Last update: Oct 2026

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

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.

83

Cost of Living Index in Santa Cruz
Learn more

Santa Cruz Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Da Nang
Learn more

Da Nang Living Index

Jump to prices

Santa Cruz

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,686

/mo nomad

Da Nang

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$889

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Santa Cruz $1,686
Da Nang $889

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

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

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

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

Santa Cruz costs about 90% more than Da Nang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.17 ₡5,493

$2.17 ₫56.1K

460.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 ₡28.1K

$19.53 ₫504.6K

218.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.82 ₡4,882

$4.53 ₫117.1K

138.85%

Cappuccino

$4.43 ₡1,999

$1.64 ₫42.4K

170.12%

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

$2.32 ₡1,048

$0.60 ₫15.6K

286.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 ₡871

$0.34 ₫8,912

467.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.36 ₡1,514

$1.33 ₫34.4K

152.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.49 ₡2,026

$2.36 ₫61.0K

90.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.43 ₡1,097

$1.60 ₫41.2K

51.88%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₡1,391

$1.20 ₫31.1K

156.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.40 ₡1,082

$1.05 ₫27.1K

128.57%

Eggs

$3.49 ₡1,573

$1.52 ₫39.4K

129.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.74 ₡4,847

$12.82 ₫331.1K

-16.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.59 ₡4,777

$4.17 ₫107.6K

153.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 ₡6,297

$9.33 ₫240.9K

49.62%

Apples (1kg)

$5.10 ₡2,301

$2.60 ₫67.3K

96.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.13 ₡510

$1.21 ₫31.4K

-6.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.68 ₡2,114

$1.28 ₫33.1K

265.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.85 ₡1,737

$1.57 ₫40.6K

145.22%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₡1,693

$1.20 ₫31.0K

212.50%

Onion (1kg)

$3.60 ₡1,626

$1.31 ₫33.9K

174.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₡491

$1.04 ₫26.9K

4.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.21 ₡1,448

$0.49 ₫12.7K

555.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.86 ₡2,646

$1.51 ₫39.0K

288.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.73 ₡8,904

$7.97 ₫205.9K

147.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,310

$0.93 ₫24.0K

211.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.62 ₡1,635

$2.18 ₫56.4K

66.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.29 ₡580

$0.30 ₫7,702

330.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$6.31 ₫162.9K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.49 ₡1,124

$1.04 ₫26.8K

139.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.62 ₡729

$0.57 ₫14.6K

184.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.93 ₡4,031

$19.27 ₫497.7K

-53.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡685

$0.91 ₫23.5K

67.03%

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

$34.4K ₡15.5M

$30.8K ₫796.3M

11.46%

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

$42.2K ₡19.0M

$28.4K ₫733.1M

48.72%

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

$96.5 ₡43.5K

$78.5 ₫2.0M

22.87%

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

$35.12 ₡15.8K

$6.35 ₫164.1K

453.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.0 ₡27.1K

$8.33 ₫215.2K

620.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.7 ₡30.1K

$27.08 ₫699.4K

146.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.32 ₫137.4K

Cinema Ticket

$6.54 ₡2,949

$3.37 ₫87.0K

94.07%

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

$966 ₡435.9K

$423 ₫10.9M

128.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.3K ₡7.8M

$15.1K ₫390.0M

14.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.8 ₡32.4K

$45.19 ₫1.2M

58.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.0 ₡24.8K

$27.75 ₫717.0K

98.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$131 ₡59.0K

$101 ₫2.6M

29.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₡60.1K

$82.8 ₫2.1M

61.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$785 ₡354.4K

$553 ₫14.3M

41.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$599 ₡270.2K

$369 ₫9.5M

62.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,081 ₡939.1K

$1,228 ₫31.7M

69.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,165 ₡525.8K

$821 ₫21.2M

41.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,858 ₫99.6M

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 %)

8.62

10.72

-19.59%

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

Last update for Santa Cruz: October 27, 2026

Last update for Da Nang: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santa Cruz

$599 35.5%

Da Nang

$369 41.5% 38.4% $230

Groceries & Markets

Santa Cruz

$399 23.6%

Da Nang

$200 22.5% 49.8% $198

Eating Out

Santa Cruz

$226 13.4%

Da Nang

$66 7.4% 70.8% $160

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Cruz

$192 11.4%

Da Nang

$93 10.5% 51.4% $98

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Cruz

$176 10.4%

Da Nang

$115 13% 34.4% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Cruz

$80 4.7%

Da Nang

$34 3.8% 57.6% $46

Getting Around

Santa Cruz

$16 * 0.9%

Da Nang

$11 1.3% 27.6% $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 $785 in Santa Cruz 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62 in Santa Cruz 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

🇨🇷 Santa Cruz

🇻🇳 Da Nang

🕒 Local time

17:48 5:48 PM

06:48 6:48 AM

13 h ahead of Santa Cruz

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,665

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

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

From you

Santa Cruz
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

Santa Cruz vs Da Nang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,686 in Santa Cruz, $889 in Da Nang – Da Nang comes out roughly 47% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,529 per month in Santa Cruz 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 $785 in Santa Cruz.

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

Kindergarten costs $966 per month in Santa Cruz and $423 in Da Nang. 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.