Cost of living comparison
compared to
Shah Alam vs. Ho Chi Minh City Cost of Living Summary
Shah Alam is 2.2% cheaper than Ho Chi Minh City.
- Restaurants
-
pay 35.6% more in Shah Alam
- Groceries
-
pay 26.3% more in Shah Alam
- Transportation
-
pay 11.1% more in Shah Alam
- Housing
-
pay 26.1% less in Shah Alam
- Childcare
-
pay 70.6% less in Shah Alam
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 2.1 times more in Shah Alam
- Clothing
-
pay 9.1% less in Shah Alam
The cost of entertainment and sports, restaurants, groceries, and transportation in Shah Alam are more expensive than in Ho Chi Minh City. Expenses including childcare, housing, and clothing are lower in Shah Alam. Notably, entertainment and sports is significantly more expensive in Shah Alam.
Shah Alam vs. Ho Chi Minh City Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Shah Alam instead of Ho Chi Minh City, you would:
pay 35.6% more for restaurants
|
Ho Chi Minh City
|
Shah Alam
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$1.92
₫49,832
|
$3.67
MYR14.99
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$4.62
₫120K
|
$4.16
MYR16.99
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.54
₫13,905
|
$0.74
MYR3.03
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.33
₫8,590
|
$0.40
MYR1.63
|
|
Ho Chi Minh City vs. Shah Alam - Cost of restaurants
pay 26.3% more for groceries
|
Ho Chi Minh City
|
Shah Alam
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.08
₫27,843
|
$1.07
MYR4.35
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.05
₫157K
|
$6.82
MYR27.84
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$6.13
₫159K
|
$6.95
MYR28.37
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$1.62
₫42,008
|
$2.19
MYR8.94
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$1.64
₫42,570
|
$2.00
MYR8.15
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.36
₫35,261
|
$1.58
MYR6.46
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.58
₫14,953
|
$0.75
MYR3.08
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.72
₫18,715
|
$1.22
MYR4.99
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.58
₫14,918
|
$0.81
MYR3.30
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.54
₫14,104
|
$0.55
MYR2.27
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.53
₫13,662
|
$0.90
MYR3.70
|
|
Ho Chi Minh City vs. Shah Alam - Cost of groceries
pay 11.1% more for transportation
|
Ho Chi Minh City
|
Shah Alam
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.55
₫91,950
|
$3.19
MYR13.01
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$11.55
₫299K
|
$15.91
MYR64.95
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$30,715.02
₫795M
|
$41,736.41
MYR170K
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$5.80
₫150K
|
$4.36
MYR17.79
|
|
Ho Chi Minh City vs. Shah Alam - Cost of transportation
pay 26.1% less for housing
|
Ho Chi Minh City
|
Shah Alam
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$10.46
₫271K
|
$28.91
MYR118.04
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$585.86
₫15M
|
$340.14
MYR1,388.84
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$297.81
₫8M
|
$312.00
MYR1,273.94
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$79.24
₫2M
|
$28.39
MYR115.93
|
|
Ho Chi Minh City vs. Shah Alam - Cost of housing
pay 70.6% less for childcare
|
Ho Chi Minh City
|
Shah Alam
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$438.36
₫11M
|
$195.76
MYR799.33
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$23,561.82
₫610M
|
$4,567.77
MYR18,651.14
|
|
Ho Chi Minh City vs. Shah Alam - Cost of childcare
pay 2.1 times more for entertainment and sports
|
Ho Chi Minh City
|
Shah Alam
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$1.03
₫26,762
|
$3.43
MYR13.99
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$1.81
₫46,978
|
$2.95
MYR12.04
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$1.23
₫31,892
|
$4.26
MYR17.39
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$25.91
₫671K
|
$39.76
MYR162.36
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$3.46
₫89,697
|
$6.48
MYR26.48
|
|
Ho Chi Minh City vs. Shah Alam - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 9.1% less for clothing
|
Ho Chi Minh City
|
Shah Alam
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$51.59
₫1M
|
$57.26
MYR233.81
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$34.61
₫896K
|
$39.76
MYR162.36
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$91.59
₫2M
|
$66.51
MYR271.57
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$94.62
₫2M
|
$69.71
MYR284.65
|
|
Ho Chi Minh City vs. Shah Alam - Cost of clothing
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated October 2026). How we calculate this
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