Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Seremban: $794 a month against $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $780 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

42

Cost of Living Index in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Seremban
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Seremban Living Index

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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$859

/mo nomad

Seremban

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$794

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $794 in Seremban.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $859
Seremban $794

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,395 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,250 in Seremban.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,395
Seremban $1,250

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,931 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,706 in Seremban.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,931
Seremban $1,706

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

Both cities sit below the global median: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower, Seremban 41% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.91 ₫49.6K

$3.72 MYR 15.18

-48.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.84 ₫591.2K

$18.69 MYR 76.2

22.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.54 ₫117.6K

$3.78 MYR 15.41

20.11%

Cappuccino

$1.85 ₫48.0K

$2.97 MYR 12.10

-37.71%

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

$0.56 ₫14.6K

$0.85 MYR 3.46

-34.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₫8,185

$0.45 MYR 1.82

-28.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.06 ₫27.5K

$3.70 MYR 15.11

-71.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ₫44.5K

$4.87 MYR 19.88

-64.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ₫42.9K

$1.81 MYR 7.37

-8.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 ₫28.7K

$1.10 MYR 4.50

0.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ₫25.9K

$1.44 MYR 5.88

-30.56%

Eggs

$1.67 ₫43.1K

$1.74 MYR 7.11

-4.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.08 ₫312.8K

$18.31 MYR 74.7

-34.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.68 ₫95.2K

$4.52 MYR 18.44

-18.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.24 ₫265.1K

$10.43 MYR 42.54

-1.82%

Apples (1kg)

$2.96 ₫76.5K

$3.28 MYR 13.39

-9.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 ₫32.2K

$1.34 MYR 5.46

-7.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 ₫40.3K

$4.67 MYR 19.06

-66.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.30 ₫33.6K

$1.37 MYR 5.60

-5.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 ₫31.9K

$1.03 MYR 4.21

19.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 ₫29.8K

$1.13 MYR 4.61

1.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 ₫19.1K

$1.25 MYR 5.09

-40.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₫14.4K

$0.56 MYR 2.27

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.24 ₫32.1K

$4.16 MYR 16.98

-70.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.60 ₫326.1K

$14.12 MYR 57.6

-10.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₫24.9K

$2.84 MYR 11.59

-66.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 ₫39.6K

$2.98 MYR 12.18

-48.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₫6,694

$1.20 MYR 4.90

-78.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.51 ₫297.9K

$24.44 MYR 99.7

-52.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.75 ₫19.5K

$0.76 MYR 3.09

-1.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.67 ₫17.4K

$0.71 MYR 2.89

-5.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.03 ₫78.5K

$9.87 MYR 40.28

-69.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 ₫24.8K

$0.64 MYR 2.62

50.00%

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

$31.1K ₫804.3M

$41.1K MYR 167.8K

-24.48%

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

$30.4K ₫785.9M

$35.0K MYR 142.6K

-13.16%

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

$102 ₫2.6M

$43.82 MYR 179

132.72%

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

$5.89 ₫152.5K

$10.58 MYR 43.15

-44.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.49 ₫271.6K

$28.23 MYR 115

-62.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.54 ₫661.2K

$66.3 MYR 271

-61.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.92 ₫308.5K

Cinema Ticket

$3.53 ₫91.3K

$4.38 MYR 17.87

-19.41%

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

$436 ₫11.3M

$179 MYR 730

143.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K ₫602.8M

$4,511 MYR 18.4K

416.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 ₫1.4M

$48.42 MYR 198

8.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.15 ₫884.1K

$16.60 MYR 67.7

105.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.3 ₫2.3M

$82.0 MYR 334

10.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.0 ₫2.5M

$87.1 MYR 355

9.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$589 ₫15.3M

$183 MYR 748

221.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ₫7.7M

$121 MYR 494

145.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,292 ₫33.5M

$309 MYR 1,261

317.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$711 ₫18.4M

$251 MYR 1,024

183.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,676 ₫121.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,904 ₫49.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 ₫12.7M

$810 MYR 3,302

-39.52%

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 Seremban: 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%

Seremban

$121 15.3% 59.3% $177

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$207 24.1%

Seremban

$266 33.5% 28.4% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$122 14.3%

Seremban

$105 13.3% 14% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.8%

Seremban

$83 10.4% 30.2% $36

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4%

Seremban

$110 13.9% 73.6% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8%

Seremban

$75 9.5% 130% $42

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 1.9%

Seremban

$34 4.2% 101% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $183 in Seremban. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seremban pays 65% 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 $19.00 in Seremban. 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)

🇲🇾 Seremban

🕒 Local time

02:39 2:39 AM

03:39 3:39 AM

1 h ahead of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

681,541

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Seremban 1,040 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Seremban

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 Seremban: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seremban wins on cost – living expenses run 8% lower than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Seremban the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 65% lower in Seremban. 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 $183 in Seremban. 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 $794 in Seremban – a 8% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Seremban runs roughly 112% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $794 in Seremban versus $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), a $1,000 budget is realistic in Seremban but tight or insufficient in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The gap between the two cities makes Seremban the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Seremban delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $794 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Seremban hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Seremban 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 Seremban gentler on the wallet – expenses run 8% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.