Cost of living comparison
compared to
Bangkok vs. Tamarindo Cost of Living Summary
Bangkok is 17.0% cheaper than Tamarindo.
- Restaurants
-
pay 61.9% less in Bangkok
- Groceries
-
pay 20.1% less in Bangkok
- Transportation
-
pay 17.8% less in Bangkok
- Housing
-
pay 47.8% less in Bangkok
- Childcare
-
pay 34.0% more in Bangkok
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 14.2% less in Bangkok
- Clothing
-
pay 9.1% more in Bangkok
The cost of childcare and clothing in Bangkok are more expensive than in Tamarindo. Expenses including restaurants, housing, groceries, transportation, and entertainment and sports are lower in Bangkok.
Bangkok vs. Tamarindo Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Bangkok instead of Tamarindo, you would:
pay 61.9% less for restaurants
|
Tamarindo
|
Bangkok
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$9.95
CRC4,968.54
|
$3.10
THB97.49
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.91
CRC4,946.99
|
$6.20
THB194.99
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.06
CRC1,026.69
|
$0.79
THB24.89
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.67
CRC835.57
|
$0.33
THB10.48
|
|
Tamarindo vs. Bangkok - Cost of restaurants
pay 20.1% less for groceries
|
Tamarindo
|
Bangkok
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.64
CRC1,317.14
|
$1.44
THB45.28
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.95
CRC2,473.50
|
$8.50
THB267.43
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$7.78
CRC3,886.45
|
$7.23
THB227.32
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.88
CRC1,436.26
|
$2.28
THB71.83
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$3.97
CRC1,980.26
|
$1.38
THB43.39
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.94
CRC968.09
|
$1.59
THB50.01
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.65
CRC326.39
|
$0.82
THB25.68
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.43
CRC715.81
|
$1.02
THB32.18
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.58
CRC789.86
|
$0.85
THB26.82
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.06
CRC530.31
|
$0.72
THB22.65
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.43
CRC714.69
|
$0.65
THB20.41
|
|
Tamarindo vs. Bangkok - Cost of groceries
pay 17.8% less for transportation
|
Tamarindo
|
Bangkok
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$5.39
CRC2,690.83
|
$4.69
THB147.55
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$56.25
CRC28,093.31
|
$37.21
THB1,169.93
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$35,877.65
CRC17,918,195.20
|
$37,206.42
THB1,169,932.86
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$16.12
CRC8,048.76
|
$11.63
THB365.60
|
|
Tamarindo vs. Bangkok - Cost of transportation
pay 47.8% less for housing
|
Tamarindo
|
Bangkok
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$54.12
CRC27,029.34
|
$16.91
THB531.61
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,807.68
CRC902,801.44
|
$675.06
THB21,226.75
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$795.26
CRC397,173.00
|
$321.97
THB10,124.02
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$68.88
CRC34,400.73
|
$68.69
THB2,159.82
|
|
Tamarindo vs. Bangkok - Cost of housing
pay 34.0% more for childcare
|
Tamarindo
|
Bangkok
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$523.37
CRC261,381.89
|
$609.37
THB19,161.40
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$8,800.68
CRC4,395,279.35
|
$13,346.39
THB419,669.10
|
|
Tamarindo vs. Bangkok - Cost of childcare
pay 14.2% less for entertainment and sports
|
Tamarindo
|
Bangkok
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$2.67
CRC1,335.69
|
$2.79
THB87.74
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.85
CRC1,924.76
|
$2.54
THB79.88
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$4.88
CRC2,434.80
|
$4.40
THB138.20
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$97.91
CRC48,896.85
|
$51.03
THB1,604.74
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$6.93
CRC3,462.90
|
$8.06
THB253.49
|
|
Tamarindo vs. Bangkok - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 9.1% more for clothing
|
Tamarindo
|
Bangkok
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$61.74
CRC30,836.27
|
$58.81
THB1,849.09
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$23.77
CRC11,872.79
|
$38.03
THB1,195.92
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$108.96
CRC54,416.94
|
$104.24
THB3,277.67
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$106.98
CRC53,427.54
|
$91.47
THB2,876.08
|
|
Tamarindo vs. Bangkok - Cost of clothing
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you.
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world.
Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: December 2025
Change currency:
Compare countries by overall cost of living
See the
cost of living in Costa Rica vs. Thailand.
This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within Costa Rica and Thailand.
Help us improve these prices
MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate.
Learn more
ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Bangkok or Tamarindo. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.