Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cartago, Costa Rica and Da Nang

For one person, living is cheaper in Da Nang: $889 a month against $1,733 in Cartago, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Cartago
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Cartago Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Da Nang
Learn more

Da Nang Living Index

Jump to prices

Cartago

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,733

/mo nomad

Da Nang

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$889

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cartago and in Da Nang

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Cartago and in Da Nang actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,733 in Cartago versus $889 in Da Nang.

Cartago $1,733
Da Nang $889

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,363 in Cartago versus $1,426 in Da Nang.

Cartago $2,363
Da Nang $1,426

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,993 in Cartago versus $1,963 in Da Nang.

Cartago $2,993
Da Nang $1,963

Living in Cartago is roughly 95% more expensive than in Da Nang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cartago is 27% above, Da Nang is 35% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.61 ₡3,886

$2.17 ₫56.0K

296.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.63 ₡16.1K

$19.53 ₫504.0K

82.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.75 ₡4,400

$4.53 ₫117.0K

115.23%

Cappuccino

$4.55 ₡2,056

$1.64 ₫42.4K

177.44%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 ₡1,013

$0.60 ₫15.6K

273.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.37 ₡618

$0.34 ₫8,901

302.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.15 ₡972

$1.33 ₫34.4K

61.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.20 ₡1,896

$2.36 ₫61.0K

77.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.39 ₡1,079

$1.60 ₫41.2K

49.38%

White Bread (500g)

$2.48 ₡1,118

$1.20 ₫31.0K

106.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,093

$1.05 ₫27.1K

130.48%

Eggs

$3.59 ₡1,622

$1.52 ₫39.3K

136.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 ₡3,940

$12.82 ₫330.7K

-31.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.61 ₡4,788

$4.17 ₫107.5K

154.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.93 ₡6,288

$9.33 ₫240.6K

49.30%

Apples (1kg)

$5.05 ₡2,279

$2.60 ₫67.2K

94.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.33 ₡601

$1.21 ₫31.3K

9.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.37 ₡1,975

$1.28 ₫33.1K

241.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.99 ₡1,350

$1.57 ₫40.5K

90.45%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 ₡977

$1.20 ₫31.0K

80.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.25 ₡1,015

$1.31 ₫33.9K

71.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ₡484

$1.04 ₫26.9K

2.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 ₡985

$0.49 ₫12.7K

344.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.98 ₡2,700

$1.51 ₫39.0K

296.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.61 ₡7,047

$7.97 ₫205.6K

95.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.85 ₡1,286

$0.93 ₫24.0K

206.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 ₡911

$2.18 ₫56.3K

-7.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.27 ₡571

$0.30 ₫7,693

323.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.1 ₡33.5K

$6.31 ₫162.7K

1074.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.31 ₡591

$1.04 ₫26.8K

25.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡711

$0.57 ₫14.6K

175.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.73 ₡3,941

$19.27 ₫497.1K

-54.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₡675

$0.91 ₫23.4K

64.84%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$34.7K ₡15.7M

$30.8K ₫795.4M

12.52%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$42.3K ₡19.1M

$28.4K ₫732.2M

48.99%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$53.0 ₡23.9K

$78.5 ₫2.0M

-32.52%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$36.31 ₡16.4K

$6.35 ₫163.9K

471.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.0 ₡27.1K

$8.33 ₫214.9K

620.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.0 ₡30.7K

$27.08 ₫698.6K

151.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$77.5 ₡35.0K

$5.32 ₫137.2K

1357.33%

Cinema Ticket

$7.16 ₡3,234

$3.37 ₫86.8K

112.46%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$559 ₡252.2K

$423 ₫10.9M

32.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,872 ₡3.6M

$15.1K ₫389.5M

-47.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.8 ₡32.9K

$45.19 ₫1.2M

61.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.8 ₡25.7K

$27.75 ₫716.1K

104.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 ₡54.8K

$101 ₫2.6M

20.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.1 ₡39.3K

$82.8 ₫2.1M

5.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$733 ₡331.0K

$553 ₫14.3M

32.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$725 ₡327.1K

$369 ₫9.5M

96.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,920 ₡866.9K

$1,228 ₫31.7M

56.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$702 ₡316.8K

$821 ₫21.2M

-14.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,858 ₫99.5M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,877 ₫48.4M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,305 ₡589.0K

$362 ₫9.4M

259.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

10.72

-19.59%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Cartago: October 25, 2026

Last update for Da Nang: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Cartago

$725 41.8%

Da Nang

$369 41.5% 49.1% $355

Groceries & Markets

Cartago

$350 20.2%

Da Nang

$200 22.5% 42.9% $150

Eating Out

Cartago

$186 10.8%

Da Nang

$66 7.4% 64.7% $121

Clothing & Footwear

Cartago

$152 8.8%

Da Nang

$115 13% 24.2% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cartago

$149 8.6%

Da Nang

$93 10.5% 37.6% $56

Getting Around

Cartago

$88 5.1%

Da Nang

$11 1.3% 87.1% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Cartago

$82 4.8%

Da Nang

$34 3.8% 58.9% $49

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $733 in Cartago and $553 in Da Nang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cartago pays about 3.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $36 in Cartago vs $20 in Da Nang for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $350 vs $200 per month, with Da Nang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Cartago

🇻🇳 Da Nang

🕒 Local time

13:34 1:34 PM

02:34 2:34 AM

13 h ahead of Cartago

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

110,000

1,245,200

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.88 USD

100,000 VND = 3.47 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

VND, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 25,802 VND (100,000 VND = 3.88 USD). 1 EUR = 28,810 VND (100,000 VND = 3.47 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cartago Da Nang 16,840 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Cartago
Da Nang

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Cartago vs Da Nang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Da Nang is about 49% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Cartago is about 3.6 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $733 in Cartago versus $553 in Da Nang. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Da Nang runs roughly 91% less than in Cartago. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $559 in Cartago versus $423 in Da Nang. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $889 in Da Nang versus $1,733 in Cartago, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Da Nang but tight or insufficient in Cartago. The gap between the two cities makes Da Nang the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Cartago and Da Nang are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Da Nang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 49% less than in Cartago. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.