Last update: Oct 2026

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

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

43

Cost of Living Index in Sibu
Learn more

Sibu 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

Sibu

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$866

/mo nomad

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$862

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.16 MYR 8.82

$1.98 ₫51.3K

9.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.47 MYR 79.4

$23.14 ₫599.0K

-15.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.21 MYR 17.18

$4.76 ₫123.2K

-11.55%

Cappuccino

$2.38 MYR 9.70

$1.86 ₫48.1K

27.96%

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

$0.67 MYR 2.74

$0.51 ₫13.3K

31.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.23 MYR 0.93

$0.32 ₫8,191

-28.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.92 MYR 11.92

$1.03 ₫26.7K

183.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.40 MYR 17.96

$1.71 ₫44.4K

157.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 MYR 7.33

$1.58 ₫40.8K

13.92%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 MYR 3.65

$1.09 ₫28.3K

-18.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.67 MYR 6.80

$1.05 ₫27.2K

59.05%

Eggs

$2.24 MYR 9.16

$1.64 ₫42.6K

36.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.65 MYR 47.53

$12.33 ₫319.2K

-5.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.84 MYR 15.66

$3.58 ₫92.6K

7.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.69 MYR 39.55

$10.56 ₫273.3K

-8.24%

Apples (1kg)

$3.72 MYR 15.16

$2.97 ₫76.9K

25.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 MYR 6.26

$1.26 ₫32.7K

21.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.34 MYR 9.55

$1.62 ₫42.0K

44.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.38 MYR 5.62

$1.31 ₫33.8K

5.34%

Potato (1kg)

$1.12 MYR 4.58

$1.19 ₫30.8K

-5.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.30 MYR 5.29

$1.14 ₫29.6K

14.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 MYR 4.76

$0.73 ₫18.8K

60.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 MYR 2.22

$0.56 ₫14.6K

-3.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.53 MYR 18.48

$1.28 ₫33.0K

253.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.28 MYR 74.6

$12.46 ₫322.5K

46.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.85 MYR 11.64

$0.96 ₫24.9K

196.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.51 MYR 18.38

$1.48 ₫38.3K

204.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 MYR 3.40

$0.26 ₫6,704

219.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$13.85 MYR 56.5

$11.43 ₫296.0K

21.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.40 MYR 5.70

$0.68 ₫17.7K

105.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.54 MYR 2.18

$0.62 ₫16.1K

-12.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.01 MYR 32.68

$3.00 ₫77.7K

167.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.80 MYR 3.28

$0.91 ₫23.5K

-12.09%

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

$49.1K MYR 200.3K

$30.6K ₫791.4M

60.64%

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

$35.6K MYR 145.4K

$29.4K ₫760.1M

21.40%

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

$49.59 MYR 202

$104 ₫2.7M

-52.21%

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

$7.14 MYR 29.14

$5.79 ₫149.9K

23.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.47 MYR 108

$10.48 ₫271.3K

152.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.94 MYR 110

$26.08 ₫675.1K

3.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.44 MYR 26.26

$11.90 ₫308.1K

-45.88%

Cinema Ticket

$3.74 MYR 15.24

$3.89 ₫100.7K

-3.86%

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

$181 MYR 739

$440 ₫11.4M

-58.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,906 MYR 28.2K

$24.1K ₫622.7M

-71.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 MYR 226

$50.9 ₫1.3M

8.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.48 MYR 124

$35.18 ₫910.8K

-13.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.2 MYR 364

$92.1 ₫2.4M

-3.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.2 MYR 307

$96.5 ₫2.5M

-22.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$340 MYR 1,386

$582 ₫15.1M

-41.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$282 MYR 1,150

$297 ₫7.7M

-4.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$597 MYR 2,437

$1,298 ₫33.6M

-53.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$451 MYR 1,841

$727 ₫18.8M

-37.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,782 MYR 7,272

$4,782 ₫123.8M

-62.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$966 MYR 3,941

$1,853 ₫48.0M

-47.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$496 MYR 2,021

$490 ₫12.7M

1.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.06

8.64

-53.01%

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

Last update for Sibu: October 18, 2026

Last update for Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sibu

$282 32.6%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$297 34.4% 5.2% $15

Groceries & Markets

Sibu

$247 28.5%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$208 24.1% 15.8% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Sibu

$113 13%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$124 14.3% 9.7% $11

Eating Out

Sibu

$85 9.9%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$64 7.5% 24.7% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sibu

$83 9.6%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$120 13.9% 44.3% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Sibu

$34 4%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$34 3.9% 1.6% $0.5

Getting Around

Sibu

$21 2.5%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$16 1.9% 23.5% $5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $340 in Sibu and $582 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). 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: $19.00 in Sibu vs $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Groceries flip the comparison at $247 vs $208, with Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Sibu

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🕒 Local time

01:06 1:06 AM

00:06 12:06 AM

1 h behind Sibu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

198,239

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 20, 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 20, 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

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

From you

Sibu
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

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

Average pay runs 1% higher in Sibu, 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: $340 in Sibu versus $582 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). 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, Sibu 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.

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.