Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pietermaritzburg and Da Nang

For one person, living is cheaper in Da Nang: $889 a month against $1,033 in Pietermaritzburg, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. The total is higher in Pietermaritzburg despite lower rent and utilities.

50

Cost of Living Index in Pietermaritzburg
Learn more

Pietermaritzburg Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Da Nang
Learn more

Da Nang Living Index

Jump to prices

Pietermaritzburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,033

/mo nomad

Da Nang

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$889

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,033 per month in Pietermaritzburg vs $889 in Da Nang, rent included.

Pietermaritzburg $1,033
Da Nang $889

A couple spends around $1,555 per month in Pietermaritzburg vs $1,426 in Da Nang, rent included.

Pietermaritzburg $1,555
Da Nang $1,426

A family of three spends $2,077 per month in Pietermaritzburg vs $1,963 in Da Nang, rent included.

Pietermaritzburg $2,077
Da Nang $1,963

Pietermaritzburg costs about 16% more than Da Nang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Pietermaritzburg and Da Nang are more affordable than the global median – Pietermaritzburg 24% lower, Da Nang 35% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.74 R 129

$2.17 ₫56.1K

256.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.63 R 593

$19.53 ₫504.6K

82.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.80 R 96.4

$4.53 ₫117.1K

28.04%

Cappuccino

$2.36 R 39.21

$1.64 ₫42.4K

43.90%

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

$1.16 R 19.37

$0.60 ₫15.6K

93.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R 17.12

$0.34 ₫8,912

202.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.15 R 35.72

$1.33 ₫34.4K

61.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 R 41.69

$2.36 ₫61.0K

6.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.33 R 22.13

$1.60 ₫41.2K

-16.88%

White Bread (500g)

$0.92 R 15.30

$1.20 ₫31.1K

-23.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 R 28.26

$1.05 ₫27.1K

61.90%

Eggs

$3.16 R 52.6

$1.52 ₫39.4K

107.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.22 R 120

$12.82 ₫331.1K

-43.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.94 R 82.1

$4.17 ₫107.6K

18.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.36 R 106

$9.33 ₫240.9K

-31.83%

Apples (1kg)

$2.04 R 33.94

$2.60 ₫67.3K

-21.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 R 32.23

$1.21 ₫31.4K

60.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.32 R 38.68

$1.28 ₫33.1K

81.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 R 33.85

$1.57 ₫40.6K

29.30%

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 R 29.63

$1.20 ₫31.0K

48.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.81 R 30.04

$1.31 ₫33.9K

38.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.49 R 24.74

$1.04 ₫26.9K

43.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 R 17.26

$0.49 ₫12.7K

112.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.14 R 52.2

$1.51 ₫39.0K

107.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.92 R 65.3

$7.97 ₫205.9K

-50.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 R 23.66

$0.93 ₫24.0K

52.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 R 29.16

$2.18 ₫56.4K

-19.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.86 R 47.62

$0.30 ₫7,702

853.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.71 R 328

$6.31 ₫162.9K

212.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.59 R 26.48

$1.04 ₫26.8K

52.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 R 17.66

$0.57 ₫14.6K

85.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.27 ₫497.7K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 R 23.92

$0.91 ₫23.5K

58.24%

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

$26.5K R 441.6K

$30.8K ₫796.3M

-13.89%

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

$26.8K R 445.6K

$28.4K ₫733.1M

-5.63%

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

$205 R 3,410

$78.5 ₫2.0M

160.98%

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

$32.46 R 540

$6.35 ₫164.1K

411.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.19 R 619

$8.33 ₫215.2K

346.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.80 R 729

$27.08 ₫699.4K

61.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.05 R 50.8

$5.32 ₫137.4K

-42.67%

Cinema Ticket

$4.84 R 80.5

$3.37 ₫87.0K

43.62%

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

$177 R 2,945

$423 ₫10.9M

-58.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,103 R 84.9K

$15.1K ₫390.0M

-66.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.7 R 943

$45.19 ₫1.2M

25.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.35 R 572

$27.75 ₫717.0K

23.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 R 1,894

$101 ₫2.6M

13.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.9 R 1,163

$82.8 ₫2.1M

-15.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$216 R 3,601

$553 ₫14.3M

-60.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$217 R 3,607

$369 ₫9.5M

-41.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$576 R 9,583

$1,228 ₫31.7M

-53.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$405 R 6,742

$821 ₫21.2M

-50.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,914 R 98.4K

$3,858 ₫99.6M

53.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$148 R 2,466

$1,877 ₫48.5M

-92.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,058 R 17.6K

$362 ₫9.4M

191.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.67

10.72

8.86%

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

Last update for Pietermaritzburg: October 24, 2026

Last update for Da Nang: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pietermaritzburg

$275 26.6%

Da Nang

$93 10.5% 66.1% $181

Accommodation & Living

Pietermaritzburg

$217 21%

Da Nang

$369 41.5% 70.2% $152

Groceries & Markets

Pietermaritzburg

$194 18.8%

Da Nang

$200 22.5% 2.9% $5.6

Eating Out

Pietermaritzburg

$132 12.8%

Da Nang

$66 7.4% 50.1% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Pietermaritzburg

$124 12%

Da Nang

$115 13% 6.7% $8.3

Sport & Entertainment

Pietermaritzburg

$53 5.2%

Da Nang

$34 3.8% 36.8% $20

Getting Around

Pietermaritzburg

$38 3.7%

Da Nang

$11 1.3% 70.1% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $216 in Pietermaritzburg 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 Pietermaritzburg are about 2.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $36 in Pietermaritzburg versus $20 in Da Nang. Groceries tell a different story – $194 in Pietermaritzburg vs $200 in Da Nang – so Pietermaritzburg wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Pietermaritzburg

🇻🇳 Da Nang

🕒 Local time

07:20 7:20 AM

12:20 12:20 PM

5 h ahead of Pietermaritzburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

618,536

1,245,200

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.01 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.87 USD

100,000 VND = 3.47 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

VND, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 16.64 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.01 USD). 1 EUR = 18.55 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 25,832 VND (100,000 VND = 3.87 USD). 1 EUR = 28,798 VND (100,000 VND = 3.47 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Pietermaritzburg Da Nang 9,760 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Pietermaritzburg
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $1,033 in Pietermaritzburg, $889 in Da Nang – roughly 16% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,550 per month in Pietermaritzburg 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 Pietermaritzburg, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $216 there versus $553 in Da Nang.

Interestingly, groceries are about 3% cheaper in Pietermaritzburg – 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 $36 in Pietermaritzburg and $20 in Da Nang. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,033 in Pietermaritzburg and $889 in Da Nang, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Da Nang has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $889 in Da Nang to $1,033 in Pietermaritzburg. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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