Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Da Nang and Nelson

For one person, living is cheaper in Da Nang: $889 a month against $1,865 in Nelson, rent and utilities included – about $11,700 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
90

Cost of Living Index in Nelson
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Nelson Living Index

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Da Nang

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$889

/mo nomad

Nelson

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,865

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $889 per month in Da Nang vs $1,865 in Nelson, rent included.

Da Nang $889
Nelson $1,865

A couple spends around $1,426 per month in Da Nang vs $2,872 in Nelson, rent included.

Da Nang $1,426
Nelson $2,872

A family of three spends $1,963 per month in Da Nang vs $3,879 in Nelson, rent included.

Da Nang $1,963
Nelson $3,879

Da Nang is about 52% cheaper than Nelson, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Da Nang sits 35% below the global median, while Nelson is 37% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.17 ₫56.0K

$13.72 NZ$24.40

-84.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.53 ₫504.0K

$64.8 NZ$115

-69.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.53 ₫117.0K

$8.27 NZ$14.71

-45.22%

Cappuccino

$1.64 ₫42.4K

$3.19 NZ$5.66

-48.59%

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

$0.60 ₫15.6K

$1.82 NZ$3.23

-67.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.34 ₫8,901

$1.65 NZ$2.94

-79.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.33 ₫34.4K

$7.61 NZ$13.52

-82.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₫61.0K

$5.84 NZ$10.38

-59.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 ₫41.2K

$1.93 NZ$3.43

-17.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.20 ₫31.0K

$2.19 NZ$3.89

-45.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.05 ₫27.1K

$1.96 NZ$3.48

-46.43%

Eggs

$1.52 ₫39.3K

$5.85 NZ$10.40

-74.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.82 ₫330.7K

$9.13 NZ$16.22

40.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.17 ₫107.5K

$7.62 NZ$13.54

-45.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.33 ₫240.6K

$13.65 NZ$24.26

-31.65%

Apples (1kg)

$2.60 ₫67.2K

$3.15 NZ$5.61

-17.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.21 ₫31.3K

$2.15 NZ$3.82

-43.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₫33.1K

$3.00 NZ$5.33

-57.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.57 ₫40.5K

$5.63 NZ$10.01

-72.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 ₫31.0K

$2.07 NZ$3.68

-42.03%

Onion (1kg)

$1.31 ₫33.9K

$1.23 NZ$2.19

6.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.04 ₫26.9K

$2.02 NZ$3.60

-48.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ₫12.7K

$1.08 NZ$1.92

-54.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.51 ₫39.0K

$25.87 NZ$45.99

-94.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.97 ₫205.6K

$9.94 NZ$17.66

-19.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 ₫24.0K

$3.14 NZ$5.58

-70.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 ₫56.3K

$2.81 NZ$5.00

-22.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 ₫7,693

$2.20 NZ$3.92

-86.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$6.31 ₫162.7K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.04 ₫26.8K

$1.83 NZ$3.25

-43.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ₫14.6K

$1.79 NZ$3.18

-68.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.27 ₫497.1K

$33.80 NZ$60.1

-42.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 ₫23.4K

$1.56 NZ$2.77

-41.67%

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

$30.8K ₫795.4M

$17.1K NZ$30.3K

80.72%

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

$28.4K ₫732.2M

$22.4K NZ$39.7K

26.96%

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

$78.5 ₫2.0M

$130 NZ$231

-39.67%

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

$6.35 ₫163.9K

$32.93 NZ$58.5

-80.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.33 ₫214.9K

$43.70 NZ$77.7

-80.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.08 ₫698.6K

$101 NZ$179

-73.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.32 ₫137.2K

$34.48 NZ$61.3

-84.57%

Cinema Ticket

$3.37 ₫86.8K

$11.14 NZ$19.81

-69.75%

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

$423 ₫10.9M

$458 NZ$814

-7.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.1K ₫389.5M

$13.1K NZ$23.3K

15.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.19 ₫1.2M

$52.9 NZ$94.1

-14.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.75 ₫716.1K

$28.57 NZ$50.8

-2.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₫2.6M

$104 NZ$185

-3.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.8 ₫2.1M

$143 NZ$254

-41.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$553 ₫14.3M

$1,023 NZ$1,819

-45.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$369 ₫9.5M

$813 NZ$1,445

-54.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,228 ₫31.7M

$1,755 NZ$3,120

-30.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$821 ₫21.2M

$1,455 NZ$2,586

-43.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,858 ₫99.5M

$1,396 NZ$2,482

176.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,877 ₫48.4M

$852 NZ$1,514

120.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$362 ₫9.4M

$2,043 NZ$3,632

-82.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.72

5.39

98.89%

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

Last update for Da Nang: October 25, 2026

Last update for Nelson: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Da Nang

$369 41.5%

Nelson

$813 43.6% 120% $444

Groceries & Markets

Da Nang

$200 22.5%

Nelson

$319 17.1% 59.3% $119

Clothing & Footwear

Da Nang

$115 13%

Nelson

$148 7.9% 28% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Da Nang

$93 10.5%

Nelson

$207 11.1% 122% $114

Eating Out

Da Nang

$66 7.4%

Nelson

$236 12.7% 259% $171

Sport & Entertainment

Da Nang

$34 3.8%

Nelson

$123 6.6% 263% $89

Getting Around

Da Nang

$11 1.3%

Nelson

$20 * 1.1% 72.3% $8.2

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $553 in Da Nang versus $1,023 in Nelson. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Nelson are about 5.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20 in Da Nang versus $65 in Nelson. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $200 vs $319 – making Da Nang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Da Nang

🇳🇿 Nelson

🕒 Local time

11:46 11:46 AM

17:46 5:46 PM

6 h ahead of Da Nang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,245,200

51,100

💱 Currency

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 VND = 3.88 USD

100,000 VND = 3.47 EUR

1 NZD = 0.563 USD

1 NZD = 0.504 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NZD, USD, EUR to VND – Vietnamese Dong Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇻🇳 Vietnamese Dong (₫)

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 25,802 VND (100,000 VND = 3.88 USD). 1 EUR = 28,810 VND (100,000 VND = 3.47 EUR).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.563 USD). 1 EUR = 1.98 NZD (1 NZD = 0.504 EUR).

USD to VND in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Da Nang Nelson 9,230 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Da Nang
Nelson

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 Nelson: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $889 in Da Nang, $1,865 in Nelson – Da Nang comes out roughly 52% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,333 per month in Da Nang and $2,797 in Nelson. 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 $1,023 in Nelson.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $889 in Da Nang and $1,865 in Nelson. That makes Da Nang about 52% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $423 per month in Da Nang and $458 in Nelson. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Da Nang, where all-in costs run around $889, than in Nelson at $1,865. In Da Nang it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nelson 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, Nelson makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.