Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Ana and Imola

For one person, living is cheaper in Imola: $1,756 a month against $2,018 in Santa Ana, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

97

Cost of Living Index in Santa Ana
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Santa Ana Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Imola
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Imola Living Index

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Santa Ana

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,018

/mo nomad

Imola

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,756

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Santa Ana and in Imola

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

A single person spends $2,018 per month in Santa Ana vs $1,756 in Imola, rent included.

Santa Ana $2,018
Imola $1,756

A couple spends around $3,233 per month in Santa Ana vs $2,685 in Imola, rent included.

Santa Ana $3,233
Imola $2,685

A family of three spends $4,447 per month in Santa Ana vs $3,613 in Imola, rent included.

Santa Ana $4,447
Imola $3,613

Santa Ana costs about 15% more than Imola, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Santa Ana and Imola sit above the global median – Santa Ana by 49%, Imola by 30%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.04 ₡5,401

$23.54 €20.94

-48.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.6 ₡28.1K

$68.2 €60.7

-8.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 ₡5,285

$11.01 €9.79

6.99%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₡1,975

$1.55 €1.37

183.87%

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

$2.14 ₡959

$1.98 €1.76

8.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.37 ₡613

$0.99 €0.88

38.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.36 ₡1,508

$4.37 €3.89

-23.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.27 ₡1,917

$3.36 €2.99

27.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.21 ₡993

$1.36 €1.21

62.50%

White Bread (500g)

$3.12 ₡1,400

$2.04 €1.81

52.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,127

$1.73 €1.54

45.09%

Eggs

$3.47 ₡1,554

$3.33 €2.96

4.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.87 ₡4,876

$25.79 €22.94

-57.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.40 ₡4,664

$9.76 €8.68

6.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.19 ₡6,364

$21.51 €19.14

-34.03%

Apples (1kg)

$5.10 ₡2,289

$2.96 €2.63

72.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 ₡742

$2.27 €2.02

-27.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.65 ₡2,086

$3.34 €2.97

39.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.98 ₡1,785

$3.27 €2.91

21.71%

Potato (1kg)

$3.93 ₡1,761

$1.66 €1.48

136.75%

Onion (1kg)

$3.60 ₡1,615

$1.10 €0.98

227.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡500

$0.40 €0.36

180.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 ₡808

$0.28 €0.25

542.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.11 ₡2,738

$7.26 €6.45

-15.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.77 ₡7,970

$5.47 €4.87

224.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.88 ₡1,293

$1.71 €1.52

68.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 ₡1,207

$1.97 €1.75

36.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.47 €1.30

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.63 €28.14

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.49 ₡1,116

$3.61 €3.21

-31.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡698

$1.22 €1.08

27.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.59 ₡3,852

$27.70 €24.64

-68.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡694

$1.98 €1.77

-21.72%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$32.8K €29.2K

-34.13%

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

$34.6K ₡15.5M

$35.4K €31.5K

-2.36%

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

$93.7 ₡42.0K

$242 €215

-61.24%

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

$32.78 ₡14.7K

$11.23 €9.99

191.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.0 ₡22.4K

$32.55 €28.95

53.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$157 ₡70.4K

$77.5 €68.9

102.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.25 ₡9,980

$8.31 €7.39

167.75%

Cinema Ticket

$7.78 ₡3,490

$10.55 €9.38

-26.26%

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

$983 ₡440.6K

$649 €577

51.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.4K ₡7.8M

$14.0K €12.5K

23.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.4 ₡29.3K

$95.7 €85.1

-31.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.0 ₡25.1K

$28.42 €25.28

97.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 ₡57.2K

$94.3 €83.8

35.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 ₡59.0K

$94.9 €84.4

38.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 ₡473.0K

$668 €594

57.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$885 ₡396.9K

$565 €503

56.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,955 ₡1.3M

$1,316 €1,170

124.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,844 ₡827.1K

$967 €860

90.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,727 ₡1.2M

$2,821 €2,509

-3.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,657 ₡743.2K

$1,953 €1,737

-15.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,402 ₡628.9K

$2,119 €1,885

-33.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

3.16

172.78%

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

Last update for Santa Ana: October 11, 2026

Last update for Imola: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santa Ana

$885 43.9%

Imola

$565 32.2% 36.2% $320

Groceries & Markets

Santa Ana

$379 18.8%

Imola

$339 19.3% 10.6% $40

Eating Out

Santa Ana

$224 11.1%

Imola

$280 16% 25.2% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Ana

$176 8.7%

Imola

$285 16.3% 61.8% $109

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Ana

$173 8.6%

Imola

$99 5.6% 42.9% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Ana

$171 8.5%

Imola

$141 8% 17.6% $30

Getting Around

Santa Ana

$10 * 0.5%

Imola

$47 2.7% 360% $37

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,055 in Santa Ana versus $668 in Imola. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 51% higher in Imola, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $63.0 in Santa Ana versus $68.0 in Imola. Groceries tell a different story – $379 in Santa Ana vs $339 in Imola – so Imola wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Santa Ana

🇮🇹 Imola

🕒 Local time

09:22 9:22 AM

17:22 5:22 PM

8 h ahead of Santa Ana

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,000

69,797

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Santa Ana Imola 9,700 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Santa Ana
Imola

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

Santa Ana vs Imola: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,018 in Santa Ana, $1,756 in Imola – roughly 15% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,027 per month in Santa Ana and $2,634 in Imola. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Imola, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,018 in Santa Ana and $1,756 in Imola. That's a gap of about 15%.

Kindergarten costs $983 per month in Santa Ana and $649 in Imola. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Imola, where all-in costs run around $1,756, than in Santa Ana at $2,018. In Imola it covers expenses comfortably, while in Santa Ana it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Santa Ana has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,756 in Imola to $2,018 in Santa Ana. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Imola. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Santa Ana makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.