Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): $859 a month against $913 in Setia Alam, rent and utilities included – about $650 less a year. The total is higher in Setia Alam despite lower rent and utilities.

44

Cost of Living Index in Setia Alam
Learn more

Setia Alam Living Index
42

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

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Living Index

Jump to prices

Setia Alam

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$913

/mo nomad

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$859

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $913 in Setia Alam versus $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Setia Alam $913
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $859

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,358 in Setia Alam versus $1,395 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Setia Alam $1,358
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,395

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,803 in Setia Alam versus $1,931 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Setia Alam $1,803
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,931

Living in Setia Alam is roughly 6% 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: Setia Alam 32% lower, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.81 MYR 19.61

$1.91 ₫49.6K

151.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.57 MYR 100

$22.84 ₫591.2K

7.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.96 MYR 20.22

$4.54 ₫117.6K

9.25%

Cappuccino

$2.76 MYR 11.27

$1.85 ₫48.0K

49.19%

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

$0.79 MYR 3.23

$0.56 ₫14.6K

41.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 MYR 1.93

$0.32 ₫8,185

46.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.32 MYR 17.63

$1.06 ₫27.5K

307.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.01 MYR 24.50

$1.72 ₫44.5K

249.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 MYR 6.09

$1.66 ₫42.9K

-10.24%

White Bread (500g)

$0.72 MYR 2.92

$1.11 ₫28.7K

-35.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.59 MYR 2.42

$1.00 ₫25.9K

-41.00%

Eggs

$1.20 MYR 4.91

$1.67 ₫43.1K

-28.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.82 MYR 56.4

$12.08 ₫312.8K

14.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.41 MYR 9.83

$3.68 ₫95.2K

-34.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$2.41 MYR 9.83

$10.24 ₫265.1K

-76.46%

Apples (1kg)

$1.24 MYR 5.04

$2.96 ₫76.5K

-58.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.83 MYR 7.47

$1.24 ₫32.2K

47.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.25 MYR 5.11

$1.56 ₫40.3K

-19.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.20 MYR 4.91

$1.30 ₫33.6K

-7.69%

Potato (1kg)

$0.71 MYR 2.89

$1.23 ₫31.9K

-42.28%

Onion (1kg)

$0.74 MYR 3.03

$1.15 ₫29.8K

-35.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.70 MYR 2.87

$0.74 ₫19.1K

-5.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 MYR 2.95

$0.56 ₫14.4K

28.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.32 MYR 17.64

$1.24 ₫32.1K

248.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.60 MYR 80.0

$12.60 ₫326.1K

55.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.59 MYR 14.64

$0.96 ₫24.9K

273.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.86 MYR 19.84

$1.53 ₫39.6K

217.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.76 MYR 3.08

$0.26 ₫6,694

192.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.31 MYR 50.2

$11.51 ₫297.9K

6.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.24 MYR 5.06

$0.75 ₫19.5K

65.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.20 MYR 4.88

$0.67 ₫17.4K

79.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.78 MYR 19.49

$3.03 ₫78.5K

57.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.48 MYR 1.95

$0.96 ₫24.8K

-50.00%

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

$39.2K MYR 159.9K

$31.1K ₫804.3M

26.13%

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

$33.0K MYR 134.7K

$30.4K ₫785.9M

8.79%

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

$61.2 MYR 250

$102 ₫2.6M

-40.02%

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

$8.52 MYR 34.77

$5.89 ₫152.5K

44.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.04 MYR 106

$10.49 ₫271.6K

148.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.73 MYR 203

$25.54 ₫661.2K

94.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.97 MYR 28.44

$11.92 ₫308.5K

-41.53%

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MYR 20.82

$3.53 ₫91.3K

44.48%

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

$135 MYR 551

$436 ₫11.3M

-69.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,885 MYR 32.2K

$23.3K ₫602.8M

-66.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.7 MYR 296

$52.8 ₫1.4M

37.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.31 MYR 111

$34.15 ₫884.1K

-20.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$53.8 MYR 220

$90.3 ₫2.3M

-40.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$36.56 MYR 149

$95.0 ₫2.5M

-61.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$529 MYR 2,160

$589 ₫15.3M

-10.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$323 MYR 1,319

$298 ₫7.7M

8.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$873 MYR 3,562

$1,292 ₫33.5M

-32.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$549 MYR 2,238

$711 ₫18.4M

-22.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,992 MYR 8,128

$4,676 ₫121.1M

-57.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,102 MYR 4,498

$1,904 ₫49.3M

-42.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,143 MYR 4,663

$490 ₫12.7M

133.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.64

-53.70%

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

Last update for Setia Alam: October 10, 2026

Last update for Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Setia Alam

$323 35.4%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$298 34.7% 7.9% $25

Groceries & Markets

Setia Alam

$200 21.9%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$207 24.1% 3.5% $7.1

Eating Out

Setia Alam

$125 13.7%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4% 49.3% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Setia Alam

$96 10.5%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.8% 23.6% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Setia Alam

$86 9.4%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$122 14.3% 43% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Setia Alam

$60 6.6%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8% 45.6% $27

Getting Around

Setia Alam

$23 2.5%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 1.9% 26.2% $5.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $529 in Setia Alam and $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Setia Alam pays 133% 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: $25.00 in Setia Alam vs $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Groceries flip the comparison at $200 vs $207, with Setia Alam cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Setia Alam

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🕒 Local time

16:22 4:22 PM

15:22 3:22 PM

1 h behind Setia Alam

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

150,000

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 = 3.44 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.59 MYR (1 MYR = 0.218 EUR).

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).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Setia Alam
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

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

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) wins on cost – living expenses run 6% lower than in Setia 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.

Average pay runs 133% higher in Setia Alam, 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: $529 in Setia Alam versus $589 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 $913 per month in Setia Alam versus $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) – a 6% 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 Setia 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 $913 in Setia Alam, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) but tight or insufficient in Setia 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, Setia Alam 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 6% less than in Setia Alam. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.