Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Da Nang and Santa Cruz, Costa Rica

For one person, living is cheaper in Da Nang: $889 a month against $1,686 in Santa Cruz, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Da Nang
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Da Nang Living Index
83

Cost of Living Index in Santa Cruz
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Santa Cruz Living Index

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Da Nang

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$889

/mo nomad

Santa Cruz

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,686

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Da Nang and in Santa Cruz

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 Santa Cruz actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $889 per month in Da Nang vs $1,686 in Santa Cruz, rent included.

Da Nang $889
Santa Cruz $1,686

A couple spends around $1,426 per month in Da Nang vs $2,662 in Santa Cruz, rent included.

Da Nang $1,426
Santa Cruz $2,662

A family of three spends $1,963 per month in Da Nang vs $3,637 in Santa Cruz, rent included.

Da Nang $1,963
Santa Cruz $3,637

Da Nang is about 47% cheaper than Santa Cruz, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Da Nang sits 35% below the global median, while Santa Cruz is 24% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.17 ₫56.1K

$12.17 ₡5,495

-82.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.53 ₫505.0K

$62.3 ₡28.1K

-68.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.53 ₫117.2K

$10.82 ₡4,884

-58.13%

Cappuccino

$1.64 ₫42.4K

$4.43 ₡2,000

-62.98%

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

$0.60 ₫15.6K

$2.32 ₡1,049

-74.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.34 ₫8,918

$1.93 ₡871

-82.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.33 ₫34.5K

$3.36 ₡1,515

-60.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₫61.1K

$4.49 ₡2,027

-47.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 ₫41.2K

$2.43 ₡1,098

-34.16%

White Bread (500g)

$1.20 ₫31.1K

$3.08 ₡1,391

-61.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.05 ₫27.2K

$2.40 ₡1,083

-56.25%

Eggs

$1.52 ₫39.4K

$3.49 ₡1,574

-56.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.82 ₫331.3K

$10.74 ₡4,849

19.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.17 ₫107.7K

$10.59 ₡4,779

-60.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.33 ₫241.1K

$13.96 ₡6,300

-33.17%

Apples (1kg)

$2.60 ₫67.3K

$5.10 ₡2,302

-49.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.21 ₫31.4K

$1.13 ₡510

7.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₫33.1K

$4.68 ₡2,115

-72.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.57 ₫40.6K

$3.85 ₡1,738

-59.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 ₫31.1K

$3.75 ₡1,694

-68.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.31 ₫33.9K

$3.60 ₡1,627

-63.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.04 ₫26.9K

$1.09 ₡491

-4.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ₫12.7K

$3.21 ₡1,449

-84.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.51 ₫39.1K

$5.86 ₡2,647

-74.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.97 ₫206.0K

$19.73 ₡8,908

-59.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 ₫24.1K

$2.90 ₡1,311

-67.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 ₫56.4K

$3.62 ₡1,636

-39.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 ₫7,708

$1.29 ₡581

-76.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$6.31 ₫163.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.04 ₫26.9K

$2.49 ₡1,125

-58.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ₫14.6K

$1.62 ₡729

-64.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.27 ₫498.1K

$8.93 ₡4,033

115.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 ₫23.5K

$1.52 ₡685

-40.13%

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

$30.8K ₫796.9M

$34.4K ₡15.5M

-10.28%

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

$28.4K ₫733.6M

$42.2K ₡19.1M

-32.76%

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

$78.5 ₫2.0M

$96.5 ₡43.6K

-18.61%

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

$6.35 ₫164.2K

$35.12 ₡15.9K

-81.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.33 ₫215.3K

$60.0 ₡27.1K

-86.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.08 ₫700.0K

$66.7 ₡30.1K

-59.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.32 ₫137.5K

Cinema Ticket

$3.37 ₫87.0K

$6.54 ₡2,950

-48.47%

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

$423 ₫10.9M

$966 ₡436.1K

-56.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.1K ₫390.3M

$17.3K ₡7.8M

-12.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.19 ₫1.2M

$71.8 ₡32.4K

-37.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.75 ₫717.5K

$55.0 ₡24.8K

-49.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₫2.6M

$131 ₡59.1K

-23.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.8 ₫2.1M

$133 ₡60.2K

-37.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$553 ₫14.3M

$785 ₡354.6K

-29.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$369 ₫9.5M

$599 ₡270.4K

-38.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,228 ₫31.7M

$2,081 ₡939.5K

-41.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$821 ₫21.2M

$1,165 ₡526.1K

-29.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,858 ₫99.7M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,877 ₫48.5M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$362 ₫9.4M

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 Santa Cruz: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Da Nang

$369 41.5%

Santa Cruz

$599 35.5% 62.3% $230

Groceries & Markets

Da Nang

$200 22.5%

Santa Cruz

$399 23.6% 99.2% $198

Clothing & Footwear

Da Nang

$115 13%

Santa Cruz

$176 10.4% 52.4% $61

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Da Nang

$93 10.5%

Santa Cruz

$192 11.4% 106% $98

Eating Out

Da Nang

$66 7.4%

Santa Cruz

$226 13.4% 243% $160

Sport & Entertainment

Da Nang

$34 3.8%

Santa Cruz

$80 4.7% 136% $46

Getting Around

Da Nang

$11 1.3%

Santa Cruz

$16 * 0.9% 38.2% $4.3

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $553 in Da Nang versus $785 in Santa Cruz. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20 in Da Nang versus $62 in Santa Cruz. 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

🇨🇷 Santa Cruz

🕒 Local time

08:04 8:04 AM

19:04 7:04 PM

13 h behind Da Nang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,245,200

1,665

💱 Currency

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 VND = 3.87 USD

100,000 VND = 3.47 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 25,852 VND (100,000 VND = 3.87 USD). 1 EUR = 28,779 VND (100,000 VND = 3.47 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 503 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

USD to VND in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Da Nang Santa Cruz 16,720 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Da Nang
Santa Cruz

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 Santa Cruz: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $889 in Da Nang, $1,686 in Santa Cruz – Da Nang comes out roughly 47% 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 $2,529 in Santa Cruz. 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 $785 in Santa Cruz.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $889 in Da Nang and $1,686 in Santa Cruz. That makes Da Nang about 47% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $423 per month in Da Nang and $966 in Santa Cruz. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Da Nang, where all-in costs run around $889, than in Santa Cruz at $1,686. In Da Nang it covers expenses comfortably, while in Santa Cruz it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Da Nang – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.