Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Da Nang and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in Da Nang: $889 a month against $2,105 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $14,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Da Nang
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Da Nang Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Da Nang

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$889

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,105

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Da Nang and in San Jose

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

A single person spends $889 per month in Da Nang vs $2,105 in San Jose, rent included.

Da Nang $889
San Jose $2,105

A couple spends around $1,426 per month in Da Nang vs $3,074 in San Jose, rent included.

Da Nang $1,426
San Jose $3,074

A family of three spends $1,963 per month in Da Nang vs $4,043 in San Jose, rent included.

Da Nang $1,963
San Jose $4,043

Da Nang is about 58% cheaper than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Da Nang sits 35% below the global median, while San Jose is 55% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.17 ₫56.1K

$12.43 ₡5,609

-82.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.53 ₫504.6K

$60.9 ₡27.5K

-67.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.53 ₫117.1K

$11.72 ₡5,288

-61.35%

Cappuccino

$1.64 ₫42.4K

$4.47 ₡2,019

-63.31%

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

$0.60 ₫15.6K

$2.75 ₡1,241

-78.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.34 ₫8,912

$1.92 ₡867

-82.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.33 ₫34.4K

$3.26 ₡1,470

-59.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₫61.0K

$4.45 ₡2,009

-46.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 ₫41.2K

$2.36 ₡1,063

-32.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.20 ₫31.1K

$3.09 ₡1,393

-61.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.05 ₫27.1K

$2.40 ₡1,083

-56.25%

Eggs

$1.52 ₫39.4K

$3.44 ₡1,553

-55.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.82 ₫331.1K

$10.73 ₡4,841

19.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.17 ₫107.6K

$10.36 ₡4,674

-59.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.33 ₫240.9K

$13.84 ₡6,243

-32.59%

Apples (1kg)

$2.60 ₫67.3K

$5.15 ₡2,323

-49.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.21 ₫31.4K

$1.65 ₡746

-26.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₫33.1K

$4.67 ₡2,109

-72.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.57 ₫40.6K

$3.98 ₡1,798

-60.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 ₫31.0K

$3.90 ₡1,761

-69.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.31 ₫33.9K

$3.65 ₡1,647

-64.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.04 ₫26.9K

$1.08 ₡487

-3.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ₫12.7K

$3.10 ₡1,398

-84.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.51 ₫39.0K

$6.08 ₡2,745

-75.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.97 ₫205.9K

$20.05 ₡9,047

-60.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 ₫24.0K

$2.77 ₡1,252

-66.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 ₫56.4K

$3.69 ₡1,666

-40.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 ₫7,702

$1.12 ₡503

-73.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$6.31 ₫162.9K

$66.7 ₡30.1K

-90.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.04 ₫26.8K

$2.49 ₡1,122

-58.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ₫14.6K

$1.63 ₡735

-65.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.27 ₫497.7K

$8.47 ₡3,821

127.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 ₫23.5K

$1.57 ₡708

-42.04%

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

$30.8K ₫796.3M

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-10.83%

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

$28.4K ₫733.1M

$42.3K ₡19.1M

-32.97%

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

$78.5 ₫2.0M

$93.2 ₡42.0K

-15.68%

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

$6.35 ₫164.1K

$36.05 ₡16.3K

-82.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.33 ₫215.2K

$59.1 ₡26.7K

-85.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.08 ₫699.4K

$69.0 ₡31.1K

-60.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.32 ₫137.4K

$24.80 ₡11.2K

-78.55%

Cinema Ticket

$3.37 ₫87.0K

$7.85 ₡3,543

-57.07%

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

$423 ₫10.9M

$996 ₡449.4K

-57.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.1K ₫390.0M

$17.0K ₡7.7M

-11.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.19 ₫1.2M

$70.1 ₡31.6K

-35.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.75 ₫717.0K

$55.2 ₡24.9K

-49.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₫2.6M

$130 ₡58.5K

-22.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.8 ₫2.1M

$131 ₡59.2K

-36.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$553 ₫14.3M

$1,164 ₡525.2K

-52.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$369 ₫9.5M

$945 ₡426.4K

-60.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,228 ₫31.7M

$1,993 ₡899.4K

-38.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$821 ₫21.2M

$1,404 ₡633.4K

-41.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,858 ₫99.6M

$2,727 ₡1.2M

41.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,877 ₫48.5M

$2,040 ₡920.7K

-8.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$362 ₫9.4M

$1,011 ₡456.1K

-64.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.72

8.62

24.36%

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

Last update for Da Nang: October 25, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Da Nang

$369 41.5%

San Jose

$945 44.9% 156% $576

Groceries & Markets

Da Nang

$200 22.5%

San Jose

$399 19% 99.6% $199

Clothing & Footwear

Da Nang

$115 13%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 50.7% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Da Nang

$93 10.5%

San Jose

$188 9% 102% $95

Eating Out

Da Nang

$66 7.4%

San Jose

$232 11% 253% $166

Sport & Entertainment

Da Nang

$34 3.8%

San Jose

$85 4% 151% $51

Getting Around

Da Nang

$11 1.3%

San Jose

$82 3.9% 620% $70

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $553 in Da Nang versus $1,164 in San Jose. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in San Jose are about 2.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20 in Da Nang versus $61 in San Jose. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $200 vs $399 – making Da Nang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Da Nang

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

06:01 6:01 AM

17:01 5:01 PM

13 h behind Da Nang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,245,200

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 VND = 3.87 USD

100,000 VND = 3.48 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to VND – Vietnamese Dong Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇻🇳 Vietnamese Dong (₫)

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 25,832 VND (100,000 VND = 3.87 USD). 1 EUR = 28,757 VND (100,000 VND = 3.48 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 502 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

USD to VND in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Da Nang San Jose 16,820 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Da Nang
San Jose

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

Da Nang vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $889 in Da Nang, $2,105 in San Jose – Da Nang comes out roughly 58% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,333 per month in Da Nang and $3,158 in San Jose. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Da Nang, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $553 there versus $1,164 in San Jose.

Groceries cost about 100% more in San Jose, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20 in Da Nang and $61 in San Jose. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Da Nang, where all-in costs run around $889, than in San Jose at $2,105. In Da Nang it covers expenses comfortably, while in San Jose it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Da Nang has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $889 in Da Nang to $2,105 in San Jose. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Da Nang. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, San Jose makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.