Wondering how much it costs to visit Vietnam? This Hoi An budget guide reveals exact daily costs for food, hotels, and transport to help you plan. (CLICK HERE)
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Hoi An can be as cheap or as luxurious as you want it to be. This Hoi An budget guide breaks down exactly what things cost, based on real prices from my own ten nights in town, so you can plan your trip with actual numbers instead of vague estimates.
Hoi An is one of Vietnam’s more affordable destinations, and it stays that way even if you spend longer than the standard two or three days most travelers plan for. Accommodation and food are genuinely cheap. The one place costs can climb fast is tailoring, if that’s something you’re planning to do.
Here’s everything this guide covers: accommodation, food, transport, attractions, daily budgets for different travel styles, and my own real spending from ten nights in town.
Is Hoi An Expensive Compared to the Rest of Vietnam?
Short answer: no, not by Vietnam standards or by Southeast Asia standards more broadly.
Compared to Da Nang, Hoi An is similar or slightly cheaper for accommodation and food, though Da Nang has more budget chain hotel options. Compared to Hanoi, Hoi An runs about the same for daily costs, sometimes marginally higher in tourist-facing restaurants near the Ancient Town. Compared to Ho Chi Minh City, Hoi An is noticeably cheaper across almost every category, since Ho Chi Minh City’s food and nightlife scene pulls prices up significantly.
Accommodation and food in Hoi An are genuinely affordable no matter which comparison you use. The one category that can quickly expand your budget is tailoring. A single custom suit or dress can cost as much as several days of accommodation and food combined, so it’s worth budgeting for separately if it’s on your list.
Hoi An Budget Guide to Accommodation: Where to Stay for Cheap
Cheap Hostels and Dorms
Dorm beds typically run 100,000 to 200,000 VND ($4 to $8) per night. I stayed at Harmony Old Town Hostel & Pool Bar for ten nights and paid 1,270,000 VND total, working out to about 127,000 VND ($5.08) per night. Free breakfast was included, which helped keep my food budget lower than it otherwise would have been.
Budget Hotels (Private Rooms)
Private rooms in budget hotels generally cost 300,000 to 500,000 VND ($12 to $20) per night. Expect a private bathroom, air conditioning, and basic amenities, without the social hostel environment.
Mid-Range Hotels with Pools
Mid-range hotels in Hoi An run 600,000 to 1,200,000 VND ($24 to $48) per night. This tier typically includes a pool, better location options, and more polished service, while still being far cheaper than equivalent hotels in most Western countries.
Luxury Beach and River Resorts
Luxury resorts, particularly those near An Bang Beach or along the river, start around 2,000,000 VND ($80) per night and climb well beyond that for the higher-end properties. These often include spa access, beachfront positioning, and significantly more space than anything in the budget or mid-range tiers.
Food and Drink Costs: Eating Cheaply in Hoi An
Street food in Hoi An is where the real value is. A bowl of Cao Lau or Mi Quang from a local spot typically costs 30,000 to 50,000 VND ($1.20 to $2). Banh Mi runs 20,000 to 30,000 VND ($0.80 to $1.20). White Rose Dumplings, one of Hoi An’s specialty dishes, usually cost 40,000 to 60,000 VND ($1.60 to $2.40) for a plate.
Local restaurants, the kind with plastic stools and no English menu, keep prices similarly low, generally 40,000 to 70,000 VND ($1.60 to $2.80) per dish.
Western restaurants catering to tourists charge considerably more, often 100,000 to 250,000 VND ($4 to $10) per dish, sometimes higher near the riverfront in the evenings.
Coffee at local cafés costs 20,000 to 35,000 VND ($0.80 to $1.40). Smoothies run about the same, 25,000 to 40,000 VND ($1 to $1.60). A local beer is typically 15,000 to 25,000 VND ($0.60 to $1), and bottled water is close to nothing at 5,000 to 10,000 VND ($0.20 to $0.40) from a convenience store.
Transportation Costs: Getting Around for Less
Bicycle rental is the cheapest and most practical way to explore Hoi An itself and the immediate surrounding countryside. I paid 45,000 VND ($1.80) per day for mine.
Scooter rental is necessary for anything further out, like Khe Tan Reservoir or the beaches beyond walking distance. I paid 150,000 VND ($6) per day.
Grab works well for short hops within town or transfers to and from the airport area, generally 30,000 to 80,000 VND ($1.20 to $3.20) depending on distance.
