NavoyNostos

Jacó vs Tamarindo

for digital nomads

Under balanced weights Jacó edges it, 64 to 60, winning 5 of the 9 factors. Jacó is stronger on climate, getting there & around; Tamarindo on nothing outright. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.

Cost of living: 4.4 of 64 points (scores 39/100)Safety: 6.4 of 64 points (scores 57/100)Healthcare: 9.1 of 64 points (scores 82/100)Internet: 7.5 of 64 points (scores 68/100)Visa ease: 10.2 of 64 points (scores 92/100)Getting there & around: 6.6 of 64 points (scores 59/100)Climate: 4.6 of 64 points (scores 42/100)Air quality: 7.9 of 64 points (scores 71/100)Quality of life: 7.5 of 64 points (scores 68/100)64
Jacó
out of 100

Costa Rica's closest beach to the capital, with surf and a party strip

Full Jacó profile →Where to stay in Jacó →
Cost of living: 3.7 of 60 points (scores 33/100)Safety: 6.4 of 60 points (scores 57/100)Healthcare: 9.1 of 60 points (scores 82/100)Internet: 7.2 of 60 points (scores 65/100)Visa ease: 10.2 of 60 points (scores 92/100)Getting there & around: 4.9 of 60 points (scores 44/100)Climate: 2.8 of 60 points (scores 25/100)Air quality: 7.9 of 60 points (scores 71/100)Quality of life: 7.5 of 60 points (scores 68/100)60
Tamarindo
out of 100

Costa Rica's surf town with a nomad village feel

Full Tamarindo profile →Where to stay in Tamarindo →

Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)

MetricJacóTamarindo
Cost of living39 ✓33
Safety5757
Healthcare8282
Internet68 ✓65
Visa ease9292
Getting there & around59 ✓44
Climate42 ✓25
Air quality71 ✓71
Quality of life6868

Cost

MetricJacóTamarindo
Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city$1,700 ✓$2,006
Central one-bedroom rentno data$1,529

Safety and health (country-level)

MetricJacóTamarindo
Homicides per 100k17.1217.12
Political stability (0–100)8787
UHC service coverage (0–100)8484
Life expectancy78.6 yrs78.6 yrs

Internet (M-Lab measured medians)

MetricJacóTamarindo
Download36.5 Mbps ✓29.9 Mbps
Upload10 Mbps ✓9.9 Mbps

Visa

MetricJacóTamarindo
Nomad visaRemote worker and service provider stay (digital nomad permit)Remote worker and service provider stay (digital nomad permit)
Minimum income for the visa$3,000/mo$3,000/mo
Entry, US passport180 days180 days
Entry, EU passport180 days180 days
Entry, UK passport180 days180 days

Getting there and around

MetricJacóTamarindo
Non-stop airport destinations52 ✓31
Walkability (1–5, editorial)4 ✓3
Transit (1–5, editorial)2 ✓1

Climate and air

MetricJacóTamarindo
Comfortable months per year5 ✓3
Annual mean PM2.517.9 µg/m³ ✓18.2 µg/m³

✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.

Frequently asked

Which is cheaper, Jacó or Tamarindo?
Jacó is cheaper: about $1,700 per month versus $2,006 for one person.
Is Jacó or Tamarindo safer?
Jacó scores higher on safety (57 vs 57), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
Where is the internet faster, Jacó or Tamarindo?
Jacó: a measured median of 36.5 Mbps versus 29.9 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).

More comparisons

Sources: Cost of Living Global 2026 (city rows); 2026 Cost of Living Index (country level); Worldwide Governance Indicators — Political Stability and Absence of Violence (score 0–100); Victims of intentional homicide per 100,000 population (national data, latest year); UHC service coverage index; Life expectancy at birth (years), both sexes; M-Lab NDT statistics (city aggregates, 2024); Airport destinations (Wikipedia airline and destination tables); NASA POWER climatology (2001–2020 monthly means); SatPM2.5 satellite-derived annual PM2.5 (V6.GL.02.04); Human Development Index (HDR 2025, HDI 2023); EF English Proficiency Index 2024 (band); Walkability and transit ratings (editorial); Passport Index dataset (visa requirements, 199 passports × 199 destinations); OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API); Nostos long-stay visa guides; Starlink availability map. Dataset 2026.10.7. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.