Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sa Pa and Nha Trang

For one person, living is cheaper in Nha Trang: $686 a month against $731 in Sa Pa, rent and utilities included – about $540 less a year. The total is higher in Sa Pa despite lower rent and utilities.

36

Cost of Living Index in Sa Pa
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Sa Pa Living Index
33

Cost of Living Index in Nha Trang
Learn more

Nha Trang Living Index

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Sa Pa

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$731

/mo nomad

Nha Trang

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$686

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sa Pa and in Nha Trang

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

A single person spends $731 per month in Sa Pa vs $686 in Nha Trang, rent included.

Sa Pa $731
Nha Trang $686

A couple spends around $1,170 per month in Sa Pa vs $1,120 in Nha Trang, rent included.

Sa Pa $1,170
Nha Trang $1,120

A family of three spends $1,608 per month in Sa Pa vs $1,554 in Nha Trang, rent included.

Sa Pa $1,608
Nha Trang $1,554

Sa Pa costs about 7% more than Nha Trang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Sa Pa and Nha Trang are more affordable than the global median – Sa Pa 46% lower, Nha Trang 49% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.89 ₫48.9K

$2.70 ₫70.0K

-30.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.25 ₫550.1K

$22.79 ₫589.9K

-6.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.50 ₫116.4K

$4.66 ₫120.7K

-3.43%

Cappuccino

$1.70 ₫44.1K

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

$0.47 ₫12.1K

$0.36 ₫9,387

30.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ₫7,831

$0.23 ₫5,958

30.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.97 ₫25.1K

$0.64 ₫16.7K

51.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 ₫41.0K

$1.19 ₫30.9K

32.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 ₫35.7K

$1.43 ₫37.0K

-3.50%

White Bread (500g)

$0.99 ₫25.8K

$0.45 ₫11.5K

120.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.99 ₫25.5K

$1.02 ₫26.5K

-2.94%

Eggs

$1.40 ₫36.2K

$1.41 ₫36.6K

-0.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.73 ₫303.8K

$12.24 ₫316.8K

-4.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.68 ₫95.4K

$3.13 ₫81.0K

17.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.07 ₫260.7K

$11.04 ₫285.9K

-8.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.74 ₫71.0K

$1.89 ₫48.9K

44.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ₫26.6K

$0.83 ₫21.5K

24.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.36 ₫35.1K

$1.07 ₫27.8K

27.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.07 ₫27.8K

$1.23 ₫32.0K

-13.01%

Potato (1kg)

$1.02 ₫26.5K

$0.84 ₫21.7K

21.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.05 ₫27.1K

$0.72 ₫18.6K

45.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.65 ₫16.8K

$0.74 ₫19.1K

-12.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 ₫12.4K

$0.41 ₫10.6K

17.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.38 ₫35.7K

$1.57 ₫40.6K

-12.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.61 ₫300.6K

$11.67 ₫302.0K

-0.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 ₫19.4K

$0.59 ₫15.2K

27.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 ₫41.7K

$1.78 ₫46.1K

-9.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.32 ₫8,276

$0.30 ₫7,658

6.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$6.51 ₫168.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.72 ₫18.7K

$0.60 ₫15.5K

20.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.62 ₫16.0K

$0.56 ₫14.4K

10.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.83 ₫73.2K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.83 ₫21.6K

$0.92 ₫23.9K

-9.78%

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

$35.5K ₫920.2M

$31.2K ₫808.0M

13.89%

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

$32.1K ₫829.7M

$28.2K ₫729.7M

13.71%

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

$76.5 ₫2.0M

$76.9 ₫2.0M

-0.46%

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

$5.96 ₫154.3K

$6.41 ₫165.9K

-7.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.62 ₫223.1K

$9.49 ₫245.6K

-9.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.19 ₫574.5K

$21.91 ₫567.3K

1.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.59 ₫196.5K

$17.65 ₫456.9K

-57.00%

Cinema Ticket

$3.09 ₫79.9K

$1.95 ₫50.6K

58.46%

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

$266 ₫6.9M

$209 ₫5.4M

26.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K ₫303.6M

$3,811 ₫98.7M

207.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.21 ₫1.0M

$40.73 ₫1.1M

-1.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.33 ₫603.9K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.4 ₫2.2M

$48.56 ₫1.3M

75.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.8 ₫2.0M

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$365 ₫9.4M

$415 ₫10.7M

-12.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$248 ₫6.4M

$279 ₫7.2M

-11.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ₫18.9M

$760 ₫19.7M

-4.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$535 ₫13.8M

$631 ₫16.3M

-15.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,076 ₫53.7M

$2,803 ₫72.6M

-25.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,264 ₫32.7M

$1,509 ₫39.1M

-16.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$293 ₫7.6M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.1

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

Last update for Sa Pa: October 12, 2026

Last update for Nha Trang: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sa Pa

$248 33.9%

Nha Trang

$279 40.6% 12.4% $31

Groceries & Markets

Sa Pa

$191 26.2%

Nha Trang

$181 26.3% 5.7% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Sa Pa

$101 13.8%

Nha Trang

$40 * 5.9% 60.3% $61

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sa Pa

$91 12.5%

Nha Trang

$93 13.5% 1.8% $1.7

Eating Out

Sa Pa

$60 8.2%

Nha Trang

$64 9.3% 6.5% $3.9

Sport & Entertainment

Sa Pa

$28 3.9%

Nha Trang

$26 3.8% 9% $2.5

Getting Around

Sa Pa

$12 1.6%

Nha Trang

$4.6 * 0.7% 60.7% $7.1

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $365 in Sa Pa versus $415 in Nha Trang. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $21.00 in Sa Pa versus $23.00 in Nha Trang. Groceries tell a different story – $191 in Sa Pa vs $181 in Nha Trang – so Nha Trang wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Sa Pa

🇻🇳 Nha Trang

🕒 Local time

01:20 1:20 AM

Same time as Sa Pa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

22,882

579,000

💱 Currency

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Sa Pa Nha Trang 1,260 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Sa Pa
Nha Trang

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

Sa Pa vs Nha Trang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $731 in Sa Pa, $686 in Nha Trang – roughly 7% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,097 per month in Sa Pa and $1,030 in Nha Trang. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Nha Trang, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $21.00 in Sa Pa and $23.00 in Nha Trang. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 6% more in Sa Pa, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $731 in Sa Pa and $686 in Nha Trang, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Nha Trang has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $686 in Nha Trang to $731 in Sa Pa. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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