Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Ramon and Tamarindo

For one person, living is cheaper in San Ramon: $1,729 a month against $2,114 in Tamarindo, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

84

Cost of Living Index in San Ramon
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San Ramon Living Index
102

Cost of Living Index in Tamarindo
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Tamarindo Living Index

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San Ramon

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,729

/mo nomad

Tamarindo

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,114

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,729 per month in San Ramon vs $2,114 in Tamarindo, rent included.

San Ramon $1,729
Tamarindo $2,114

A couple spends around $2,722 per month in San Ramon vs $3,090 in Tamarindo, rent included.

San Ramon $2,722
Tamarindo $3,090

A family of three spends $3,715 per month in San Ramon vs $4,066 in Tamarindo, rent included.

San Ramon $3,715
Tamarindo $4,066

San Ramon is about 18% cheaper than Tamarindo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both San Ramon and Tamarindo sit above the global median – San Ramon by 27%, Tamarindo by 55%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.18 ₡5,500

$12.37 ₡5,583

-1.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.9 ₡27.9K

$62.0 ₡28.0K

-0.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.69 ₡5,276

$11.80 ₡5,329

-0.93%

Cappuccino

$3.82 ₡1,726

$4.42 ₡1,995

-13.57%

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

$2.21 ₡996

$2.72 ₡1,228

-18.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 ₡884

$1.84 ₡833

6.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.01 ₡1,357

$3.38 ₡1,526

-10.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.71 ₡2,126

$4.41 ₡1,992

6.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.39 ₡1,077

$2.31 ₡1,045

3.46%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 ₡1,371

$3.17 ₡1,431

-4.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 ₡1,141

$2.52 ₡1,138

0.40%

Eggs

$5.07 ₡2,288

$3.55 ₡1,604

42.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.78 ₡4,869

$10.58 ₡4,775

1.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.31 ₡4,654

$10.30 ₡4,650

0.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.28 ₡6,446

$14.15 ₡6,388

0.92%

Apples (1kg)

$4.99 ₡2,253

$5.22 ₡2,356

-4.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 ₡700

$1.66 ₡748

-6.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.26 ₡1,471

$3.56 ₡1,609

-8.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.42 ₡1,546

$3.83 ₡1,728

-10.70%

Potato (1kg)

$3.19 ₡1,442

$2.61 ₡1,180

22.22%

Onion (1kg)

$3.22 ₡1,452

$3.56 ₡1,608

-9.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 ₡547

$1.07 ₡483

13.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.74 ₡1,236

$3.07 ₡1,386

-10.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.56 ₡2,511

$5.11 ₡2,306

8.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.31 ₡7,362

$13.35 ₡6,025

22.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.56 ₡1,154

$2.89 ₡1,305

-11.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 ₡1,234

$2.97 ₡1,341

-8.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.30 ₡587

$2.11 ₡954

-38.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$84.1 ₡38.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.45 ₡1,108

$2.40 ₡1,083

2.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡708

$1.63 ₡737

-3.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.87 ₡4,005

$6.69 ₡3,021

32.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡700

$1.51 ₡681

2.65%

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

$34.5K ₡15.6M

0.12%

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

$41.3K ₡18.7M

$36.5K ₡16.5M

13.25%

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

$144 ₡65.2K

$96.4 ₡43.5K

49.85%

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

$44.11 ₡19.9K

$30.50 ₡13.8K

44.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.9 ₡24.3K

$59.3 ₡26.8K

-9.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$59.0 ₡26.6K

$102 ₡45.9K

-41.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.43 ₡11.9K

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ₡3,526

$7.73 ₡3,488

1.03%

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

$843 ₡380.8K

$572 ₡258.4K

47.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.0K ₡7.7M

$9,152 ₡4.1M

86.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.5 ₡31.8K

$71.8 ₡32.4K

-1.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.3 ₡24.9K

$26.50 ₡12.0K

108.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 ₡58.1K

$118 ₡53.4K

8.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 ₡56.5K

$134 ₡60.4K

-6.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$816 ₡368.5K

$1,915 ₡864.6K

-57.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$626 ₡282.5K

$941 ₡424.7K

-33.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,903 ₡859.0K

$2,713 ₡1.2M

-29.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,249 ₡563.9K

$1,396 ₡630.2K

-10.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,145 ₡516.7K

$5,329 ₡2.4M

-78.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,156 ₡521.7K

$3,241 ₡1.5M

-64.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$950 ₡428.9K

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 San Ramon: October 24, 2026

Last update for Tamarindo: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Ramon

$626 36.2%

Tamarindo

$941 44.5% 50.4% $315

Groceries & Markets

San Ramon

$380 22%

Tamarindo

$377 17.9% 0.8% $2.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Ramon

$242 14%

Tamarindo

$186 8.8% 23.2% $56

Eating Out

San Ramon

$220 12.7%

Tamarindo

$231 11% 5.4% $12

Clothing & Footwear

San Ramon

$171 9.9%

Tamarindo

$158 7.5% 7.7% $13

Sport & Entertainment

San Ramon

$75 4.3%

Tamarindo

$117 5.5% 56.9% $42

Getting Around

San Ramon

$16 * 0.9%

Tamarindo

$103 4.9% 565% $88

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $816 in San Ramon versus $1,915 in Tamarindo. 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 San Ramon versus $62 in Tamarindo. Groceries tell a different story – $380 in San Ramon vs $377 in Tamarindo – so Tamarindo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Ramon

🇨🇷 Tamarindo

🕒 Local time

02:49 2:49 AM

Same time as San Ramon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,000

6,000

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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San Ramon Tamarindo 150 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

San Ramon vs Tamarindo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,729 in San Ramon, $2,114 in Tamarindo – San Ramon comes out roughly 18% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,593 per month in San Ramon and $3,170 in Tamarindo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in San Ramon, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $816 there versus $1,915 in Tamarindo.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,729 in San Ramon and $2,114 in Tamarindo. That makes San Ramon about 18% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $843 per month in San Ramon and $572 in Tamarindo. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,729 in San Ramon and $2,114 in Tamarindo, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Tamarindo has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,729 in San Ramon to $2,114 in Tamarindo. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.