Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lae and Da Nang

For one person, living is cheaper in Lae: $817 a month against $889 in Da Nang, rent and utilities included – about $860 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Da Nang outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

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Cost of Living Index in Da Nang
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Da Nang Living Index

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Lae

🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea

$817

/mo nomad

Da Nang

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$889

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $817 per month in Lae vs $889 in Da Nang, rent included.

Lae $817
Da Nang $889

A couple spends around $1,470 per month in Lae vs $1,426 in Da Nang, rent included.

Lae $1,470
Da Nang $1,426

A family of three spends $2,123 per month in Lae vs $1,963 in Da Nang, rent included.

Lae $2,123
Da Nang $1,963

Lae is about 8% cheaper than Da Nang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Lae and Da Nang are more affordable than the global median – Lae 40% lower, Da Nang 35% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.60 PGK 103

$2.17 ₫56.1K

987.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.5 PGK 219

$19.53 ₫504.6K

158.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.53 ₫117.1K

Cappuccino

$2.66 PGK 11.57

$1.64 ₫42.4K

62.20%

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

$0.74 PGK 3.23

$0.60 ₫15.6K

23.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 PGK 2.47

$0.34 ₫8,912

67.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.22 PGK 14.01

$1.33 ₫34.4K

142.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.10 PGK 22.13

$2.36 ₫61.0K

116.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.98 PGK 8.62

$1.60 ₫41.2K

23.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 PGK 6.28

$1.20 ₫31.1K

20.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.24 PGK 5.39

$1.05 ₫27.1K

18.10%

Eggs

$3.96 PGK 17.18

$1.52 ₫39.4K

160.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.41 PGK 40.86

$12.82 ₫331.1K

-26.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.06 PGK 39.35

$4.17 ₫107.6K

117.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.59 PGK 45.99

$9.33 ₫240.9K

13.50%

Apples (1kg)

$4.30 PGK 18.67

$2.60 ₫67.3K

65.38%

Banana (1kg)

$2.69 PGK 11.68

$1.21 ₫31.4K

122.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.87 PGK 25.50

$1.28 ₫33.1K

358.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 PGK 6.53

$1.57 ₫40.6K

-4.46%

Potato (1kg)

$3.37 PGK 14.62

$1.20 ₫31.0K

180.83%

Onion (1kg)

$2.34 PGK 10.14

$1.31 ₫33.9K

78.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.64 PGK 2.80

$1.04 ₫26.9K

-38.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 PGK 3.70

$0.49 ₫12.7K

73.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.75 PGK 29.32

$1.51 ₫39.0K

347.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.26 PGK 53.2

$7.97 ₫205.9K

53.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 PGK 11.27

$0.93 ₫24.0K

178.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.34 PGK 18.87

$2.18 ₫56.4K

99.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 PGK 1.37

$0.30 ₫7,702

3.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$6.31 ₫162.9K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.04 ₫26.8K

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ₫14.6K

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.27 ₫497.7K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 PGK 4.46

$0.91 ₫23.5K

13.19%

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

$30.8K ₫796.3M

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

$28.4K ₫733.1M

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

$78.5 ₫2.0M

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

$6.35 ₫164.1K

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.33 ₫215.2K

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.08 ₫699.4K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.32 ₫137.4K

Cinema Ticket

$3.37 ₫87.0K

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

$423 ₫10.9M

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.1K ₫390.0M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.19 ₫1.2M

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.75 ₫717.0K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₫2.6M

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.8 ₫2.1M

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$436 PGK 1,892

$553 ₫14.3M

-21.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$260 PGK 1,131

$369 ₫9.5M

-29.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,227 PGK 5,328

$1,228 ₫31.7M

-0.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$619 PGK 2,690

$821 ₫21.2M

-24.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,858 ₫99.6M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,877 ₫48.5M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$156 PGK 676

$362 ₫9.4M

-57.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.72

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

Last update for Lae: October 25, 2026

Last update for Da Nang: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lae

–

Da Nang

$369 41.5%

Groceries & Markets

Lae

–

Da Nang

$200 22.5%

Clothing & Footwear

Lae

–

Da Nang

$115 13%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lae

–

Da Nang

$93 10.5%

Eating Out

Lae

–

Da Nang

$66 7.4%

Sport & Entertainment

Lae

–

Da Nang

$34 3.8%

Getting Around

Lae

–

Da Nang

$11 1.3%

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $436 in Lae 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 Da Nang are about 2.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50 in Lae versus $20 in Da Nang. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $303 vs $200 – making Da Nang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇬 Lae

🇻🇳 Da Nang

🕒 Local time

03:41 3:41 AM

00:41 12:41 AM

3 h behind Lae

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

250,948

1,245,200

💱 Currency

Papua New Guinean Kina PGK K

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

1 PGK = 0.23 USD

1 PGK = 0.207 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.87 USD

100,000 VND = 3.48 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

VND, USD, EUR to PGK – Papua New Guinean Kina Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇬 Papua New Guinean Kina (K)

Papua New Guinean Kina exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4.34 PGK (1 PGK = 0.23 USD). 1 EUR = 4.84 PGK (1 PGK = 0.207 EUR).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 25,832 VND (100,000 VND = 3.87 USD). 1 EUR = 28,757 VND (100,000 VND = 3.48 EUR).

USD to PGK in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lae Da Nang 4,960 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Lae
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

Lae vs Da Nang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $817 in Lae, $889 in Da Nang – roughly 9% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,225 per month in Lae 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 Lae, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $436 there versus $553 in Da Nang.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50 in Lae and $20 in Da Nang. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $817 in Lae and $889 in Da Nang. That’s a gap of about 9%.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $817 in Lae and $889 in Da Nang. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Da Nang has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $817 in Lae to $889 in Da Nang. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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