A Travel Price Comparison for Families, Couples, and Backpackers Grand Turk vs. Tamarindo for Vacations, Tours, and Honeymoons

Should you visit Grand Turk or Tamarindo?

Which is cheaper to visit? Which is more expensive for vacation?

If you're trying to decide where to visit between Grand Turk or Tamarindo, this travel comparison, which includes costs, can help. The overall cost of travel is usually a consideration when deciding where to go next, and the cost comparison down below can help you decide based on the average prices from other travelers along with your own travel budget.

Where Should I go: Grand Turk or Tamarindo?

Tamarindo

Tamarindo is a small beach town in the Guanacaste province of Costa Rica on the Pacific Coast. This town is usually sought out by surfers, fishers, couples, and families. There are delicious restaurants, beautiful beaches, and friendly Tico's and Tica's (local Costa Rican nicknames) everywhere.

For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best Luxury Tours to Costa Rica, and The Best Budget Tours to Costa Rica.


Which place is cheaper, Tamarindo or Grand Turk?

These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations. These travel costs come from the actual spending of real travelers.

The average daily cost (per person) in Grand Turk is $0.00, while the average daily cost in Tamarindo is $161. These costs include accommodation (assuming double occupancy, so the traveler is sharing the room), food, transportation, and entertainment. While every person is different, these costs are an average of past travelers in each destination. What follows is a categorical breakdown of travel costs for Grand Turk and Tamarindo in more detail.



Accommodation
  • Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one person
    Grand Turk -
    Tamarindo $56
  • Accommodation Typical double-occupancy room
    Grand Turk $0.00
    Tamarindo $112
Compare Hotels in Grand Turk and Tamarindo

Looking for a hotel in Grand Turk or Tamarindo? Prices vary by location, date, season, and the level of luxury. See below for options and compare which is best for your budget and travel style.

Hotels in Grand Turk


Hotels in Tamarindo


Kayak helps you find the best prices for hotels, flights, and rental cars for destinations around the world. Compare prices for multiple destinations when planning your next trip.


Our Analysis
We've analyzed the average and typical hotel prices based on guest reviews, star ratings, and hotel amenities here: Tamarindo Hotel Prices.

Local Transportation
  • Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.
    Grand Turk -
    Tamarindo $77

Hired Cars and Shuttles in Tamarindo

Some specific examples of transportation prices in Tamarindo:

  • Airport Transfer from Intl. Liberia (LIR) to Tamarindo- Flamingo: $170
  • Airport Transfer from Liberia Airport to Andaz Papagayo Hyatt (Round Trip): $180
  • Catamaran Cruise with Open Bar and Tamarindo Hotels Transfer: $169
  • Convenient airport transfers from Liberia: $20
  • Costa Rica Private Guanacaste Airport (LIR) Departure transfer: $5.00
  • Flamingo/Tamarindo to Liberia Airport(LIR)- Departure Transfer: $120
  • From Hotel Transfer to Liberia Guanacaste Airport: $69
  • Guanacaste Airport transfer to Jw Marriott Guanacaste: $130
  • Liberia Airport Private Transfer To Gulf of Papagayo Costa Rica: $125
  • Liberia Airport To Andaz Papagayo Resort, Private Transfer: $128
  • Liberia Airport To Tamarindo Private Transfer: $95
  • Liberia Airport Transfer To Playa Conchal And Playa Flamingo: $165

Is it cheaper to fly into Grand Turk or Tamarindo?

Prices for flights to both Tamarindo and Grand Turk change regularly based on dates and travel demand. We suggest you find the best prices for your next trip on Kayak, because you can compare the cost of flights across multiple airlines for your prefered dates.





Food
  • Food Meals for one day
    Grand Turk -
    Tamarindo $62

Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Tamarindo

Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Tamarindo.

  • Online Class on Zoom: Cooking Costa Rica Homemade Food: $35
  • Tamarindo : Traditional Cooking Class: $95
  • Traditional Cooking Class In Tamarindo: $99
  • Discover Tamarindo's Blue Zone: Healthy Cooking Class: $154

Entertainment
  • Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.
    Grand Turk -
    Tamarindo $19

Tours and Activities in Tamarindo

Some specific costs of activities, tours, and entrance tickets for Tamarindo are as follows:

  • Tamarindo Nightlife Pass Experience Adventure: $10
  • Paintball Experience near Tamarindo: $32
  • Tamarindo Estuary Tour: $41
  • Boat Sightseeing Tour of Las Baulas Marine Park, Mangroves and Nature: $42
  • Boat adventure with wildlife viewing in Tamarindo: $45
  • Tamarindo Estuary Boat Tour with Naturalist Guide: $45
  • Mangrove tour, crocodiles , monkeys birds nature Boat or Kayak: $45
  • Mangrove Sightseeing Tour and Wildlife Experience: $45
  • Tamarindo Mangrove Tour: $46
  • Night Turtle Nesting Tour from Tamarindo: $46
  • Tamarindo Estuary Boat Tour: $47
  • Estero de Explore by boat or kayak – Choose your tour!: $49

Alcohol
  • Alcohol Drinks for one day
    Grand Turk -
    Tamarindo $16

Sample the Local Flavors in Tamarindo

Also in Tamarindo, these are the prices for nightlife and alcohol related activities from various tour providers:

  • Tamarindo Bar Crawl – #1 Nightlife Experience: $20
  • Puro Vino - Tamarindo's Wine Tour Ride: $85


When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Grand Turk and Tamarindo, we can see that Tamarindo is more expensive. And not only is Grand Turk much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. Since Grand Turk is in Caribbean Islands and Tamarindo is in Central America, this is one of the main reasons why the costs are so different, as different regions of the world tend to have overall different travel costs. So, traveling to Grand Turk would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Grand Turk and be able to afford a more luxurious travel style by staying in nicer hotels, eating at more expensive restaurants, taking tours, and experiencing more activities. The same level of travel in Tamarindo would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Tamarindo than you might in Grand Turk.

If you're trying to decide if either of these two destinations are within your price range, also see Is Grand Turk Expensive? and Is Tamarindo Expensive?.