Cost of Living in Mai Chau, 🇻🇳 Vietnam - For Locals, Nomads, and Tourists

Researched Updated Oct 19, 2026 Last changed Oct 31, 2026 About costs

Cost breakdown

Digital nomad: short-term stay (1-3 months). Furnished Airbnb or coliving near center, coworking, eating out ~3x/day, travel health insurance.

Expat: long-term resident (1+ years). Renting apartment in center, mix of cooking and dining out, local health insurance, settled lifestyle.

Family: middle-class 4-person family. 2-3 bedroom in suburbs, groceries for 4, international school, car/transport, family health plan.

Local: budget-conscious local resident. Renting outside center, cooking at home, public transport, local phone plan.

Tourist: short-stay visitor (1-14 days). Hotel/Airbnb nightly, all meals at restaurants, taxis, sightseeing.

CategoryCost

Housing 1 2 3 4 8 $307 $169 $261 $107 $19

Utilities 9 — $29 $54 $21 —

Internet & Mobile 9 $11 $10 $20 $10 $0

Groceries 9 $78 $96 $192 $70 $6

Transportation 6 7 13 $134 $107 $192 $13 $8

Dining Out 3 5 6 $172 $77 $130 $17 $15

Leisure Activities 13 $77 $46 $107 $3 $6

Health Insurance 11 $68 $77 $153 — $2

Visa & Legal Fees 12 $8 $17 $33 — $1

Total $855 $628 $1,142 $241 $57

Itemized prices

Local prices converted to the selected currency.

Housing

Apartment (1 bedroom) 1 3 $130.27 $100 – $146 per month

Coworking Space 2 13 $38.31 per month

Airbnb (1 month) 1 4 8 $306.51 $192 – $401 per month

Coliving Space 2 3 $160.92 per month

Food & Dining

Coffee 5 9 $0.77 per cup

Beer 5 9 $0.57 per pint

Meal (Inexpensive) 3 5 $1.34 per meal

Fast Food Combo 9 $4.56 per meal

Apples 9 $2.86 per kg

Bread 9 $0.89 per loaf

Milk 9 $1.48 per liter

Rice 9 $0.93 per kg

Chicken Fillets 9 $3.81 per kg

Beef 9 $9.72 per kg

Wine (Mid-range) 9 $9.58 per bottle

Meal (Mid-range, 2 people) 5 $9.58 per meal

Water (1.5L bottle) 5 $0.38 per bottle

Transportation

Taxi Start 2 6 $0.57 per trip

Taxi per km 2 6 $0.77 per km

Monthly Transport Pass 6 1 $4.60 per month

Gasoline 10 $1.11 per liter

Ride-hailing (5km) 2 6 $1.91 per trip

Scooter Rental 2 6 7 $103.45 per month

Services

Mobile Plan 9 $5.76 per month

Internet (60 Mbps+) 9 $7.66 per month

Gym Membership 9 $15.33 per month

Tennis Court (Weekend) 9 $5.75 per hour

SIM Card (Tourist, prepaid) 9 $7.66 one-time

Entertainment

Cinema Ticket 9 $3.83 per ticket

Clothing

Jeans 9 $30.65 per pair

Summer Dress 9 $19.16 per dress

Running Shoes 9 $57.47 per pair

Personal Care

Haircut 9 $1.53 per visit

Laundry 9 $1.34 per kg

Healthcare

Doctor Visit (GP) 14 $3.83 per visit

Pharmacy (basic meds) 9 $1.92 per purchase

About these costs

Method: Researched
Last updated: Oct 19, 2026
Last changed: Oct 31, 2026
Exchange rate: 1 USD = 26,100 VND on Oct 19, 2026

Checked against the sources below and compared with similar cities. Numbers in the list point to these sources.

