Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cairns and Da Nang

For one person, living is cheaper in Da Nang: $863 a month against $2,501 in Cairns, rent and utilities included – about $19,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

121

Cost of Living Index in Cairns
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Cairns Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Da Nang
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Da Nang Living Index

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Cairns

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,501

/mo nomad

Da Nang

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$863

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cairns 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 Cairns and in Da Nang actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,501 per month in Cairns vs $863 in Da Nang, rent included.

Cairns $2,501
Da Nang $863

A couple spends around $3,716 per month in Cairns vs $1,404 in Da Nang, rent included.

Cairns $3,716
Da Nang $1,404

A family of three spends $4,931 per month in Cairns vs $1,945 in Da Nang, rent included.

Cairns $4,931
Da Nang $1,945

Cairns costs about 190% more than Da Nang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Cairns sits 85% above the global median, while Da Nang is 36% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.37 A$25.00

$2.30 ₫59.4K

655.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$95.6 A$138

$19.62 ₫508.0K

387.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.62 A$18.15

$4.60 ₫119.1K

174.35%

Cappuccino

$4.23 A$6.08

$1.66 ₫43.0K

154.82%

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

$3.27 A$4.70

$0.61 ₫15.7K

436.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 A$3.95

$0.34 ₫8,877

708.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.13 A$10.25

$1.34 ₫34.6K

432.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.39 A$12.07

$2.36 ₫61.1K

255.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.83 A$2.64

$1.60 ₫41.5K

14.37%

White Bread (500g)

$2.69 A$3.87

$1.21 ₫31.3K

122.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.52 A$3.62

$1.00 ₫25.9K

152.00%

Eggs

$5.33 A$7.68

$1.51 ₫39.1K

252.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 A$13.04

$12.90 ₫333.9K

-29.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.54 A$19.49

$4.29 ₫111.1K

215.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.90 A$21.44

$9.06 ₫234.6K

64.46%

Apples (1kg)

$4.18 A$6.02

$2.73 ₫70.6K

53.11%

Banana (1kg)

$2.84 A$4.09

$1.19 ₫30.8K

138.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.70 A$5.32

$1.29 ₫33.4K

186.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.91 A$8.50

$1.60 ₫41.3K

269.38%

Potato (1kg)

$2.46 A$3.54

$1.18 ₫30.4K

108.47%

Onion (1kg)

$2.57 A$3.70

$1.33 ₫34.3K

93.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.84 A$4.09

$1.01 ₫26.1K

181.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.51 A$3.61

$0.53 ₫13.7K

373.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.51 A$64.1

$1.56 ₫40.3K

2753.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.87 A$19.95

$7.93 ₫205.2K

74.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.65 A$5.25

$0.88 ₫22.9K

314.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.25 A$7.55

$2.12 ₫54.9K

147.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.56 A$5.13

$0.32 ₫8,182

1012.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.08 A$21.70

$4.99 ₫129.3K

202.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.51 A$3.61

$1.05 ₫27.1K

139.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.97 A$2.83

$0.55 ₫14.3K

258.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.45 A$59.7

$19.50 ₫504.8K

112.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 A$1.77

$0.95 ₫24.5K

29.47%

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

$30.8K A$44.3K

$30.9K ₫799.2M

-0.24%

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

$40.7K A$58.6K

$28.0K ₫724.6M

45.55%

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

$165 A$238

$76.6 ₫2.0M

116.02%

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

$34.27 A$49.32

$6.47 ₫167.6K

429.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.9 A$93.4

$8.08 ₫209.1K

703.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.80 A$63.0

$24.98 ₫646.6K

75.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.43 A$39.48

$5.35 ₫138.6K

412.71%

Cinema Ticket

$13.75 A$19.79

$3.07 ₫79.4K

347.88%

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

$2,100 A$3,022

$161 ₫4.2M

1202.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K A$20.3K

$15.2K ₫392.3M

-7.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.4 A$130

$45.38 ₫1.2M

99.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$71.4 A$103

$27.22 ₫704.7K

162.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 A$179

$100 ₫2.6M

23.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$187

$80.9 ₫2.1M

60.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,439 A$2,071

$529 ₫13.7M

172.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,223 A$1,760

$349 ₫9.0M

250.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,270 A$3,267

$1,053 ₫27.3M

115.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,940 A$2,791

$811 ₫21.0M

139.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,429 A$9,251

$3,834 ₫99.3M

67.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,919 A$7,078

$1,308 ₫33.9M

276.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,424 A$6,366

$363 ₫9.4M

1117.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.32

10.72

-41.04%

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

Last update for Cairns: October 12, 2026

Last update for Da Nang: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cairns

$1.2K 48.9%

Da Nang

$349 40.4% 71.5% $874

Groceries & Markets

Cairns

$409 16.4%

Da Nang

$201 23.2% 51% $208

Eating Out

Cairns

$304 12.2%

Da Nang

$67 7.8% 77.9% $237

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cairns

$265 10.6%

Da Nang

$91 10.6% 65.6% $173

Clothing & Footwear

Cairns

$187 7.5%

Da Nang

$114 13.2% 39% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Cairns

$71 2.9%

Da Nang

$31 3.6% 56.4% $40

Getting Around

Cairns

$42 1.7%

Da Nang

$10 1.2% 75.8% $32

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,439 in Cairns versus $529 in Da Nang. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 1118% higher in Cairns, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $96.0 in Cairns versus $20.00 in Da Nang. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $409 vs $201 – making Da Nang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Cairns

🇻🇳 Da Nang

🕒 Local time

01:16 1:16 AM

22:16 10:16 PM

3 h behind Cairns

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

153,181

1,245,200

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

VND, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 25,889 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 29,108 VND (100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cairns Da Nang 5,510 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Cairns
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

Cairns vs Da Nang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cairns costs about 190% more than Da Nang, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,751 per month in Cairns and $1,295 in Da Nang. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Da Nang, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 104% more in Cairns, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $96.0 in Cairns and $20.00 in Da Nang. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Da Nang, where all-in costs run around $863, than in Cairns at $2,501. In Da Nang it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cairns it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Da Nang costs $863 versus $2,501 in Cairns. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Da Nang. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cairns makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.