Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tamarindo and Lisbon

For one person, living costs are similar in Tamarindo and in Lisbon: $2,127 and $2,223 a month, rent and utilities included.

103

Cost of Living Index in Tamarindo
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Tamarindo Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index

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Tamarindo

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,127

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tamarindo and in Lisbon

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 Lisbon actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,127 in Tamarindo versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

Tamarindo $2,127
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,081 in Tamarindo versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

Tamarindo $3,081
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,035 in Tamarindo versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

Tamarindo $4,035
Lisbon $4,319

Living in Tamarindo costs roughly 4% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Tamarindo 58% above, Lisbon 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.18 ₡5,463

$16.50 €14.67

-26.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 ₡28.0K

$61.3 €54.5

1.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.87 ₡5,324

$11.27 €10.03

5.32%

Cappuccino

$4.34 ₡1,948

$3.06 €2.72

41.83%

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

$2.65 ₡1,188

$2.26 €2.01

17.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.91 ₡856

$1.73 €1.54

10.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.27 ₡1,465

$3.39 €3.02

-3.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.56 ₡2,043

$3.40 €3.02

34.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.42 ₡1,085

$1.12 €1.00

116.07%

White Bread (500g)

$3.12 ₡1,400

$1.86 €1.65

67.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,088

$1.53 €1.36

58.17%

Eggs

$3.47 ₡1,556

$3.96 €3.53

-12.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.53 ₡4,721

$12.76 €11.35

-17.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,716

$7.90 €7.02

33.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.17 ₡6,354

$16.97 €15.09

-16.50%

Apples (1kg)

$5.21 ₡2,336

$2.27 €2.02

129.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 ₡717

$1.75 €1.55

-8.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.54 ₡1,588

$1.85 €1.64

91.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 ₡1,747

$2.57 €2.28

51.75%

Potato (1kg)

$2.55 ₡1,141

$1.86 €1.65

37.10%

Onion (1kg)

$3.71 ₡1,665

$2.02 €1.80

83.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₡487

$1.44 €1.28

-24.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.07 ₡1,376

$0.82 €0.73

274.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.20 ₡2,331

$6.56 €5.83

-20.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.18 ₡5,912

$5.62 €5.00

134.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 ₡1,249

$1.28 €1.14

117.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 ₡1,385

$2.07 €1.84

49.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.07 ₡929

$2.35 €2.09

-11.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$85.4 ₡38.3K

$44.18 €39.30

93.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.38 ₡1,065

$3.99 €3.55

-40.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ₡729

$1.09 €0.97

49.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.64 ₡2,978

$16.64 €14.81

-60.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₡675

$2.28 €2.03

-34.21%

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

$22.4K ₡10.0M

$33.7K €30.0K

-33.59%

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

$34.7K ₡15.6M

$39.3K €35.0K

-11.65%

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

$93.5 ₡41.9K

$167 €149

-44.15%

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

$30.01 ₡13.5K

$18.80 €16.72

59.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.1 ₡26.5K

$33.09 €29.43

78.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$101 ₡45.3K

$46.01 €40.93

119.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.01 ₡11.7K

$19.19 €17.07

35.54%

Cinema Ticket

$7.90 ₡3,543

$9.84 €8.75

-19.72%

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

$575 ₡257.7K

$677 €602

-15.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,081 ₡4.1M

$16.9K €15.1K

-46.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.5 ₡32.1K

$101 €90.1

-29.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.29 ₡11.8K

$45.76 €40.70

-42.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 ₡53.7K

$100.0 €88.9

19.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 ₡58.9K

$123 €109

6.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,921 ₡861.5K

$1,614 €1,436

19.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$960 ₡430.6K

$1,197 €1,065

-19.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,738 ₡1.2M

$2,862 €2,545

-4.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,371 ₡614.9K

$1,990 €1,770

-31.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,341 ₡2.4M

$7,577 €6,740

-29.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,241 ₡1.5M

$4,307 €3,831

-24.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$949 ₡425.7K

$1,588 €1,412

-40.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

3.85

123.90%

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

Last update for Tamarindo: October 12, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tamarindo

$960 45.1%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 24.7% $237

Groceries & Markets

Tamarindo

$378 17.8%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 28.7% $108

Eating Out

Tamarindo

$229 10.8%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 5.8% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tamarindo

$183 8.6%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 20.1% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Tamarindo

$157 7.4%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 6% $9.4

Sport & Entertainment

Tamarindo

$117 5.5%

Lisbon

$66 3% 43.8% $51

Getting Around

Tamarindo

$104 4.9%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 39.5% $41

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,921 in Tamarindo and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 67% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $62.0 in Tamarindo vs $61.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $378 vs $269 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Tamarindo

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

22:16 10:16 PM

05:16 5:16 AM

7 h ahead of Tamarindo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,000

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Tamarindo Lisbon 8,140 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Tamarindo
Lisbon

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 Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tamarindo and Lisbon differ by about 5% in total monthly costs ($2,127 vs $2,223 including rent). Tamarindo is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 67% lower in Lisbon. 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: $1,921 in Tamarindo versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $575 in Tamarindo versus $677 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 40% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $2,127 in Tamarindo versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Tamarindo but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Tamarindo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Expats usually find Tamarindo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 5% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.