Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Iowa City, IA and Da Nang

For one person, living is cheaper in Da Nang: $889 a month against $2,251 in Iowa City, IA, rent and utilities included – about $16,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

109

Cost of Living Index in Iowa City, IA
Learn more

Iowa City, IA Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Da Nang
Learn more

Da Nang Living Index

Jump to prices

Iowa City, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,251

/mo nomad

Da Nang

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$889

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Iowa City, IA 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 Iowa City, IA and in Da Nang actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,251 per month in Iowa City, IA vs $889 in Da Nang, rent included.

Iowa City, IA $2,251
Da Nang $889

A couple spends around $3,264 per month in Iowa City, IA vs $1,426 in Da Nang, rent included.

Iowa City, IA $3,264
Da Nang $1,426

A family of three spends $4,276 per month in Iowa City, IA vs $1,963 in Da Nang, rent included.

Iowa City, IA $4,276
Da Nang $1,963

Iowa City, IA costs about 153% more than Da Nang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Iowa City, IA sits 65% above the global median, while Da Nang is 35% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.12 $15.12

$2.17 ₫56.0K

596.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.3 $67.3

$19.53 ₫504.0K

244.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.03 $9.03

$4.53 ₫117.0K

99.34%

Cappuccino

$5.54 $5.54

$1.64 ₫42.4K

237.80%

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

$2.77 $2.77

$0.60 ₫15.6K

361.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 $2.23

$0.34 ₫8,901

555.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.86 $4.86

$1.33 ₫34.4K

265.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.13 $7.13

$2.36 ₫61.0K

202.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 $0.92

$1.60 ₫41.2K

-42.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.79 $2.79

$1.20 ₫31.0K

132.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.05 ₫27.1K

92.38%

Eggs

$3.71 $3.71

$1.52 ₫39.3K

144.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.43 $9.43

$12.82 ₫330.7K

-26.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.64 $10.64

$4.17 ₫107.5K

155.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.95 $19.95

$9.33 ₫240.6K

113.83%

Apples (1kg)

$3.37 $3.37

$2.60 ₫67.2K

29.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.22 $1.22

$1.21 ₫31.3K

0.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 $2.65

$1.28 ₫33.1K

107.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.87 $4.87

$1.57 ₫40.5K

210.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.20 ₫31.0K

65.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 $2.36

$1.31 ₫33.9K

80.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 $1.71

$1.04 ₫26.9K

64.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.38 $2.38

$0.49 ₫12.7K

385.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.13 $10.13

$1.51 ₫39.0K

570.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.70 $13.70

$7.97 ₫205.6K

71.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 $1.72

$0.93 ₫24.0K

84.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.54 $4.54

$2.18 ₫56.3K

108.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 ₫7,693

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$6.31 ₫162.7K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.91 $3.91

$1.04 ₫26.8K

275.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.97 $1.97

$0.57 ₫14.6K

245.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$43.67 $43.67

$19.27 ₫497.1K

126.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$0.91 ₫23.4K

8.79%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$30.8K ₫795.4M

-11.83%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$28.4K ₫732.2M

-9.16%

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

$271 $271

$78.5 ₫2.0M

245.62%

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

$51.5 $51.5

$6.35 ₫163.9K

710.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$81.6 $81.6

$8.33 ₫214.9K

879.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.80 $29.80

$27.08 ₫698.6K

10.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.65 $19.65

$5.32 ₫137.2K

269.36%

Cinema Ticket

$13.86 $13.86

$3.37 ₫86.8K

311.28%

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

$1,292 $1,292

$423 ₫10.9M

205.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.7K $23.7K

$15.1K ₫389.5M

57.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.4 $64.4

$45.19 ₫1.2M

42.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.68 $49.68

$27.75 ₫716.1K

79.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.6 $98.6

$101 ₫2.6M

-2.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 $115

$82.8 ₫2.1M

38.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 $1,242

$553 ₫14.3M

124.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,003 $1,003

$369 ₫9.5M

171.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,933 $1,933

$1,228 ₫31.7M

57.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,637 $1,637

$821 ₫21.2M

99.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,514 $3,514

$3,858 ₫99.5M

-8.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,811 $1,811

$1,877 ₫48.4M

-3.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,822 $3,822

$362 ₫9.4M

954.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

10.72

-39.83%

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

Last update for Iowa City, IA: 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

Iowa City, IA

$1K 44.6%

Da Nang

$369 41.5% 63.2% $634

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Iowa City, IA

$404 18%

Da Nang

$93 10.5% 77% $311

Groceries & Markets

Iowa City, IA

$352 15.6%

Da Nang

$200 22.5% 43.1% $152

Eating Out

Iowa City, IA

$273 12.1%

Da Nang

$66 7.4% 75.9% $207

Clothing & Footwear

Iowa City, IA

$147 6.6%

Da Nang

$115 13% 21.7% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Iowa City, IA

$58 2.6%

Da Nang

$34 3.8% 41.2% $24

Getting Around

Iowa City, IA

$14 * 0.6%

Da Nang

$11 1.3% 17.4% $2.4

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,242 in Iowa City, IA 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 Iowa City, IA are about 11 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $67 in Iowa City, IA versus $20 in Da Nang. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $200 – making Da Nang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Iowa City, IA

🇻🇳 Da Nang

🕒 Local time

16:04 4:04 PM

05:04 5:04 AM

13 h ahead of Iowa City, IA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,828

1,245,200

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.88 USD

100,000 VND = 3.46 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 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 25,802 VND (100,000 VND = 3.88 USD). 1 EUR = 28,920 VND (100,000 VND = 3.46 EUR).

VND to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Iowa City, IA Da Nang 13,280 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Iowa City, IA
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

Iowa City, IA vs Da Nang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,251 in Iowa City, IA, $889 in Da Nang – Da Nang comes out roughly 61% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,376 per month in Iowa City, IA 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 $1,242 in Iowa City, IA.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,251 in Iowa City, IA and $889 in Da Nang. That makes Da Nang about 61% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $1,292 per month in Iowa City, IA 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 Iowa City, IA at $2,251. In Da Nang it covers expenses comfortably, while in Iowa City, IA 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, Iowa City, IA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.