DA NANG, VIETNAM – A British teaching assistant and a US veteran have highlighted how Vietnam’s lower living costs allowed them to build a life they felt was out of reach at home.
From Redcar to Da Nang: escaping a dead-end future
Katie Smith, 29, had a permanent job as a school assistant in Redcar on England’s northeast coast, but her salary did not stretch to her own apartment, savings or a secure future. Together with her partner Dan, she decided that “carrying on like this” in the UK was no longer an option and the couple left for Vietnam in 2023. Their first stop, Hanoi, overwhelmed them with its traffic, noise and density, so they moved on.
Their next destination was Da Nang, a coastal city in central Vietnam that offered solid infrastructure without the intensity of the capital. The city quickly became their base, providing connections without anonymity and prompting them to rethink their financial plans.
‘Miami of Asia’ prices: how far a salary goes
Da Nang, often dubbed the “Miami of Asia” for its beaches, high-rises and international feel, combines that backdrop with Southeast Asian living costs. Smith’s apartment cost around 327 euros per month, with all utilities already included, far below typical rents in major UK cities or coastal towns like Redcar. Lower housing expenses became the couple’s biggest financial lever, freeing money for food, leisure and particularly for savings.
A weekly grocery shop for two came to about 23 euros, with market vendors often adding extra items at no charge. A meal with a drink in a local restaurant cost around 2.30 euros, while a three-course menu with drinks was about 9.20 euros and a beer roughly one euro. Services such as washing and blow-drying hair were available for around 4.60 euros, reflecting standard prices for locals and expatriates alike.
Remote teaching and a strict savings plan
Smith now worked as a TEFL teacher (Teaching English as a Foreign Language), giving online lessons to children for about 26 hours per week.
“Monday is my quietest day; I work about four hours,”
said Katie Smith, TEFL teacher. The rest of the week was more tightly scheduled, but the job could be done from any place with an internet connection.
This flexibility gave her a freedom she did not have in a British classroom, while her income went significantly further in Da Nang than it had in Redcar. She was able to put aside up to 1,035 euros each month, using Vietnam not as a permanent escape but as a deliberate strategy to build capital before returning to the UK, where she currently considered home ownership or even affordable rent unrealistic.
A different calculation in Ho Chi Minh City
In Ho Chi Minh City, 36-year-old Ryan from the United States offered a contrasting but related story. A former soldier, he lived in a two-room apartment in one of the tallest residential towers in the city and described Vietnam as exceptionally safe.
“Vietnam is the safest place I have ever lived. Here I never have to look over my shoulder,”
said Ryan, former soldier.
“People focus on their daily lives.”
said Ryan, former soldier. For him, the move could not be reduced to financial considerations alone, yet his monthly budget also underscored the appeal of the country’s largest metropolis.
Big-city comfort at lower cost
Ryan’s apartment cost around 722 euros per month, with electricity, water and cleaning adding about 110 euros. These outlays corresponded to high-end inner-city living in one of Southeast Asia’s biggest urban centres, while remaining well below the price of similar comfort in a major US city. Unlike Smith, he was not pursuing a temporary savings programme, but had made a conscious choice for a lifestyle he regarded as unaffordable in the United States.
Both Smith and Ryan thus illustrated the same underlying issue from different perspectives: they had worked and paid taxes in their home countries, yet felt unable to establish stable living conditions there.
When migration becomes the only option
Their experiences pointed to a broader trend of skilled workers relocating to countries like Vietnam for lower rents, cheaper daily expenses and a functioning everyday environment. For those considering a longer stay in Southeast Asia, the text stressed the importance of arranging health coverage in advance and noted that Global Insurance Thailand offered international health insurance for expatriates in the region.
The central question raised by their stories was how long moving abroad would remain a personal choice, and at what point it would become, for many, the only way to finance what they considered a normal life.