HOW MUCH I SPENT IN ONE MONTH IN DA NANG, VIETNAM

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Wondering how much money you will need in Da Nang? When planning a longer trip, getting a good idea of the needed budget is one of the most important – but also hardest – parts. I definitely found it difficult to get a good idea of how much money I would need when I was getting ready for my six month trip to Asia.

This is the third installment of my expense summary and covers the four weeks I spent in Da Nang, Vietnam, in March 2026. You might also want to check out how much I spent in Chiang Mai and in Bangkok!

Some general info

Travel budgets do vary widely depending on personal tastes and habits. So instead of giving you just a plain number, I will give quite a bit of information about what I did and where I spent the money. That should make it easier for you to adjust my numbers to your purposes. Do you need a fancier apartment? Will you do less sight-seeing? Do you have a bigger appetite than me (probably)?

However, if you want only some plain numbers to see what costs to expect for a frugal but comfortable stay in Da Nang, you can jump right down to my cost totals and to a list of prices for typical items.

Accomodation in Da Nang

Accomodation was still my biggest expense but not by much. Not only are rental costs in Da Nang a bit lower than in Thailand, but I also found a more basic, very affordable place to stay.

I booked a studio apartment in a local neighborhood very close to the Dragon Bridge. It included a small bathroom as well as a kitchen corner and fridge and a small table. I paid Euro 297.84 for my four week stay on AirBnB.

The apartment was not big but sufficient for me

The location was a huge plus, both Da Nang’s beach and downtown area were walkable (if you don’t mind a bit of a longer walk). The riverside promenade with nicer restaurants was just minutes away.

But what I liked most about the area was its very authentic local vibe. People were meeting up in the evening, there were tiny food stalls crammed with local diners, children were playing in the street, old men were sitting outside watching construction work, party pavillions blocked off the street on some days… It was a wonderful way to get a peek at the vibrant daily life in Vietnam!

And while I wouldn’t quite call the apartment quiet, it was quiet for Da Nang. There is just a lot of noise from the streets – music, blaring horns, parties, announcements, you name it. The only way to escape the noise would be to either stay far outside of town or stay somewhere with soundproofing.

That being said, the building itself was quiet and I had no issues with the noise level.

A small but serviceable bathroom

The bathroom was tiny (the door hits the sink when you open it tiny), BUT the water pressure was great and it drained/dried quickly. So all in all it worked fairly well.

A possible disadvantage (which didn’t bother me) was that it was on the fourth floor without a lift. A bit annoying with luggage but no big deal in daily life. There was a largish communal patio right outside my window with a view over the neighborhood as well as a washing machine and space to hang your laundry up to dry. I think it doubled also as the smoking area but didn’t really pay attention to it.

The room was bright with large windows BUT people could look in easily either from the patio or the building across. After staying on the 21st floor in Bangkok this was a bit annoying. I did have to make sure to close the curtains to change clothes. No more dancing in my underwear!

Finally, WiFi and airconditioning worked great.The table, while not as comfy as a desk, was fine. And the host was extremely helpful and responded to any questions or requests right away.

I was very happy with my accomodation and would definitely stay there again! I loved the location and the room worked just fine for me.

For a longer stay (i.e. several months) it would make sense to look for a direct rental instead of AirBnB to save money. However, I have heard that it isn’t easy find a nice, affordable place as Da Nang has gotten so popular. As I didn’t look myelf, I can’t give any personal input.

I don’t think you could save a huge amount staying in Da Nang if you want to have a nice place, especially for just a month or less. Most AirBnBs I saw were more expensive. All in all, I think my cost for accomodation was on the lower side.

Food in Da Nang

I expected to spend significantly less for food in Da Nang than I had in Bangkok or Chiang Mai as the prices are generally lower in Vietnam. However, that didn’t quite work out as expected.

I actually spent MORE in Da Nang than I had in Chiang Mai though a bit less than in Bangkok. So why were my food expenses in Da Nang not lower? Read on to find out.

I tried these waffles but only found them okay

Just as before, I had breakfast in the room but unfortunately never found the “perfect” food (really loved the Wheatabix in Thailand). Mostly I had some sort of cookie and a cup of green tea.

