Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and Da Nang

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.

101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Da Nang
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Da Nang Living Index

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San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,105

/mo nomad

Da Nang

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$889

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San Jose 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 San Jose and in Da Nang actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

San Jose $2,105
Da Nang $889

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

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

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

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

San Jose costs about 137% more than Da Nang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.43 ₡5,609

$2.17 ₫56.1K

472.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.9 ₡27.5K

$19.53 ₫504.6K

211.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.72 ₡5,288

$4.53 ₫117.1K

158.72%

Cappuccino

$4.47 ₡2,019

$1.64 ₫42.4K

172.56%

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

$2.75 ₡1,241

$0.60 ₫15.6K

358.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.92 ₡867

$0.34 ₫8,912

464.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.26 ₡1,470

$1.33 ₫34.4K

145.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.45 ₡2,009

$2.36 ₫61.0K

88.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.36 ₡1,063

$1.60 ₫41.2K

47.50%

White Bread (500g)

$3.09 ₡1,393

$1.20 ₫31.1K

157.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.40 ₡1,083

$1.05 ₫27.1K

128.57%

Eggs

$3.44 ₡1,553

$1.52 ₫39.4K

126.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.73 ₡4,841

$12.82 ₫331.1K

-16.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.36 ₡4,674

$4.17 ₫107.6K

148.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.84 ₡6,243

$9.33 ₫240.9K

48.34%

Apples (1kg)

$5.15 ₡2,323

$2.60 ₫67.3K

98.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 ₡746

$1.21 ₫31.4K

36.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.67 ₡2,109

$1.28 ₫33.1K

264.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.98 ₡1,798

$1.57 ₫40.6K

153.50%

Potato (1kg)

$3.90 ₡1,761

$1.20 ₫31.0K

225.00%

Onion (1kg)

$3.65 ₡1,647

$1.31 ₫33.9K

178.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ₡487

$1.04 ₫26.9K

3.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.10 ₡1,398

$0.49 ₫12.7K

532.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.08 ₡2,745

$1.51 ₫39.0K

302.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.05 ₡9,047

$7.97 ₫205.9K

151.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.77 ₡1,252

$0.93 ₫24.0K

197.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 ₡1,666

$2.18 ₫56.4K

69.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡503

$0.30 ₫7,702

273.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.7 ₡30.1K

$6.31 ₫162.9K

957.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.49 ₡1,122

$1.04 ₫26.8K

139.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ₡735

$0.57 ₫14.6K

185.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 ₡3,821

$19.27 ₫497.7K

-56.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

$0.91 ₫23.5K

72.53%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$30.8K ₫796.3M

12.15%

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

$42.3K ₡19.1M

$28.4K ₫733.1M

49.18%

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

$93.2 ₡42.0K

$78.5 ₫2.0M

18.60%

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

$36.05 ₡16.3K

$6.35 ₫164.1K

467.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.1 ₡26.7K

$8.33 ₫215.2K

609.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.0 ₡31.1K

$27.08 ₫699.4K

154.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.80 ₡11.2K

$5.32 ₫137.4K

366.17%

Cinema Ticket

$7.85 ₡3,543

$3.37 ₫87.0K

132.94%

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

$996 ₡449.4K

$423 ₫10.9M

135.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.0K ₡7.7M

$15.1K ₫390.0M

12.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.1 ₡31.6K

$45.19 ₫1.2M

55.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.2 ₡24.9K

$27.75 ₫717.0K

99.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$130 ₡58.5K

$101 ₫2.6M

28.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 ₡59.2K

$82.8 ₫2.1M

58.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,164 ₡525.2K

$553 ₫14.3M

110.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$945 ₡426.4K

$369 ₫9.5M

155.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 ₡899.4K

$1,228 ₫31.7M

62.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,404 ₡633.4K

$821 ₫21.2M

70.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,727 ₡1.2M

$3,858 ₫99.6M

-29.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,040 ₡920.7K

$1,877 ₫48.5M

8.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,011 ₡456.1K

$362 ₫9.4M

178.88%

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 San Jose: October 26, 2026

Last update for Da Nang: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Jose

$945 44.9%

Da Nang

$369 41.5% 60.9% $576

Groceries & Markets

San Jose

$399 19%

Da Nang

$200 22.5% 49.9% $199

Eating Out

San Jose

$232 11%

Da Nang

$66 7.4% 71.6% $166

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose

$188 9%

Da Nang

$93 10.5% 50.5% $95

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose

$174 8.3%

Da Nang

$115 13% 33.6% $58

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose

$85 4%

Da Nang

$34 3.8% 60.1% $51

Getting Around

San Jose

$82 3.9%

Da Nang

$11 1.3% 86.1% $70

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,164 in San Jose versus $553 in Da Nang. 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 $61 in San Jose versus $20 in Da Nang. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $399 vs $200 – making Da Nang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Jose

🇻🇳 Da Nang

🕒 Local time

12:49 12:49 PM

01:49 1:49 AM

13 h ahead of San Jose

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

342,188 Capital

1,245,200

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.87 USD

100,000 VND = 3.48 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 502 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

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).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

San Jose
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $2,105 in San Jose, $889 in Da Nang – roughly 137% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,158 per month in San Jose and $1,333 in Da Nang. 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 it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in San Jose and $20 in Da Nang. 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, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, San Jose makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.