Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Durham, NC and Da Nang

For one person, living is cheaper in Da Nang: $889 a month against $2,423 in Durham, NC, rent and utilities included – about $18,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

116

Cost of Living Index in Durham, NC
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Durham, NC Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Da Nang
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Da Nang Living Index

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Durham, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,423

/mo nomad

Da Nang

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$889

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Durham, NC and in Da Nang

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Durham, NC and in Da Nang actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,423 per month in Durham, NC vs $889 in Da Nang, rent included.

Durham, NC $2,423
Da Nang $889

A couple spends around $3,700 per month in Durham, NC vs $1,426 in Da Nang, rent included.

Durham, NC $3,700
Da Nang $1,426

A family of three spends $4,978 per month in Durham, NC vs $1,963 in Da Nang, rent included.

Durham, NC $4,978
Da Nang $1,963

Durham, NC costs about 173% more than Da Nang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Durham, NC sits 78% above the global median, while Da Nang is 35% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.31 $15.31

$2.17 ₫56.0K

605.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$106 $106

$19.53 ₫504.0K

442.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 $9.96

$4.53 ₫117.0K

119.87%

Cappuccino

$4.79 $4.79

$1.64 ₫42.4K

192.07%

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

$3.02 $3.02

$0.60 ₫15.6K

403.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 $2.10

$0.34 ₫8,901

517.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.18 $6.18

$1.33 ₫34.4K

364.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 $7.12

$2.36 ₫61.0K

201.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.60 ₫41.2K

-29.38%

White Bread (500g)

$4.70 $4.70

$1.20 ₫31.0K

291.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.52 $4.52

$1.05 ₫27.1K

330.48%

Eggs

$3.45 $3.45

$1.52 ₫39.3K

126.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.01 $19.01

$12.82 ₫330.7K

48.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.98 $16.98

$4.17 ₫107.5K

307.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.05 $17.05

$9.33 ₫240.6K

82.74%

Apples (1kg)

$5.67 $5.67

$2.60 ₫67.2K

118.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.83 $1.83

$1.21 ₫31.3K

51.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.90 $3.90

$1.28 ₫33.1K

204.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.58 $4.58

$1.57 ₫40.5K

191.72%

Potato (1kg)

$2.27 $2.27

$1.20 ₫31.0K

89.17%

Onion (1kg)

$3.90 $3.90

$1.31 ₫33.9K

197.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.75 $2.75

$1.04 ₫26.9K

164.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 $1.96

$0.49 ₫12.7K

300.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.57 $8.57

$1.51 ₫39.0K

467.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.23 $15.23

$7.97 ₫205.6K

91.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 $1.52

$0.93 ₫24.0K

63.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.01 $4.01

$2.18 ₫56.3K

83.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 ₫7,693

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$6.31 ₫162.7K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.96 $1.96

$1.04 ₫26.8K

88.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 $0.60

$0.57 ₫14.6K

5.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.27 ₫497.1K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$0.91 ₫23.4K

10.99%

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

$30.9K $30.9K

$30.8K ₫795.4M

0.24%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$28.4K ₫732.2M

-8.23%

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

$226 $226

$78.5 ₫2.0M

187.98%

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

$56.8 $56.8

$6.35 ₫163.9K

795.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.5 $71.5

$8.33 ₫214.9K

758.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 $51.5

$27.08 ₫698.6K

90.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.32 ₫137.2K

Cinema Ticket

$12.36 $12.36

$3.37 ₫86.8K

266.77%

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

$1,567 $1,567

$423 ₫10.9M

270.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.1K ₫389.5M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.29 $45.29

$45.19 ₫1.2M

0.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.33 $35.33

$27.75 ₫716.1K

27.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.7 $90.7

$101 ₫2.6M

-9.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 $134

$82.8 ₫2.1M

61.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,502 $1,502

$553 ₫14.3M

171.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,118 $1,118

$369 ₫9.5M

202.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,272 $2,272

$1,228 ₫31.7M

85.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,970 $1,970

$821 ₫21.2M

139.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,463 $3,463

$3,858 ₫99.5M

-10.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,420 $2,420

$1,877 ₫48.4M

28.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,786 $4,786

$362 ₫9.4M

1220.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.81

10.72

-36.47%

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

Last update for Durham, NC: October 26, 2026

Last update for Da Nang: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Durham, NC

$1.1K 46.2%

Da Nang

$369 41.5% 67% $749

Groceries & Markets

Durham, NC

$456 18.8%

Da Nang

$200 22.5% 56.1% $256

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Durham, NC

$355 14.6%

Da Nang

$93 10.5% 73.7% $261

Eating Out

Durham, NC

$276 11.4%

Da Nang

$66 7.4% 76.1% $210

Clothing & Footwear

Durham, NC

$137 5.7%

Da Nang

$115 13% 15.9% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Durham, NC

$76 3.2%

Da Nang

$34 3.8% 55.6% $42

Getting Around

Durham, NC

$5 * 0.2%

Da Nang

$11 1.3% 129% $6.4

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,502 in Durham, NC versus $553 in Da Nang. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Durham, NC are about 13 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $106 in Durham, NC versus $20 in Da Nang. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $456 vs $200 – making Da Nang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Durham, NC

🇻🇳 Da Nang

🕒 Local time

11:44 11:44 AM

23:44 11:44 PM

12 h ahead of Durham, NC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

283,506

1,245,200

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.88 USD

100,000 VND = 3.47 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

VND, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇻🇳 Vietnamese Dong (₫)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

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

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).

VND to USD in detail →

On the map

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Durham, NC Da Nang 14,180 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Durham, NC
Da Nang

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

Durham, NC vs Da Nang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,423 in Durham, NC, $889 in Da Nang – Da Nang comes out roughly 63% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,634 per month in Durham, NC and $1,333 in Da Nang. 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 $1,502 in Durham, NC.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,423 in Durham, NC and $889 in Da Nang. That makes Da Nang about 63% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $1,567 per month in Durham, NC and $423 in Da Nang. 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 Durham, NC at $2,423. In Da Nang it covers expenses comfortably, while in Durham, NC 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 $889 in Da Nang to $2,423 in Durham, NC. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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, Durham, NC makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.