Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cartagena, Spain and Da Nang

For one person, living is cheaper in Da Nang: $889 a month against $1,425 in Cartagena, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

68

Cost of Living Index in Cartagena
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Cartagena Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Da Nang
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Da Nang Living Index

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Cartagena

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,425

/mo nomad

Da Nang

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$889

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,425 in Cartagena versus $889 in Da Nang.

Cartagena $1,425
Da Nang $889

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,101 in Cartagena versus $1,426 in Da Nang.

Cartagena $2,101
Da Nang $1,426

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,778 in Cartagena versus $1,963 in Da Nang.

Cartagena $2,778
Da Nang $1,963

Living in Cartagena is roughly 60% more expensive than in Da Nang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cartagena is 5% above, Da Nang is 35% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.84 €12.40

$2.17 ₫56.0K

537.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.2 €50.3

$19.53 ₫504.0K

187.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.95 €7.12

$4.53 ₫117.0K

75.50%

Cappuccino

$2.47 €2.21

$1.64 ₫42.4K

50.61%

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

$2.56 €2.30

$0.60 ₫15.6K

326.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 €1.63

$0.34 ₫8,901

435.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.06

$1.33 ₫34.4K

157.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.86 €3.46

$2.36 ₫61.0K

63.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.22 €1.09

$1.60 ₫41.2K

-23.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 €1.06

$1.20 ₫31.0K

-0.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.63 €2.35

$1.05 ₫27.1K

150.48%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.54

$1.52 ₫39.3K

160.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.82 €11.48

$12.82 ₫330.7K

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.71 €6.01

$4.17 ₫107.5K

60.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.75 €16.79

$9.33 ₫240.6K

100.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.37 €2.12

$2.60 ₫67.2K

-8.85%

Banana (1kg)

$2.45 €2.19

$1.21 ₫31.3K

102.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.58 €1.42

$1.28 ₫33.1K

23.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.20 €2.87

$1.57 ₫40.5K

103.82%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.20 ₫31.0K

6.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 €1.13

$1.31 ₫33.9K

-3.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 €1.37

$1.04 ₫26.9K

47.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 €0.62

$0.49 ₫12.7K

40.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.71 €5.11

$1.51 ₫39.0K

278.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.30 €5.64

$7.97 ₫205.6K

-20.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 €1.08

$0.93 ₫24.0K

30.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.17 €1.05

$2.18 ₫56.3K

-46.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.48 €1.32

$0.30 ₫7,693

393.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.08 €9.93

$6.31 ₫162.7K

75.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.65 €5.06

$1.04 ₫26.8K

443.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.23 €2.00

$0.57 ₫14.6K

291.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.72 €24.83

$19.27 ₫497.1K

43.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 €1.59

$0.91 ₫23.4K

94.51%

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

$34.6K €30.9K

$30.8K ₫795.4M

12.09%

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

$29.9K €26.7K

$28.4K ₫732.2M

5.21%

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

$211 €189

$78.5 ₫2.0M

168.75%

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

$19.43 €17.40

$6.35 ₫163.9K

205.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.27 €26.21

$8.33 ₫214.9K

251.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.23 €36.92

$27.08 ₫698.6K

52.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.81 €11.47

$5.32 ₫137.2K

140.79%

Cinema Ticket

$7.72 €6.91

$3.37 ₫86.8K

129.08%

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

$406 €364

$423 ₫10.9M

-4.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,651 €2,374

$15.1K ₫389.5M

-82.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.46 €41.61

$45.19 ₫1.2M

2.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.88 €31.24

$27.75 ₫716.1K

25.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.6 €54.2

$101 ₫2.6M

-39.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 €90.5

$82.8 ₫2.1M

22.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$596 €534

$553 ₫14.3M

7.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$490 €439

$369 ₫9.5M

32.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$872 €781

$1,228 ₫31.7M

-28.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$720 €644

$821 ₫21.2M

-12.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,737 €1,556

$3,858 ₫99.5M

-54.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,427 €1,278

$1,877 ₫48.4M

-23.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,704 €1,526

$362 ₫9.4M

370.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.06

10.72

-62.13%

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

Last update for Cartagena: October 25, 2026

Last update for Da Nang: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cartagena

$490 34.4%

Da Nang

$369 41.5% 24.6% $121

Groceries & Markets

Cartagena

$269 18.9%

Da Nang

$200 22.5% 25.7% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cartagena

$260 18.2%

Da Nang

$93 10.5% 64.1% $167

Eating Out

Cartagena

$207 14.5%

Da Nang

$66 7.4% 68.1% $141

Clothing & Footwear

Cartagena

$109 7.7%

Da Nang

$115 13% 5.5% $6.1

Sport & Entertainment

Cartagena

$57 4%

Da Nang

$34 3.8% 40.3% $23

Getting Around

Cartagena

$34 2.4%

Da Nang

$11 1.3% 66.3% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $596 in Cartagena and $553 in Da Nang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cartagena pays about 4.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $56 in Cartagena vs $20 in Da Nang for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $200 per month, with Da Nang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Cartagena

🇻🇳 Da Nang

🕒 Local time

02:07 2:07 AM

08:07 8:07 AM

6 h ahead of Cartagena

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

218,050

1,245,200

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100,000 VND = 3.88 USD

100,000 VND = 3.47 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

VND, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 25,802 VND (100,000 VND = 3.88 USD). 1 EUR = 28,810 VND (100,000 VND = 3.47 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cartagena Da Nang 10,530 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Cartagena
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

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

Da Nang wins on cost – living expenses run 38% lower than in Cartagena. 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 in Cartagena is about 4.7 times higher, 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: $596 in Cartagena versus $553 in Da Nang. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Da Nang – a meal for two runs $20 versus $56 in Cartagena. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,425 per month in Cartagena versus $889 in Da Nang – Da Nang is about 38% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $889 in Da Nang versus $1,425 in Cartagena, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Da Nang but tight or insufficient in Cartagena. The gap between the two cities makes Da Nang the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Cartagena and Da Nang are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Da Nang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 38% less than in Cartagena. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.