About cheaper abroad

cheaper abroad is an index of what things cost in places where they are cheap, next to what the same things cost at home. It starts with Da Nang in Vietnam; more destinations will follow. Every price carries its date and its source. The calculator is an extra: pick items and it adds up the difference.

It started as one person's research before a trip to Da Nang: a long list of what a dental cleaning, a pair of progressive lenses, a blood panel, a tailored suit and a phone battery cost there, against what the same things cost in the Netherlands. The list turned out to be more useful than the trip.

What it is

A directory of providers in Da Nang and Hoi An, with addresses and prices, plus a calculator that adds up the things you would have done there and compares them with prices at home.

You do not need to have planned a trip. Plenty of people arrive here looking up one thing and find out there are seven more worth scheduling into the same week. That is the point.

What it is not

It is not a booking site, it takes no commission on anything, and it has no opinion about whether you should travel.

It also does not always say yes. A good share of the items here are cheaper, better or simply easier at home, and those say so plainly.

The data

Everything on this site is generated from one database, which is published alongside it:

• The full database, SQLite.
• Every price observation, as a CSV you can open in a spreadsheet.

Each price carries its date, its source and how it was obtained. If a number here is wrong, the source is named so you can check it.