But for my main meal, I had a harder time finding inexpensive food options that I felt comfortable with. In Chiang Mai I had relied mostly on mall food courts and night markets for eating out. In Da Nang there is only one real mall and while it has a floor dedicated to food options those were mostly restaurants. And not the cheap kind. Think buffets, BBQ, hot pot etc. Very tempting but not the way to stick to a budget. The only place I ate at the mall was the one fast food vendor, Jollibee.

And while there were plenty of street stalls around, I just didn’t quite feel comfortable eating there. Partly, because I am a bit of a whimp, partly because I did see more rats in Da Nang than in my entire life up till then…

Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying that the food there isn’t safe or delicious. It just wasn’t tempting to me.

This was one of the cheapest meals I had, even though it was Michelin rated

I still ate out once a day but in a slightly more expensive way. Some of my meals were at plainer, local restaurants and these were usually under 100,000 VDN.

I also ate quite a bit at Vietnamese restaurants geared to tourists

But most of the restaurants I visited were mid-priced. I went to several “nicer” Vietnamese restaurants geared at least partly to tourists. And there I didn’t necessarily order the cheapest dish either (though I stayed away from the really pricey options).

And I had a lot more international cuisine than in my prior stays

In addition, I also went to more restaurants with international cuisine (Korean, Mexican, Pizza etc.) than during my other stays. Nothing fancy but not as cheap as local alternatives. Meals in these restaurants usually ran between 150,000 and 200,00 VDN.

I usually ordered a soda with my meal (generally between 15,000 and 30,000 VDN depending on the restaurant). In Bangkok and Chiang Mai I had eaten most meals in the apartment (either via Grab or take-out) so supplied my own drink. And while soda isn’t massively expensive in Vietnamese restaurants, it did add up over the four weeks.

Eventually I found snacks I liked – this cost a total of 100k VDN

Finally, I really struggled with finding food in the grocery store. Not sure why – I loved the actual meals I ate in restaurants but when it came to snacks and quick meals – not so much.

Vietnamese taste must be different from mine. I have never bought so many things I absolutely couldn’t stand. I even had to throw out half of an ice cream bar because I hated the flavour. Shocking I know – how bad can ice cream be?

Eventually I did find some snacks/foods I liked (cheddar cheese, cheese crackers, coffee cookies, Magnum ice cream, dried mango etc.). But at that point I didn’t much care about their price anymore – I just bought whatever looked good!

Again the soda habit added up a bit. I also had plenty of ice creams – the freezer compartment of my fridge came in very handy.

I bought a couple of small bottles of Korean Soju as well as a small bottle of vodka during my time in Da Nang and spent a total of 235.500 VDN on alcohol. Alcohol is surprisingly inexpensive in Vietnam!

During my mini-vacation to Hoi An I had a food tour (dinner) and a breakfast included with my tours. These meals are not in this category but part of my entertainment/fun budget.

Though I am still not a big eater I think this made less of a difference in Da Nang. The meals I had at restaurants were standard size and I didn’t skimp on snacks. Even if you ate out twice a day you could probably stick to a similar budget if you went to more local restaurants instead of the pricier tourist ones.

All in all, I spent USD 230 in total for food during the four weeks in Da Nang. This also included some necessities (like toothpaste and toilet paper) that I forgot to write down separately (probably about USD 10).

I was suprised to spend more in Vietnam than in Chiang Mai and not much less than in Bangkok. But I did eat at much fancier sit-down restaurants, ordered a drink with every meal, and bought more expensive snacks so it is not too surprising. I would say my food budget was about average and if you avoid big splurges (like seafood, BBQ, upscale restaurants at the beach), the average visitor could probably make do with a similar budget.

Activities and Entertainment

My cost for activities and entertainment in Da Nang was quite high at USD 137. I had planned for this though and it was part of the reason I tried to save money on my apartment.

Most of the sights I visited in Da Nang were free or inexpensive

Why would entertainment cost be high in Da Nang you may wonder? Isn’t Vietnam fairly inexpensive? Yes, I actually did not spend very much in Da Nang itself. While I absolutely love Da Nang, it doesn’t have too many big (i.e. expensive) attractions. There are a couple of smaller museums, some very nice temples, and of course the beach. There is also the quite pricey Ba Na Hills but I did not go there.

