Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Ana, Costa Rica and San Ramon

For one person, living is cheaper in San Ramon: $1,729 a month against $2,000 in Santa Ana, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 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
84

Cost of Living Index in San Ramon
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San Ramon Living Index

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Santa Ana

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,000

/mo nomad

San Ramon

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,729

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Santa Ana and in San Ramon

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 San Ramon actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,000 per month in Santa Ana vs $1,729 in San Ramon, rent included.

Santa Ana $2,000
San Ramon $1,729

A couple spends around $3,255 per month in Santa Ana vs $2,722 in San Ramon, rent included.

Santa Ana $3,255
San Ramon $2,722

A family of three spends $4,510 per month in Santa Ana vs $3,715 in San Ramon, rent included.

Santa Ana $4,510
San Ramon $3,715

Santa Ana costs about 16% more than San Ramon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Santa Ana and San Ramon sit above the global median – Santa Ana by 47%, San Ramon by 27%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 ₡5,481

$12.18 ₡5,500

-0.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.0 ₡28.0K

$61.9 ₡27.9K

0.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.85 ₡5,349

$11.69 ₡5,276

1.37%

Cappuccino

$4.52 ₡2,039

$3.82 ₡1,726

18.32%

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

$2.23 ₡1,007

$2.21 ₡996

0.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.33 ₡602

$1.96 ₡884

-32.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.38 ₡1,527

$3.01 ₡1,357

12.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.37 ₡1,971

$4.71 ₡2,126

-7.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.26 ₡1,020

$2.39 ₡1,077

-5.44%

White Bread (500g)

$3.13 ₡1,414

$3.04 ₡1,371

2.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.50 ₡1,126

$2.53 ₡1,141

-1.19%

Eggs

$3.58 ₡1,618

$5.07 ₡2,288

-29.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.75 ₡4,854

$10.78 ₡4,869

-0.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 ₡4,798

$10.31 ₡4,654

3.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.92 ₡6,283

$14.28 ₡6,446

-2.52%

Apples (1kg)

$5.03 ₡2,271

$4.99 ₡2,253

0.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 ₡745

$1.55 ₡700

6.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.71 ₡2,127

$3.26 ₡1,471

44.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.92 ₡1,770

$3.42 ₡1,546

14.62%

Potato (1kg)

$3.77 ₡1,703

$3.19 ₡1,442

18.18%

Onion (1kg)

$3.62 ₡1,635

$3.22 ₡1,452

12.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡504

$1.21 ₡547

-7.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 ₡837

$2.74 ₡1,236

-32.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.77 ₡2,606

$5.56 ₡2,511

3.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ₡8,005

$16.31 ₡7,362

8.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.81 ₡1,270

$2.56 ₡1,154

9.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.65 ₡1,194

$2.73 ₡1,234

-2.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.30 ₡587

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.41 ₡1,086

$2.45 ₡1,108

-1.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡702

$1.57 ₡708

-0.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.68 ₡3,917

$8.87 ₡4,005

-2.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡711

$1.55 ₡700

1.29%

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

$28.1K ₡12.7M

$34.5K ₡15.6M

-18.58%

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

$37.6K ₡17.0M

$41.3K ₡18.7M

-9.09%

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

$94.4 ₡42.6K

$144 ₡65.2K

-34.62%

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

$33.36 ₡15.1K

$44.11 ₡19.9K

-24.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.1 ₡22.6K

$53.9 ₡24.3K

-6.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$158 ₡71.3K

$59.0 ₡26.6K

167.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.03 ₡9,945

Cinema Ticket

$7.91 ₡3,570

$7.81 ₡3,526

1.28%

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

$993 ₡448.3K

$843 ₡380.8K

17.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K ₡7.7M

$17.0K ₡7.7M

0.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.7 ₡29.7K

$70.5 ₡31.8K

-6.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.0 ₡25.7K

$55.3 ₡24.9K

3.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 ₡58.2K

$129 ₡58.1K

0.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 ₡59.6K

$125 ₡56.5K

5.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,088 ₡491.4K

$816 ₡368.5K

33.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$859 ₡388.0K

$626 ₡282.5K

37.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,913 ₡1.3M

$1,903 ₡859.0K

53.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,897 ₡856.3K

$1,249 ₡563.9K

51.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,721 ₡1.2M

$1,145 ₡516.7K

137.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,693 ₡764.4K

$1,156 ₡521.7K

46.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,418 ₡640.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

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

Last update for Santa Ana: October 24, 2026

Last update for San Ramon: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santa Ana

$859 43%

San Ramon

$626 36.2% 27.2% $234

Groceries & Markets

Santa Ana

$379 19%

San Ramon

$380 22% 0.4% $1.4

Eating Out

Santa Ana

$227 11.3%

San Ramon

$220 12.7% 3.2% $7.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Ana

$178 8.9%

San Ramon

$242 14% 36.3% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Ana

$174 8.7%

San Ramon

$75 4.3% 57.1% $99

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Ana

$173 8.6%

San Ramon

$171 9.9% 1% $1.8

Getting Around

Santa Ana

$10 * 0.5%

San Ramon

$16 * 0.9% 52.3% $5.3

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,088 in Santa Ana versus $816 in San Ramon. 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 $62 in Santa Ana versus $62 in San Ramon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $379 vs $380 – making Santa Ana the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Santa Ana

🇨🇷 San Ramon

🕒 Local time

21:05 9:05 PM

Same time as Santa Ana

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,000

10,000

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Santa Ana San Ramon 36 km

From you

Santa Ana
San Ramon

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 San Ramon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,000 in Santa Ana, $1,729 in San Ramon – San Ramon comes out roughly 14% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,000 per month in Santa Ana and $2,593 in San Ramon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in San Ramon, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $816 there versus $1,088 in Santa Ana.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,000 in Santa Ana and $1,729 in San Ramon. That makes San Ramon about 14% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $993 per month in Santa Ana and $843 in San Ramon. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,000 in Santa Ana and $1,729 in San Ramon, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward San Ramon – 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.