Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Da Nang and Cartagena, Spain

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.

42

Cost of Living Index in Da Nang
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Da Nang Living Index
68

Cost of Living Index in Cartagena
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Cartagena Living Index

Jump to prices

Da Nang

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$889

/mo nomad

Cartagena

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,425

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

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

Da Nang $889
Cartagena $1,425

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

Da Nang $1,426
Cartagena $2,101

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

Da Nang $1,963
Cartagena $2,778

Living in Da Nang costs roughly 38% less than in Cartagena, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.17 ₫56.0K

$13.84 €12.40

-84.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.53 ₫504.0K

$56.2 €50.3

-65.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.53 ₫117.0K

$7.95 €7.12

-43.02%

Cappuccino

$1.64 ₫42.4K

$2.47 €2.21

-33.60%

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

$0.60 ₫15.6K

$2.56 €2.30

-76.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.34 ₫8,901

$1.82 €1.63

-81.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.33 ₫34.4K

$3.42 €3.06

-61.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₫61.0K

$3.86 €3.46

-38.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 ₫41.2K

$1.22 €1.09

31.15%

White Bread (500g)

$1.20 ₫31.0K

$1.19 €1.06

0.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.05 ₫27.1K

$2.63 €2.35

-60.08%

Eggs

$1.52 ₫39.3K

$3.96 €3.54

-61.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.82 ₫330.7K

$12.82 €11.48

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.17 ₫107.5K

$6.71 €6.01

-37.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.33 ₫240.6K

$18.75 €16.79

-50.24%

Apples (1kg)

$2.60 ₫67.2K

$2.37 €2.12

9.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.21 ₫31.3K

$2.45 €2.19

-50.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₫33.1K

$1.58 €1.42

-18.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.57 ₫40.5K

$3.20 €2.87

-50.94%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 ₫31.0K

$1.28 €1.14

-6.25%

Onion (1kg)

$1.31 ₫33.9K

$1.26 €1.13

3.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.04 ₫26.9K

$1.53 €1.37

-32.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ₫12.7K

$0.69 €0.62

-28.99%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.51 ₫39.0K

$5.71 €5.11

-73.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.97 ₫205.6K

$6.30 €5.64

26.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 ₫24.0K

$1.21 €1.08

-23.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 ₫56.3K

$1.17 €1.05

86.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 ₫7,693

$1.48 €1.32

-79.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$6.31 ₫162.7K

$11.08 €9.93

-43.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.04 ₫26.8K

$5.65 €5.06

-81.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ₫14.6K

$2.23 €2.00

-74.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.27 ₫497.1K

$27.72 €24.83

-30.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 ₫23.4K

$1.77 €1.59

-48.59%

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

$30.8K ₫795.4M

$34.6K €30.9K

-10.79%

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

$28.4K ₫732.2M

$29.9K €26.7K

-4.95%

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

$78.5 ₫2.0M

$211 €189

-62.79%

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

$6.35 ₫163.9K

$19.43 €17.40

-67.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.33 ₫214.9K

$29.27 €26.21

-71.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.08 ₫698.6K

$41.23 €36.92

-34.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.32 ₫137.2K

$12.81 €11.47

-58.47%

Cinema Ticket

$3.37 ₫86.8K

$7.72 €6.91

-56.35%

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

$423 ₫10.9M

$406 €364

4.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.1K ₫389.5M

$2,651 €2,374

469.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.19 ₫1.2M

$46.46 €41.61

-2.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.75 ₫716.1K

$34.88 €31.24

-20.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₫2.6M

$60.6 €54.2

66.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.8 ₫2.1M

$101 €90.5

-18.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$553 ₫14.3M

$596 €534

-7.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$369 ₫9.5M

$490 €439

-24.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,228 ₫31.7M

$872 €781

40.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$821 ₫21.2M

$720 €644

14.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,858 ₫99.5M

$1,737 €1,556

122.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,877 ₫48.4M

$1,427 €1,278

31.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$362 ₫9.4M

$1,704 €1,526

-78.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.72

4.06

164.04%

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

Last update for Da Nang: October 25, 2026

Last update for Cartagena: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Da Nang

$369 41.5%

Cartagena

$490 34.4% 32.7% $121

Groceries & Markets

Da Nang

$200 22.5%

Cartagena

$269 18.9% 34.5% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Da Nang

$115 13%

Cartagena

$109 7.7% 5.3% $6.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Da Nang

$93 10.5%

Cartagena

$260 18.2% 179% $167

Eating Out

Da Nang

$66 7.4%

Cartagena

$207 14.5% 214% $141

Sport & Entertainment

Da Nang

$34 3.8%

Cartagena

$57 4% 67.6% $23

Getting Around

Da Nang

$11 1.3%

Cartagena

$34 2.4% 197% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $553 in Da Nang and $596 in Cartagena. 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: $20 in Da Nang vs $56 in Cartagena for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $200 vs $269 per month, with Da Nang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Da Nang

🇪🇸 Cartagena

🕒 Local time

21:25 9:25 PM

15:25 3:25 PM

6 h behind Da Nang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,245,200

218,050

💱 Currency

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 VND = 3.88 USD

100,000 VND = 3.47 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD 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).

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

USD to VND in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Da Nang
Cartagena

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 Cartagena: 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.

On paper, salaries run 79% 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $553 in Da Nang versus $596 in Cartagena. 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 $889 per month in Da Nang versus $1,425 in Cartagena – 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, Da Nang and Cartagena 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.