Taxi is similar in cost to Grab but less convenient since you can’t see the price upfront.
Airport transfer from Da Nang typically costs 250,000 to 400,000 VND ($10 to $16) by Grab or private car, covered in more detail in my Da Nang Airport to Hoi An guide.
Walking is free and entirely practical within the Ancient Town itself, though anything beyond that requires wheels.
Best value overall: the bicycle. It’s cheap, suits the flat roads throughout the area, and gets you to most of what makes Hoi An worth staying longer for.
Hoi An Attraction & Activity Prices (Including Tailors)
The Ancient Town heritage ticket, which grants access to a selection of historic houses, temples, and museums, costs around 120,000 VND ($4.80) and is valid for several attractions within the old town.
A Lantern Boat Ride costs 150,000 to 220,000 VND per boat, not per person, split between up to five passengers, making it one of the cheaper shared activities in town.
Tailor-made clothing is the one genuinely optional expense that can significantly change your total budget. Prices vary enormously depending on the garment and fabric, from around 500,000 VND ($20) for simple items to several million VND for higher-end suits or dresses.
Cooking classes typically run 400,000 to 700,000 VND ($16 to $28), usually including a market visit and a multi-course meal you help prepare.
Bicycle rentals, already covered above, are effectively both transport and activity, since much of the appeal is simply riding through the surrounding countryside.
Beach activities at An Bang are largely free if you’re just swimming and relaxing, with sunbed and umbrella rental at beach clubs adding 50,000 to 100,000 VND ($2 to $4) if you want that setup.
Daily Hoi An Travel Budget: How Much Do You Need?
The Backpacker Budget ($10–$16/Day)
Accommodation: 100,000–150,000 VND
Food: 100,000–150,000 VND
Transport: 45,000–60,000 VND (bicycle plus occasional Grab)
Activities: 0–50,000 VND
Estimated total per day: 250,000–400,000 VND ($10–$16)
The Mid-Range Budget ($32–$52/Day)
Accommodation: 400,000–700,000 VND
Food: 200,000–300,000 VND
Transport: 100,000–150,000 VND (scooter most days)
Activities: 100,000–200,000 VND
Estimated total per day: 800,000–1,300,000 VND ($32–$52)
The Comfort & Luxury Budget ($100+/Day)
Accommodation: 1,500,000–3,000,000 VND
Food: 400,000–700,000 VND
Transport: 200,000–300,000 VND (scooter, Grab, occasional private car)
Activities: 300,000–600,000 VND
Estimated total per day: 2,500,000–4,500,000 VND ($100–$180)
3-Day Hoi An Budget Breakdown
Accommodation (budget hostel, 3 nights): 400,000 VND
Food (3 days, local restaurants and street food): 350,000 VND
Coffee (daily café stop): 90,000 VND
Transport (bicycle rental, 2 days, plus one Grab): 130,000 VND
Attractions (Ancient Town ticket plus one lantern boat ride): 250,000 VND
Estimated total for three days: approximately 1,220,000 VND ($48.80), or roughly 407,000 VND ($16.30) per day.
The Ultimate Hoi An Budget Guide Tips: How to Save Money
Stay outside the Ancient Town. Areas like Cam Chau or Cam An offer lower accommodation prices while remaining a short bike ride from the center.
Rent a bicycle instead of relying on taxis. At 45,000 VND per day, it pays for itself almost immediately compared to multiple Grab rides.
Eat at local restaurants. The price difference between a local spot and a Western-facing restaurant on the same street can be three or four times higher for similar quality.
Walk whenever possible. The Ancient Town itself needs nothing beyond your own feet.
Visit free attractions. The rice fields, the riverfront, An Bang Beach, and countryside roads cost nothing and are genuinely among the best things to do in the area.
Compare tailor prices before ordering. Prices vary significantly between shops for similar quality, so getting quotes from two or three tailors before committing can save a meaningful amount.
Book accommodation in advance during peak season. Prices rise and availability drops between November and February, so early booking protects both your budget and your options.
Hidden Travel Costs to Include in Your Budget
Tailor-made clothes, if you decide on the day rather than planning for it, can significantly exceed whatever you’d budgeted.
Laundry services around Hoi An typically cost 20,000 to 40,000 VND per kilogram, a small but recurring cost on longer stays.
ATM fees add up if you’re withdrawing frequently. Most Vietnamese ATMs charge a flat fee per withdrawal regardless of amount, so larger, less frequent withdrawals save money over time.
