Is $1,000 a Month Enough in Vietnam?

A Da Nang Budget from an American

Last updated: November 2026 · By Vitali

The Short Answer

For one person living modestly in Da Nang, yes. In my case, rent, utilities, phone, a scooter, street food and travel health insurance came to roughly $560⁠–⁠590 a month. That leaves about $410⁠–⁠440 of a $1,000 budget for everything else. These are one person’s costs in one city, so treat them as a real example and not a promise for all of Vietnam.

What $1,000 Covers

• Core housing and mobile plans: ~$284⁠–⁠316 a month (studio, utilities, phone, U.S. number), depending on air conditioner use
• Scooter rental: ~$65 a month
• Street food three times a day: up to ~$138 a month
• Travel health insurance: ~$69 a month (my quote, as a 45-year-old U.S. citizen)
• Total: ~$560⁠–⁠590 a month

For details: I break down each line, with prices, on the cost-of-living page.

Note: Excludes one-time initial setup costs.

What’s Left

About $410⁠–⁠440 remains for things that vary from person to person:

• Eating out beyond street food (per person):
  • Restaurant at the beach: ~$10 for food and ~$10 for drinks
  • McDonald’s at the beach: ~$5
  • Mixue ice cream: ~$0.30⁠–⁠1
  • Coffee: ~$1
• Medical visits:
  • Throat infection visit at Vinmec International Hospital Da Nang: ~$115 (out-of-pocket fee reimbursed by my insurance about six weeks later)
  • One-hour physiotherapy session at Vinmec: ~$19
  • Dental checkup, professional cleaning, and bonding on six teeth: ~$103

What Would Change the Answer

• Air conditioning: my electricity bill ranged from ~$14 to ~$46 a month, depending on how much I ran the air conditioner during the day
• Location: central beachfront areas cost more than the suburb where I lived
• Meals: cooking for yourself may lower your cost per meal if you buy at local farm markets or in bulk at hypermarkets
• Getting around: rides by car cost about three times as much as rides by bike
• Insurance: my price was for a 45-year-old U.S. citizen, and yours will depend on your own situation
• Other people: these are costs for one person, and I can’t say what two people or a family would spend

Staying Long-Term

If you plan to stay long-term, your accommodation costs may go down if you sign a long-term lease. I met people paying under ~$190 a month on a one-year lease (more details in my guide below).