Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Da Nang and Cairns

For one person, living is cheaper in Da Nang: $889 a month against $2,531 in Cairns, rent and utilities included – about $19,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Da Nang
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Da Nang Living Index
121

Cost of Living Index in Cairns
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Cairns Living Index

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Da Nang

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$889

/mo nomad

Cairns

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,531

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Cairns actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $889 per month in Da Nang vs $2,531 in Cairns, rent included.

Da Nang $889
Cairns $2,531

A couple spends around $1,426 per month in Da Nang vs $3,753 in Cairns, rent included.

Da Nang $1,426
Cairns $3,753

A family of three spends $1,963 per month in Da Nang vs $4,975 in Cairns, rent included.

Da Nang $1,963
Cairns $4,975

Da Nang is about 65% cheaper than Cairns, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Da Nang sits 35% below the global median, while Cairns is 86% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.17 ₫56.0K

$17.49 A$24.86

-87.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.53 ₫504.0K

$97.5 A$139

-79.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.53 ₫117.0K

$12.68 A$18.02

-64.27%

Cappuccino

$1.64 ₫42.4K

$4.43 A$6.29

-62.98%

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

$0.60 ₫15.6K

$3.22 A$4.57

-81.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.34 ₫8,901

$2.74 A$3.89

-87.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.33 ₫34.4K

$7.21 A$10.25

-81.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₫61.0K

$8.60 A$12.23

-72.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 ₫41.2K

$1.94 A$2.76

-17.53%

White Bread (500g)

$1.20 ₫31.0K

$2.74 A$3.89

-56.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.05 ₫27.1K

$2.55 A$3.62

-58.82%

Eggs

$1.52 ₫39.3K

$5.13 A$7.29

-70.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.82 ₫330.7K

$9.50 A$13.50

34.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.17 ₫107.5K

$13.77 A$19.58

-69.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.33 ₫240.6K

$15.24 A$21.66

-38.78%

Apples (1kg)

$2.60 ₫67.2K

$4.09 A$5.81

-36.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.21 ₫31.3K

$2.85 A$4.05

-57.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₫33.1K

$3.56 A$5.06

-64.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.57 ₫40.5K

$5.93 A$8.43

-73.52%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 ₫31.0K

$2.62 A$3.72

-54.20%

Onion (1kg)

$1.31 ₫33.9K

$2.53 A$3.59

-48.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.04 ₫26.9K

$2.73 A$3.88

-61.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ₫12.7K

$2.63 A$3.74

-81.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.51 ₫39.0K

$45.75 A$65.0

-96.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.97 ₫205.6K

$13.94 A$19.81

-42.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 ₫24.0K

$3.48 A$4.95

-73.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 ₫56.3K

$5.37 A$7.63

-59.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 ₫7,693

$2.43 A$3.46

-87.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$6.31 ₫162.7K

$15.73 A$22.36

-59.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.04 ₫26.8K

$2.53 A$3.60

-58.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ₫14.6K

$1.94 A$2.76

-70.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.27 ₫497.1K

$42.49 A$60.4

-54.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 ₫23.4K

$1.24 A$1.76

-26.61%

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

$30.8K ₫795.4M

$29.8K A$42.4K

3.38%

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

$28.4K ₫732.2M

$31.3K A$44.5K

-9.33%

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

$78.5 ₫2.0M

$161 A$229

-51.33%

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

$6.35 ₫163.9K

$34.86 A$49.55

-81.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.33 ₫214.9K

$66.2 A$94.1

-87.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.08 ₫698.6K

$44.42 A$63.1

-39.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.32 ₫137.2K

$27.62 A$39.26

-80.74%

Cinema Ticket

$3.37 ₫86.8K

$13.75 A$19.54

-75.49%

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

$423 ₫10.9M

$2,058 A$2,925

-79.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.1K ₫389.5M

$14.3K A$20.3K

5.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.19 ₫1.2M

$89.4 A$127

-49.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.75 ₫716.1K

$73.3 A$104

-62.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₫2.6M

$126 A$179

-20.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.8 ₫2.1M

$133 A$190

-37.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$553 ₫14.3M

$1,491 A$2,120

-62.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$369 ₫9.5M

$1,247 A$1,772

-70.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,228 ₫31.7M

$2,408 A$3,422

-49.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$821 ₫21.2M

$1,960 A$2,786

-58.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,858 ₫99.5M

$6,463 A$9,187

-40.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,877 ₫48.4M

$5,002 A$7,110

-62.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$362 ₫9.4M

$4,338 A$6,166

-91.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.72

6.32

69.62%

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

Last update for Da Nang: October 25, 2026

Last update for Cairns: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Da Nang

$369 41.5%

Cairns

$1.2K 49.3% 238% $878

Groceries & Markets

Da Nang

$200 22.5%

Cairns

$413 16.3% 107% $213

Clothing & Footwear

Da Nang

$115 13%

Cairns

$190 7.5% 64.7% $75

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Da Nang

$93 10.5%

Cairns

$262 10.4% 182% $169

Eating Out

Da Nang

$66 7.4%

Cairns

$308 12.2% 368% $242

Sport & Entertainment

Da Nang

$34 3.8%

Cairns

$72 2.8% 113% $38

Getting Around

Da Nang

$11 1.3%

Cairns

$38 1.5% 232% $26

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $553 in Da Nang versus $1,491 in Cairns. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Cairns are about 12 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20 in Da Nang versus $97 in Cairns. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $200 vs $413 – making Da Nang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Da Nang

🇦🇺 Cairns

🕒 Local time

23:10 11:10 PM

02:10 2:10 AM

3 h ahead of Da Nang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,245,200

153,181

💱 Currency

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 VND = 3.88 USD

100,000 VND = 3.47 EUR

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to VND – Vietnamese Dong Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇻🇳 Vietnamese Dong (₫)

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).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 AUD (1 AUD = 0.63 EUR).

USD to VND in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Da Nang
Cairns

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 Cairns: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cairns costs about 185% 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 $1,333 per month in Da Nang and $3,796 in Cairns. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $553 there versus $1,491 in Cairns.

Groceries cost about 107% more in Cairns, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20 in Da Nang and $97 in Cairns. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Da Nang, where all-in costs run around $889, than in Cairns at $2,531. In Da Nang it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cairns it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Da Nang – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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