COST OF LIVING IN DA NANG, VIETNAM “TIGHT BUDGET” 2025 GUIDE

Planning to live in or visit Da Nang, Vietnam? Our 2025 “TIGHT BUDGET” cost of living guide covers rent, food, transportation, utilities, and lifestyle expenses for a minimum lifestyle. Find out how much you need to live as an expat, digital nomad, or retiree on a tight budget. Explore budget-friendly tips and real monthly expense estimates if your belt is on the last notch.

WHY DA NANG?

How does retiring, living, or just spending a year in a beautiful beach town filled with white sand beaches, great food, and a chill lifestyle for less than $800 bucks a month sound to you? Well, then, welcome to Da Nang, Vietnam! Once an R&R spot for GIs, it is becoming increasingly popular among retirees and digital nomads looking for affordability and quality of life.

BEACH TOWN LIVING

Tucked along Vietnam’s central coast, Da Nang offers the perfect blend of modern conveniences and an insanely low cost of living compared to the US or the West. Da Nang has about 1.2 million people in it at any given time, so it’s large enough to provide most of the Western amenities you want, but small enough to avoid the “New York in Asia” feel of cities like Ho Chi Minh City or Hanoi.

IT IS A ‘CLEAN’ CITY

And unlike every other beach town in Southeast Asia, Da Nang does not have a sin district, and therefore it does not have the expat scumbag crowd and all of the local hustlers and crime that inevitably follow.

DA NANG BY AGE

FOR FOLKS IN THE 18 to 35 RANGE

If you are in your 20s or 30s and are single and ready to mingle, trust me, the beach bars in Da Nang are filled with early-20s backpackers and digital nomads. But it will cost you. If you are looking to party, then expect to double this budget. But to be honest, if you are looking for a party place with big nightclubs and full-moon parties, Da Nang won’t be your cup of tea.

FOR THE MORE WELL-AGED FOLKS HERE

If you are at the point in your life where you just want to chill, have a coffee in the AM, take a walk on the beach, see a movie, maybe finally write that novel you always dreamed of, and finish the day throwing back a few cold ones with some new friends in a pub, then look no further than Da Nang.

THE MOST BANG FOR YOUR BUCK IN SOUTHEAST ASIA

The biggest appeal of living in Da Nang is that how much you spend on your monthly living expenses is completely up to you. You can live a three-minute walk from the beach for as little as 700 bucks a month or in a huge penthouse apartment, eating T-bone steak every night for less than 2K a month. No matter your budget, you can live in Da Nang for a fraction of what it would cost back home.

SAFETY

Da Nang is also an extremely safe place to live. Stranger-on-stranger violent crime against expats is almost unheard of here. It does happen, but if you avoid getting into drunken brawls, don’t do anything stupid, and are not a criminal, then nothing will happen to you. I leave my $4,000 laptop in my room, take walks on the beach at midnight, and don’t think twice about it.

WESTERN-ISH STANDARD OF LIVING

You can go down to sub-$500 a month, but then you are living below a Western standard of living. There is nothing wrong with that, but for most people from the West, it is too much of a lifestyle change, and they just can’t handle it.

For this article, we are going to stick to a minimum Western tight budjet standard of living that includes an apartment in a clean hotel or building with an en-suite bathroom, hot water, AC, fast internet, a cell phone with a data plan, eating Western food a few times a week, buying some imported groceries, and some entertainment.

THIS IS A TIGHT BUDGET GUIDE!

This is for the folks who are on an extremely tight budget, so you can forget about going out to bars, drinking booze in general, and western food for the most part. This budget will get you a comfortable AC room, good location, local chow, and cooking for yourself, with minimal paid entertainment.

HOUSING & UTILITIES

APARTMENT

A fully furnished non-serviced one-bedroom apartment or a serviced hotel room (that includes water, weekly cleaning and linen service, and internet) close to the beach or city center costs between $230 and $500+ per month, depending on how fancy you are. If you go the apartment route, then add another $30 for utilities (water, ect), the extra cost of laundering your sheets and towels, and a bunch of cleaning supplies.

UTILITIES

Add another $30 to $70 a month for electricity, no matter what type of accommodation you choose. Summer is the hottest, so if you are like me and run your AC non-stop 24/7, then expect the higher end for most of the summer, and the lower end in the winter. The government controls the rate for electricity, and they bumped it up about 20% earlier this year.

LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION

Moving further inland and away from the beach can bring costs down even more, but why not spend the extra $30 and live by the beach? Living in an apartment stuffed in a city block next to a shopping mall takes away one of the major attractions of living in Da Nang: the ability to live within a two-minute walk to the beach, starting at just over a couple of hundred bucks a month.

TYPICAL TIGHT BUDGET EXPAT HOUSING

I pay $230 a month for a serviced room in a long-term stay hotel with a 24/7 manned front desk, on a floor above the 6th, so I can open the windows without bugs getting in. The room includes internet and water, and is serviced with cleaning, with all linens changed twice a week. The building features an elevator, and it is a 1½-minute walk to the beach. I prefer a building with a manned front desk 24/7, just in case of some sort of emergency (like stroking out) and for the added security. Last year (2024), I paid $199 for the same room, so prices are on the rise.

For a place to live on a tight budget, you are looking at a minimum of $230 to $500 a month + $30 to $70 for Electricity for a one-bedroom non-serviced apartment or a serviced one-room hotel.

FOOD AND ENTERTAINMENT

Local chow is cheap, even in restaurants catering to the expat crowd. In places with AC, a meal will cost you around $7 to $15 and up for a full meal and drinks—double or triple that if you want surf and turf. At the local sit-down spots, a meal will cost you $4 and up with a drink. Considering you are on a tight budget you will have to be ok with western food only once a week.

WESTERN FOOD, EATING OUT, & DELIVERY

The food scene here is top-notch, with every type of cuisine represented, from Korean BBQ to Indian to vegan and so-so pizza. Local spots are crazy cheap, just give yourself a few weeks to get your stomach used to the local bacteria first. with

WESTERN FOOD

Western and international restaurants are expensive by Vietnamese standards, but still cheap from a Western perspective. For example, a meal with ten huge fried chicken wings and large fries delivered to your apartment at 11 PM is about $7, including delivery.

For the rare treat, if you like steak, a 10.5 oz ribeye from Australia and two beers at a sit-down restaurant will run you $33. Expensive for a single meal compared to the local chow, but fundamentally free if you are from NYC.

Example Prices for Western Chow (delivered to your room):

Pepperoni pizza: $6
10 Piece Fried Chicken: $5 to $7

LOCAL CHOW

Street food and the local sit-down restaurants that specialize in one thing are excellent here. You can get half a grilled chicken with sides going for four bucks US, and a bowl of Pho starting at less than two bucks.

Example Prices for local chow:

Pho: $3
Spring Rolls: $5
Roast Pork: $8
Banh mi: $1.30

WATCH YOUR WAISTLINE

Be forewarned about the ubiquitous Bánh mì sando, you can not go half a block without walking past someone selling them. They are one of the most delicious and addictive things you will ever eat; they cost less than a dollar for a simple one, and up to three for a fancy one. I gained a gut in a month because I was eating so many of them, then spent two months burning it off at the gym.

GROCERIES

Groceries are also affordable if you shop at local markets and stores. The large superstore grocery stores in the malls and the specialty expat stores range from less than half, to the same price as in the States to 100%++ more for Western and Korean imported items. For example, a box of Kraft Mac & Cheese is $4 here!

LIQUID COURAGE

Booze is cheap if you buy local brands. One can of beer is 45 cents, and a fifth of rum is $5.30. For the imported Western brands of booze like Jack Daniel’s and Budweiser, you can double the price you would pay back home. For someone on a tight budget, a few local beers a week or a local 5th of cheap rum every two weeks is going to be your max for booze.

THE EATING HABITS OF A TYPICAL EXPAT IN DA NANG

When I was on a tight budget, I usually ate locally for most meals and internationally once a week, with cooking at home for lunch. I would also buy Western food items like dill pickles, yellow mustard, and imported Korean and American groceries at expat shops, along with buying normal groceries at local shops. Doing that, I spent more than the average expat who is trying to stay on a budget. On the other hand, I don’t drink at bars or drink regularly anymore, so for me, it evens out.

