Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Da Nang and Richards Bay

For one person, living is cheaper in Da Nang: $866 a month against $1,027 in Richards Bay, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. The total is higher in Richards Bay 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 Richards Bay
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Richards Bay Living Index

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Da Nang

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$866

/mo nomad

Richards Bay

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,027

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Da Nang and in Richards Bay

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

A single person spends $866 per month in Da Nang vs $1,027 in Richards Bay, rent included.

Da Nang $866
Richards Bay $1,027

A couple spends around $1,402 per month in Da Nang vs $1,610 in Richards Bay, rent included.

Da Nang $1,402
Richards Bay $1,610

A family of three spends $1,937 per month in Da Nang vs $2,193 in Richards Bay, rent included.

Da Nang $1,937
Richards Bay $2,193

Da Nang is about 16% cheaper than Richards Bay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Da Nang and Richards Bay are more affordable than the global median – Da Nang 36% lower, Richards Bay 24% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.30 ₫59.7K

$7.76 R 128

-70.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.11 ₫494.6K

$39.61 R 653

-51.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.54 ₫117.4K

$5.38 R 88.6

-15.61%

Cappuccino

$1.73 ₫44.7K

$2.11 R 34.82

-18.01%

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

$0.60 ₫15.5K

$1.13 R 18.67

-46.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.34 ₫8,807

$0.90 R 14.86

-62.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.38 ₫35.9K

$1.48 R 24.31

-6.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 ₫60.8K

$1.87 R 30.79

25.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 ₫41.1K

$1.13 R 18.59

40.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.23 ₫31.7K

$0.95 R 15.73

29.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.05 ₫27.1K

$1.51 R 24.84

-30.46%

Eggs

$1.49 ₫38.5K

$2.35 R 38.70

-36.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.26 ₫343.2K

$6.64 R 109

99.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.25 ₫110.1K

$4.51 R 74.3

-5.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.57 ₫247.8K

$6.92 R 114

38.29%

Apples (1kg)

$2.64 ₫68.3K

$1.98 R 32.59

33.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.20 ₫31.2K

$1.61 R 26.48

-25.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.31 ₫34.0K

$1.97 R 32.49

-33.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.53 ₫39.5K

$1.74 R 28.73

-12.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.14 ₫29.6K

$0.87 R 14.27

31.03%

Onion (1kg)

$1.31 ₫33.9K

$1.19 R 19.67

10.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.03 ₫26.8K

$1.18 R 19.44

-12.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₫13.7K

$1.15 R 18.93

-53.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.51 ₫39.2K

$2.38 R 39.14

-36.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.54 ₫195.2K

$4.97 R 81.9

51.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 ₫24.2K

$1.41 R 23.29

-34.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₫56.2K

$1.85 R 30.44

17.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.35 ₫8,963

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$5.01 ₫129.6K

$104 R 1,711

-95.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.04 ₫26.9K

$0.41 R 6.83

153.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.56 ₫14.5K

$0.71 R 11.65

-21.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.19 ₫496.8K

$7.51 R 124

155.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.89 ₫23.1K

$1.37 R 22.64

-35.04%

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

$30.4K ₫788.3M

$21.5K R 354.1K

41.66%

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

$28.1K ₫726.2M

$29.9K R 492.0K

-6.07%

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

$78.5 ₫2.0M

$130 R 2,149

-39.77%

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

$6.17 ₫159.8K

$30.05 R 495

-79.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.35 ₫216.1K

$40.32 R 664

-79.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.33 ₫655.7K

$35.79 R 590

-29.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.45 ₫141.0K

Cinema Ticket

$3.29 ₫85.1K

$7.15 R 118

-53.99%

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

$160 ₫4.2M

$107 R 1,755

50.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.9K ₫385.9M

$2,674 R 44.1K

457.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.73 ₫1.2M

$51.6 R 851

-13.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.90 ₫722.2K

$18.59 R 306

50.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 ₫2.6M

$76.7 R 1,263

33.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.1 ₫2.1M

$86.3 R 1,422

-6.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$532 ₫13.8M

$371 R 6,107

43.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$346 ₫9.0M

$261 R 4,293

32.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,039 ₫26.9M

$695 R 11.4K

49.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₫20.6M

$552 R 9,093

43.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,852 ₫99.7M

$352 R 5,792

995.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,328 ₫34.4M

$516 R 8,500

157.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$354 ₫9.2M

$1,239 R 20.4K

-71.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.72

7.5

42.93%

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

Last update for Da Nang: October 20, 2026

Last update for Richards Bay: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Da Nang

$346 39.9%

Richards Bay

$261 25.4% 24.7% $85

Groceries & Markets

Da Nang

$202 23.3%

Richards Bay

$180 17.5% 10.9% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Da Nang

$115 13.3%

Richards Bay

$105 10.2% 8.9% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Da Nang

$93 10.7%

Richards Bay

$201 19.6% 116% $108

Eating Out

Da Nang

$68 7.9%

Richards Bay

$123 12% 80.2% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Da Nang

$32 3.7%

Richards Bay

$50 4.9% 57% $18

Getting Around

Da Nang

$10 1.2%

Richards Bay

$108 * 10.5% 954% $98

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $532 in Da Nang versus $371 in Richards Bay. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 250% higher in Richards Bay, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19.00 in Da Nang versus $40.00 in Richards Bay. Groceries tell a different story – $202 in Da Nang vs $180 in Richards Bay – so Richards Bay wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Da Nang

🇿🇦 Richards Bay

🕒 Local time

01:01 1:01 AM

20:01 8:01 PM

5 h behind Da Nang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,245,200

57,387

💱 Currency

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 25,889 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 29,105 VND (100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to VND in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Da Nang Richards Bay 9,570 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Da Nang
Richards Bay

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 Richards Bay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $866 in Da Nang, $1,027 in Richards Bay – roughly 19% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,300 per month in Da Nang and $1,540 in Richards Bay. 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 12% cheaper in Richards Bay – 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 $19.00 in Da Nang and $40.00 in Richards Bay. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Da Nang, where all-in costs run around $866, than in Richards Bay at $1,027. In Da Nang it covers expenses comfortably, while in Richards Bay it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Da Nang has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $866 in Da Nang to $1,027 in Richards Bay. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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