Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ames, IA and Da Nang

For one person, living is cheaper in Da Nang: $863 a month against $2,142 in Ames, IA, rent and utilities included – about $15,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

104

Cost of Living Index in Ames, IA
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Ames, IA Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Da Nang
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Da Nang Living Index

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Ames, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,142

/mo nomad

Da Nang

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$863

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ames, IA and in Da Nang

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Ames, IA and in Da Nang actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,142 in Ames, IA versus $863 in Da Nang.

Ames, IA $2,142
Da Nang $863

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,242 in Ames, IA versus $1,404 in Da Nang.

Ames, IA $3,242
Da Nang $1,404

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,342 in Ames, IA versus $1,945 in Da Nang.

Ames, IA $4,342
Da Nang $1,945

Living in Ames, IA is roughly 148% more expensive than in Da Nang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ames, IA is 59% above, Da Nang is 36% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.13 $18.13

$2.30 ₫59.4K

688.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.0 $52.0

$19.62 ₫508.0K

165.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.18 $12.18

$4.60 ₫119.1K

164.78%

Cappuccino

$4.87 $4.87

$1.66 ₫43.0K

193.37%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.60 $2.60

$0.61 ₫15.7K

326.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 $2.25

$0.34 ₫8,877

561.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.05 $4.05

$1.34 ₫34.6K

202.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.81 $6.81

$2.36 ₫61.1K

188.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.89 $0.89

$1.60 ₫41.5K

-44.38%

White Bread (500g)

$3.55 $3.55

$1.21 ₫31.3K

193.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.00 ₫25.9K

226.00%

Eggs

$3.34 $3.34

$1.51 ₫39.1K

121.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.08 $10.08

$12.90 ₫333.9K

-21.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.62 $13.62

$4.29 ₫111.1K

217.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.05 $19.05

$9.06 ₫234.6K

110.26%

Apples (1kg)

$5.88 $5.88

$2.73 ₫70.6K

115.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.82 $1.82

$1.19 ₫30.8K

52.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.69 $6.69

$1.29 ₫33.4K

418.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.22 $5.22

$1.60 ₫41.3K

226.25%

Potato (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$1.18 ₫30.4K

284.75%

Onion (1kg)

$4.07 $4.07

$1.33 ₫34.3K

206.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.32 $2.32

$1.01 ₫26.1K

129.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.44 $2.44

$0.53 ₫13.7K

360.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.03 $13.03

$1.56 ₫40.3K

735.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.11 $16.11

$7.93 ₫205.2K

103.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.87 $2.87

$0.88 ₫22.9K

226.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.98 $4.98

$2.12 ₫54.9K

134.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 $0.99

$0.32 ₫8,182

209.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.57 $35.57

$4.99 ₫129.3K

612.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.09 $5.09

$1.05 ₫27.1K

384.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.69 $1.69

$0.55 ₫14.3K

207.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.13 $24.13

$19.50 ₫504.8K

23.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 $0.96

$0.95 ₫24.5K

1.05%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$24.7K $24.7K

$30.9K ₫799.2M

-19.88%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$25.1K $25.1K

$28.0K ₫724.6M

-10.42%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$176 $176

$76.6 ₫2.0M

130.22%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$54.3 $54.3

$6.47 ₫167.6K

739.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.2 $71.2

$8.08 ₫209.1K

780.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.0 $69.0

$24.98 ₫646.6K

176.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.74 $19.74

$5.35 ₫138.6K

268.97%

Cinema Ticket

$15.97 $15.97

$3.07 ₫79.4K

420.20%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$1,370 $1,370

$161 ₫4.2M

749.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.1K $36.1K

$15.2K ₫392.3M

138.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.4 $58.4

$45.38 ₫1.2M

28.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.68 $44.68

$27.22 ₫704.7K

64.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.1 $90.1

$100 ₫2.6M

-9.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$80.9 ₫2.1M

29.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,005 $1,005

$529 ₫13.7M

90.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$822 $822

$349 ₫9.0M

135.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,860 $1,860

$1,053 ₫27.3M

76.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,505 $1,505

$811 ₫21.0M

85.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,432 $2,432

$3,834 ₫99.3M

-36.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,185 $2,185

$1,308 ₫33.9M

67.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,597 $3,597

$363 ₫9.4M

890.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.41

10.72

-40.21%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Ames, IA: October 11, 2026

Last update for Da Nang: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Ames, IA

$822 38.4%

Da Nang

$349 40.4% 57.5% $473

Groceries & Markets

Ames, IA

$436 20.4%

Da Nang

$201 23.2% 54.1% $236

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ames, IA

$302 14.1%

Da Nang

$91 10.6% 69.8% $211

Eating Out

Ames, IA

$293 13.7%

Da Nang

$67 7.8% 77.1% $226

Clothing & Footwear

Ames, IA

$134 6.3%

Da Nang

$114 13.2% 14.9% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Ames, IA

$101 4.7%

Da Nang

$31 3.6% 69.2% $70

Getting Around

Ames, IA

$53 2.5%

Da Nang

$10 1.2% 81% $43

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,005 in Ames, IA and $529 in Da Nang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ames, IA pays 890% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $52.0 in Ames, IA vs $20.00 in Da Nang for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $436 vs $201 per month, with Da Nang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Ames, IA

🇻🇳 Da Nang

🕒 Local time

14:36 2:36 PM

02:36 2:36 AM

12 h ahead of Ames, IA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

66,427

1,245,200

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

VND, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇻🇳 Vietnamese Dong (₫)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 25,889 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 29,105 VND (100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR).

VND to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Ames, IA Da Nang 13,180 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Ames, IA
Da Nang

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Ames, IA vs Da Nang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Da Nang wins on cost – living expenses run 148% lower than in Ames, IA. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Da Nang the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 890% higher in Ames, IA, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,005 in Ames, IA versus $529 in Da Nang. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Da Nang runs roughly 613% less than in Ames, IA. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,370 in Ames, IA versus $161 in Da Nang. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $863 in Da Nang versus $2,142 in Ames, IA, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Da Nang but tight or insufficient in Ames, IA. The gap between the two cities makes Da Nang the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Da Nang delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $863 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Da Nang hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Ames, IA and Da Nang are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Da Nang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 148% less than in Ames, IA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.