YOUR FOOD COSTS WILL VARY DEPENDING ON YOUR TASTES

How much you end up spending on ordering in, eating out, groceries, and booze is completely up to you and depends on your tastes. One thing to keep in mind is that if you have never lived overseas before and you are used to Western food, you will get bored with the local chow fast. Local chow fatigue is real, so give yourself the occasional pizza or you will end up cracking and going full hog mode at McDonald’s and blow your weekly food budget in one meal.

For a tight budget, expect to spend $300+ a month on food. This is on the low-to-medium side of food spending.

ENTERTAINMENT/HANGING OUT

COFFIE

Coffee at a nice coffeehouse with Wi-Fi where you can chill out or work is $2; at a local coffee street vendor, you can cut that price to less than half.

MOVIES

If you want to see the latest flicks, it is $2.30 to $3.50 for a regular movie; a 3D or VIP seat will run you around $4.70 to $6.25.

FANCY DINNER OUT

Sit-down Medium to High-End dinners can run between $12 for a Detroit Deep Dish Pizza to $100 for a lobster feast.

BARS/PUBS

At beer gardens and expat bars, local brands of beer are about $1, and a mixed drink is $3. Again, double or triple those prices for the imported stuff, or if you go somewhere fancy. So, if you are a drinker, you can kill a six-pack at a bar for $6. Sounds cheap until you compound it by drinking or going to a pub every day, as I said before, booze outside of a beer a day is basically out on a tight budget.

NIGHTLIFE

The nightlife in Da Nang is mostly the bars I mentioned before. Yeah, sure, they do have the big hostess karaoke clubs and a casino for Korean and Chinese tourists if you want to spend $500+ a night. But overall, Da Nang is more of a beach bar town with a beach bar vibe. Most of the places where expats drink are open-air bars and some AC pool halls. Again, for folks on a tight budget, going out to a bar and shooting pool all night will be an occasional treat at best.

SHOPPING MALLS

There are two big Western-style malls, modern electronics stores, and tons of local goods markets. The area you want to live in is the My Khe Beach area; it is walkable for all your needs, and walking around is entertainment itself in Southeast Asia.

OTHER CHEAP FUN STUFF TO DO IN DA NANG:

• Take Vietnamese cooking classes: $21
• 1-on-1 Da Nang street food tour: $32
• Safari to look for endangered monkeys: $40
• Take a day trip to Ba Na Golden Bridge: $26
• Shoot some pool: Free if you buy a beer at a non-AC bar.

I like to just sit and walk on the beach for free and to chill; this is the one thing I do every day.

So, maybe 30$ to “sky’s the limit” on entertainment a month.

CELL PHONE SERVICE AND INTERNET

For up to 8 gigs a day, it’s $7.80 a month; the SIM will cost you $2. I get between 30 and 50 Mbps down on my phone, depending on what time of day it is and if I’m using a VPN or not.

MOST SERVICED APARTMENTS AND ALL HOTELS HAVE FREE INTERNET

My apartment comes with Wi-Fi included in the rent and gets mid-200s Mbps no matter what time of day it is. So, less than $8 a month for internet and cell service. You can get a hotspot for your home if the internet is not included, and that will set you back about the same, plus the router.

Phone service and internet: $8 a month.

TRANSPORTATION

Renting a motorbike costs $40 to $55 per month or about $4 a day for a daily rental; some places charge more, so shop around and check their reviews. The Vietnamese version of Uber here is Grab. You can get just about anywhere in the city for less than $4 in a car and 50 to 90 cents on a motorbike.

I still don’t rent a motorbike monthly because I know I’ll crash it in the crazy traffic here, and I tend to zone out whenever I get behind the wheel of a vehicle these days. For the tight budget folks, stick you just using grab mototaxis and your feet.

RIDESHARE IN DA NANG

I still just use Grab for getting around when I need to and for food delivery. You can add your US credit card to your Grab account or pay cash.

I spend maybe $15 for a dozen motor taxi rides and a bunch of food deliveries a month. If you rent a motorbike, it will cost you $40+ bucks plus gas, so it will be a luxury for tight budgets.

VISAS AND VISA RUNS

The only disadvantage of Vietnam is that the longest visa stay you can get is a 90-day visa. It costs $25 for a single entry or $50 for a multiple-entry visa. You have to leave the country and then go back through Vietnamese immigration to get a new stamp.

