Hi, I'm Joanna, the author of The Blond Travels. In the worlds of Thailand and Portugal, I feel like a fish in water - and it's no coincidence! I've been exploring Thailand for over a decade, and I've settled in Portugal for 6 years now. My mission is to support Dreamers - just like you - in discovering these fascinating countries and helping those in love with them find their own place on Earth, preferably for good! Let's uncover these unique corners of the world together.
‘Is Da Nang an expensive city?’ you might ask before making a decision of moving. We’ve been living here for 3 months now and feel that our budget has been seriously overstretched. I blame our dislike for Vietnamese food and frequent trips to the nearby supermarket, but also our love for exploring the surrounding area (a trip outside of town can cost you anywhere between $10 and $50).
We have gathered a list of prices of certain products to show you what you can expect here. Below you will also find a breakdown of our spendings per month with a short commentary.
Food and Drinks |
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Vietnamese street coffee | VND15.000 | $0.7 |
Coffee “Americano” | VND 35.000 | $1.6 |
Big bottle of water | VND7.500 | $0.35 |
Soft drink | VND15.000 | $0.7 |
Soft drink (Restaurant) | VND25.000 | $1.2 |
Beer (Restaurant) | VND20.000 | $0.9 |
Mi Quang (Noodle dish) | VND25.000 | $1.2 |
Banh Mi (Vietnamese sandwich) | VND15.000 | $0.7 |
Bo Ne (Beef steak) | VND30.000 | $1.5 |
Transportation |
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Taxi per km | VND15.000 | $0.7 |
Motorbike taxi (Xe Om) per km | VND6.000 | $0.25 |
Motorbike rental per day | VND120.000 | $5.5 |
Motorbike rental per month | VND1.000.000 | $45 |
Petrol per litre | VND15.000 | $0.7 |
Motorbike parking fee | VND3.000 | $0.15 |
Shopping and Entertainment |
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T-shirt from a market | VND80.000 | $3.5 |
Foot massage (1 hour) | VND150.000 | $7 |
Body massage (1 hour) | VND200.000 | $9 |
Housing |
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Monthly rent (inexpensive area) | VND8.500.000 | $380 |
Utilities | VND1.000.000 | $45 |
Below list is based on expenses for two people. This doesn’t include insurance, nor any other additional costs, such as trips outside of town.
- Accommodation (we rent a furnished 1 bedroom apartment with a kitchen, 2 minutes walk from the beach, 5 minutes drive to the city centre) – 7, 814, 244 VND ($350)
- Utilities – (electricity only, water and wi fi are included in the rent) – 500, 000 VND ($22.39)
- Scooter rental – 1,500,000 VND ($67)
- Petrol (this varies as we tend to spend a little more on petrol if we make a lot of trips a particular month) – 200,000 VND ($8,95)
- Groceries (we tend to spend much more than in Thailand as we are not big fans of Vietnamese food and we cook at home. You can live on less than that if you eat local food) – 12,000,000 VND ($537)
Going out (including beer and cocktails and occasional dinner in a restaurant, serving western food. We usually go out once a week) – 4,000,000 VND ($179)
So, in total we spend $1,155 per month, which gives us around $577 each. Remember that this doesn’t include any trips outside of Da Nang. It is possible to live on less here, if you like Vietnamese food and don’t go out as much.