Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Tamarindo

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,759 a month against $2,114 in Tamarindo, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
102

Cost of Living Index in Tamarindo
Learn more

Tamarindo Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,759

/mo nomad

Tamarindo

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,114

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Tamarindo

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Athens and in Tamarindo actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,759 in Athens versus $2,114 in Tamarindo.

Athens $1,759
Tamarindo $2,114

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,696 in Athens versus $3,090 in Tamarindo.

Athens $2,696
Tamarindo $3,090

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,632 in Athens versus $4,066 in Tamarindo.

Athens $3,632
Tamarindo $4,066

Living in Athens costs roughly 17% less than in Tamarindo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 29% above, Tamarindo 55% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.05 €15.32

$12.37 ₡5,580

37.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 €59.2

$62.0 ₡28.0K

6.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.96 €9.84

$11.80 ₡5,327

-7.12%

Cappuccino

$4.10 €3.69

$4.42 ₡1,994

-7.24%

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

$2.83 €2.54

$2.72 ₡1,228

4.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 €0.53

$1.84 ₡833

-67.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.62 €5.05

$3.38 ₡1,525

66.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.67 €5.09

$4.41 ₡1,991

28.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 €1.70

$2.31 ₡1,045

-17.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 €1.31

$3.17 ₡1,430

-53.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.71 €2.43

$2.52 ₡1,137

7.54%

Eggs

$5.04 €4.53

$3.55 ₡1,603

41.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.08 €13.55

$10.58 ₡4,773

42.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.28 €9.23

$10.30 ₡4,648

-0.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.40 €17.43

$14.15 ₡6,385

37.10%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 €1.91

$5.22 ₡2,355

-59.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 €1.72

$1.66 ₡748

15.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.41 €1.26

$3.56 ₡1,608

-60.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 €1.91

$3.83 ₡1,727

-44.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 €0.94

$2.61 ₡1,179

-60.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 €1.02

$3.56 ₡1,608

-68.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 €1.01

$1.07 ₡483

5.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 €0.73

$3.07 ₡1,385

-73.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.52 €4.96

$5.11 ₡2,305

8.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.99 €8.98

$13.35 ₡6,022

-25.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 €1.83

$2.89 ₡1,305

-29.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 €2.05

$2.97 ₡1,341

-23.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.31 €1.18

$2.11 ₡954

-37.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.67 €27.56

$84.1 ₡37.9K

-63.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.37 €3.93

$2.40 ₡1,083

82.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.92

$1.63 ₡737

-36.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.05 €15.32

$6.69 ₡3,020

154.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.34 €2.11

$1.51 ₡681

54.97%

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

$28.3K €25.4K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-17.99%

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

$26.8K €24.0K

$36.5K ₡16.5M

-26.66%

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

$200 €180

$96.4 ₡43.5K

107.38%

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

$25.17 €22.62

$30.50 ₡13.8K

-17.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.65 €26.64

$59.3 ₡26.7K

-49.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.4 €45.32

$102 ₡45.9K

-50.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.94 €23.30

$26.43 ₡11.9K

-1.85%

Cinema Ticket

$10.52 €9.46

$7.73 ₡3,486

36.09%

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

$576 €518

$572 ₡258.3K

0.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K €11.6K

$9,152 ₡4.1M

41.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.7 €80.6

$71.8 ₡32.4K

24.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.57 €35.55

$26.50 ₡12.0K

49.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €94.7

$118 ₡53.4K

-10.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$134 ₡60.3K

-7.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$740 €665

$1,915 ₡864.2K

-61.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$643 €578

$941 ₡424.5K

-31.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,305 €1,172

$2,713 ₡1.2M

-51.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,121 €1,007

$1,396 ₡629.9K

-19.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,011 €3,604

$5,329 ₡2.4M

-24.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,284 €2,951

$3,241 ₡1.5M

1.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,224 €1,099

$950 ₡428.7K

28.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

8.62

-48.03%

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

Last update for Athens: October 25, 2026

Last update for Tamarindo: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$643 36.5%

Tamarindo

$941 44.5% 46.4% $298

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$312 17.7%

Tamarindo

$377 17.9% 20.9% $65

Eating Out

Athens

$272 15.4%

Tamarindo

$231 11% 14.8% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$255 14.5%

Tamarindo

$186 8.8% 26.9% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$161 9.2%

Tamarindo

$158 7.5% 2.3% $3.7

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$71 4.1%

Tamarindo

$117 5.5% 63.8% $46

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.6%

Tamarindo

$103 4.9% 127% $58

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $740 in Athens and $1,915 in Tamarindo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays 29% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $66 in Athens vs $62 in Tamarindo. Groceries flip the comparison at $312 vs $377, with Athens cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇨🇷 Tamarindo

🕒 Local time

20:40 8:40 PM

12:40 12:40 PM

8 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

6,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

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).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Athens Tamarindo 10,970 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Tamarindo

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

Athens vs Tamarindo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 17% lower than in Tamarindo. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Athens the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 29% higher in Athens, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $740 in Athens versus $1,915 in Tamarindo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Tamarindo – a meal for two runs $62 versus $66 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,759 per month in Athens versus $2,114 in Tamarindo – a 20% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,759 in Athens versus $2,114 in Tamarindo, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Tamarindo. The gap between the two cities makes Athens the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Athens delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,759 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Athens hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Tamarindo are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.