Cost of living comparison
compared to
Ho Chi Minh City vs. Kuala Lumpur Cost of Living Summary
Ho Chi Minh City is 15.5% cheaper than Kuala Lumpur.
- Restaurants
- pay 40.5% less in Ho Chi Minh City
- Groceries
- pay 23.0% less in Ho Chi Minh City
- Transportation
- pay 2.8% more in Ho Chi Minh City
- Housing
- pay 9.6% less in Ho Chi Minh City
- Childcare
- pay 26.9% more in Ho Chi Minh City
- Entertainment and Sports
- pay 53.7% less in Ho Chi Minh City
- Clothing
- pay 11.4% less in Ho Chi Minh City
Ho Chi Minh City vs. Kuala Lumpur Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Ho Chi Minh City instead of Kuala Lumpur, you would:
pay 40.5% less for restaurants
Kuala Lumpur | Ho Chi Minh City | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant | $4.74 MYR19.37 | $1.89 ₫49,809 | |
| Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar | $4.74 MYR19.37 | $3.79 ₫99,619 | |
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) | $0.89 MYR3.62 | $0.49 ₫12,810 | |
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) | $0.49 MYR1.99 | $0.31 ₫8,043 | |
Kuala Lumpur vs. Ho Chi Minh City - Cost of restaurants
pay 23.0% less for groceries
Kuala Lumpur | Ho Chi Minh City | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Bread 1 loaf | $0.98 MYR3.99 | $0.97 ₫25,569 | |
| Local cheese (8 oz) | $7.13 MYR29.14 | $5.67 ₫149K | |
| Milk (1 gallon) | $7.98 MYR32.60 | $5.38 ₫142K | |
| Eggs 1 dozen | $2.23 MYR9.11 | $1.42 ₫37,267 | |
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) | $2.09 MYR8.56 | $1.63 ₫42,819 | |
| Apples (1 lb) | $1.32 MYR5.40 | $1.23 ₫32,362 | |
| Bananas (1 lb) | $0.75 MYR3.06 | $0.52 ₫13,648 | |
| Oranges (1 lb) | $1.22 MYR4.99 | $0.54 ₫14,316 | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) | $0.69 MYR2.83 | $0.52 ₫13,679 | |
| Potatoes (1 lb) | $0.57 MYR2.31 | $0.50 ₫13,243 | |
| Onions (1 lb) | $0.62 MYR2.54 | $0.54 ₫14,213 | |
Kuala Lumpur vs. Ho Chi Minh City - Cost of groceries
pay 2.8% more for transportation
Kuala Lumpur | Ho Chi Minh City | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) | $1.87 MYR7.63 | $3.17 ₫83,368 | |
| Monthly public transit pass | $11.85 MYR48.44 | $11.36 ₫299K | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | $40,284.36 MYR165K | $37,122.40 ₫976M | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | $10.66 MYR43.59 | $5.68 ₫149K | |
Kuala Lumpur vs. Ho Chi Minh City - Cost of transportation
pay 9.6% less for housing
Kuala Lumpur | Ho Chi Minh City | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl | $25.49 MYR104.19 | $9.41 ₫247K | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | $573.16 MYR2,343.09 | $543.38 ₫14M | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center | $350.71 MYR1,433.71 | $306.83 ₫8M | |
| Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating | $46.59 MYR190.46 | $66.43 ₫2M | |
Kuala Lumpur vs. Ho Chi Minh City - Cost of housing
pay 26.9% more for childcare
Kuala Lumpur | Ho Chi Minh City | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | $264.45 MYR1,081.09 | $263.06 ₫7M | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | $9,004.74 MYR36,811.37 | $13,892.02 ₫365M | |
Kuala Lumpur vs. Ho Chi Minh City - Cost of childcare
pay 53.7% less for entertainment and sports
Kuala Lumpur | Ho Chi Minh City | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) | $4.27 MYR17.44 | $1.06 ₫27,893 | |
| Cappuccino in mid-range area | $3.06 MYR12.51 | $1.81 ₫47,714 | |
| Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar | $4.27 MYR17.44 | $1.25 ₫32,874 | |
| Monthly membership at local gym | $46.43 MYR189.80 | $19.47 ₫512K | |
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema | $4.98 MYR20.34 | $3.79 ₫99,619 | |
Kuala Lumpur vs. Ho Chi Minh City - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 11.4% less for clothing
Kuala Lumpur | Ho Chi Minh City | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular jeans Levi's brand | $61.66 MYR252.06 | $44.83 ₫1M | |
| Regular dress from H&M or similar store | $37.10 MYR151.68 | $29.40 ₫773K | |
| Running shoes Nike or Adidas | $87.80 MYR358.92 | $93.29 ₫2M | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) | $82.47 MYR337.15 | $79.23 ₫2M | |
Kuala Lumpur vs. Ho Chi Minh City - 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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