Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Tamarindo

For one person, living is cheaper in Tamarindo: $2,114 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
102

Cost of Living Index in Tamarindo
Learn more

Tamarindo Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Tamarindo

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,114

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon 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 Lisbon and in Tamarindo actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $2,114 in Tamarindo.

Lisbon $2,210
Tamarindo $2,114

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $3,090 in Tamarindo.

Lisbon $3,275
Tamarindo $3,090

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $4,066 in Tamarindo.

Lisbon $4,341
Tamarindo $4,066

Living in Lisbon is roughly 5% more expensive than in Tamarindo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Tamarindo 55% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.92

$12.37 ₡5,583

34.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$62.0 ₡28.0K

-0.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.18

$11.80 ₡5,329

-3.73%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$4.42 ₡1,995

-32.81%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$2.72 ₡1,228

-15.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.84 ₡833

-5.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$3.38 ₡1,526

0.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$4.41 ₡1,992

-24.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$2.31 ₡1,045

-49.78%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$3.17 ₡1,431

-39.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$2.52 ₡1,138

-40.08%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$3.55 ₡1,604

13.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$10.58 ₡4,775

22.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.97

$10.30 ₡4,650

-24.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.92

$14.15 ₡6,388

25.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$5.22 ₡2,356

-55.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.66 ₡748

4.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$3.56 ₡1,609

-47.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$3.83 ₡1,728

-32.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$2.61 ₡1,180

-30.27%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$3.56 ₡1,608

-44.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.07 ₡483

37.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$3.07 ₡1,386

-76.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$5.11 ₡2,306

28.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$13.35 ₡6,025

-57.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$2.89 ₡1,305

-52.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$2.97 ₡1,341

-27.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$2.11 ₡954

10.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.04

$84.1 ₡38.0K

-46.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$2.40 ₡1,083

60.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.63 ₡737

-34.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.75

$6.69 ₡3,021

146.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$1.51 ₡681

45.70%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$34.5K ₡15.6M

-0.76%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$36.5K ₡16.5M

6.11%

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

$161 €144

$96.4 ₡43.5K

67.28%

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

$18.41 €16.50

$30.50 ₡13.8K

-39.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.34

$59.3 ₡26.8K

-44.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.92

$102 ₡45.9K

-56.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.11

$26.43 ₡11.9K

-27.73%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$7.73 ₡3,488

24.19%

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

$668 €598

$572 ₡258.4K

16.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$9,152 ₡4.1M

92.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$71.8 ₡32.4K

42.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.85

$26.50 ₡12.0K

67.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.3

$118 ₡53.4K

-16.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$134 ₡60.4K

-7.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,441

$1,915 ₡864.6K

-16.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$941 ₡424.7K

26.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,520

$2,713 ₡1.2M

3.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,804

$1,396 ₡630.2K

44.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,025

$5,329 ₡2.4M

47.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,100

$3,241 ₡1.5M

41.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$950 ₡428.9K

65.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

8.62

-55.34%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Tamarindo: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Tamarindo

$941 44.5% 21% $249

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Tamarindo

$377 17.9% 38.6% $105

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Tamarindo

$231 11% 4.6% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Tamarindo

$186 8.8% 12.3% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Tamarindo

$158 7.5% 5% $8.2

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Tamarindo

$117 5.5% 83.7% $53

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Tamarindo

$103 4.9% 63.1% $40

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $1,915 in Tamarindo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 66% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $62 in Tamarindo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $377 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇨🇷 Tamarindo

🕒 Local time

12:12 12:12 PM

06:12 6:12 AM

6 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

6,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Tamarindo 8,140 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
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

Lisbon vs Tamarindo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $2,114 in Tamarindo, so Tamarindo is about 4% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 66% higher in Lisbon, 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: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $1,915 in Tamarindo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 28% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $2,210 per month in Lisbon versus $2,114 in Tamarindo – Tamarindo is about 4% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Tamarindo gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Lisbon and Tamarindo are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Tamarindo wins on affordability, Lisbon on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.