Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): $855 a month against $908 in Malaysia, rent and utilities included – about $640 less a year. The total is higher in Malaysia despite lower rent and utilities.

44

Cost of Living Index in Malaysia
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Malaysia Living Index
42

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

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🇲🇾 Malaysia

$908

/mo nomad

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$855

/mo nomad

😐 Solo nomad: Malaysia is 25.6% more expensive than Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) without rent, and 6.2% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Malaysia is 17.7% more expensive than Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) without rent, and 5.8% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.68 MYR 15.03

$1.90 ₫49.1K

93.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.24 MYR 78.5

$23.32 ₫603.5K

-17.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.82 MYR 19.69

$4.67 ₫120.9K

3.21%

Cappuccino

$2.87 MYR 11.70

$1.85 ₫47.9K

55.14%

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

$0.81 MYR 3.30

$0.56 ₫14.4K

44.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.41 MYR 1.67

$0.34 ₫8,857

20.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 MYR 15.32

$1.01 ₫26.2K

271.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.76 MYR 19.45

$1.69 ₫43.7K

181.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 MYR 7.74

$1.58 ₫40.8K

20.25%

White Bread (500g)

$1.06 MYR 4.32

$1.04 ₫27.0K

1.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MYR 6.05

$0.99 ₫25.7K

49.49%

Eggs

$2.16 MYR 8.83

$1.60 ₫41.5K

35.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.27 MYR 54.2

$12.23 ₫316.6K

8.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.07 MYR 16.60

$3.54 ₫91.7K

14.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.71 MYR 35.56

$10.44 ₫270.2K

-16.57%

Apples (1kg)

$3.04 MYR 12.40

$3.09 ₫79.9K

-1.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 MYR 6.80

$1.26 ₫32.5K

31.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.59 MYR 10.59

$1.57 ₫40.6K

64.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.58 MYR 6.46

$1.26 ₫32.5K

25.40%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 MYR 4.99

$1.17 ₫30.4K

4.27%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 MYR 5.23

$1.15 ₫29.7K

11.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 MYR 4.77

$0.72 ₫18.7K

62.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 MYR 2.27

$0.54 ₫14.0K

3.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.51 MYR 18.41

$1.22 ₫31.5K

269.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.23 MYR 78.5

$12.28 ₫317.8K

56.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.97 MYR 12.13

$0.98 ₫25.4K

203.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.04 MYR 16.51

$1.49 ₫38.5K

171.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.72 MYR 2.94

$0.28 ₫7,249

157.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.43 MYR 50.8

$11.62 ₫300.8K

6.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 MYR 4.86

$0.73 ₫18.9K

63.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.95 MYR 3.88

$0.64 ₫16.7K

48.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.10 MYR 24.92

$3.17 ₫82.0K

92.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.66 MYR 2.69

$0.95 ₫24.6K

-30.53%

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

$41.1K MYR 167.7K

$30.7K ₫795.6M

33.57%

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

$34.5K MYR 141.0K

$30.6K ₫791.6M

12.86%

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

$55.4 MYR 226

$102 ₫2.6M

-45.89%

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

$10.14 MYR 41.40

$5.65 ₫146.1K

79.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.39 MYR 112

$10.52 ₫272.2K

160.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.46 MYR 153

$25.86 ₫669.2K

44.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.20 MYR 29.39

$11.82 ₫305.9K

-39.09%

Cinema Ticket

$5.01 MYR 20.44

$3.39 ₫87.8K

47.79%

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

$191 MYR 778

$438 ₫11.3M

-56.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,217 MYR 33.5K

$23.3K ₫603.1M

-64.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.2 MYR 258

$51.5 ₫1.3M

22.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.41 MYR 136

$34.56 ₫894.3K

-3.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.0 MYR 327

$91.3 ₫2.4M

-12.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 MYR 294

$94.9 ₫2.5M

-24.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$401 MYR 1,636

$577 ₫14.9M

-30.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$272 MYR 1,112

$292 ₫7.6M

-6.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$705 MYR 2,880

$1,293 ₫33.5M

-45.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$467 MYR 1,909

$717 ₫18.6M

-34.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,042 MYR 8,337

$4,714 ₫122.0M

-56.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,181 MYR 4,822

$1,882 ₫48.7M

-37.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$917 MYR 3,745

$486 ₫12.6M

88.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.23

8.64

-51.04%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Malaysia: October 4, 2026

Last update for Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Malaysia

$272 29.9%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$292 34.3% 7.2% $20

Groceries & Markets

Malaysia

$253 27.8%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$206 24.1% 18.7% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Malaysia

$112 12.3%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$123 14.4% 9.6% $11

Eating Out

Malaysia

$111 12.3%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.5% 43.1% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Malaysia

$93 10.2%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.9% 27.5% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Malaysia

$47 5.2%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8% 31.2% $15

Getting Around

Malaysia

$21 2.3%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 2% 21.4% $4.6

Good to know

🇲🇾 Malaysia

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🕒 Local time

20:07 8:07 PM

19:07 7:07 PM

1 h behind Malaysia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

32,447,385

9,456,700

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.219 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.45 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

VND, USD, EUR to MYR – Malaysian Ringgit Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇾 Malaysian Ringgit (RM)

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.58 MYR (1 MYR = 0.219 EUR).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 25,879 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 28,999 VND (100,000 VND = 3.45 EUR).

USD to MYR in detail →

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