Supplies
These are our favorite local spots for groceries, gas and supplies.
Auto Mercado
This is the most Western of the Grocery chains. It’s prices and quality are most similar to Whole Foods in the US. You can find some deals on items that are on sale (beer, wine, and meats including quality steaks), otherwise expect things here to be expensive. But sometimes you just need real parmesan cheese. Auto Mercado is where you will find it.
Mega Super
Just North of the intersection for Tamarindo is a middle of the road grocery chain that serves Ticos and Tourists alike. Prices are more affordable, but you won’t find high end ingredients. We get our meat and produce here for one stop shopping.
Pequeno Mundo
If you are in Liberia and you need to stock up on supplies or get cheap beach gear, go to Pequeno Mundo. It’s like Costa Rica’s Target. We found boogie boards for $10 and snorkel gear for $15, about 1/3 the cost in Tamarindo and the beach resorts.
PriceSmart
Costco’s little outlet in Costa Rica. It has many familiar Kirkland brands but everything is on a smaller scale. A good option for outfitting your vacation rental, electronics, frozen items and meat to feed an army.
ComeFruta
In Villareal this local produce market sells fruits and veggies at a reasonable price.
Mega Hogar
In Santa Cruz at the end of town on the right is this hardware store. There are a lot of cheap Chinese imports here like tools, batteries, cables, etc.
Butcher Shop - La Santacruceña
If you want to eat like a local.
This local butchershop in Santa Cruz is a real treat. They have grab and go chicharrones (pork rinds) including jowl, beef, and ribs and roast pork. I like the roast pork as a quick snack and it makes a great sandwich sliced on bread.
We like buying ground pork, ground beef and whole chickens from them.
Whole chickens are often much cheaper per pound and are especially juicy and flavorful in Costa Rica.
Steaks and whole cuts of beef in Costa Rica are pretty tough and chewy when you use the affordable cuts that Ticos grill up. The marinated meat looks great, but are really hit and miss.
The fancy flank steaks, ribeyes and new york steaks are vacuum packed and imported from Nicaragua mostly or surrounding countries. Usually more than $20-30 per pound depending on the cut. I prefer to purchase higher quality steaks at Automercado when they go on sale.
Italian Specialty Store
Discount Italian Store as a small store in Tamarindo and a larger store at the Do It Center near Liberia.
They have all the supplies you need for authentic pizzas, pastas, and Italian cheeses and deli meats. They sell wine and Italian treats.
Must Have: Gelato - their gelato is amazing. Very smooth with flavors that taste exactly like the fruit and ingredients they are made with. It’s sold in quart sizes. We love Passion fruit (maracuyá), mango, Cookies and Cream, Mint Chocolate, Snickers.
Do It Center
Costa Rica’s version of Home Depot. They have gardening supplies, and most of the things you need to outfit an AirBnB or hang a hammock. Name brand tools like Milwaukee or Dewalt are 3-5 times more expensive than in the US. Affordable tools are about Harbor Freight quality. If you are planning a bigger DIY project I would bring higher quality tools (Drill and Impact Driver) from the US or Canada in your luggage.
Costa Rican homes are made of concrete so you’ll need a good set of masonry bits and Tapcon masonry screws.
Must Have: New Propane Tanks for your grill that aren’t rusty. And they come filled with gas now. (Not sure why they used to sell empty tanks)
Warnings: Traffic can be bad between the turn off for Playa Coco and Papagayo which are directly South and North of the Do It Center.