Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Ana, Costa Rica and New York, NY

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Ana: $2,006 a month against $4,906 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $34,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

96

Cost of Living Index in Santa Ana
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Santa Ana Living Index
234

Cost of Living Index in New York, NY
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New York, NY Living Index

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Santa Ana

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,006

/mo nomad

New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$4,906

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Santa Ana and in New York, NY

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 New York, NY actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,006 per month in Santa Ana vs $4,906 in New York, NY, rent included.

Santa Ana $2,006
New York, NY $4,906

A couple spends around $3,232 per month in Santa Ana vs $7,273 in New York, NY, rent included.

Santa Ana $3,232
New York, NY $7,273

A family of three spends $4,458 per month in Santa Ana vs $9,641 in New York, NY, rent included.

Santa Ana $4,458
New York, NY $9,641

Santa Ana is about 59% cheaper than New York, NY, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Santa Ana and New York, NY sit above the global median – Santa Ana by 48%, New York, NY by 263%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.42 ₡5,584

$26.93 $26.93

-53.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.9 ₡27.9K

$117 $117

-46.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.43 ₡5,139

$14.60 $14.60

-21.71%

Cappuccino

$4.56 ₡2,052

$6.54 $6.54

-30.28%

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

$2.25 ₡1,010

$3.86 $3.86

-41.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.39 ₡626

$2.95 $2.95

-52.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,474

$8.08 $8.08

-59.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 ₡1,960

$9.85 $9.85

-55.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.30 ₡1,033

$1.31 $1.31

75.57%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 ₡1,367

$4.97 $4.97

-38.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.41 ₡1,085

$7.70 $7.70

-68.70%

Eggs

$3.43 ₡1,542

$6.09 $6.09

-43.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.50 ₡4,719

$19.55 $19.55

-46.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.24 ₡4,604

$17.59 $17.59

-41.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 ₡6,248

$20.26 $20.26

-31.39%

Apples (1kg)

$5.20 ₡2,339

$6.99 $6.99

-25.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 ₡733

$2.21 $2.21

-26.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.79 ₡2,152

$6.72 $6.72

-28.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.81 ₡1,714

$7.12 $7.12

-46.49%

Potato (1kg)

$3.82 ₡1,717

$4.61 $4.61

-17.14%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,659

$4.78 $4.78

-22.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ₡482

$2.87 $2.87

-62.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 ₡842

$2.69 $2.69

-30.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.91 ₡2,658

$19.14 $19.14

-69.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.48 ₡7,860

$19.63 $19.63

-10.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,303

$3.32 $3.32

-12.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.65 ₡1,190

$4.19 $4.19

-36.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.02 $3.02

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$139 $139

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.22 ₡998

$3.04 $3.04

-26.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.84 ₡826

$2.20 $2.20

-16.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.18 ₡3,676

$41.33 $41.33

-80.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 ₡680

$1.13 $1.13

33.63%

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

$28.6K ₡12.9M

$34.5K $34.5K

-17.04%

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

$37.6K ₡16.9M

$25.8K $25.8K

45.40%

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

$91.7 ₡41.2K

$232 $232

-60.52%

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

$32.76 ₡14.7K

$71.0 $71.0

-53.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.36 ₡22.2K

$67.7 $67.7

-27.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$161 ₡72.5K

$115 $115

39.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.07 ₡9,922

$76.8 $76.8

-71.27%

Cinema Ticket

$7.67 ₡3,450

$22.41 $22.41

-65.77%

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

$982 ₡441.4K

$3,606 $3,606

-72.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.2K ₡8.6M

$68.7K $68.7K

-72.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.7 ₡30.0K

$79.3 $79.3

-15.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.7 ₡25.0K

$51.4 $51.4

8.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 ₡57.3K

$121 $121

5.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 ₡59.2K

$140 $140

-6.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 ₡483.4K

$4,555 $4,555

-76.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$869 ₡390.8K

$3,040 $3,040

-71.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,939 ₡1.3M

$9,742 $9,742

-69.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,847 ₡830.6K

$5,331 $5,331

-65.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,735 ₡1.2M

$18.2K $18.2K

-84.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,706 ₡767.3K

$6,685 $6,685

-74.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,427 ₡641.4K

$5,096 $5,096

-72.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

6.89

25.11%

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

Last update for Santa Ana: November 1, 2026

Last update for New York, NY: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santa Ana

$869 43.3%

New York, NY

$3K 62% 250% $2.2K

Groceries & Markets

Santa Ana

$375 18.7%

New York, NY

$567 11.6% 51.1% $192

Eating Out

Santa Ana

$228 11.4%

New York, NY

$425 8.7% 86.4% $197

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Ana

$177 8.8%

New York, NY

$160 3.3% 9.3% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Ana

$174 8.7%

New York, NY

$371 7.6% 113% $197

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Ana

$172 8.6%

New York, NY

$176 3.6% 2.8% $4.9

Getting Around

Santa Ana

$11 * 0.6%

New York, NY

$165 3.4% 1350% $154

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,075 in Santa Ana versus $4,555 in New York, NY. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in New York, NY are about 3.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62 in Santa Ana versus $117 in New York, NY. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $375 vs $567 – making Santa Ana the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Santa Ana

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🕒 Local time

14:29 2:29 PM

15:29 3:29 PM

1 h ahead of Santa Ana

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,000

8,804,190

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

1 USD = 0.895 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 502 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.895 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Santa Ana New York, NY 3,550 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Santa Ana
New York, NY

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 New York, NY: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

New York, NY costs about 145% more than Santa Ana, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,009 per month in Santa Ana and $7,358 in New York, NY. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Santa Ana, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,075 there versus $4,555 in New York, NY.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,006 in Santa Ana and $4,906 in New York, NY. That makes Santa Ana about 59% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $982 per month in Santa Ana and $3,606 in New York, NY. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,006 in Santa Ana and $4,906 in New York, NY. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Santa Ana costs $2,006 versus $4,906 in New York, NY. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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