Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tamarindo and Asti

For one person, living is cheaper in Asti: $1,435 a month against $2,114 in Tamarindo, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

102

Cost of Living Index in Tamarindo
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Tamarindo Living Index
69

Cost of Living Index in Asti
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Asti Living Index

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Tamarindo

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,114

/mo nomad

Asti

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,435

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tamarindo and in Asti

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,114 in Tamarindo versus $1,435 in Asti.

Tamarindo $2,114
Asti $1,435

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,090 in Tamarindo versus $2,128 in Asti.

Tamarindo $3,090
Asti $2,128

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,066 in Tamarindo versus $2,820 in Asti.

Tamarindo $4,066
Asti $2,820

Living in Tamarindo is roughly 47% more expensive than in Asti, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Tamarindo 55% above, Asti 5% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.37 ₡5,580

$15.45 €13.88

-19.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.0 ₡28.0K

$66.5 €59.7

-6.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.80 ₡5,327

$11.14 €10.01

5.92%

Cappuccino

$4.42 ₡1,994

$1.82 €1.63

142.86%

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

$2.72 ₡1,228

$3.27 €2.94

-16.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 ₡833

$1.33 €1.20

38.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.38 ₡1,525

$5.62 €5.05

-39.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 ₡1,991

$5.17 €4.65

-14.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 ₡1,045

$1.35 €1.21

71.11%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,430

$2.12 €1.90

49.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.52 ₡1,137

$3.09 €2.77

-18.45%

Eggs

$3.55 ₡1,603

$3.52 €3.16

0.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.58 ₡4,773

$14.83 €13.32

-28.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.30 ₡4,648

$11.11 €9.98

-7.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.15 ₡6,385

$16.19 €14.54

-12.60%

Apples (1kg)

$5.22 ₡2,355

$2.09 €1.88

149.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 ₡748

$1.72 €1.55

-3.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.56 ₡1,608

$2.24 €2.01

58.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.83 ₡1,727

$2.63 €2.37

45.63%

Potato (1kg)

$2.61 ₡1,179

$1.79 €1.61

45.81%

Onion (1kg)

$3.56 ₡1,608

$2.13 €1.92

67.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ₡483

$1.79 €1.60

-40.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.07 ₡1,385

$0.42 €0.38

630.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.11 ₡2,305

$6.57 €5.90

-22.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 ₡6,022

$4.16 €3.74

220.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.89 ₡1,305

$1.23 €1.11

134.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 ₡1,341

$1.81 €1.62

64.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.11 ₡954

$1.32 €1.18

59.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$84.1 ₡37.9K

$28.28 €25.40

197.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.40 ₡1,083

$10.43 €9.36

-76.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ₡737

$2.19 €1.97

-25.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.69 ₡3,020

$38.33 €34.43

-82.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 ₡681

$2.02 €1.81

-25.25%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$26.4K €23.7K

30.34%

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

$36.5K ₡16.5M

$35.4K €31.8K

3.24%

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

$96.4 ₡43.5K

$171 €154

-43.63%

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

$30.50 ₡13.8K

$8.75 €7.86

248.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.3 ₡26.7K

$24.88 €22.35

138.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$102 ₡45.9K

$77.3 €69.5

31.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.43 ₡11.9K

$11.38 €10.22

132.25%

Cinema Ticket

$7.73 ₡3,486

$9.25 €8.31

-16.43%

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

$572 ₡258.3K

$551 €495

3.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,152 ₡4.1M

$13.6K €12.2K

-32.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.8 ₡32.4K

$73.7 €66.2

-2.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.50 ₡12.0K

$32.44 €29.14

-18.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 ₡53.4K

$86.3 €77.5

37.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 ₡60.3K

$106 €94.9

26.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,915 ₡864.2K

$503 €452

280.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$941 ₡424.5K

$417 €375

125.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,713 ₡1.2M

$682 €613

297.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,396 ₡629.9K

$494 €444

182.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,329 ₡2.4M

$2,358 €2,118

125.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,241 ₡1.5M

$1,318 €1,184

145.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$950 ₡428.7K

$1,864 €1,675

-49.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

3.05

182.62%

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

Last update for Tamarindo: October 26, 2026

Last update for Asti: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tamarindo

$941 44.5%

Asti

$417 29.1% 55.7% $524

Groceries & Markets

Tamarindo

$377 17.9%

Asti

$292 20.4% 22.5% $85

Eating Out

Tamarindo

$231 11%

Asti

$236 16.4% 1.9% $4.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tamarindo

$186 8.8%

Asti

$205 14.3% 9.9% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Tamarindo

$158 7.5%

Asti

$134 9.4% 14.9% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Tamarindo

$117 5.5%

Asti

$96 6.7% 18.2% $21

Getting Around

Tamarindo

$103 4.9%

Asti

$55 3.8% 46.7% $48

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,915 in Tamarindo and $503 in Asti. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Asti pays 96% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $62 in Tamarindo vs $66 in Asti. Groceries flip the comparison at $377 vs $292, with Asti cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Tamarindo

🇮🇹 Asti

🕒 Local time

16:54 4:54 PM

23:54 11:54 PM

7 h ahead of Tamarindo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,000

71,276

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

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).

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

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Tamarindo Asti 9,520 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Tamarindo
Asti

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

Tamarindo vs Asti: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Asti is about 32% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, utilities, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 49% lower in Tamarindo. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,915 in Tamarindo versus $503 in Asti. 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 Asti. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,114 per month in Tamarindo versus $1,435 in Asti – Asti is about 32% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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.