Cost of living comparison
compared to
Ho Chi Minh City vs. Kuala Belait Cost of Living Summary
Ho Chi Minh City is 32.9% cheaper than Kuala Belait.
- Restaurants
-
pay 59.6% less in Ho Chi Minh City
- Groceries
-
pay 46.9% less in Ho Chi Minh City
- Transportation
-
pay 23.3% more in Ho Chi Minh City
- Housing
-
pay 34.7% less in Ho Chi Minh City
- Childcare
-
pay 2.3 times more in Ho Chi Minh City
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 61.0% less in Ho Chi Minh City
- Clothing
-
pay 34.9% less in Ho Chi Minh City
The cost of childcare and transportation in Ho Chi Minh City are more expensive than in Kuala Belait. Expenses including entertainment and sports, restaurants, groceries, clothing, and housing are lower in Ho Chi Minh City. Notably, childcare is significantly more expensive in Ho Chi Minh City.
Ho Chi Minh City vs. Kuala Belait Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Ho Chi Minh City instead of Kuala Belait, you would:
pay 59.6% less for restaurants
|
Kuala Belait
|
Ho Chi Minh City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$7.81
BND9.99
|
$1.92
₫49,735
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$7.66
BND9.79
|
$4.62
₫119K
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.92
BND1.18
|
$0.54
₫13,878
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.52
BND0.66
|
$0.33
₫8,573
|
|
Kuala Belait vs. Ho Chi Minh City - Cost of restaurants
pay 46.9% less for groceries
|
Kuala Belait
|
Ho Chi Minh City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.47
BND3.16
|
$1.08
₫27,789
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$9.46
BND12.10
|
$6.05
₫156K
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$7.05
BND9.01
|
$6.13
₫158K
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.66
BND3.40
|
$1.62
₫41,927
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.41
BND5.64
|
$1.64
₫42,487
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.15
BND2.75
|
$1.36
₫35,193
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.99
BND1.27
|
$0.58
₫14,924
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.22
BND2.84
|
$0.72
₫18,679
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.15
BND1.47
|
$0.58
₫14,889
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.77
BND0.99
|
$0.54
₫14,077
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.28
BND1.64
|
$0.53
₫13,636
|
|
Kuala Belait vs. Ho Chi Minh City - Cost of groceries
pay 23.3% more for transportation
|
Kuala Belait
|
Ho Chi Minh City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$1.39
BND1.78
|
$3.55
₫91,772
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass | ?? |
$11.55
₫298K
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$31,264.80
BND39,966.17
|
$30,715.02
₫794M
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$30.48
BND38.96
|
$5.80
₫150K
|
|
Kuala Belait vs. Ho Chi Minh City - Cost of transportation
pay 34.7% less for housing
|
Kuala Belait
|
Ho Chi Minh City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$65.12
BND83.25
|
$10.46
₫270K
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$742.24
BND948.81
|
$585.86
₫15M
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$781.30
BND998.75
|
$297.81
₫8M
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$29.87
BND38.19
|
$79.24
₫2M
|
|
Kuala Belait vs. Ho Chi Minh City - Cost of housing
pay 2.3 times more for childcare
|
Kuala Belait
|
Ho Chi Minh City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$216.85
BND277.20
|
$438.36
₫11M
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$9,323.57
BND11,918.43
|
$23,561.82
₫609M
|
|
Kuala Belait vs. Ho Chi Minh City - Cost of childcare
pay 61.0% less for entertainment and sports
|
Kuala Belait
|
Ho Chi Minh City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$1.95
BND2.50
|
$1.03
₫26,710
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.53
BND5.79
|
$1.81
₫46,887
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$7.81
BND9.99
|
$1.23
₫31,830
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$97.67
BND124.85
|
$25.91
₫670K
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$5.47
BND6.99
|
$3.46
₫89,523
|
|
Kuala Belait vs. Ho Chi Minh City - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 34.9% less for clothing
|
Kuala Belait
|
Ho Chi Minh City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$76.20
BND97.40
|
$51.59
₫1M
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$101.33
BND129.54
|
$34.61
₫894K
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$154.15
BND197.06
|
$91.59
₫2M
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$72.29
BND92.40
|
$94.62
₫2M
|
|
Kuala Belait vs. Ho Chi Minh City - 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
Change currency:
Compare further: Kuala Belait vs. Ho Chi Minh City
Compare countries by overall cost of living
See the
cost of living in Brunei vs. Vietnam.
This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within Brunei and Vietnam.
Help us improve these prices
MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate.
Learn more
Ask the Elsewhere Community
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Ho Chi Minh City or Kuala Belait. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.