Santa Cruz Temperature by Month
Santa Cruz in Costa Rica enjoys a stable climate, with daytime temperatures staying close to 33°C (91°F) throughout the year. Explore the full monthly breakdown below.
Santa Cruz Monthly Temperatures
Year-round, Santa Cruz experiences a consistently very warm climate. Maximum daytime temperatures range from a very hot 36°C (97°F) in April to a very warm 31°C (88°F) in the coolest month, November. Nighttime temperatures range from 25°C (77°F) in April to 23°C (73°F) in November.
The chart below illustrates the average maximum day and minimum night temperatures in Santa Cruz by month:
Low temperatures are most often recorded between 4 AM and 6 AM, while highs typically occur around 3 PM. April, the city's warmest month, sees 265 hours of sunshine.
The chart below shows the average temperature throughout the year:
Temperature: Santa Cruz vs Costa Rica
The map below shows the annual temperature across Costa Rica. You can also select individual months if you want to compare a specific time of year.
very warm
warm
pleasant
moderate
cold
very cold
Santa Cruz vs World: Temperature Compared
Santa Cruz's average annual maximum temperature is 33°C (91°F). To put that in context, here's how it compares to a few well-known destinations:
Barcelona, Spain has an annual average of around 21°C (70°F), with warm summers and mild, fairly short winters.
Interlaken, Switzerland averages 8°C (46°F) a year, with cold winters and cool summers thanks to its Alpine setting.
San Francisco, USA averages 19°C (66°F) annually, but with little seasonal variation — summers are often cool and foggy, winters mild.
Perth, Australia averages 25°C (77°F) annually, with a classic Mediterranean climate — hot dry summers and mild wet winters.
What Does the Temperature Feel Like in Santa Cruz?
Temperature alone doesn't tell the whole story — humidity plays a big role in how warm or cold it actually feels. High humidity in summer makes the heat feel more intense, particularly once temperatures climb above 25°C. In winter, the same humidity can make cold air feel sharper than the thermometer suggests.
In Santa Cruz, November is the coolest month, with average highs of 31°C (88°F) and humidity around 80% — considered very high. In April, the warmest month, temperatures average 36°C (97°F) with 62% humidity — conditions that feel high. For a full picture, see our humidity page.
Climate temperature data is typically calculated as a 30-year average. This smooths out year-to-year variability and gives a more reliable picture of what a place is actually like, rather than what happened in any single unusual year.
The readings come from a range of sources — land-based weather stations, ocean buoys, ships, and satellites. That data is collected by weather services around the world, then pooled, quality-checked, and averaged to produce the climate records you see here.
For cities and regions with significant elevation, altitude is one of the biggest factors shaping local temperatures. As a rule of thumb, temperatures fall by around 6°C for every 1,000 metres gained — so a city at 2,000 metres will typically be around 12°C cooler than a city at sea level in the same region. Higher ground also tends to see more dramatic day-to-night temperature swings, since thinner air loses heat faster after sunset.
For more on Santa Cruz's weather — including monthly rainfall, sunshine hours, and humidity — visit our Santa Cruz climate page.
