Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Cruz and San Ramon

For one person, living costs are similar in Santa Cruz and in San Ramon: $1,728 and $1,759 a month, rent and utilities included.

83

Cost of Living Index in Santa Cruz
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Santa Cruz Living Index
85

Cost of Living Index in San Ramon
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San Ramon Living Index

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Santa Cruz

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,728

/mo nomad

San Ramon

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,759

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,728 per month in Santa Cruz vs $1,759 in San Ramon, rent included.

Santa Cruz $1,728
San Ramon $1,759

A couple spends around $2,738 per month in Santa Cruz vs $2,751 in San Ramon, rent included.

Santa Cruz $2,738
San Ramon $2,751

A family of three spends $3,747 per month in Santa Cruz vs $3,744 in San Ramon, rent included.

Santa Cruz $3,747
San Ramon $3,744

Santa Cruz is about 2% cheaper than San Ramon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Santa Cruz and San Ramon sit above the global median – Santa Cruz by 28%, San Ramon by 30%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.00 ₡5,382

$12.05 ₡5,402

-0.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.1 ₡27.9K

$57.2 ₡25.6K

8.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.09 ₡4,975

$11.39 ₡5,109

-2.63%

Cappuccino

$4.55 ₡2,042

$4.11 ₡1,844

10.71%

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

$2.25 ₡1,008

$2.53 ₡1,134

-11.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 ₡831

$1.93 ₡864

-4.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.33 ₡1,495

$3.25 ₡1,456

2.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.39 ₡1,967

$4.51 ₡2,023

-2.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.39 ₡1,072

$2.44 ₡1,094

-2.05%

White Bread (500g)

$3.15 ₡1,413

$2.92 ₡1,312

7.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.48 ₡1,112

$2.51 ₡1,128

-1.20%

Eggs

$3.48 ₡1,560

$5.05 ₡2,266

-31.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.80 ₡4,845

$10.60 ₡4,752

1.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.32 ₡4,626

$10.59 ₡4,750

-2.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.80 ₡6,189

$13.85 ₡6,212

-0.36%

Apples (1kg)

$5.11 ₡2,290

$5.12 ₡2,297

-0.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.13 ₡505

$1.56 ₡698

-27.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.75 ₡2,129

$3.32 ₡1,489

43.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.93 ₡1,762

$3.46 ₡1,550

13.58%

Potato (1kg)

$3.73 ₡1,672

$3.15 ₡1,410

18.41%

Onion (1kg)

$3.60 ₡1,614

$3.21 ₡1,438

12.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.11 ₡500

$1.22 ₡547

-9.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.18 ₡1,428

$2.69 ₡1,207

18.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.02 ₡2,700

$5.61 ₡2,515

7.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.85 ₡8,903

$16.29 ₡7,304

21.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.89 ₡1,297

$2.52 ₡1,130

14.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ₡1,643

$2.60 ₡1,167

40.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.29 ₡579

$1.36 ₡609

-5.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.51 ₡1,124

$2.45 ₡1,099

2.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.62 ₡726

$1.63 ₡733

-0.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.65 ₡3,880

$8.55 ₡3,833

1.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₡675

$1.50 ₡674

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

$22.0K ₡9.9M

$22.4K ₡10.0M

-1.66%

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

$35.1K ₡15.7M

$35.6K ₡16.0M

-1.48%

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

$94.6 ₡42.4K

$141 ₡63.2K

-32.86%

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

$35.93 ₡16.1K

$44.36 ₡19.9K

-19.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.5 ₡26.2K

$54.1 ₡24.3K

8.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.5 ₡32.5K

$73.1 ₡32.8K

-0.79%

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ₡2,914

$7.74 ₡3,471

-16.02%

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

$970 ₡434.9K

$857 ₡384.5K

13.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K ₡7.6M

$16.9K ₡7.6M

1.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.0 ₡32.3K

$70.5 ₡31.6K

2.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.2 ₡25.2K

$56.3 ₡25.2K

-0.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$128 ₡57.6K

$127 ₡57.0K

1.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 ₡59.3K

$132 ₡59.2K

0.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$793 ₡355.5K

$812 ₡364.2K

-2.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$639 ₡286.6K

$640 ₡286.8K

-0.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,873 ₡840.0K

$1,874 ₡840.4K

-0.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,270 ₡569.7K

$1,265 ₡567.2K

0.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,169 ₡524.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,155 ₡518.0K

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 Cruz: October 20, 2026

Last update for San Ramon: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santa Cruz

$639 37%

San Ramon

$640 36.4% 0.1% $0.4

Groceries & Markets

Santa Cruz

$398 23%

San Ramon

$379 21.6% 4.8% $19

Eating Out

Santa Cruz

$226 13.1%

San Ramon

$223 12.7% 1.2% $2.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Cruz

$189 10.9%

San Ramon

$239 13.6% 26.6% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Cruz

$175 10.1%

San Ramon

$174 9.9% 0.8% $1.4

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Cruz

$85 5%

San Ramon

$89 5% 3.6% $3.1

Getting Around

Santa Cruz

$16 * 0.9%

San Ramon

$16 * 0.9% 1.8% $0.3

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $793 in Santa Cruz versus $812 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 $62.0 in Santa Cruz versus $57.0 in San Ramon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $398 vs $379 – making San Ramon the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Santa Cruz

🇨🇷 San Ramon

🕒 Local time

04:53 4:53 AM

Same time as Santa Cruz

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,665

10,000

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Santa Cruz San Ramon 120 km

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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 San Ramon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,728 in Santa Cruz, $1,759 in San Ramon – roughly 2% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,592 per month in Santa Cruz and $2,639 in San Ramon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Santa Cruz, 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 $1,728 in Santa Cruz and $1,759 in San Ramon. That's a gap of about 2%.

Kindergarten costs $970 per month in Santa Cruz and $857 in San Ramon. 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 Santa Cruz, where all-in costs run around $1,728, than in San Ramon at $1,759. In Santa Cruz it covers expenses comfortably, while in San Ramon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Santa Cruz – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Santa Cruz. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, San Ramon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.