Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): $859 a month against $933 in Shah Alam, rent and utilities included – about $890 less a year. The total is higher in Shah Alam 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
46

Cost of Living Index in Shah Alam
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Shah Alam Living Index

Jump to prices

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$859

/mo nomad

Shah Alam

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$933

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $933 in Shah Alam.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $859
Shah Alam $933

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,395 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,429 in Shah Alam.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,395
Shah Alam $1,429

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,931 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,925 in Shah Alam.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,931
Shah Alam $1,925

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.91 ₫49.6K

$3.72 MYR 15.19

-48.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.84 ₫591.2K

$19.34 MYR 78.9

18.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.54 ₫117.6K

$4.21 MYR 17.16

7.84%

Cappuccino

$1.85 ₫48.0K

$2.87 MYR 11.70

-35.54%

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

$0.56 ₫14.6K

$0.78 MYR 3.17

-28.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₫8,185

$0.39 MYR 1.58

-17.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.06 ₫27.5K

$3.40 MYR 13.85

-68.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ₫44.5K

$4.33 MYR 17.65

-60.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ₫42.9K

$1.79 MYR 7.29

-7.26%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 ₫28.7K

$1.06 MYR 4.31

4.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ₫25.9K

$1.47 MYR 6.01

-31.97%

Eggs

$1.67 ₫43.1K

$2.17 MYR 8.85

-23.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.08 ₫312.8K

$13.59 MYR 55.4

-11.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.68 ₫95.2K

$4.36 MYR 17.78

-15.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.24 ₫265.1K

$9.51 MYR 38.79

7.68%

Apples (1kg)

$2.96 ₫76.5K

$3.53 MYR 14.38

-16.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 ₫32.2K

$1.62 MYR 6.61

-23.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 ₫40.3K

$2.62 MYR 10.67

-40.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.30 ₫33.6K

$1.73 MYR 7.05

-24.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 ₫31.9K

$1.25 MYR 5.08

-1.60%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 ₫29.8K

$2.04 MYR 8.33

-43.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 ₫19.1K

$1.43 MYR 5.82

-48.25%

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

$4.33 MYR 17.66

-71.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.60 ₫326.1K

$18.85 MYR 76.9

-33.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₫24.9K

$2.76 MYR 11.26

-65.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 ₫39.6K

$4.64 MYR 18.94

-67.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₫6,694

$0.75 MYR 3.05

-65.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.51 ₫297.9K

$16.11 MYR 65.7

-28.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.75 ₫19.5K

$1.20 MYR 4.90

-37.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.67 ₫17.4K

$0.41 MYR 1.67

63.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.03 ₫78.5K

$7.48 MYR 30.52

-59.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 ₫24.8K

$0.81 MYR 3.32

18.52%

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

$31.1K ₫804.3M

$42.1K MYR 171.7K

-26.18%

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

$30.4K ₫785.9M

$34.9K MYR 142.5K

-13.08%

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

$102 ₫2.6M

$36.85 MYR 150

176.74%

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

$5.89 ₫152.5K

$9.64 MYR 39.32

-38.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.49 ₫271.6K

$28.94 MYR 118

-63.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.54 ₫661.2K

$40.19 MYR 164

-36.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.92 ₫308.5K

$4.88 MYR 19.92

144.26%

Cinema Ticket

$3.53 ₫91.3K

$6.58 MYR 26.86

-46.35%

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

$436 ₫11.3M

$199 MYR 812

119.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K ₫602.8M

$4,548 MYR 18.6K

411.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 ₫1.4M

$57.6 MYR 235

-8.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.15 ₫884.1K

$39.52 MYR 161

-13.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.3 ₫2.3M

$67.8 MYR 277

33.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.0 ₫2.5M

$70.0 MYR 285

35.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$589 ₫15.3M

$340 MYR 1,386

73.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ₫7.7M

$308 MYR 1,255

-3.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,292 ₫33.5M

$564 MYR 2,301

129.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$711 ₫18.4M

$560 MYR 2,283

26.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,676 ₫121.1M

$1,502 MYR 6,128

211.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,904 ₫49.3M

$1,165 MYR 4,753

63.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 ₫12.7M

$1,264 MYR 5,156

-61.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.64

4.04

113.86%

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 Shah Alam: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$298 34.7%

Shah Alam

$308 33% 3.3% $9.9

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$207 24.1%

Shah Alam

$261 28% 26.1% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$122 14.3%

Shah Alam

$106 11.3% 13.7% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.8%

Shah Alam

$75 8.1% 36.3% $43

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4%

Shah Alam

$107 11.5% 68.8% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8%

Shah Alam

$53 5.7% 63.7% $21

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 1.9%

Shah Alam

$22 2.4% 34.2% $5.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $340 in Shah Alam. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shah Alam pays 158% 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 Shah Alam. Groceries flip the comparison at $207 vs $261, with Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇲🇾 Shah Alam

🕒 Local time

15:21 3:21 PM

16:21 4:21 PM

1 h ahead of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

812,327

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Shah Alam 1,030 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Shah Alam

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 Shah Alam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) wins on cost – living expenses run 9% lower than in Shah Alam. 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 158% lower in Shah Alam. 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 $340 in Shah Alam. 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 $933 in Shah Alam – a 9% 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 40% less than in Shah Alam. 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 $933 in Shah Alam, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) but tight or insufficient in Shah Alam. 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 Shah Alam 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 9% less than in Shah Alam. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.