What My Life Actually Costs in Đà Lạt, Vietnam — And What I Get in Return

When I tell people I moved to Đà Lạt, Vietnam, one of the first questions I get is:

“What does it actually cost to live there?”

It's a fair question.

Before moving here, I had already visited Đà Lạt about four times. I knew I loved the city, the weather, the coffee culture and the people. But visiting somewhere and actually building a life there are two completely different things.

Eventually, I made the decision.

I sold my cars, rented out my properties in the United States, packed up my life and moved to Đà Lạt.

Now that I've been living here, I can say the financial difference is significant.

But the biggest difference isn't the money.

It's what that money allows me to do with my time.

What Does It Cost to Live in Đà Lạt?

People sometimes hear that Southeast Asia is inexpensive and imagine that means sacrificing comfort.

That hasn't been my experience.

A large villa near the center of Đà Lạt—something similar to the home we live in, with around five rooms and three stories—can rent for approximately $700 USD per month.

Utilities are surprisingly low. Electricity, water, internet and even some household help can still keep our basic monthly household expenses relatively inexpensive. Internet is fast and affordable, and a housekeeper can also be hired for a fraction of what that type of service would cost in California.

Our phone plans are around $7 per person per month.

Those numbers still sometimes sound strange to me after spending most of my life in California.

Transportation Is Completely Different

I sold my cars before making the move.

Here, scooters are simply part of everyday life.

I purchased two scooters for roughly $7,000 USD combined. That was obviously a larger upfront purchase, but operating them costs almost nothing compared with owning cars in California.

I probably spend around $10 a month on fuel for my normal driving.

No $100 fill-ups.

No sitting in traffic burning through a tank of gas.

Most places I need to go are only a short scooter ride away.

And when I don't feel like riding or need a car, I open Grab—the Southeast Asian equivalent of Uber.

A typical ride around Đà Lạt might cost me approximately $2 each way.

That makes transportation almost something I don't think about anymore.

Eating Out Is Normal Here

This has probably been one of the biggest lifestyle adjustments.

We barely grocery shop.

Not because groceries aren't available, but because eating fresh local food outside the house is so accessible and affordable that cooking every meal doesn't always make financial sense.

A really good local meal can easily cost $2–$3 USD.

And I'm not talking about surviving on instant noodles.

Vietnamese food is fresh, flavorful and incredibly diverse. Đà Lạt is also surrounded by agriculture, so vegetables, fruits, coffee and other ingredients are grown all around us.

Food has become less of a chore and more of a daily experience.

Sometimes lunch is simply another reason to get on the scooter and discover somewhere new.

My Daughter's School

One expense I wasn't willing to compromise on was my daughter's education.

Her school costs approximately $350 USD per month.

For our family, that's a meaningful expense here, but compared with private education costs in many parts of California, it's still very reasonable.

And one of the things I appreciate most is that she's growing up experiencing another language, another culture and another way of life.

So What Does a Normal Day Look Like?

This is where the move has changed my life more than the numbers ever could.

My mornings don't begin with a freeway.

They don't begin with rushing out the door or thinking about the next meeting before I've even had coffee.

A normal day might start with taking my daughter to school.

Then maybe I go for a walk around the lake.

I might stop at a coffee shop.

I might meet someone local.

Some days I meet farmers, people in the coffee industry or other business owners. Other days I explore a part of Đà Lạt I haven't seen before.

And sometimes I simply sit down with a cup of coffee and work.

There's something different about being able to decide what your day is going to look like.

And Then Coffee Became Something More

Coffee was originally just something I loved.

I enjoyed drinking it, learning about it and connecting with people through it.

Living in Đà Lạt put me right in the middle of one of Vietnam's most important coffee-growing regions.

Suddenly I wasn't just drinking coffee.

I was meeting farmers.

I was learning about processing.

I was seeing coffee being grown, harvested, roasted and prepared.

I was spending time with people who had built their lives around it.

That hobby eventually became Dalat Collective.

Not because I moved here with some master plan to build another company.

Actually, almost the opposite.

I had spent enough of my life chasing work.

Dalat Collective grew because I finally had enough time to explore something I genuinely enjoyed.

Coffee became a way to connect the life I was discovering here in Đà Lạt with friends, customers and coffee drinkers thousands of miles away.

That's why I've always wanted Dalat Collective to become more than a bag of coffee.

It's about the people, the farms, the city and the lifestyle surrounding it.

Đà Lạt Doesn't Feel Like the Vietnam Most People Imagine

The weather deserves its own mention.

Vietnam is often associated with tropical heat and humidity.

Đà Lạt is different.

We're in the Central Highlands at elevation, surrounded by mountains, farms, pine trees, flowers and coffee plantations.

The weather is cooler. Mornings and evenings can actually feel chilly.

There are days when I forget I'm living in tropical Southeast Asia.

And when I want something completely different, the airport isn't far away.

Domestic flights can often be found for around $65 one way, depending on the destination and timing.

A short flight can put me in Ho Chi Minh City, Đà Nẵng, Hanoi or another part of Vietnam.

So Đà Lạt gives me something I didn't realize I valued this much:

A quiet home base with the ability to explore.

 

Cheap Isn't Really the Point

Yes, life here costs considerably less than the life I had in California.

That's obvious.

Housing is cheaper.

Transportation is cheaper.

Food is cheaper.

Phone service is cheaper.

Many everyday services are cheaper.

But after living here, I've realized that simply saying “Vietnam is cheap” misses the entire point.

The real luxury isn't paying $2 for lunch.

 

The luxury is time.

It's having breakfast without rushing.

Taking my daughter to school.

Walking around the lake.

Meeting someone for coffee without looking at the clock every five minutes.

Learning something new because I'm curious about it not because it advances my career.

Getting on my scooter and exploring a road I've never taken.

Sitting with a farmer and learning about something they've spent decades mastering.

Building a business because I'm passionate about it instead of because I need another paycheck.

And sometimes doing absolutely nothing productive.

That last one has probably been the hardest thing for me to learn.

For most of my life, productivity was almost synonymous with progress.

Here, I'm learning that living doesn't always have to produce something.

 

What I Get in Return

I traded cars for scooters.

I traded long drives for short rides through the mountains.

I traded expensive meals for little local restaurants where a few dollars can buy something incredible.

I traded constantly looking at my schedule for occasionally forgetting what day it is.

And I traded a life built largely around work for one where work finally has to fit around life.

I'm still ambitious.

I'm still building things.

Dalat Collective is growing, and I have plenty of ideas for where I want to take it.

But the difference now is that I'm trying not to build another life that I eventually need to escape from.

I want to build one I actually enjoy living.

And right now, that life happens to be in Đà Lạt, Vietnam.

From Vietnam to the world.

— Jovany
Dalat Collective