Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living costs are similar in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and in Sibu: $862 and $866 a month, rent and utilities included.

42

Cost of Living Index in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Sibu
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Sibu Living Index

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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$862

/mo nomad

Sibu

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$866

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $862 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $866 in Sibu.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $862
Sibu $866

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,410 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,293 in Sibu.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,410
Sibu $1,293

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,958 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,720 in Sibu.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,958
Sibu $1,720

Monthly costs are close between Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Sibu; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.98 ₫51.3K

$2.16 MYR 8.82

-8.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.14 ₫599.0K

$19.47 MYR 79.4

18.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.76 ₫123.2K

$4.21 MYR 17.18

13.06%

Cappuccino

$1.86 ₫48.1K

$2.38 MYR 9.70

-21.85%

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

$0.51 ₫13.3K

$0.67 MYR 2.74

-23.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₫8,191

$0.23 MYR 0.93

39.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.03 ₫26.7K

$2.92 MYR 11.92

-64.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 ₫44.4K

$4.40 MYR 17.96

-61.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 ₫40.8K

$1.80 MYR 7.33

-12.22%

White Bread (500g)

$1.09 ₫28.3K

$0.89 MYR 3.65

22.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.05 ₫27.2K

$1.67 MYR 6.80

-37.13%

Eggs

$1.64 ₫42.6K

$2.24 MYR 9.16

-26.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.33 ₫319.2K

$11.65 MYR 47.53

5.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.58 ₫92.6K

$3.84 MYR 15.66

-6.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.56 ₫273.3K

$9.69 MYR 39.55

8.98%

Apples (1kg)

$2.97 ₫76.9K

$3.72 MYR 15.16

-20.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 ₫32.7K

$1.53 MYR 6.26

-17.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.62 ₫42.0K

$2.34 MYR 9.55

-30.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.31 ₫33.8K

$1.38 MYR 5.62

-5.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.19 ₫30.8K

$1.12 MYR 4.58

6.25%

Onion (1kg)

$1.14 ₫29.6K

$1.30 MYR 5.29

-12.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.73 ₫18.8K

$1.17 MYR 4.76

-37.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₫14.6K

$0.54 MYR 2.22

3.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.28 ₫33.0K

$4.53 MYR 18.48

-71.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.46 ₫322.5K

$18.28 MYR 74.6

-31.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₫24.9K

$2.85 MYR 11.64

-66.32%

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

$0.83 MYR 3.40

-68.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.43 ₫296.0K

$13.85 MYR 56.5

-17.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.68 ₫17.7K

$1.40 MYR 5.70

-51.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.62 ₫16.1K

$0.54 MYR 2.18

14.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 ₫77.7K

$8.01 MYR 32.68

-62.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 ₫23.5K

$0.80 MYR 3.28

13.75%

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

$30.6K ₫791.4M

$49.1K MYR 200.3K

-37.75%

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

$29.4K ₫760.1M

$35.6K MYR 145.4K

-17.63%

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

$104 ₫2.7M

$49.59 MYR 202

109.26%

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

$5.79 ₫149.9K

$7.14 MYR 29.14

-18.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.48 ₫271.3K

$26.47 MYR 108

-60.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.08 ₫675.1K

$26.94 MYR 110

-3.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.90 ₫308.1K

$6.44 MYR 26.26

84.78%

Cinema Ticket

$3.89 ₫100.7K

$3.74 MYR 15.24

4.01%

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

$440 ₫11.4M

$181 MYR 739

142.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.1K ₫622.7M

$6,906 MYR 28.2K

248.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.9 ₫1.3M

$55.4 MYR 226

-8.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.18 ₫910.8K

$30.48 MYR 124

15.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.1 ₫2.4M

$89.2 MYR 364

3.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.5 ₫2.5M

$75.2 MYR 307

28.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$582 ₫15.1M

$340 MYR 1,386

71.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$297 ₫7.7M

$282 MYR 1,150

5.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,298 ₫33.6M

$597 MYR 2,437

117.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$727 ₫18.8M

$451 MYR 1,841

61.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,782 ₫123.8M

$1,782 MYR 7,272

168.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,853 ₫48.0M

$966 MYR 3,941

91.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 ₫12.7M

$496 MYR 2,021

-1.13%

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 Sibu: 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%

Sibu

$282 32.6% 5% $15

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$208 24.1%

Sibu

$247 28.5% 18.8% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$124 14.3%

Sibu

$113 13% 8.9% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$120 13.9%

Sibu

$83 9.6% 30.7% $37

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$64 7.5%

Sibu

$85 9.9% 32.9% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$34 3.9%

Sibu

$34 4% 1.6% $0.5

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$16 1.9%

Sibu

$21 2.5% 30.8% $5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $582 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $340 in Sibu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sibu pays 1% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) vs $19.00 in Sibu. Groceries flip the comparison at $208 vs $247, with Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇲🇾 Sibu

🕒 Local time

00:08 12:08 AM

01:08 1:08 AM

1 h ahead of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

198,239

💱 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

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Highest

Between locations

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Sibu 1,100 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Sibu

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 Sibu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

On paper, salaries run 1% lower in Sibu. 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: $582 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $340 in Sibu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) runs roughly 21% less than in Sibu. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Supermarket bills run roughly 19% higher in Sibu. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $862 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $866 in Sibu, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) but tight or insufficient in Sibu. 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 Sibu are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

It comes down to priorities – Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) wins on affordability, Sibu on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.