Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Da Nang and Pietermaritzburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Da Nang: $889 a month against $1,033 in Pietermaritzburg, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. The total is higher in Pietermaritzburg despite lower rent and utilities.

42

Cost of Living Index in Da Nang
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Da Nang Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Pietermaritzburg
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Pietermaritzburg Living Index

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Da Nang

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$889

/mo nomad

Pietermaritzburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,033

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $889 per month in Da Nang vs $1,033 in Pietermaritzburg, rent included.

Da Nang $889
Pietermaritzburg $1,033

A couple spends around $1,426 per month in Da Nang vs $1,555 in Pietermaritzburg, rent included.

Da Nang $1,426
Pietermaritzburg $1,555

A family of three spends $1,963 per month in Da Nang vs $2,077 in Pietermaritzburg, rent included.

Da Nang $1,963
Pietermaritzburg $2,077

Da Nang is about 14% cheaper than Pietermaritzburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Da Nang and Pietermaritzburg are more affordable than the global median – Da Nang 35% lower, Pietermaritzburg 24% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.17 ₫56.1K

$7.74 R 129

-71.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.53 ₫504.6K

$35.63 R 594

-45.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.53 ₫117.1K

$5.80 R 96.6

-21.90%

Cappuccino

$1.64 ₫42.4K

$2.36 R 39.27

-30.51%

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

$0.60 ₫15.6K

$1.16 R 19.40

-48.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.34 ₫8,912

$1.03 R 17.15

-66.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.33 ₫34.4K

$2.15 R 35.77

-38.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₫61.0K

$2.51 R 41.75

-5.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 ₫41.2K

$1.33 R 22.16

20.30%

White Bread (500g)

$1.20 ₫31.1K

$0.92 R 15.33

30.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.05 ₫27.1K

$1.70 R 28.31

-38.24%

Eggs

$1.52 ₫39.4K

$3.16 R 52.7

-51.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.82 ₫331.1K

$7.22 R 120

77.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.17 ₫107.6K

$4.94 R 82.3

-15.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.33 ₫240.9K

$6.36 R 106

46.70%

Apples (1kg)

$2.60 ₫67.3K

$2.04 R 34.00

27.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.21 ₫31.4K

$1.94 R 32.28

-37.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₫33.1K

$2.32 R 38.74

-44.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.57 ₫40.6K

$2.03 R 33.90

-22.66%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 ₫31.0K

$1.78 R 29.68

-32.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.31 ₫33.9K

$1.81 R 30.09

-27.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.04 ₫26.9K

$1.49 R 24.78

-30.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ₫12.7K

$1.04 R 17.28

-52.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.51 ₫39.0K

$3.14 R 52.3

-51.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.97 ₫205.9K

$3.92 R 65.4

103.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 ₫24.0K

$1.42 R 23.70

-34.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 ₫56.4K

$1.75 R 29.20

24.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 ₫7,702

$2.86 R 47.70

-89.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$6.31 ₫162.9K

$19.71 R 328

-67.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.04 ₫26.8K

$1.59 R 26.52

-34.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ₫14.6K

$1.06 R 17.69

-46.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.27 ₫497.7K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 ₫23.5K

$1.44 R 23.96

-36.81%

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

$30.8K ₫796.3M

$26.5K R 442.3K

16.13%

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

$28.4K ₫733.1M

$26.8K R 446.3K

5.96%

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

$78.5 ₫2.0M

$205 R 3,416

-61.68%

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

$6.35 ₫164.1K

$32.46 R 541

-80.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.33 ₫215.2K

$37.19 R 620

-77.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.08 ₫699.4K

$43.80 R 730

-38.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.32 ₫137.4K

$3.05 R 50.9

74.43%

Cinema Ticket

$3.37 ₫87.0K

$4.84 R 80.6

-30.37%

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

$423 ₫10.9M

$177 R 2,949

139.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.1K ₫390.0M

$5,103 R 85.0K

195.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.19 ₫1.2M

$56.7 R 945

-20.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.75 ₫717.0K

$34.35 R 572

-19.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₫2.6M

$114 R 1,897

-11.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.8 ₫2.1M

$69.9 R 1,165

18.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$553 ₫14.3M

$216 R 3,606

155.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$369 ₫9.5M

$217 R 3,613

70.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,228 ₫31.7M

$576 R 9,598

113.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$821 ₫21.2M

$405 R 6,753

102.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,858 ₫99.6M

$5,914 R 98.5K

-34.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,877 ₫48.5M

$148 R 2,470

1166.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$362 ₫9.4M

$1,058 R 17.6K

-65.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.72

11.67

-8.14%

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

Last update for Da Nang: October 25, 2026

Last update for Pietermaritzburg: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Da Nang

$369 41.5%

Pietermaritzburg

$217 21% 41.3% $152

Groceries & Markets

Da Nang

$200 22.5%

Pietermaritzburg

$194 18.8% 2.8% $5.6

Clothing & Footwear

Da Nang

$115 13%

Pietermaritzburg

$124 12% 7.2% $8.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Da Nang

$93 10.5%

Pietermaritzburg

$275 26.6% 195% $181

Eating Out

Da Nang

$66 7.4%

Pietermaritzburg

$132 12.8% 101% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Da Nang

$34 3.8%

Pietermaritzburg

$53 5.2% 58.1% $20

Getting Around

Da Nang

$11 1.3%

Pietermaritzburg

$38 3.7% 235% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $553 in Da Nang versus $216 in Pietermaritzburg. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Pietermaritzburg are about 2.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20 in Da Nang versus $36 in Pietermaritzburg. Groceries tell a different story – $200 in Da Nang vs $194 in Pietermaritzburg – so Pietermaritzburg wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Da Nang

🇿🇦 Pietermaritzburg

🕒 Local time

21:10 9:10 PM

16:10 4:10 PM

5 h behind Da Nang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,245,200

618,536

💱 Currency

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 VND = 3.87 USD

100,000 VND = 3.48 EUR

100 ZAR = 6 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to VND – Vietnamese Dong Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇻🇳 Vietnamese Dong (₫)

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 25,832 VND (100,000 VND = 3.87 USD). 1 EUR = 28,750 VND (100,000 VND = 3.48 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 16.66 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6 USD). 1 EUR = 18.55 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR).

USD to VND in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Da Nang Pietermaritzburg 9,760 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Da Nang
Pietermaritzburg

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 Pietermaritzburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $889 in Da Nang, $1,033 in Pietermaritzburg – roughly 16% apart. 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 $1,550 in Pietermaritzburg. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Pietermaritzburg, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $216 there versus $553 in Da Nang.

Interestingly, groceries are about 3% cheaper in Pietermaritzburg – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20 in Da Nang and $36 in Pietermaritzburg. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $889 in Da Nang and $1,033 in Pietermaritzburg, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Da Nang has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $889 in Da Nang to $1,033 in Pietermaritzburg. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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