19

-71.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ₫44.5K

$4.53 MYR 18.48

-62.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ₫42.9K

$1.82 MYR 7.43

-8.79%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 ₫28.7K

$1.04 MYR 4.26

6.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ₫25.9K

$1.49 MYR 6.07

-32.89%

Eggs

$1.67 ₫43.1K

$2.10 MYR 8.58

-20.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.08 ₫312.8K

$16.82 MYR 68.6

-28.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.68 ₫95.2K

$4.42 MYR 18.03

-16.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.24 ₫265.1K

$9.50 MYR 38.76

7.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.96 ₫76.5K

$3.17 MYR 12.95

-6.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 ₫32.2K

$1.83 MYR 7.46

-32.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 ₫40.3K

$2.39 MYR 9.75

-34.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.30 ₫33.6K

$1.76 MYR 7.17

-26.14%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 ₫31.9K

$1.39 MYR 5.68

-11.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 ₫29.8K

$1.03 MYR 4.20

11.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 ₫19.1K

$1.18 MYR 4.81

-37.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₫14.4K

$0.54 MYR 2.20

3.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.24 ₫32.1K

$5.04 MYR 20.57

-75.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.60 ₫326.1K

$16.29 MYR 66.5

-22.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₫24.9K

$3.21 MYR 13.11

-70.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 ₫39.6K

$4.39 MYR 17.90

-65.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₫6,694

$0.78 MYR 3.17

-66.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.51 ₫297.9K

$10.66 MYR 43.48

7.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.75 ₫19.5K

$1.34 MYR 5.47

-44.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.67 ₫17.4K

$0.48 MYR 1.97

39.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.03 ₫78.5K

$6.48 MYR 26.43

-53.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 ₫24.8K

$0.88 MYR 3.58

9.09%

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

$31.1K ₫804.3M

$44.0K MYR 179.5K

-29.39%

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

$30.4K ₫785.9M

$32.5K MYR 132.7K

-6.68%

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

$102 ₫2.6M

$48.90 MYR 199

108.55%

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

$5.89 ₫152.5K

$9.68 MYR 39.49

-39.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.49 ₫271.6K

$27.69 MYR 113

-62.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.54 ₫661.2K

$41.60 MYR 170

-38.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.92 ₫308.5K

$7.68 MYR 31.32

55.21%

Cinema Ticket

$3.53 ₫91.3K

$4.29 MYR 17.51

-17.72%

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

$436 ₫11.3M

$208 MYR 849

109.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K ₫602.8M

$7,011 MYR 28.6K

232.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 ₫1.4M

$55.8 MYR 228

-5.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.15 ₫884.1K

$30.07 MYR 123

13.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.3 ₫2.3M

$87.0 MYR 355

3.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.0 ₫2.5M

$81.8 MYR 334

16.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$589 ₫15.3M

$433 MYR 1,768

35.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ₫7.7M

$342 MYR 1,397

-13.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,292 ₫33.5M

$641 MYR 2,614

101.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$711 ₫18.4M

$464 MYR 1,892

53.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,676 ₫121.1M

$2,282 MYR 9,308

104.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,904 ₫49.3M

$1,136 MYR 4,636

67.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 ₫12.7M

$374 MYR 1,525

30.95%

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 10, 2026

Last update for Labuan: 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%

Labuan

$342 33.6% 15% $45

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$207 24.1%

Labuan

$264 25.9% 27.4% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$122 14.3%

Labuan

$115 11.2% 6.4% $7.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.8%

Labuan

$86 8.5% 27.1% $32

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4%

Labuan

$145 14.2% 129% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8%

Labuan

$50 4.9% 54% $18

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 1.9%

Labuan

$18 1.7% 5.2% $0.9

Cost Breakdown

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

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) pays 31% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) vs $24.00 in Labuan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $207 vs $264 per month, with Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇲🇾 Labuan

🕒 Local time

14:16 2:16 PM

15:16 3:16 PM

1 h ahead of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

95,120

💱 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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Between locations

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Labuan 1,120 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Labuan

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 Labuan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) wins on cost – living expenses run 19% lower than in Labuan. 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.

Average pay runs 31% 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 $433 in Labuan. 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 $1,020 in Labuan – a 19% 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 8% less than in Labuan. 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 $1,020 in Labuan, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) but tight or insufficient in Labuan. 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 Labuan 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 19% less than in Labuan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.