Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dien Bien Phu and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Dien Bien Phu: $770 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $22,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Dien Bien Phu
🇻🇳 Vietnam
$770
/mo nomad
Austin, TX
🇺🇸 United States
$2,663
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dien Bien Phu and in Austin, TX

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Dien Bien Phu and in Austin, TX actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $770 in Dien Bien Phu versus $2,663 in Austin, TX.

  • Dien Bien Phu $770
  • Austin, TX $2,663

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,231 in Dien Bien Phu versus $4,133 in Austin, TX.

  • Dien Bien Phu $1,231
  • Austin, TX $4,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,692 in Dien Bien Phu versus $5,603 in Austin, TX.

  • Dien Bien Phu $1,692
  • Austin, TX $5,603

Living in Dien Bien Phu costs roughly 71% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Dien Bien Phu is 43% below, Austin, TX is 97% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Dien Bien Phu
Austin, TX
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.03 ₫52.6K
$20.77 $20.77
-90.23%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$19.34 ₫500.7K
$84.6 $84.6
-77.14%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.39 ₫113.6K
$12.32 $12.32
-64.37%
Cappuccino
$1.64 ₫42.5K
$5.63 $5.63
-70.87%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.51 ₫13.1K
$3.72 $3.72
-86.29%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.33 ₫8,660
$2.50 $2.50
-86.80%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$0.88 ₫22.7K
$8.05 $8.05
-89.07%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.43 ₫37.0K
$9.01 $9.01
-84.13%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Dien Bien Phu
Austin, TX
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.49 ₫38.5K
$1.12 $1.12
33.04%
White Bread (500g)
$1.05 ₫27.2K
$3.75 $3.75
-72.00%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.94 ₫24.3K
$3.26 $3.26
-71.17%
Eggs
$1.51 ₫39.0K
$4.17 $4.17
-63.79%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.24 ₫291.0K
$12.90 $12.90
-12.87%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.73 ₫96.6K
$14.16 $14.16
-73.66%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.86 ₫255.2K
$16.22 $16.22
-39.21%
Apples (1kg)
$3.06 ₫79.3K
$4.33 $4.33
-29.33%
Banana (1kg)
$1.12 ₫29.0K
$1.46 $1.46
-23.29%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.33 ₫34.5K
$4.51 $4.51
-70.51%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.27 ₫32.9K
$4.34 $4.34
-70.74%
Potato (1kg)
$1.07 ₫27.7K
$2.58 $2.58
-58.53%
Onion (1kg)
$1.15 ₫29.7K
$2.35 $2.35
-51.06%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.65 ₫16.8K
$1.78 $1.78
-63.48%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.50 ₫13.1K
$2.22 $2.22
-77.48%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.36 ₫35.2K
$9.88 $9.88
-86.23%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.16 ₫314.8K
$15.08 $15.08
-19.36%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.88 ₫22.9K
$2.92 $2.92
-69.86%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.64 ₫42.5K
$3.46 $3.46
-52.60%
🚌 Getting Around
Dien Bien Phu
Austin, TX
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.31 ₫8,151
$1.49 $1.49
-79.19%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$6.45 ₫167.1K
$41.72 $41.72
-84.54%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.73 ₫18.8K
$2.73 $2.73
-73.26%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.61 ₫15.7K
$1.66 $1.66
-63.25%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.39 ₫62.0K
$35.30 $35.30
-93.23%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.95 ₫24.7K
$0.95 $0.95
-
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.4K ₫786.3M
$36.0K $36.0K
-15.75%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$30.4K ₫786.0M
$27.1K $27.1K
12.14%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Dien Bien Phu
Austin, TX
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$77.2 ₫2.0M
$229 $229
-66.29%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$5.79 ₫149.9K
$59.4 $59.4
-90.25%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$8.56 ₫221.6K
$69.9 $69.9
-87.76%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Dien Bien Phu
Austin, TX
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$21.91 ₫567.2K
$57.2 $57.2
-61.72%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$7.83 ₫202.6K
$16.33 $16.33
-52.05%
Cinema Ticket
$3.06 ₫79.3K
$14.28 $14.28
-78.57%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Dien Bien Phu
Austin, TX
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$159 ₫4.1M
$1,506 $1,506
-89.43%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.4K ₫320.6M
$21.5K $21.5K
-42.28%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Dien Bien Phu
Austin, TX
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$45.80 ₫1.2M
$52.8 $52.8
-13.27%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$25.91 ₫670.9K
$43.82 $43.82
-40.87%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$83.3 ₫2.2M
$84.8 $84.8
-1.76%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$79.7 ₫2.1M
$103 $103
-22.67%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Dien Bien Phu
Austin, TX
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$413 ₫10.7M
$1,907 $1,907
-78.36%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$276 ₫7.2M
$1,274 $1,274
-78.32%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$737 ₫19.1M
$3,664 $3,664
-79.89%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$607 ₫15.7M
$2,538 $2,538
-76.08%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,783 ₫72.0M
$7,614 $7,614
-63.45%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,324 ₫34.3M
$3,157 $3,157
-58.07%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Dien Bien Phu
Austin, TX
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$5,121 $5,121
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
8.46
6.79
24.59%

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

Last update for Dien Bien Phu: October 11, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Dien Bien Phu
$276
Austin, TX
$1.3K 361% $998
Groceries & Markets
Dien Bien Phu
$197
Austin, TX
$405 105% $208
Clothing & Footwear
Dien Bien Phu
$106
Austin, TX
$128 21.2% $22
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Dien Bien Phu
$92
Austin, TX
$358 291% $267
Eating Out
Dien Bien Phu
$60
Austin, TX
$354 493% $294
Sport & Entertainment
Dien Bien Phu
$28
Austin, TX
$86 206% $58
Getting Around
Dien Bien Phu
$11
Austin, TX
$59 412% $47

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $413 in Dien Bien Phu and $1,907 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $19.00 in Dien Bien Phu vs $85.0 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $197 vs $405 per month, with Dien Bien Phu cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇻🇳 Dien Bien Phu
🇺🇸 Austin, TX
🕒 Local time
09:40 9:40 AM
21:40 9:40 PM
12 h behind Dien Bien Phu
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
80,366
974,447
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to VND – Vietnamese Dong Converter

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 25,889 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 29,105 VND (100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Dien Bien Phu Austin, TX 13,860 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Dien Bien Phu
  • Austin, TX

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
Dien Bien Phu vs Austin, TX: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Dien Bien Phu or Austin, TX?
Dien Bien Phu wins on cost – living expenses run 246% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Dien Bien Phu the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Dien Bien Phu and in Austin, TX?
You'd need roughly $1,154 in Dien Bien Phu and $3,995 in Austin, TX to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Dien Bien Phu compared to Austin, TX?
Rent for a central apartment: $413 in Dien Bien Phu versus $1,907 in Austin, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How much does it cost to live in Dien Bien Phu compared to Austin, TX?
All in, you'll spend $770 per month in Dien Bien Phu versus $2,663 in Austin, TX – a 246% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
How expensive is transport in Dien Bien Phu compared to Austin, TX?
A monthly transit pass in Dien Bien Phu runs roughly 547% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.
Can you live on $1,500/month in Dien Bien Phu or in Austin, TX?
At $770 in Dien Bien Phu versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Dien Bien Phu but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Dien Bien Phu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Dien Bien Phu or Austin, TX?
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.
How safe is Dien Bien Phu compared to Austin, TX?
Safety-wise, Dien Bien Phu and Austin, TX are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Dien Bien Phu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 246% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Dien Bien Phu vs other spots: cost of living compared

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