Last update: Oct 2026

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

Name: Malaysia
Address: MY

For one person, living is cheaper in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): $855 a month against $908 in Malaysia, rent and utilities included – about $640 less a year. The total is higher in Malaysia 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
44

Cost of Living Index in Malaysia
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Malaysia Living Index

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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$855

/mo nomad

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$908

/mo nomad

🙂 Solo nomad: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is 20.4% cheaper than Malaysia without rent, and 5.9% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is 15% cheaper than Malaysia without rent, and 6.2% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.90 ₫49.1K

$3.68 MYR 15.03

-48.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.32 ₫603.5K

$19.24 MYR 78.5

21.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.67 ₫120.9K

$4.82 MYR 19.69

-3.11%

Cappuccino

$1.85 ₫47.9K

$2.87 MYR 11.70

-35.54%

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

$0.56 ₫14.4K

$0.81 MYR 3.30

-30.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.34 ₫8,857

$0.41 MYR 1.67

-17.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.01 ₫26.2K

$3.75 MYR 15.32

-73.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 ₫43.7K

$4.76 MYR 19.45

-64.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 ₫40.8K

$1.90 MYR 7.74

-16.84%

White Bread (500g)

$1.04 ₫27.0K

$1.06 MYR 4.32

-1.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.99 ₫25.7K

$1.48 MYR 6.05

-33.11%

Eggs

$1.60 ₫41.5K

$2.16 MYR 8.83

-25.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.23 ₫316.6K

$13.27 MYR 54.2

-7.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.54 ₫91.7K

$4.07 MYR 16.60

-13.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.44 ₫270.2K

$8.71 MYR 35.56

19.86%

Apples (1kg)

$3.09 ₫79.9K

$3.04 MYR 12.40

1.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 ₫32.5K

$1.66 MYR 6.80

-24.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 ₫40.6K

$2.59 MYR 10.59

-39.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.26 ₫32.5K

$1.58 MYR 6.46

-20.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 ₫30.4K

$1.22 MYR 4.99

-4.10%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 ₫29.7K

$1.28 MYR 5.23

-10.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ₫18.7K

$1.17 MYR 4.77

-38.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₫14.0K

$0.56 MYR 2.27

-3.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.22 ₫31.5K

$4.51 MYR 18.41

-72.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.28 ₫317.8K

$19.23 MYR 78.5

-36.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 ₫25.4K

$2.97 MYR 12.13

-67.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.49 ₫38.5K

$4.04 MYR 16.51

-63.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 ₫7,249

$0.72 MYR 2.94

-61.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.62 ₫300.8K

$12.43 MYR 50.8

-6.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.73 ₫18.9K

$1.19 MYR 4.86

-38.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₫16.7K

$0.95 MYR 3.88

-32.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.17 ₫82.0K

$6.10 MYR 24.92

-48.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 ₫24.6K

$0.66 MYR 2.69

43.94%

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

$30.7K ₫795.6M

$41.1K MYR 167.7K

-25.13%

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

$30.6K ₫791.6M

$34.5K MYR 141.0K

-11.40%

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

$102 ₫2.6M

$55.4 MYR 226

84.82%

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

$5.65 ₫146.1K

$10.14 MYR 41.40

-44.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.52 ₫272.2K

$27.39 MYR 112

-61.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.86 ₫669.2K

$37.46 MYR 153

-30.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.82 ₫305.9K

$7.20 MYR 29.39

64.17%

Cinema Ticket

$3.39 ₫87.8K

$5.01 MYR 20.44

-32.34%

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

$438 ₫11.3M

$191 MYR 778

129.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K ₫603.1M

$8,217 MYR 33.5K

183.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.5 ₫1.3M

$63.2 MYR 258

-18.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.56 ₫894.3K

$33.41 MYR 136

3.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.3 ₫2.4M

$80.0 MYR 327

14.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.9 ₫2.5M

$71.9 MYR 294

32.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$577 ₫14.9M

$401 MYR 1,636

43.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$292 ₫7.6M

$272 MYR 1,112

7.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,293 ₫33.5M

$705 MYR 2,880

83.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 ₫18.6M

$467 MYR 1,909

53.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,714 ₫122.0M

$2,042 MYR 8,337

130.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,882 ₫48.7M

$1,181 MYR 4,822

59.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$486 ₫12.6M

$917 MYR 3,745

-47.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.64

4.23

104.26%

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 Malaysia: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$292 34.3%

Malaysia

$272 29.9% 6.7% $20

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$206 24.1%

Malaysia

$253 27.8% 23% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$123 14.4%

Malaysia

$112 12.3% 8.7% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.9%

Malaysia

$93 10.2% 21.6% $26

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.5%

Malaysia

$111 12.3% 75.6% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8%

Malaysia

$47 5.2% 45.4% $15

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 2%

Malaysia

$21 2.3% 27.2% $4.6

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇲🇾 Malaysia

🕒 Local time

16:56 4:56 PM

17:56 5:56 PM

1 h ahead of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

32,447,385

💱 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 →

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