Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Da Nang and Busan

For one person, living is cheaper in Da Nang: $925 a month against $1,798 in Busan, rent and utilities included – about $10,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Da Nang, Vietnam
Busan, South Korea
Da Nang
🇻🇳 Vietnam
$925
/mo nomad
Busan
🇰🇷 South Korea
$1,798
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Da Nang and in Busan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $925 in Da Nang versus $1,798 in Busan.

  • Da Nang $925
  • Busan $1,798

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,477 in Da Nang versus $2,951 in Busan.

  • Da Nang $1,477
  • Busan $2,951

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,029 in Da Nang versus $4,104 in Busan.

  • Da Nang $2,029
  • Busan $4,104

Living in Da Nang costs roughly 49% less than in Busan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Da Nang is 31% below, Busan is 34% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Da Nang
Busan
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.36 ₫60.6K
$7.67 ₩10.2K
-69.23%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$19.31 ₫495.3K
$49.50 ₩66.1K
-60.99%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.61 ₫118.2K
$6.60 ₩8,820
-30.15%
Cappuccino
$1.69 ₫43.4K
$3.73 ₩4,989
-54.69%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.63 ₫16.2K
$1.77 ₩2,368
-64.41%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.33 ₫8,393
$1.40 ₩1,877
-76.43%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.33 ₫34.1K
$3.80 ₩5,073
-65.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.33 ₫59.7K
$4.37 ₩5,839
-46.68%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Da Nang
Busan
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.60 ₫41.1K
$2.29 ₩3,059
-30.13%
White Bread (500g)
$1.23 ₫31.5K
$3.14 ₩4,198
-60.83%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.00 ₫25.8K
$3.12 ₩4,164
-67.95%
Eggs
$1.51 ₫38.8K
$2.62 ₩3,496
-42.37%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.06 ₫335.1K
$10.99 ₩14.7K
18.84%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.33 ₫111.2K
$10.40 ₩13.9K
-58.37%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$8.90 ₫228.4K
$24.69 ₩33.0K
-63.95%
Apples (1kg)
$2.92 ₫74.8K
$11.01 ₩14.7K
-73.48%
Banana (1kg)
$1.26 ₫32.3K
$3.69 ₩4,935
-65.85%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.47 ₫37.7K
$8.33 ₩11.1K
-82.35%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.66 ₫42.6K
$6.01 ₩8,029
-72.38%
Potato (1kg)
$1.23 ₫31.7K
$6.12 ₩8,181
-79.90%
Onion (1kg)
$1.25 ₫32.1K
$3.34 ₩4,467
-62.57%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.99 ₫25.3K
$2.76 ₩3,685
-64.13%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.51 ₫13.1K
$1.34 ₩1,793
-61.94%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.60 ₫40.9K
$3.32 ₩4,438
-51.81%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.03 ₫205.9K
$18.81 ₩25.1K
-57.31%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.90 ₫23.2K
$2.38 ₩3,177
-62.18%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.31 ₫59.2K
$3.67 ₩4,905
-37.06%
🚌 Getting Around
Da Nang
Busan
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.30 ₫7,640
$1.15 ₩1,535
-73.91%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$6.83 ₫175.1K
$68.6 ₩91.6K
-90.04%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.08 ₫27.8K
$3.61 ₩4,822
-70.08%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.51 ₫13.1K
$0.63 ₩845
-19.05%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$10.90 ₫279.6K
$14.96 ₩20.0K
-27.14%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.94 ₫24.1K
$1.43 ₩1,908
-34.27%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$31.2K ₫801.3M
$39.8K ₩53.2M
-21.54%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$28.1K ₫722.0M
$33.1K ₩44.2M
-14.85%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Da Nang
Busan
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$87.4 ₫2.2M
$197 ₩262.8K
-55.59%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$6.70 ₫171.8K
$36.58 ₩48.9K
-81.68%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$9.14 ₫234.4K
$26.77 ₩35.8K
-65.86%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Da Nang
Busan
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$41.73 ₫1.1M
$42.05 ₩56.2K
-0.76%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.23 ₫262.3K
$10.18 ₩13.6K
0.49%
Cinema Ticket
$3.37 ₫86.5K
$11.89 ₩15.9K
-71.66%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Da Nang
Busan
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$462 ₫11.8M
$639 ₩853.1K
-27.66%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$20.5K ₫526.8M
$22.1K ₩29.5M
-6.94%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Da Nang
Busan
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$41.36 ₫1.1M
$106 ₩141.1K
-60.84%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.08 ₫720.2K
$66.1 ₩88.2K
-57.49%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$121 ₫3.1M
$93.6 ₩125.0K
29.26%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$82.7 ₫2.1M
$126 ₩168.9K
-34.55%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Da Nang
Busan
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$549 ₫14.1M
$742 ₩991.9K
-26.02%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$367 ₫9.4M
$563 ₩752.7K
-34.93%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,158 ₫29.7M
$2,181 ₩2.9M
-46.90%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$813 ₫20.9M
$1,399 ₩1.9M
-41.89%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,842 ₫98.6M
$5,334 ₩7.1M
-27.96%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,909 ₫49.0M
$3,295 ₩4.4M
-42.06%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Da Nang
Busan
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$431 ₫11.1M
$2,595 ₩3.5M
-83.39%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.29
4.22
143.84%

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

Last update for Da Nang: November 8, 2026

Last update for Busan: November 9, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Da Nang
$367
Busan
$563 53.7% $197
Groceries & Markets
Da Nang
$204
Busan
$486 139% $282
Clothing & Footwear
Da Nang
$123
Busan
$176 43.4% $53
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Da Nang
$103
Busan
$260 152% $157
Eating Out
Da Nang
$68
Busan
$166 144% $98
Sport & Entertainment
Da Nang
$48
Busan
$66 35.8% $17
Getting Around
Da Nang
$12
Busan
$80 586% $68

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $549 in Da Nang and $742 in Busan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Busan pays about 6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $19 in Da Nang vs $49 in Busan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $204 vs $486 per month, with Da Nang cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇻🇳 Da Nang
🇰🇷 Busan
🕒 Local time
17:02 5:02 PM
19:02 7:02 PM
2 h ahead of Da Nang
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,245,200
3,586,079
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

KRW, USD, EUR to VND – Vietnamese Dong Converter

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of November 12, 2026: 1 USD = 25,651 VND (100,000 VND = 3.9 USD). 1 EUR = 28,466 VND (100,000 VND = 3.51 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of November 12, 2026: 1 USD = 1,336 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.49 USD). 1 EUR = 1,483 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.74 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Da Nang Busan 2,970 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Da Nang
  • Busan

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
Da Nang vs Busan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Da Nang or Busan?
Da Nang wins on cost – living expenses run 49% lower than in Busan. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Da Nang the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Da Nang or in Busan?
On paper, salaries run 83% lower in Da Nang. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Da Nang compared to Busan?
Rent for a central apartment: $549 in Da Nang versus $742 in Busan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How expensive is transport in Da Nang compared to Busan?
A monthly transit pass in Da Nang runs roughly 90% less than in Busan. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.
How do childcare costs compare in Da Nang and in Busan?
Childcare runs $462 in Da Nang versus $639 in Busan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Can you live on $1,200/month in Da Nang or in Busan?
At $925 in Da Nang versus $1,798 in Busan, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Da Nang but tight or insufficient in Busan. The gap between the two cities makes Da Nang the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Da Nang or Busan?
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.
How safe is Da Nang compared to Busan?
Safety-wise, Da Nang and Busan are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Da Nang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 49% less than in Busan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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