Cost of Living in Phong Nha, 🇻🇳 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 $287 $172 $307 $134 $26

Utilities 7 — $38 $54 $29 —

Internet & Mobile 1 7 $16 $10 $19 $10 $0

Groceries 7 $82 $101 $202 $74 $6

Transportation 4 5 8 $115 $115 $192 $11 $10

Dining Out 1 2 $172 $96 $192 $46 $23

Leisure Activities 2 6 $77 $88 $153 $8 $15

Health Insurance 9 $68 $96 $153 — $2

Visa & Legal Fees 10 $8 $17 $33 — $1

Total $825 $733 $1,305 $312 $83

Itemized prices

Local prices converted to the selected currency.

Housing

Apartment (1 bedroom) 1 2 3 $134.10 $96 – $192 per month

Coworking Space 1 2 $38.31 per month

Airbnb (1 month) 1 2 $287.36 $230 – $345 per month

Coliving Space 2 3 $206.90 per month

Food & Dining

Coffee 1 7 $1.15 per cup

Beer 2 7 $0.57 per pint

Meal (Inexpensive) 1 2 $1.34 per meal

Fast Food Combo 7 $4.56 per meal

Apples 7 $2.86 per kg

Bread 7 $0.89 per loaf

Milk 7 $1.48 per liter

Rice 7 $0.93 per kg

Chicken Fillets 7 $3.81 per kg

Beef 7 $9.72 per kg

Wine (Mid-range) 7 $9.58 per bottle

Meal (Mid-range, 2 people) 2 7 $15.33 per meal

Water (1.5L bottle) 7 $0.38 per bottle

Transportation

Taxi Start 1 7 $0.57 per trip

Taxi per km 1 7 $0.46 per km

Monthly Transport Pass 1 7 $5.75 per month

Gasoline 8 $1.11 per liter

Ride-hailing (5km) 1 $1.53 per trip

Scooter Rental 4 5 $95.78 per month

Services

Mobile Plan 7 $5.76 per month

Internet (60 Mbps+) 1 7 $7.66 per month

Gym Membership 7 $15.33 per month

Tennis Court (Weekend) 7 $5.75 per hour

SIM Card (Tourist, prepaid) 7 $7.66 one-time

Entertainment

Cinema Ticket 7 $3.83 per ticket

Clothing

Jeans 7 $30.65 per pair

Summer Dress 7 $19.16 per dress

Running Shoes 7 $57.47 per pair

Personal Care

Haircut 7 $1.53 per visit

Laundry 7 $1.34 per kg

Healthcare

Doctor Visit (GP) 11 $13.41 per visit

Pharmacy (basic meds) 7 $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 Dong Hoi, Ninh Binh, Hanoi, Chiang Mai

Son Trach lodging VND bands and scooter hire Sep 2026Secondary
Phong Nha homestay nightly VND table 2026Secondary
Phong Nha Land homestay lease listings incl. 16M VND/monthListings
Son Trach motorbike daily hire 100–150k VNDSecondary
Phong Nha motorbike rental price table 2025Secondary
Paradise Cave day-tour public VND pricingListings
Vietnam national grocery and service survey Oct 2026Index
RON 95 gasoline 28,935 VND/litreIndex
SafetyWing Essential USD 62.72 per 4 weeksOfficial
UK FCDO Vietnam entry — e-visa USD 25/50Official
Vinmec general consultation price bandsOfficial

Change history

Oct 31, 2026
- Method Generated Researched
- Airbnb (1 month) 458.6 287.36
- Apartment (1 bedroom) 248.41 134.1
- Apples 2.48 2.86
- Beef 10.7 9.72
- Beer 0.96 0.57
40 more changes
- Bread 0.57 0.89
- Chicken Fillets 4.2 3.81
- Cinema Ticket 3.25 3.83
- Coffee 1.34 1.15
- Coliving Space 324.84 206.9
- Coworking Space 84.08 38.31
- Dining Out local 84.08, nomad 363.06, expat 191.08, family 420.38, tourist 24.84 local 45.98, nomad 172.41, expat 95.78, family 191.57, tourist 22.99
- Doctor Visit (GP) 15.29 13.41
- Fast Food Combo 4.78 4.56
- Gasoline 0.94 1.11
- Groceries local 107.01, nomad 57.32, expat 210.19, family 535.03, tourist 3.25 local 73.91, nomad 81.57, expat 101.22, family 202.28, tourist 5.84
- Gym Membership 17.2 15.33
- Haircut 3.82 1.53
- Health Insurance local 4.59, nomad 63.06, expat 84.08, family 286.62, tourist 2.1 local 0, nomad 67.69, expat 95.78, family 153.26, tourist 2.27
- Housing local 133.76, nomad 401.27, expat 248.41, family 458.6, tourist 42.04 local 134.1, nomad 287.36, expat 172.41, family 306.51, tourist 25.67
- Internet & Mobile local 6.88, nomad 24.84, expat 17.2, family 36.31, tourist 0.57 local 9.58, nomad 16.48, expat 10.34, family 19.16, tourist 0.26
- Internet (60 Mbps+) 9.17 7.66
- Jeans 22.93 30.65
- Laundry 0.96 1.34
- Leisure Activities local 15.29, nomad 171.97, expat 95.54, family 229.3, tourist 45.86 local 7.66, nomad 76.63, expat 88.12, family 153.26, tourist 15.33
- Meal (Inexpensive) 1.72 1.34
- Meal (Mid-range, 2 people) 17.2 15.33
- Milk 1.45 1.48
- Mobile Plan 5.73 5.76
- Monthly Transport Pass 11.46 5.75
- Pharmacy (basic meds) 4.59 1.92
- Rice 0.84 0.93
- Ride-hailing (5km) 2.87 1.53
- Running Shoes 68.79 57.47
- SIM Card (Tourist, prepaid) 7.64 7.66
- Scooter Rental 5.73 95.78
- Summer Dress 13.38 19.16
- Taxi Start 0.46 0.57
- Taxi per km 0.61 0.46
- Tennis Court (Weekend) 9.55 5.75
- Transportation local 22.93, nomad 84.08, expat 57.32, family 171.97, tourist 13.38 local 11.49, nomad 114.94, expat 115.33, family 191.57, tourist 9.58
- Utilities local 24.84, nomad 68.79, expat 57.32, family 122.29, tourist 0 local 28.74, nomad 0, expat 38.31, family 53.64, tourist 0
- Visa & Legal Fees local 0, nomad 24.84, expat 32.48, family 91.72, tourist 0.84 local 0, nomad 8.33, expat 16.67, family 33.33, tourist 0.83
- Water (1.5L bottle) 0.46 0.38
- Wine (Mid-range) 13.38 9.58
Second lint fix pass — Internet & Mobile (expat), Visa & Legal Fees (expat), Ride-hailing (5km), Taxi Start (note), category formulas in Findings (Dining Out, Groceries, Leisure Activities, Utilities expat, Transportation assumptions); e-visa source replaced with gov.uk

Phong Nha cost of living