The only entertainment related expense I had in Da Nang was for my visit to Marble Mountain which came to a total of 75,000 VDN.

However, I did take a three day trip to Hoi An during my stay and while not expensive for a little mini-vacation, it did add some cost.

How much I spent for my 3 day mini-vacation in Hoi An

Originally, I was going to visit Hoi An on a day trip from Da Nang. After all, it is only about 30 km away. But once I got to Vietnam and started to plan more in detail, I realized that:

a) Hoi An had way more attractions than can be easily seen in one day
b) Hoi An is best seen at night
c) Hotel rooms in Hoi An (and Vietnam in general) aren’t very expensive

I have to admit that I struggle a bit with nighttime activities. While I know being out in the dark isn’t dangerous per se, I just feel kind of nervous. Maybe because I get totally disoriented at night? Even in Da Nang I missed the entrance to my AirBnB SEVERAL times when I went out after dark. And that was after I had stayed there for over a week already!

Anyway, the idea of taking a Grab back at night did not appeal. Also, I found an excursion to My Son Sanctuary that left at 5:30 am from Hoi An (and was quite a bit cheaper than a similar trip from Da Nang). So I basically had to book a hotel and stay overnight, right?

Just kidding. Hoi An can absolutely be visited from Da Nang but I decided on staying for two nights in Hoi An to make it easier. And for me that worked really well but it did add quite a bit to my budget.

A quick note:
I have included the hotel cost as entertainment instead of accomodation because I did already have a place to stay for that time (i.e. my apartment in Da Nang) and the hotel stay really was part of my “fun activities”.

I included the Grab ride under transportation (as most of my transportation is to activities anyway) and any additional money I spent on food in Hoi An is just summarized under the regular food category. Two meals (breakfast at My Son and dinner during the food tour) are part of the tour costs however.

This is not necessarily the only/best way of categorizing but it is the one I settled on.

Hotel in Hoi An for two nights

De Vivre Hoi An, my hotel close to Old Town

As it was only for two nights and I didn’t want to strain my budget, I looked for the cheapest hotel with good reviews close to Old Town and ended up booking at the De Vivre Hoi An. While I would classify it more as tourist class than boutique hotel, it was perfectly fine for my purposes, very quiet (I could hear crickets chirping!), and in a good location close to all the sights.

I paid 1,536,906 VDN for the two nights at De Vivre Hoi An.

Tours and Activities in Hoi An

I did book several organized tours and activities in Hoi An. Basically I treated this three day stay as a mini vacation and splurged (whereas the rest of my trip is more a local living experience).

Memories Theme Park at night

On my first night in town I pre-bought a ticket for the Memories Show. This impressive night-time spectacle tells the history of Hoi An with fire effects, music, and dance. I had a great time and it was well worth the USD 24.

My Son Sanctuary in the morning

On the second day I went on an early morning excursion to My Son Sanctuary. I had to get up basically in the middle of the night as pickup was at 5:30 am. It was more than worth getting up so early though as it is a very impressive sight and best seen before heat and crowds get too much. This set me back another USD 19.80.

And finally I went on another Food Tour on my second evening in town. I hadn’t found one in Da Nang that sounded good to me, but there were several interesting options in Hoi An. I ended up booking this food tour with Lily for USD 25.72 which was great.

Finally, I explored Hoi An Old Town on my own on the last day. For that, I bought an Entrance Ticket to the main sights which was 120,000 VDN.

I absolutely loved Nam Son Pagoda!

Miscellaneous

Transportation

Da Nang doesn’t have much public transportation, but Grab is very easily available and incredibly affordable. I did walk quite a bit around town, but whenever I had to go farther I used Grab.

Linh Ung Pagoda was another short Grab ride from my place

I used Grab to and from the airport, to and from Hoi An (yes, that is indeed a 50 minute ride) as well as to various sights around Da Nang. Here is an overview of my Grab rides to give you an idea of approximate cost. My AirBnB was located on the beach side of Dragon Bridge so fairly central.

