# Tamarindo — relocation profile

Tamarindo, Costa Rica · Full democracy · livability 65/100

## At a glance

- **Country:** Costa Rica
- **Region:** North America
- **Estimated monthly cost of living (solo, renting in the centre):** $1,552/month
- **Livability score:** 65 / 100 (rank 87 of 132 Townleap cities)
- **Settler safety score:** 33 / 100 (rank 117 of 132)
- **Cost vs New York City:** 74% cheaper
- **Also appears in:** Remote Workers, Beach Life, Lowest Crime, Budget Maximizers, Rising Stars, Remote Work Visa Cities, Fresh Start Cities, Hidden Gems, Family-Friendly Cities, Retire Abroad, Young Professionals, Open Door Cities, Leaving the UK

## Cost of living

| Item | USD / month |
| --- | --- |
| Rent — 1-bed, city centre | $950 |
| Rent — 1-bed, outside centre | $750 |
| Rent — 3-bed, city centre | $1,600 |
| **Total monthly cost (solo, rent included)** | **$1,552** |

One-off cost to land (deposit, agency fee, furnishing, first admin): $4,600.

Reference point: 74% cheaper than NYC.

## Settling

- **Democracy index (EIU, 0–10):** 8.3
- **Regime type:** Full democracy
- **Homicide rate:** 17.7 per 100,000/year
- **Time to permanent residency:** 3 years
- **Time to citizenship:** 7 years
- **English proficiency:** Moderate (EF EPI 516)
- **Main languages:** Spanish

## Day to day

- **Summer (low–high):** 24–30°C
- **Winter (low–high):** 25–32°C
- **Internet speed:** 187.23 Mbps
- **Natural features:** ocean

## Economy

- **GDP per capita:** $31,107 (2024, country-level)
- **Inflation:** -0.4% (2024)
- **Unemployment:** 6.8% (2025)

## Similar cities

| City | Country | Rent (1-bed, centre) | Monthly cost | Page |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Panama City | Panama | $1,059 | $2,302 | /cities/panama-city |
| Cancun | Mexico | $737 | $2,184 | /cities/cancun |
| Athens | Greece | $737 | $2,323 | /cities/athens |
| Playa del Carmen | Mexico | $1,068 | $2,479 | /cities/playa-del-carmen |
| Puerto Vallarta | Mexico | $1,435 | $3,092 | /cities/puerto-vallarta |

## Related pages

- Cost of living breakdown: /cost-of-living/tamarindo
- Compare with another city: /cities/compare
- Visa and residency paths: /cities/tamarindo/visa

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Source: [Townleap](https://www.townleap.com/cities/tamarindo) — permanent-relocation data for people picking a country to actually live in, not visit.

Cost figures are Numbeo-derived and in USD unless labelled otherwise. Economics are World Bank. Every number on this page is also on the HTML page at the same URL — this variant exists so you do not have to parse a React app to read a rent figure.