Cost of living comparison
compared to
Kuala Lumpur vs. Ho Chi Minh City Cost of Living Summary
Kuala Lumpur is 46.4% more expensive than Ho Chi Minh City.
- Restaurants
- pay 79.1% more in Kuala Lumpur
- Groceries
- pay 36.0% more in Kuala Lumpur
- Transportation
- pay 14.8% more in Kuala Lumpur
- Housing
- pay 40.2% more in Kuala Lumpur
- Childcare
- pay 17.4% less in Kuala Lumpur
- Entertainment and Sports
- pay 2.6 times more in Kuala Lumpur
- Clothing
- pay 15.5% more in Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur vs. Ho Chi Minh City Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Kuala Lumpur instead of Ho Chi Minh City, you would:
pay 79.1% more for restaurants
Ho Chi Minh City | Kuala Lumpur | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant | $1.89 ₫49,809 | $4.74 MYR19.37 | |
| Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar | $3.79 ₫99,619 | $4.74 MYR19.37 | |
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) | $0.49 ₫12,810 | $0.89 MYR3.62 | |
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) | $0.31 ₫8,043 | $0.49 MYR1.99 | |
Ho Chi Minh City vs. Kuala Lumpur - Cost of restaurants
pay 36.0% more for groceries
Ho Chi Minh City | Kuala Lumpur | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Bread 1 loaf | $0.97 ₫25,569 | $0.98 MYR3.99 | |
| Local cheese (8 oz) | $5.67 ₫149K | $7.13 MYR29.14 | |
| Milk (1 gallon) | $5.38 ₫142K | $7.98 MYR32.60 | |
| Eggs 1 dozen | $1.42 ₫37,267 | $2.23 MYR9.11 | |
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) | $1.63 ₫42,819 | $2.09 MYR8.56 | |
| Apples (1 lb) | $1.23 ₫32,362 | $1.32 MYR5.40 | |
| Bananas (1 lb) | $0.52 ₫13,648 | $0.75 MYR3.06 | |
| Oranges (1 lb) | $0.54 ₫14,316 | $1.22 MYR4.99 | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) | $0.52 ₫13,679 | $0.69 MYR2.83 | |
| Potatoes (1 lb) | $0.50 ₫13,243 | $0.57 MYR2.31 | |
| Onions (1 lb) | $0.54 ₫14,213 | $0.62 MYR2.54 | |
Ho Chi Minh City vs. Kuala Lumpur - Cost of groceries
pay 14.8% more for transportation
Ho Chi Minh City | Kuala Lumpur | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) | $3.17 ₫83,368 | $1.87 MYR7.63 | |
| Monthly public transit pass | $11.36 ₫299K | $11.85 MYR48.44 | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | $37,122.40 ₫976M | $40,284.36 MYR165K | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | $5.68 ₫149K | $10.66 MYR43.59 | |
Ho Chi Minh City vs. Kuala Lumpur - Cost of transportation
pay 40.2% more for housing
Ho Chi Minh City | Kuala Lumpur | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl | $9.41 ₫247K | $25.49 MYR104.19 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | $543.38 ₫14M | $573.16 MYR2,343.09 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center | $306.83 ₫8M | $350.71 MYR1,433.71 | |
| Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating | $66.43 ₫2M | $46.59 MYR190.46 | |
Ho Chi Minh City vs. Kuala Lumpur - Cost of housing
pay 17.4% less for childcare
Ho Chi Minh City | Kuala Lumpur | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | $263.06 ₫7M | $264.45 MYR1,081.09 | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | $13,892.02 ₫365M | $9,004.74 MYR36,811.37 | |
Ho Chi Minh City vs. Kuala Lumpur - Cost of childcare
pay 2.6 times more for entertainment and sports
Ho Chi Minh City | Kuala Lumpur | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) | $1.06 ₫27,893 | $4.27 MYR17.44 | |
| Cappuccino in mid-range area | $1.81 ₫47,714 | $3.06 MYR12.51 | |
| Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar | $1.25 ₫32,874 | $4.27 MYR17.44 | |
| Monthly membership at local gym | $19.47 ₫512K | $46.43 MYR189.80 | |
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema | $3.79 ₫99,619 | $4.98 MYR20.34 | |
Ho Chi Minh City vs. Kuala Lumpur - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 15.5% more for clothing
Ho Chi Minh City | Kuala Lumpur | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular jeans Levi's brand | $44.83 ₫1M | $61.66 MYR252.06 | |
| Regular dress from H&M or similar store | $29.40 ₫773K | $37.10 MYR151.68 | |
| Running shoes Nike or Adidas | $93.29 ₫2M | $87.80 MYR358.92 | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) | $79.23 ₫2M | $82.47 MYR337.15 | |
Ho Chi Minh City vs. Kuala Lumpur - Cost of clothing
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you. We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: June 2026
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