Trip (all round trips)	Cost in VND
Airport – AirBnB	169,120
Da Nang – Hoi An	690,560
Da Nang – Nam Son Pagoda	265,200
AirBnB – Linh Ung Pagoda	288,080
AirBnB – Marble Mountain	231.920
Total	1,644,880

All in all, I spent 1,644,880 VND on transportation during the four weeks in Da Nang.

Communication

I had WIFI at the AirBnB and so only needed mobile data when out and about.

I used an esim card from Saily, just as I had in Thailand. Having an esim came in very handy as it worked right away after I landed in Da Nang and I had no problems booking a Grab from the airport to my AirBnB.

My plan was quite inexpensive at USD 7.99 for four weeks (3 GB) – again more data than I needed. Basically I only use data for Google Maps, Grab, and maybe a tiny bit of googling while out and about. For that a plan with just a couple of GB is ideal.

If you use mobile data more (or don’t have reliable internet), your best bet is a local sim card with unlimited data which is available both at the airport and in town.

Laundry

Luckily, my apartment building had a communal washing machine and drying area that was free to use. So no extra expense here!

Finally a millionaire!

bank Fees

I exchanged USD 40 right when I arrived at the airport and got a fairly horrible exchange rate. I also withdrew some money there but was so flustered that I took out only 500,000. It sounded like a lot (half a million!) and I only realized later that it was a bit under USD 20!

Later I withdrew cash two more times from an ATM, 2 and 3 million VDN respectively (these numbers make me feel so rich). Apparently, VP Bank’s ATMs are the most popular as they do not charge any fee but I couldn’t get their ATM to work. I used VietInBank instead. On my bank account I see a fee of EUR 2.50 for each withdrawal so it wasn’t too bad (well, the first one was a waste but that was on me).

So in total I had about 6.5 million VDN in cash which I used to pay almost everything other than Grab rides, tours I booked online, and my hotel in Hoi An. While credit cards are accepted at many restaurants and shops, they usually charge a card fee of a couple percent so cash is king in Vietnam.

Souvenirs

If you thought my souvenir budget in Thailand was low, you will be even more impressed with how little I spent in Vietnam. I bought nothing that would be called a souvenir!

The best/most common souvenirs would likely be tea or coffee. I will have a short lay-over in Vietnam later on in the trip and figure I will pick some coffee up for gifts then. That way I won’t have to drag it around as long.

The other main souvenir you might consider are custom-made clothes. While I am sure you can get them made in Da Nang, Hoi An is really the place for it. I have never seen so many tailor shops in a row. Actually I don’t remember seeing many tailor shops in other places at all but Hoi An has a huge number.

It usually takes about three days and while much, much cheaper than in the US/Europe it is still not inexpensive. Do budget a fair amount if you want to have some shirts/dresses/suits tailored. Even in Vietnam that will set you back a fair amount!

I don’t have any real need for business attire or more fancy clothes and the budget is tight so I passed on this. But this is the best place to splurge on upscaling your wardrobe!

Finally, at the airport I saw quite a lot of tourists leaving Da Nang with the typical conical hats. A bit hard to pack (probably the reason I saw them as they don’t fit in suitcases) but definitely something unique.

Insurance

Probably the MOST IMPORTANT expense on any international trip is decent health insurance. You are always just a small accident or pesky virus away from incurring a huge bill!

Normally, I use an inexpensive annual policy (under $20) for travelling but that only covers trips up to four or six weeks. So for my six months in Asia I signed up for an extended travel insurance policy. I used a German provider as it was the cheapest I could find and paid EUR 55 per month.

However, I believe this can only be bought if your home address is in Germany. For international travellers the most popular health insurance for long-term travelers/digital nomads seems to be Safety Wing. You can use their pricing calculator to get an estimate for your personal budget.

Da Nang has many places to just relax and enjoy the atmosphere

Total Cost for One Month in Da Nang

So how much did I spend in total? Below I am adding up all the components mentioned above – I have converted them to USD (and rounded to full dollars) to make it easier to read. Obviously, exchange rates fluctuate etc. but it should give you a general idea of what to expect for a low-key but comfortable life-style.

