Living in Vietnam runs $500-1100 per month for most expats — depending on the city and your lifestyle. I’ve been in Da Nang for 6 years and every season I answer the same questions from people thinking about moving here. I’ve put it all in one place.

Expat working on a laptop at an open-air cafe with tropical plants, Vietnam

Visas: how long you can actually stay

The basic tool is a 90-day e-visa through the official portal evisa.gov.vn . You apply online, it takes 3 business days, costs $25, and works at any airport or land border. Most passports get approved without issues.

When the 90 days run out, you have three paths:

  • Extend the e-visa for another 90 days — through the same portal, without leaving the country. That’s up to 180 days without crossing a border. More on the process in our guide on how to extend your visa from inside Vietnam .
  • Visa run — fly to Cambodia or Laos, apply for a fresh e-visa, fly back. Takes 1-2 days, costs $90-180 including transport and the new visa.
  • Residency (TRC) — through a company sponsor or work permit. There’s no direct path for freelancers yet. Most expats live on visa-run rotation.

Can you do visa runs forever? Officially, there’s no limit. But if you’re crossing every 3 months for years on end, border officers may start asking for documents proving why you’re actually in the country.

Open passport with colorful visa stamps in golden light — getting your Vietnam visa

What it actually costs to live in Vietnam

Da Nang is the most popular starting point for foreign expats. Cheaper than Saigon, with the beach right there, and a milder climate than Hanoi.

My real numbers for 2026:

  • One-bedroom rental with AC and hot water — $350-500/month in a decent neighborhood
  • Food — $5-10/day if you don’t restrict yourself to European places. Local cafes are phenomenally good and cheap
  • Transport — motorbike rental $50-80/month, Grab (the local Uber) $20-40/month
  • Health insurance — $40-100/month (international plan with Vietnam coverage)

Comfortable budget — $700-1100/month with entertainment. Bare-bones starts at $500. For a city-by-city cost comparison see our breakdown of Da Nang vs Saigon vs Nha Trang .

Modern balcony overlooking an Asian metropolis at sunset — typical expat housing in Vietnam

Not sure where to start?

Samurai Tour helps you sort out visas and the first steps of your move — we answer through our bot.

Ask about visas on Telegram →

Money and getting paid from abroad

This is the biggest pain point and it depends heavily on your home country. SWIFT works fine from most of the EU, US, UK, and Australia — banks here will receive USD wires in 2-5 days. The catch is on the receiving side: Vietnamese banks ask for proof-of-purpose paperwork on incoming wires above ~$5,000.

The patterns most expats use:

  • Wise / Revolut — funds an EUR or USD account that you can then transfer to a local Vietnamese bank or withdraw via ATM. Works for most Western passports.
  • Crypto on/off-ramps — USDT through Binance P2P, then swap to dong or USD with a local exchanger. Most common workaround if traditional banking is blocked from your home country (this is what most Russians use, since SWIFT from Russia is unstable).
  • Third-country card — a debit card from Armenia, Kazakhstan, Thailand, or Georgia, used at Vietnamese ATMs. Useful as a backup.
  • Cash on arrival — up to $5,000 without declaration.

For a detailed look at fees see our piece on moving money in and out of Vietnam .

A bank account at BIDV or VietinBank can be opened with an e-visa and proof of address. Takes 1-3 hours.

Vietnamese dong on a wooden table, street market in the background — currency exchange in Vietnam

Daily life: internet, SIM card, housing

Internet is 50-100 Mbps in most apartments and usually included in rent. In 6 years I haven’t hit a serious outage.

You buy a SIM (Viettel or Vietnamobile) at the airport for $5-15 right after landing. 4G is solid. You don’t need a VPN for normal life.

Housing is easiest to find through Facebook groups — search “Da Nang Expats Rentals” or “Vietnam Expats Housing”. Most foreigners settle in My Khe (the beach district) or central Hai Chau.

A cozy Vietnam alley with motorbikes, lanterns, and open cafes — daily expat life

Questions about visa extensions or residency?

Our Telegram answers questions about e-visas, extensions, and visa runs — free of charge.

Message us on Telegram →

Step-by-step: how to start living in Vietnam

  1. Apply for an e-visa at evisa.gov.vn — 3 days before your flight, $25, takes 20 minutes to fill out
  2. Book temporary housing for the first 2 weeks on Booking — you’ll find long-term rentals cheaper once you’re on the ground
  3. Buy a SIM card at the airport on arrival — Viettel has a counter in the arrivals hall
  4. Open a bank account at BIDV in your first two weeks — needed to live without ATM fees
  5. Find permanent housing via Facebook groups — 20-40% cheaper than long-term Airbnb
  6. Set up a money channel — international card, Wise, or USDT P2P depending on your home country — best done before you leave
Da Nang at night from above — city lights along the bay, mountains, and coastline

Vietnam is one of the few places where foreigners can live comfortably without a lot of friction. Visas work, money gets here, housing is affordable. The scary part is only the first time.

Couple at sunset overlooking the bay from a rooftop — expat life in Vietnam

If you have questions, reach out:

← Home