Cost of living in Da Nang as a digital nomad

Cost of living in Da Nang, Vietnam as a digital nomad in July 2022

Are you wondering how much it would cost to live in Da Nang for a few weeks, or even months? 

I had the pleasure of living in Da Nang, Vietnam for 30 days as part of my digital nomad journey around Southeast Asia. And I kept track of all of my spending (literally ALL of it!). From credit card charges to cash spending, I made sure to document how much each meal, shopping, accommodation, taxi fare, and everything in between costs. Mostly as a way to keep track of my spending and budget while living abroad, but also to be able to share my experience and knowledge with you. 

Obviously, each person would probably spend different amounts based on their habits. But as a budget traveler, living off of my savings, and traveling slowly around the country, I tried to spend as little as possible but still be able to sightsee, eat delicious meals and enjoy my life abroad.

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I separated my spendings into 10 categories. Some of these categories are everyday spendings, and some are things I spent extra money on or aren’t really a cost of living. Below the table, I explain each one in more detail.

Necessary flights- $18 USD

This is the cost of my one-way flight from Bangkok to Da Nang. After living in Thailand for 3 months, I finally made my way to Vietnam, starting in the city of Da Nang.

This flight cost is definitely gonna vary depending on where you’re coming from and if you’re only buying a one-way ticket or a round-trip flight. So I don’t really count it as a cost of living. But I still added it to my Da Nang spendings to keep track of how much I’m spending on flight tickets from one place to another, which IS a necessary cost nonetheless. 

Extra flights/transportation – $0 USD

While in Da Nang, I didn’t really take any extra flights. I mostly stayed within the city or visited nearby cities by Grab taxis.

Transportation – $103 USD

I tend to walk a lot in the cities I live in. Partly to save some money on my transportation costs, but also because I find it the best way to get to know a city or town. But when I want to venture a little farther, I definitely spend most of my money on Grab taxis. Grabs are basically the Ubers of southeast Asia. So most of my spending in this transportation category went on visiting places that were 30 minutes to 1 hour away from Da Nang. Like Ba Na Hills where the Golden Bridge is located, and the ancient city of Hoi An. I also include my transportation cost from and to the airport.  

Long-term accommodations – $416 USD

Long-term accommodations are the hotels or Airbnbs I stay at for most of the time I’m in a city. In this case, I stayed at a hotel/apartment complex called Delicate Hotel (through Airbnb) near My An beach. The hotel was around a 5-minute walk to the beach, close to plenty of restaurants and mini markets.

I booked it for 29 nights, and although the location was AMAZING, it was by far my least favorite accommodation to date. Mostly due to a lack of cleanliness, spotty internet access, and poor communication with the host. I also had to pay extra in utility expenses (which I wasn’t aware of when I booked it). That extra expense is added to this category, and that came out to $80 USD. The long-term accommodations expense will vary depending on the type of place you stay at (like staying at a hotel, apartment, or hostel) and if you’re sharing the cost with someone else. 

Hotel getaways – $18 USD

While in Da Nang, I knew I wanted to go to the ancient town of Hoi An, which is around 1 hour away from Da Nang. Although I originally planned on visiting Hoi An during the day and returning to Da Nang, I decided to stay one night at a homestay which cost me $18 USD/night. If you ever plan a visit to Hoi An while staying in Da Nang I highly recommend staying a night because Hoi An really comes alive at night.

Food – $434 USD

Food is definitely one of my biggest expenses but definitely a necessary one. I try to eat as much local food as possible, and I sometimes try to go for something “cheap” from the menu. But other times I would just get what I wanted regardless of the cost. With that being said, the average cost of my meals was around 150,000 VND [$6 USD], with most of them not surpassing 200,000 VND [$8 USD]. Part of this cost also includes a few beers or cocktails I would have with my meal, as well as non-alcoholic drinks like water, coffee, and smoothies. 

Alcohol – $76 USD

As I mentioned in the food category, some of the alcohol costs were just added to the full meal and not individually. But whenever I would go out for just a drink or actually documented the alcohol cost separately, I added it to this category. Alcohol is comparably cheaper than in the US. Most cocktails are around 100,000 VND [$4 USD] and local beers can go for around 20,000 VND – 40,000 VND [$0.80 – $1.50 USD].

Shopping – $243 USD

My shopping expenses mostly came from souvenirs, toiletries, and local clothing items and accessories. Since I’m aware I have limited space in my suitcase I don’t go too crazy with my shopping. Everything I bought was mostly necessary things like toilet paper, shampoo and conditioner, feminine products, and snacks. But I also bought a few tailor-made clothing and accessories in Hoi An (which is famous for affordable tailor-made outfits), which is where most of my spending went. Although it wasn’t the cheapest clothes I ever bought, I did get 2 tailor-made long dresses and a pair of tailor-made sandals for $150 USD total. 

Activities – $86 USD

My biggest spending in this category was going to Sun World in Ba Na Hills where the Golden Bridge (also known as the hand bridge) is located. It actually is a theme park with a few rides and access to the Golden Bridge, one of the most famous bridges in Vietnam. The ticket to enter was around $35 USD. The rest of my spending went on massages and a few activities in Hoi An.

Other travel expenses – $79 USD

This category is for everything else I spent money on while in Da Nang, or travel-related recurring monthly payments I have to make regardless of where I am. These include things like my travel medical insurance, phone and internet data, laundry, and visas. 

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So, without adding my flight ticket from Bangkok to Da Nang, nor the extra accommodation expense in Hoi An, my cost of living in Da Nang comes down to $1437 USD for 30 days, or around $48 USD per day.

And my total spending while in Da Nang, Vietnam came out to $1473 USD.

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Found this post useful? Do you have any questions about the cost of living in Da Nang?

Let me know in the comments below!

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You can find more useful Vietnam content at these blogs:

My first impression of Vietnam

6 budget-friendly things to do in Da Nang, Vietnam