Compared with Hanoi, Bac Ha, Ninh Binh, Chiang Mai

Mai Chau lodging zones and nightly VND bands (2026)Secondary
Mai Chau homestay tiers and transport prices (Sep 2026)Secondary
Lac, Pom Coong, Ban Buoc homestay VND rangesSecondary
Meadow Mai Chau room rates 400k–800k VND/nightListings
Homestay dinner and restaurant VND price tableSecondary
Bicycle rental and valley food pricesSecondary
Motorbike and bicycle hire VND/day (Mai Chau guide)Secondary
Booking.com Mai Chau homestay average nightly USDListings
Vietnam national grocery and utility survey (Oct 2026)Index
RON 95 gasoline 28,935 VND/litreIndex
SafetyWing Essential USD 62.72 per 4 weeksOfficial
Vietnam immigration e-visa fees USD 25 single / 50 multipleOfficial
Cycling, cave visits, and activity costsSecondary
Lao Cai provincial hospital on-request consultation from 100,000 VNDOfficial

Change history

Oct 31, 2026
- Method Generated Researched
- Airbnb (1 month) 228.71 306.51
- Apartment (1 bedroom) 152.47 130.27
- Apples 1.91 2.86
- Beef 7.62 9.72
- Bread 0.27 0.89
36 more changes
- Cinema Ticket 2.67 3.83
- Coffee 0.57 0.77
- Coliving Space 190.59 160.92
- Coworking Space 45.74 38.31
- Dining Out local 9.53, nomad 190.59, expat 38.12, family 152.47, tourist 11.44 local 17.24, nomad 172.41, expat 76.63, family 130.27, tourist 15.33
- Doctor Visit (GP) 5.72 3.83
- Fast Food Combo 3.05 4.56
- Gasoline 0.91 1.11
- Groceries local 68.61, nomad 19.06, expat 76.24, family 228.71, tourist 0 local 70.06, nomad 77.72, expat 95.84, family 191.54, tourist 5.53
- Gym Membership 5.72 15.33
- Haircut 1.52 1.53
- Health Insurance local 3.81, nomad 57.18, expat 45.74, family 114.35, tourist 0.38 local 0, nomad 67.69, expat 76.63, family 153.26, tourist 2.27
- Housing local 95.29, nomad 304.94, expat 190.59, family 266.82, tourist 19.06 local 107.28, nomad 306.51, expat 168.58, family 260.54, tourist 19.16
- Internet & Mobile local 5.72, nomad 15.25, expat 7.62, family 11.44, tourist 0.76 local 9.58, nomad 10.73, expat 10.34, family 19.93, tourist 0.26
- Internet (60 Mbps+) 7.62 7.66
- Jeans 22.87 30.65
- Laundry 1.14 1.34
- Leisure Activities local 3.81, nomad 19.06, expat 15.25, family 38.12, tourist 3.05 local 3.06, nomad 76.63, expat 45.98, family 107.28, tourist 5.75
- Meal (Inexpensive) 1.52 1.34
- Meal (Mid-range, 2 people) 19.06 9.58
- Milk 1.33 1.48
- Mobile Plan 2.67 5.76
- Monthly Transport Pass 7.62 4.6
- Pharmacy (basic meds) 0.76 1.92
- Rice 0.57 0.93
- Running Shoes 57.18 57.47
- SIM Card (Tourist, prepaid) 3.05 7.66
- Scooter Rental 4.57 103.45
- Summer Dress 11.44 19.16
- Taxi per km 0.46 0.77
- Tennis Court (Weekend) 11.44 5.75
- Transportation local 11.44, nomad 38.12, expat 19.06, family 57.18, tourist 3.05 local 13.41, nomad 134.1, expat 107.28, family 191.57, tourist 7.66
- Utilities local 11.44, nomad 15.25, expat 19.06, family 26.68, tourist 0 local 21.07, nomad 0, expat 28.74, family 53.64, tourist 0
- Visa & Legal Fees local 0, nomad 7.62, expat 11.44, family 19.06 local 0, nomad 8.33, expat 16.67, family 33.33, tourist 0.83
- Water (1.5L bottle) 0.27 0.38
- Wine (Mid-range) 13.34 9.58
Groceries (nomad), Visa & Legal Fees (expat), Taxi Start, Taxi per km, Ride-hailing (5km), Monthly Transport Pass, Scooter Rental — second lint fix pass (category totals match Findings formulas, no Grab pricing, dead source URLs replaced; vietnamunlock.com, evisa.xuatnhapcanh.gov.vn, vietnamspot.ru)

Mai Chau cost of living