Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Semey: $712 a month against $853 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

34

Cost of Living Index in Semey
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Semey Living Index
41

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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Semey

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$712

/mo nomad

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$853

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Semey 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 Semey and in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $712 in Semey versus $853 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Semey $712
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $853

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,148 in Semey versus $1,391 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Semey $1,148
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,391

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,584 in Semey versus $1,930 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Semey $1,584
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,930

Living in Semey costs roughly 17% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Semey 48% lower, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 37% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.93 ₸2,235

$1.91 ₫49.3K

158.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.82 ₸9,898

$22.93 ₫591.8K

-4.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.49 ₸2,491

$4.69 ₫121.0K

17.06%

Cappuccino

$1.70 ₸771

$1.80 ₫46.4K

-5.56%

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

$0.76 ₸345

$0.55 ₫14.2K

38.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.48 ₸216

$0.34 ₫8,802

41.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.91 ₸412

$1.03 ₫26.7K

-11.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₸614

$1.72 ₫44.4K

-21.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 ₸469

$1.67 ₫43.0K

-38.32%

White Bread (500g)

$0.37 ₸167

$1.09 ₫28.2K

-66.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.86 ₸845

$1.06 ₫27.2K

75.47%

Eggs

$1.53 ₸693

$1.60 ₫41.2K

-4.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.36 ₸2,432

$12.08 ₫311.8K

-55.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.86 ₸1,751

$3.66 ₫94.4K

5.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.43 ₸2,461

$10.35 ₫267.0K

-47.54%

Apples (1kg)

$1.23 ₸559

$3.01 ₫77.7K

-59.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 ₸748

$1.26 ₫32.5K

30.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.72 ₸781

$1.62 ₫41.9K

6.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.69 ₸768

$1.27 ₫32.7K

33.07%

Potato (1kg)

$0.39 ₸176

$1.18 ₫30.5K

-66.95%

Onion (1kg)

$0.60 ₸274

$1.19 ₫30.7K

-49.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 ₸461

$0.78 ₫20.1K

30.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 ₸448

$0.55 ₫14.2K

80.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.46 ₸1,116

$1.26 ₫32.5K

95.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.24 ₸3,282

$12.85 ₫331.5K

-43.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₸596

$0.90 ₫23.1K

45.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 ₸998

$1.46 ₫37.6K

50.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₸114

$0.28 ₫7,252

-10.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.69 ₸7,119

$11.42 ₫294.7K

37.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₸586

$0.70 ₫18.1K

84.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.14 ₸515

$0.63 ₫16.2K

80.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.54 ₸2,968

$3.09 ₫79.7K

111.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.65 ₸293

$0.95 ₫24.5K

-31.58%

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

$32.4K ₸14.7M

$30.5K ₫787.4M

6.08%

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

$26.3K ₸11.9M

$29.7K ₫767.0M

-11.60%

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

$33.66 ₸15.3K

$102 ₫2.6M

-67.07%

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

$9.01 ₸4,088

$5.65 ₫145.7K

59.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.84 ₸8,544

$10.43 ₫269.2K

80.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.36 ₸19.2K

$19.30 ₫498.1K

119.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.23 ₸5,095

$11.81 ₫304.8K

-4.91%

Cinema Ticket

$4.39 ₸1,993

$3.83 ₫98.8K

14.62%

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

$132 ₸60.0K

$484 ₫12.5M

-72.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,406 ₸2.0M

$23.3K ₫601.6M

-81.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.90 ₸13.1K

$52.3 ₫1.3M

-44.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.47 ₸11.6K

$34.35 ₫886.3K

-25.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 ₸45.4K

$92.3 ₫2.4M

8.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$76.6 ₸34.7K

$94.2 ₫2.4M

-18.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$339 ₸153.5K

$647 ₫16.7M

-47.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$229 ₸103.8K

$297 ₫7.7M

-23.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$611 ₸276.9K

$1,291 ₫33.3M

-52.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$489 ₸221.6K

$719 ₫18.6M

-32.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,205 ₸546.7K

$4,327 ₫111.6M

-72.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$739 ₸335.4K

$1,987 ₫51.3M

-62.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 ₫12.6M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

19.25

8.64

122.80%

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

Last update for Semey: October 25, 2026

Last update for Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Semey

$229 32.2%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$297 34.9% 29.9% $68

Groceries & Markets

Semey

$154 21.7%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$208 24.4% 34.7% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Semey

$104 14.6%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$123 14.4% 18.2% $19

Eating Out

Semey

$88 12.4%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4% 28.7% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Semey

$62 8.6%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.9% 92.3% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Semey

$51 7.2%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$27 3.2% 47.3% $24

Getting Around

Semey

$24 3.3%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$16 1.9% 30.7% $7.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $339 in Semey and $647 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $22 in Semey vs $23 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $154 vs $208 per month, with Semey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Semey

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🕒 Local time

13:34 1:34 PM

15:34 3:34 PM

2 h ahead of Semey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

310,456

9,456,700

💱 Currency

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KZT = 2.2 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.98 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.88 USD

100,000 VND = 3.47 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

VND, USD, EUR to KZT – Kazakhstani Tenge Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇿 Kazakhstani Tenge (₸)

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 454 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.2 USD). 1 EUR = 506 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.98 EUR).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 25,802 VND (100,000 VND = 3.88 USD). 1 EUR = 28,794 VND (100,000 VND = 3.47 EUR).

USD to KZT in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Semey Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 5,030 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Semey
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

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

Semey wins on cost – living expenses run 17% lower than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Semey the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,068 in Semey and $1,279 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $339 in Semey versus $647 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 $712 per month in Semey versus $853 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) – Semey is about 17% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) runs roughly 27% less than in Semey. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Either city works on $1,000 a month, though Semey gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.