Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): $855 a month against $1,062 in Petaling Jaya, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

51

Cost of Living Index in Petaling Jaya
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Petaling Jaya 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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Petaling Jaya

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,062

/mo nomad

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$855

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Petaling Jaya and in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,062 in Petaling Jaya versus $855 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Petaling Jaya $1,062
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $855

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,529 in Petaling Jaya versus $1,400 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Petaling Jaya $1,529
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,400

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,997 in Petaling Jaya versus $1,944 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Petaling Jaya $1,997
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,944

Living in Petaling Jaya is roughly 24% more expensive than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Petaling Jaya 21% lower, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.71 MYR 15.15

$1.90 ₫49.1K

95.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.45 MYR 99.8

$23.32 ₫603.5K

4.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.87 MYR 19.88

$4.67 ₫120.9K

4.28%

Cappuccino

$2.99 MYR 12.21

$1.85 ₫47.9K

61.62%

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

$0.88 MYR 3.59

$0.56 ₫14.4K

57.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.44 MYR 1.80

$0.34 ₫8,857

29.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.33 MYR 13.60

$1.01 ₫26.2K

229.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.69 MYR 23.21

$1.69 ₫43.7K

236.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.93 MYR 7.90

$1.58 ₫40.8K

22.15%

White Bread (500g)

$1.03 MYR 4.20

$1.04 ₫27.0K

-0.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 MYR 5.89

$0.99 ₫25.7K

45.45%

Eggs

$1.76 MYR 7.18

$1.60 ₫41.5K

10.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.66 MYR 39.44

$12.23 ₫316.6K

-21.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.32 MYR 13.54

$3.54 ₫91.7K

-6.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.54 MYR 38.94

$10.44 ₫270.2K

-8.62%

Apples (1kg)

$3.44 MYR 14.05

$3.09 ₫79.9K

11.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 MYR 7.89

$1.26 ₫32.5K

53.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.77 MYR 11.31

$1.57 ₫40.6K

76.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.83 MYR 7.47

$1.26 ₫32.5K

45.24%

Potato (1kg)

$2.15 MYR 8.80

$1.17 ₫30.4K

83.76%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 MYR 8.23

$1.15 ₫29.7K

74.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.43 MYR 5.85

$0.72 ₫18.7K

98.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 MYR 2.25

$0.54 ₫14.0K

1.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.57 MYR 18.66

$1.22 ₫31.5K

274.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.30 MYR 78.8

$12.28 ₫317.8K

57.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.71 MYR 11.08

$0.98 ₫25.4K

176.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.46 MYR 18.20

$1.49 ₫38.5K

199.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.20 MYR 4.92

$0.28 ₫7,249

328.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.40 MYR 50.6

$11.62 ₫300.8K

6.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.25 MYR 5.09

$0.73 ₫18.9K

71.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 MYR 1.44

$0.64 ₫16.7K

-45.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.73 MYR 35.64

$3.17 ₫82.0K

175.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.88 MYR 3.58

$0.95 ₫24.6K

-7.37%

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

$41.1K MYR 167.8K

$30.7K ₫795.6M

33.67%

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

$32.6K MYR 133.2K

$30.6K ₫791.6M

6.64%

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

$48.53 MYR 198

$102 ₫2.6M

-52.56%

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

$8.08 MYR 33.00

$5.65 ₫146.1K

43.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.83 MYR 110

$10.52 ₫272.2K

155.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.8 MYR 211

$25.86 ₫669.2K

100.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.16 MYR 12.89

$11.82 ₫305.9K

-73.27%

Cinema Ticket

$4.92 MYR 20.09

$3.39 ₫87.8K

45.13%

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

$279 MYR 1,137

$438 ₫11.3M

-36.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.4K MYR 42.4K

$23.3K ₫603.1M

-55.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.4 MYR 214

$51.5 ₫1.3M

1.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.65 MYR 121

$34.56 ₫894.3K

-14.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.3 MYR 311

$91.3 ₫2.4M

-16.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.9 MYR 347

$94.9 ₫2.5M

-10.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 MYR 1,970

$577 ₫14.9M

-16.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$404 MYR 1,651

$292 ₫7.6M

38.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$831 MYR 3,391

$1,293 ₫33.5M

-35.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 MYR 2,260

$717 ₫18.6M

-22.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,121 MYR 12.7K

$4,714 ₫122.0M

-33.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$952 MYR 3,888

$1,882 ₫48.7M

-49.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,744 MYR 7,120

$486 ₫12.6M

258.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.51

8.64

-47.80%

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

Last update for Petaling Jaya: 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

Petaling Jaya

$404 38.8%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$292 34.3% 27.7% $112

Groceries & Markets

Petaling Jaya

$250 24%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$206 24.1% 17.7% $44

Eating Out

Petaling Jaya

$113 10.9%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.5% 44.1% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Petaling Jaya

$109 10.5%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$123 14.4% 11.9% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Petaling Jaya

$83 8%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.9% 42% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Petaling Jaya

$62 5.9%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8% 47% $29

Getting Around

Petaling Jaya

$20 1.9%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 2% 17.4% $3.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $482 in Petaling Jaya and $577 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Petaling Jaya pays 259% 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: $24.00 in Petaling Jaya vs $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $250 vs $206 per month, with Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Petaling Jaya

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🕒 Local time

14:55 2:55 PM

13:55 1:55 PM

1 h behind Petaling Jaya

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

771,687

9,456,700

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 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 = 0.218 EUR).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 25,879 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 29,025 VND (100,000 VND = 3.45 EUR).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Petaling Jaya Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 1,020 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Petaling Jaya
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

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

Petaling Jaya vs Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) wins on cost – living expenses run 24% lower than in Petaling Jaya. 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.

Average pay runs 259% higher in Petaling Jaya, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $482 in Petaling Jaya versus $577 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,062 per month in Petaling Jaya versus $855 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) – a 24% 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 Petaling Jaya. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $855 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,062 in Petaling Jaya, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) but tight or insufficient in Petaling Jaya. 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 $855 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, Petaling Jaya and Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 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 24% less than in Petaling Jaya. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.