Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): $859 a month against $1,020 in Selangor, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Selangor
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Selangor Living Index

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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$859

/mo nomad

Selangor

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,020

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Selangor 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 Selangor.

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

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,395 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,469 in Selangor.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,395
Selangor $1,469

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,931 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,918 in Selangor.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,931
Selangor $1,918

Living in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) costs roughly 16% less than in Selangor, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower, Selangor 24% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.91 ₫49.6K

$4.33 MYR 17.67

-55.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.84 ₫591.2K

$19.20 MYR 78.3

18.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.54 ₫117.6K

$4.04 MYR 16.46

12.38%

Cappuccino

$1.85 ₫48.0K

$2.26 MYR 9.23

-18.14%

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

$0.56 ₫14.6K

$0.78 MYR 3.18

-28.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₫8,185

$0.47 MYR 1.93

-31.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.06 ₫27.5K

$4.43 MYR 18.08

-76.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ₫44.5K

$4.96 MYR 20.24

-65.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ₫42.9K

$1.93 MYR 7.87

-13.99%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 ₫28.7K

$1.05 MYR 4.30

5.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ₫25.9K

$1.53 MYR 6.25

-34.64%

Eggs

$1.67 ₫43.1K

$1.92 MYR 7.82

-13.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.08 ₫312.8K

$14.26 MYR 58.2

-15.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.68 ₫95.2K

$4.36 MYR 17.78

-15.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.24 ₫265.1K

$9.60 MYR 39.16

6.67%

Apples (1kg)

$2.96 ₫76.5K

$3.44 MYR 14.04

-13.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 ₫32.2K

$1.84 MYR 7.52

-32.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 ₫40.3K

$2.34 MYR 9.55

-33.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.30 ₫33.6K

$1.59 MYR 6.49

-18.24%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 ₫31.9K

$1.34 MYR 5.45

-8.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 ₫29.8K

$1.03 MYR 4.21

11.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 ₫19.1K

$1.11 MYR 4.52

-33.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₫14.4K

$0.54 MYR 2.19

3.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.24 ₫32.1K

$4.50 MYR 18.35

-72.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.60 ₫326.1K

$19.53 MYR 79.7

-35.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₫24.9K

$3.59 MYR 14.64

-73.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 ₫39.6K

$4.86 MYR 19.81

-68.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₫6,694

$1.19 MYR 4.87

-78.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.51 ₫297.9K

$12.26 MYR 50.0

-6.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.75 ₫19.5K

$1.24 MYR 5.06

-39.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.67 ₫17.4K

$1.25 MYR 5.10

-46.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.03 ₫78.5K

$4.34 MYR 17.72

-30.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 ₫24.8K

$0.73 MYR 2.99

31.51%

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

$31.1K ₫804.3M

$41.9K MYR 171.0K

-25.87%

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

$30.4K ₫785.9M

$35.3K MYR 143.8K

-13.88%

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

$102 ₫2.6M

$63.4 MYR 258

60.95%

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

$5.89 ₫152.5K

$8.50 MYR 34.69

-30.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.49 ₫271.6K

$25.97 MYR 106

-59.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.54 ₫661.2K

$41.09 MYR 168

-37.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.92 ₫308.5K

$6.87 MYR 28.04

73.51%

Cinema Ticket

$3.53 ₫91.3K

$5.05 MYR 20.59

-30.10%

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

$436 ₫11.3M

$122 MYR 499

256.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K ₫602.8M

$7,175 MYR 29.3K

224.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 ₫1.4M

$70.8 MYR 289

-25.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.15 ₫884.1K

$41.40 MYR 169

-17.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.3 ₫2.3M

$77.1 MYR 315

17.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.0 ₫2.5M

$83.0 MYR 339

14.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$589 ₫15.3M

$511 MYR 2,083

15.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ₫7.7M

$346 MYR 1,413

-13.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,292 ₫33.5M

$880 MYR 3,589

46.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$711 ₫18.4M

$481 MYR 1,963

47.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,676 ₫121.1M

$1,578 MYR 6,438

196.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,904 ₫49.3M

$705 MYR 2,875

170.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 ₫12.7M

$1,019 MYR 4,157

-51.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.64

3.96

118.18%

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 Selangor: 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%

Selangor

$346 34% 16.3% $48

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$207 24.1%

Selangor

$266 26.1% 28.5% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$122 14.3%

Selangor

$123 12% 0.1% $0.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.8%

Selangor

$98 9.6% 17.3% $21

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4%

Selangor

$111 10.9% 74.9% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8%

Selangor

$51 5% 57% $19

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 1.9%

Selangor

$25 2.4% 47.3% $7.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $511 in Selangor. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Selangor pays 108% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) vs $19.00 in Selangor. Groceries flip the comparison at $207 vs $266, with Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇲🇾 Selangor

🕒 Local time

15:22 3:22 PM

16:22 4:22 PM

1 h ahead of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

281,717

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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) Selangor 1,020 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Selangor

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 Selangor: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

On paper, salaries run 108% lower in Selangor. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $511 in Selangor. 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 Selangor – 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 7% less than in Selangor. 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 Selangor, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) but tight or insufficient in Selangor. 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 Selangor 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 Selangor. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.