Souvenirs are easy to underestimate, especially with Hoi An’s markets and craft shops making impulse purchases tempting.
Coffee stops, small individually, add up meaningfully if you’re stopping two or three times a day across a longer stay.
Snacks between meals, particularly from the Night Market or street vendors, are cheap individually but accumulate over a multi-day visit.
Travel insurance isn’t a Hoi An-specific cost, but it’s worth factoring into your overall Vietnam budget rather than treating it as optional.
Final Verdict: Is Hoi An Worth the Cost?
Yes, without much hesitation. The overall value for money here is excellent. Accommodation, food, and transport are all genuinely affordable, and the things that make Hoi An special, the Ancient Town, the countryside, the islands, the reservoir outside town, cost little to nothing beyond your accommodation and basic transport.
What makes Hoi An special isn’t a single expensive attraction. It’s the accumulation of small, cheap experiences: a bowl of Cao Lau for 40,000 VND, a bicycle ride through rice fields for free, an evening lantern boat ride split between friends for a fraction of what a similar experience would cost elsewhere.
Hoi An suits budget travelers particularly well because the town doesn’t gatekeep its best experiences behind expensive tickets. My honest opinion after spending time there: it’s one of the best value destinations in Vietnam, and one of the easiest places to stretch a modest daily budget into a genuinely memorable stay.
My Budget in Hoi An
I stayed for nine days and ten nights at Harmony Old Town Hostel & Pool Bar, paying 1,270,000 VND total for the accommodation, which works out to about 127,000 VND ($5.08) per night. Free breakfast was included every morning.
Food ran 100,000 to 120,000 VND per day. Breakfast was covered by the hostel. Lunch was almost always my favorite local Banh Mi spot called Banh Mi Vi at around 30,000 VND. Dinner was typically Pho or a similar noodle dish from a local restaurant, costing 50,000 to 60,000 VND per dish. All of this was at local prices rather than tourist-facing restaurants.
Transport varied depending on the day. Bicycle rental cost 45,000 VND per day on the days I cycled. Scooter rental cost 130,000 VND per day on the days I rode further out, including my trip to Khe Tan Reservoir.
Activities stayed minimal since most of what I did, cycling through Cam Kim Island, riding out to the reservoir, walking the Ancient Town, cost little beyond the transport itself.
Daily average across the full stay landed somewhere around 250,000 to 300,000 VND ($10 to $12), including accommodation, food, and transport combined. For nine days in one of Vietnam’s most charming towns, that’s excellent value by any standard.
Hoi An Budget Guide FAQs
Is Hoi An expensive for backpackers?
No. Backpackers can comfortably manage on 250,000 to 400,000 VND ($10 to $16) per day, covering hostel accommodation, local food, bicycle rental, and minimal activity costs.
How much money do I need per day in Hoi An?
It depends on travel style. Backpackers should budget 250,000 to 400,000 VND ($10 to $16) per day. Mid-range travelers should expect 800,000 to 1,300,000 VND ($32 to $52). Comfort or luxury travelers should plan for 2,500,000 VND ($100) or more per day.
Is street food cheap in Hoi An?
Yes, genuinely cheap. Most street food dishes cost 20,000 to 50,000 VND ($0.80 to $2), and local restaurants aren’t far behind in affordability.
Are attractions in Hoi An expensive?
No. The Ancient Town heritage ticket costs around 120,000 VND ($4.80), and a lantern boat ride runs 150,000 to 220,000 VND per boat split between passengers. The main expense to watch for is tailor-made clothing, which is entirely optional but can add up quickly.
Can you visit Hoi An on a budget?
Yes, easily. Hostel accommodation, local food, and bicycle rental together make Hoi An one of the more affordable destinations in Vietnam, with daily costs comfortably under 400,000 VND ($16) for budget travelers.
Is Hoi An cheaper than Da Nang?
Broadly similar, with Hoi An sometimes slightly cheaper for accommodation and local food, while Da Nang offers more budget chain hotel options. Neither destination is significantly more expensive than the other for a standard budget traveler.
Planning Your Vietnam Trip? More Travel Guides
If you’re building a bigger Vietnam itinerary, here’s what else I’ve written:
Hoi An Travel Guide for Slow Travelers 2026: Beyond the Lanterns
Hidden Places in Hoi An: 5 Spots Beyond the Old Town
Cam Kim Island Guide 2026: Hoi An’s Quiet Countryside Escape
