Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): $862 a month against $933 in Sarawak, rent and utilities included – about $850 less a year. The total is higher in Sarawak 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
45

Cost of Living Index in Sarawak
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Sarawak Living Index

Jump to prices

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$862

/mo nomad

Sarawak

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$933

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $862 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $933 in Sarawak.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $862
Sarawak $933

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,410 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,391 in Sarawak.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,410
Sarawak $1,391

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,958 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,849 in Sarawak.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,958
Sarawak $1,849

Living in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) costs roughly 8% less than in Sarawak, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower, Sarawak 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.98 ₫51.3K

$3.65 MYR 14.88

-45.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.14 ₫599.0K

$19.77 MYR 80.6

17.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.76 ₫123.2K

$4.75 MYR 19.38

0.21%

Cappuccino

$1.86 ₫48.1K

$2.88 MYR 11.74

-35.42%

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

$0.51 ₫13.3K

$0.81 MYR 3.29

-37.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₫8,191

$0.39 MYR 1.61

-17.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.03 ₫26.7K

$3.60 MYR 14.68

-71.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 ₫44.4K

$4.61 MYR 18.81

-62.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 ₫40.8K

$1.86 MYR 7.58

-15.05%

White Bread (500g)

$1.09 ₫28.3K

$1.04 MYR 4.24

4.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.05 ₫27.2K

$1.48 MYR 6.04

-29.05%

Eggs

$1.64 ₫42.6K

$2.04 MYR 8.32

-19.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.33 ₫319.2K

$13.84 MYR 56.5

-10.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.58 ₫92.6K

$4.30 MYR 17.54

-16.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.56 ₫273.3K

$9.43 MYR 38.47

11.98%

Apples (1kg)

$2.97 ₫76.9K

$3.14 MYR 12.83

-5.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 ₫32.7K

$1.71 MYR 6.97

-26.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.62 ₫42.0K

$2.51 MYR 10.22

-35.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.31 ₫33.8K

$1.61 MYR 6.55

-18.63%

Potato (1kg)

$1.19 ₫30.8K

$1.27 MYR 5.18

-6.30%

Onion (1kg)

$1.14 ₫29.6K

$1.15 MYR 4.68

-0.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.73 ₫18.8K

$1.17 MYR 4.79

-37.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₫14.6K

$0.53 MYR 2.18

5.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.28 ₫33.0K

$4.54 MYR 18.52

-71.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.46 ₫322.5K

$19.12 MYR 78.0

-34.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₫24.9K

$2.94 MYR 12.01

-67.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 ₫38.3K

$4.51 MYR 18.38

-67.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₫6,704

$0.71 MYR 2.89

-63.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.43 ₫296.0K

$12.15 MYR 49.57

-5.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.68 ₫17.7K

$1.25 MYR 5.10

-45.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.62 ₫16.1K

$0.51 MYR 2.07

21.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 ₫77.7K

$7.21 MYR 29.41

-58.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 ₫23.5K

$0.82 MYR 3.34

10.98%

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

$30.6K ₫791.4M

$42.2K MYR 172.1K

-27.55%

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

$29.4K ₫760.1M

$34.8K MYR 141.8K

-15.54%

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

$104 ₫2.7M

$48.56 MYR 198

113.69%

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

$5.79 ₫149.9K

$9.65 MYR 39.38

-40.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.48 ₫271.3K

$27.71 MYR 113

-62.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.08 ₫675.1K

$40.76 MYR 166

-36.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.90 ₫308.1K

$7.10 MYR 28.98

67.61%

Cinema Ticket

$3.89 ₫100.7K

$4.92 MYR 20.05

-20.93%

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

$440 ₫11.4M

$190 MYR 775

131.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.1K ₫622.7M

$7,067 MYR 28.8K

240.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.9 ₫1.3M

$56.8 MYR 232

-10.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.18 ₫910.8K

$34.52 MYR 141

1.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.1 ₫2.4M

$79.8 MYR 325

15.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.5 ₫2.5M

$75.9 MYR 310

27.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$582 ₫15.1M

$410 MYR 1,674

41.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$297 ₫7.7M

$299 MYR 1,219

-0.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,298 ₫33.6M

$672 MYR 2,742

93.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$727 ₫18.8M

$477 MYR 1,946

52.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,782 ₫123.8M

$2,042 MYR 8,329

134.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,853 ₫48.0M

$1,074 MYR 4,381

72.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 ₫12.7M

$339 MYR 1,381

44.74%

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 17, 2026

Last update for Sarawak: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$297 34.4%

Sarawak

$299 32% 0.7% $2.1

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$208 24.1%

Sarawak

$258 27.6% 24% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$124 14.3%

Sarawak

$111 11.9% 10.1% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$120 13.9%

Sarawak

$86 9.2% 28.4% $34

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$64 7.5%

Sarawak

$110 11.8% 70.9% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$34 3.9%

Sarawak

$51 5.4% 49.4% $17

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$16 1.9%

Sarawak

$19 2% 15.4% $2.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $582 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $410 in Sarawak. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) pays 45% 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 $20.00 in Sarawak. Groceries flip the comparison at $208 vs $258, with Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇲🇾 Sarawak

🕒 Local time

01:06 1:06 AM

02:06 2:06 AM

1 h ahead of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Sarawak 1,090 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Sarawak

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 Sarawak: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) wins on cost – living expenses run 8% lower than in Sarawak. 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 45% 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: $582 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $410 in Sarawak. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $862 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $933 in Sarawak – a 8% 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 Sarawak. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $862 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $933 in Sarawak, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) but tight or insufficient in Sarawak. 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 $862 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 Sarawak 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 8% less than in Sarawak. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.