The low cost of living in Da Nang, Vietnam attracts expats and digital nomads from all over the world.

Aside from the gorgeous beaches and delicious street food, Da Nang’s affordable price tags make it a great place to base your laptop lifestyle.

The low exchange rate of the Vietnamese Dong makes Da Nang even cheaper than other Southeast Asia destinations (check out our Chiang Mai and Canggu guides for comparison). But just how cheap is cheap?

We’ll break down exactly how much you can expect to pay for housing, groceries, entertainment and more, in this guide to the cost of living in Da Nang, Vietnam.

Why move to Da Nang, Vietnam? 

Da Nang was one of the first places we lived after starting a laptop lifestyle, and it remains one of my favourite destinations! 

Da Nang is a great base for new digital nomads. Rent is affordable, the wifi is reliable, and there’s no shortage of great cafes to work from. Da Nang is also home to a vibrant expat community, and it’s easy to make new friends. The city is also ideally located in the centre of Vietnam – perfect for exploring the rest of this beautiful country. 

For an in-depth guide to living in Da Nang, Vietnam (including a detailed list of pros and cons), check out our Da Nang Digital Nomad Guide!

Related Post: How Much Money Should You Save Before Moving Abroad?  

Cost of Living in Da Nang, Vietnam: Budget Overview

While we were living in Da Nang, we spent about $900 USD/month as a couple. For one person the costs would be even cheaper, at approximately $500-600 USD/month.

Here’s what we spent (per person):

Like most digital nomad destinations, Da Nang can be as cheap or as expensive as you make it. 

Want to live your best life dining at five star restaurants and partying on rooftop bars? It’s certainly more affordable in Da Nang than at home. But if you want to save money, it’s also an easy place to live on a budget. 

Let’s break down each of the expense categories to give you an even better idea of the cost of living in Da Nang, Vietnam.

Related Post: 10 Best Things About Living a Laptop Lifestyle

Cost of Living in Da Nang: Accomodation

$250 USD/month (per person) + $30-40 for utilities

No matter what kind of budget you’re on, housing will be your biggest expense – but it’s still very affordable.

Apartments in Da Nang typically range from around $350-600 USD per month, with studios being the cheaper option. We ended up paying $500 USD + utilities for a spacious one bedroom in the An Thuong expat neighbourhood. We definitely paid for this location, but I think it was worth it! 

There are lots of shops, cafes and restaurants in An Thuong, and the beach is just a two minute walk. The entire neighbourhood is pedistratrian friendly, so if you’re not comfortable riding a motorbike yet, it’s nice to have the essentials within walking distance. 

For a more detailed overview of how to find housing in Da Nang, check out this video, where we take you on tours of several Da Nang apartments! 

Cost of Living in Da Nang: Phone and Internet

$15 USD/month

SIM cards can be purchased at the airport or in the city center; Viettel is the largest service provider.

Internet in Da Nang isn’t reliable in every apartment building, but overall we found it to be pretty reliable. It’s publicly available in most cafes and restaurants as well. Be sure to check if wifi is included with your utilities before signing a lease on an apartment. 

If you plan on using a coworking space, factor that into your budget as well. Prices start around $7 USD/day and you can find recommendations here. However, we mostly just worked at home and at some of our favourite cafes.

Related Post: 10 Best Places to Work Remotely in Da Nang, Vietnam

Cost of Living in Da Nang: Food

Eating Out

$200 USD/month

The food in Da Nang is so incredible, you’ll probably end up eating out for most meals – we definitely did! If you’re trying to stay on a budget, choose street food stalls and local places over western style restaurants. 

Most local meals cost about $2-5 USD per person per meal which means even if you ate out 3 meals per day you could only spend $6-15 USD per day.

Groceries

$100 USD/month

If you choose to cook some of your own meals, your costs will be even lower. Fresh ingredients are available at local markets for a fraction of the price you’d pay at home. However, because food is so cheap to eat out, you may find that it’s almost more affordable (and definitely easier) to eat out most of your meals.

Tip: Remember to factor bottled water into your budget, since the tap water in Vietnam is not drinkable. Save money by buying larger water jugs rather than individual bottles!

Coffee

$80 USD/month

We both bought coffee almost daily, since we chose to work out of cafes – and also, Vietnamese coffee is delicious! You can of course eliminate or lower this section easily based on your own personal choices. One coffee costs you about 20k-45k đồng which is about $0.80 to $2 USD. 

Check out this post for work-friendly cafe recommendations.

Cost of Living in Da Nang: Transportation

$25 USD/month

Grab/Uber are widely available in Da Nang and extremely cheap. You can also rent a motorbike and get around the local way for $3-6 USD a day (or even cheaper if you rent weekly or monthly). We rented our motorbikes on a monthly basis for $25 USD. 

Related Post: ​​How to Quit Your 9 to 5 and Travel the World Full Time 

Cost of Living in Da Nang: Gym Membership

$34 USD/month

Gym memberships available can run anywhere from $8-45 USD. We used My An Sports Center, which was a bit more upscale, but totally worth paying extra for the AC. Open air gyms are a great option for those looking for a cheaper option.

Cost of Living in Da Nang: Entertainment and Extras

$45 USD/month

This includes things like massages, haircare and yoga classes. You could cut this category to save money, but when hour long massages cost $9 USD, they just might be worth it. Hey, self care is important!

Vietnam Visa Costs

The cost of our visas isn’t included in the final budget breakdown, because the price will vary based on your citizenship and how long you plan on staying in Vietnam.

To give you an idea of the price, if you apply online in advance through the Vietnam Immigration site as a U.S. Citizen like myself, a 30 day visa will set you back $25 USD. 

If you decide to stay longer, it’s better to leave the country on a visa run and apply for a new visa than to extend your existing one, which can cost up to $300 USD. Check out this post for a detailed guide to Vietnam visas!

Cost of Living in Da Nang: Grand Total

Our grand total for cost of living in Da Nang, Vietnam comes to $800 USD/month per person. Although this doesn’t include visa costs, we did splurge on a nice apartment, gym membership, and daily coffee runs (not to mention those weekly massages…). 

If you live frugally, your cost of living in Da Nang could be much lower (in the range of $500 USD/month). Check out this post to calculate your specific budget. 

Does living in Da Nang still feel like an impossible dream? Check out my signature group coaching program, Laptop Lifestyle Bootcamp, where you’ll learn everything A-Z about starting an online business so you can travel the world full time.

Don’t forget to follow me on Instagram for more digital nomad content, and join the Laptop Lifestyle Entrepreneur Facebook group to connect with other globetrotting business owners!

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