Living in Hoi An - Cost, Visa & Wifi Reality

Cost of Living

Monthly budgets, last verified Aug 2026. Nomads.com lists Hoi An more expensive than Da Nang: the town lives off tourism pricing, so expect a premium over the nearby city.

Nomad budget: ~$1,100-1,600/month

Nomads.com puts Hoi An's nomad tier at ~$1,391/month, versus Da Nang's ~$914: the tighter, better value stay is the bigger city just up the coast. Rent and food still run far below Europe or Australia if you pick the beach edge over the old-town front streets.

Expat comfort: ~$1,800-2,600/month

A villa with a pool near An Bang, eating out nightly (the town's restaurants are excellent and priced accordingly), Grab everywhere and a tailorship fling. Hoi An is a lovely place to land this tier comfortably.

Family tier: ~$2,400-3,200/month

Nomads.com's family figure lands near $1,896 before school and extras. Big villas and beach stays are affordable; international schooling means Da Nang or further afield, so factor the commute in.

Local baseline: ~$550-700/month

Nomads.com's local tier sits near $542, a reminder that tourist and resident economies are two different towns. Useful as an anchor when guesthouses quote peak-season rates.

Visa Options

Hoi An follows Vietnam's national visa rules (per WhereNext's verified 2026 catalog, same as Da Nang):

E-Visa, ~$50, 90 days

Vietnam's e-visa is single entry for 90 days and takes about 3 working days to process. There is no separation between a tourist and a work visit for most remote workers.

No digital-nomad visa yet

Unlike Thailand (DTV) and Malaysia (DE Rantau), Vietnam still has no formal DN visa. You underlay a tourist/visitor e-visa; documented extension routes can stretch a stay toward 12 months. Verify current fees on the official e-visa portal before you travel, and plan renewals, since border-run loops are no longer reliable.

WiFi & Coworking

Home fibre follows Da Nang's pricing: a 60Mbps+ plan runs roughly 200,000-250,000 VND/month (~$8-10), using Da Nang's verified Numbeo snapshot since Numbeo carries no Hoi-An item prices yet. Ask for a speed test before you sign a lease; older tourist villas can be patchy.

Coworking is thin on the ground versus Da Nang: nomads.com lists a hot desk near $153/month, and most remote workers ride on cafe wifi (grab a seat off the main drag) or base themselves in Da Nang and day-trip over. 4G/5G (Viettel, Vinaphone) is a dependable backup in town.

Healthcare

Hoi An has clinics and a hospital for routine care; for anything serious head to Da Nang, 30-45 minutes away, which is the regional hub for hospitals and international options. Travel insurance is essential; motorbike accidents are the main hazard and scooter care is not where to cut corners.

Safety

Generally safe, though petty theft and snatch-and-grab on scooters are the standing risk in a tourist town (nomads.com rates safety 'Okay'). Lock your bike, keep phones and bags out of reach on the road, and watch the wet-season flooding, which can close the old town in Nov-Dec. Air quality is genuinely great: about 36 annual US AQI.