City comparison
Cost of living in Ho Chi Minh City vs Málaga
One person needs about €799 a month in Ho Chi Minh City and €1,380 in Málaga, rent included — Ho Chi Minh City is 73% cheaper overall.
Salary you'd need to keep the same lifestyle
Enter your current net monthly pay. We scale it by the full cost basket — rent, groceries, transport, utilities, eating out and internet.
To live in Málaga the way you live in Ho Chi Minh City on €3,000, you need
€5,181/ month net
73% more than today (+€2,181)
- Ho Chi Minh City today
- Basket €799 · left over €2,201 (73%)
- Málaga at the matched salary
- Basket €1,380 · left over €3,801 (73%)
Local pay context: average tech net pay covers the basket 152% over in Málaga (adequate) vs 163% in Ho Chi Minh City. Purchasing power index · How we calculate this
🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City
Very low burn rate and a fast-growing dev scene; visas need planning.
Monthly budget: €799
Sources: Eurostat, Harmonised price indices (2025) · 0 community reports
🇪🇸 Málaga
The current favourite of remote workers: 300 sunny days, fast fibre, and Barcelona living for 40% less.
Monthly budget: €1,380
Sources: INE Spain + Eurostat, HICP & provincial rent index (2025) · 286 community reports
Should you move to Ho Chi Minh City or Málaga?
On salary, Málaga pays more for tech roles (€2,100 versus €1,300 a month), so the money left over after costs is €720 in Málaga at the top end.
Rent drives most of the gap: €480 in Ho Chi Minh City against €850 in Málaga. Groceries, transport and utilities move far less between the two.
For remote workers, the nomad index scores Ho Chi Minh City at 77 and Málaga at 88 — see the full nomad index and our data methodology.