Total Expenses – 4 weeks	Da Nang
Accomodation		342
Food
Food	221
Alcoholic Drinks	9
Total Food and Drink		230
Activities and Entertainment
Hotel Hoi An	60
Activities Hoi An	74
Entry Fees	3
Total for Activities and Entertainment		137
Miscellaneous
Transportation (without flight to Da Nang)	63
Communication	8
Laundry	–
Bank Fees	9
Souvenirs	–
Total Miscellaneous		80
Insurance		65
TOTAL EXPENSE		854

How typical are my Expenses?

Obviously, I don’t know your spending habits. So I can’t say whether USD 850 will be enough for you. Here are a couple of things to consider:

• My accomodation cost was on the lower side. My AirBnB was a smallish studio. Even though it was in a central location it was not in the hippest or most popular part of town (e.g. at the beach). It certainly was far less luxurious than my apartment in Bangkok. It would be difficult to save much on a one month stay and still get a nice place.
• You can get a good idea of what to expect price-wise for accomodation by checking actual prices at AirBnB or hotel websites ahead of your trip. This is especially important as prices do fluctuate according to the season.
• I ate out once a day at mostly nicer restaurants. I also ordered a soda with my meals which adds up. And I bought more expensive snacks as I had a hard time finding anything I liked.
• On the other hand I am still not a big eater – basically I had one regular meal and some snacks a day. And I stayed away from more expensive places, like hot pot, dim sum, buffets etc. None of my meals was over 200,000 VDN.
• My transportation cost was probably about average for four weeks. I did stay in some days (especially during the first week when it poured all day!). I also walked all shorter distances (e.g. to the beach or town). If you took a Grab instead you would probably spend about 150,000 VDN extra per day. On the other hand, I did do several independent excursions that required longer rides and I took a Grab to Hoi An which is quite a distance.
• My expenses for fun and entertainment were probably low to average. I did no nightlife and most of my activities in Da Nang were free or inexpensive. However, I did splurge during my mini-vacation to Hoi An and booked three organized tours/events there.
• Expenses for miscellaneous were even lower than before (e.g. I did no shopping).
• Insurance will vary quite a bit but as with accomodation you can get a quote before your trip so won’t be surprised later on.

I think USD 850 is enough for a basic to comfortable life for four weeks in Da Nang. If your budget is really tight you could make do with maybe USD 750 (as long as you find accomodation that costs the same or less than mine). But I would say USD 1,000 should be fine for most (with a similar apartment, little shopping and no constant partying).

Some Current Prices

To help you out a bit when you work on your personal budget, I have compiled a short table with average prices for common purchases/expenses (as of March 2026):

Item	Typical Cost in VDN
Single Can of Coca-Cola	11,200
Meal at Restaurant (with soda)	100,000-200,000
Small Fast Food Meal (Jollibee)	53,000
Chocolate Croissant	17,000
Magnum Ice Cream Strawberry Panna Cotta	35,800
Coffee cookies	20,300
Small bottle of water	5,600
Cheddar cheese, 100 g	59,500
Toothpaste	58,000
Vodka (30 cl)	60,000
ATM Withdrawal Fee	2.50 EURO
Entrance Fee Marble Mountain	40,000
Entrance Fee Hoi An Old Town	120,000
Average Grab ride in town	120,000

If you love a relaxed beach vibe, Da Nang is for you

Conclusion

I absolutely loved Da Nang – it has a vibrant but relaxed beach vibe that is hard to beat. And it is definitely affordable though not as cheap as it used to be (it has gotten quite popular). With my budget of around USD 850 I was able to lead a pretty nice life. A decent apartment, meals out at nicer restaurants, several day trips and even a three day mini vacation!

You could spend a little less if you skipped the mini vacation and either cooked more meals or ate at more local places. But I did get a good deal on my accomodation (most will spend more), didn’t go out at night, and didn’t buy anything.

Let’s see how I will do in my next destination, Busan, South Korea. I am a bit worried as everyone has warned me that Korea is a lot more expensive than Southeast Asia but we will see.