VISA RUN OPTIONS IN DA NANG

You can fly out or take a bus, depending on your budget. A flight to Vientiane, Laos, and back will cost at a minimum $250 if booked ahead, plus a hotel in Vientiane for one night is $30+ unless you want to fly back the same day, which will be miserable, so add another $35 for the Lao visa and another $20 for meals.

ALL-IN-ONE PACKAGE DEALS

Or you can take a bus in a package that includes the bus ride both ways, the Vietnamese 90-day visa, the Lao visa, and fixers on both sides of the border to make things go smoothly for $123 to $160 total.

For tight budgets, the bus with fixers is great and basically your only option. Having the Bus + Fixer option is especially handy if you forget to go online and get your eVisa, and you have less than a week before your visa expires.

VISA RUN COST EXAMPLE:

IF YOU FLY OUT: Flight out and in, hotel in Louse overnight and meals, and fly back to Vietnam is about $400+ (equivalent to $133.33 a month) AKA: Not gona happen on a tight budget.

FULL-SERVICE PACKAGE: By bus once every 3 months is $160 (equivalent to $53.30 a month).

For detailed information on visa runs in Da Nang, and my recommendation for the best visa run service in Da Nang check out this article:

-VIETNAM VISA RUNS EXPLAINED: LYNN VISA REVIEW AND PRO TIPS

MISCELLANEOUS STUFF

Laundry service: $1–2 per kilo of your dirty drawers. Make sure and choose a shop that uses dryers as opposed to line drying because your clothes will smell like mildew.

I spend $7 a month to have three large loads of laundry washed, dried, and folded.

STUFF: Probably throw in another $50 on things like toiletries, bottled water, condiments, grabbing a soda or coconut, and all the normal stuff you have to buy here and there, no matter where in the world you live. Add another $100 for your first month for buying “new apartment” stuff.

MONTHLY TIGHT BUDGET COST EXAMPLE:

• Add another $50-$75 for stuff.
• TOTAL MONTHLY EXPENSES FOR VERRY TIGHT LIVING IN DA NANG
• RENT: $230+
• ELECTRICITY: $33 to $70 (averaged out to $51 a month)
• FOOD: $300+
• ENTERTAINMENT: $50
• CELL PHONE WITH DATA: $8
• TRANSPORTATION: $15
• MISCELLANEOUS STUFF: $50
• AVERAGES OUT TO: $729

This is a very tight budget; you will have a roof over your head, food on your plate, the occasional pizza and local beer, and most of your entertainment will consist of watching TV and chilling at the beach.

ADD 3 VISA RUNS: $600 ($50 bucks a month you must save)

SUPER TIGHT BUDGET FOR LIVING IN DA NANG: $779

BOOZE AND BARS

This does not include going out to bars and clubs or regular alcohol drinking at all. You will basically have no entertainment budget, forget about going on dates, and western food will become so rare it will be a treat when you do eat it. If you are a drinker and you go clubbing and bar hopping, add 50% to 150% more to your monthly budget so you can pretty much count that out also.

FLIGHTS

Flights back home to visit your folks, nor the initial flight to Da Nang are included as it will vary greatly depending on how far in advance you booked it and where you are flying from/to. So it is up to you to do the math and add it to your expenses.

THE MATH

This is way on the low side, for the maniac expats that live local, this is way on the high side. There are just so many factors that change the numbers; there is no way I can account for them all here.

For a modest lifestyle, you can expect to spend between $779 per month with zero cushion for emergencies. Start adding money in $100 increments to that as your financial situation improves, and things get substantially easier and more luxurious. But… can you even remember when an extra $100 a month made a difference in your lifestyle? Well, in Da Nang, it does.

FINAL THOUGHTS AND ADVICE

For some people, having to do a visa run every three months could be a sticking point. But I do it, and honestly, it’s a zero-burger. I get a ton of work done on the VIP bus or watch movies the whole ride; it’s practically a vacation. Seriously, it isn’t a big deal, and if you are like me, after a while, you get stuck in a routine, and it’s good to break it up now and then. It also helps to keep the expat riff-raff from settling in the country.

A GOOD MIX OF EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO LIVE ON THE CHEAP

Overall, when you take into consideration the cost of living at a hybrid local/western standard, safety, cool local people, and a vibrant expat community of young and old, all wrapped up in a mostly walkable city, then you just can’t beat Da Nang for living on a tight budget.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask in the comments.

Have a nice day!