For anyone planning on coming to Costa Rica, cost is the main concern: How much does a trip to Costa Rica cost? Is Costa Rica expensive to visit? Since Costa Rica is known for being fairly expensive, it makes it tougher to travel on a budget and many people wonder exactly how much is the cost of traveling in Costa Rica and how much they’ll spend.
Here is our detailed guide to the cost of traveling in Costa Rica from food, activities, transportation, lodging and more. This post will give you an in-depth look and a well rounded idea of your Costa Rica travel expenses but remember, much of it also depends on the type of vacation you’re looking for.
This post has been updated 2019.
Here is a breakdown of your Costa Rica travel budget. Click the section to skip to it. Prices quotes in USD.
How Much Does it Cost to Fly to Costa Rica?
Depending on where you are flying from and the time of year, you can spend as little as $300 on a round trip ticket from Florida or as much as an $700 ticket from Canada. Like every destination, ticket prices change constantly and depend a lot on the time of year you are coming.
More flights to Costa Rica have opened up recently meaning more options and more competition. I paid almost $1000 for a roundtrip ticket from Seattle during the Christmas holidays in 2010 but I paid $450 for my round trip ticket in 2016 at the beginning of December. Prices started rising around December 23rd so if you visit before the holidays before, you can get a great deal.
Summer and holidays like Christmas is always more expensive. We have paid $700 for a round trip from Seattle in July. In September, we paid $500!
Research shows you should book your plane ticket at least 90 days before to Latin America and make sure you comparison shop. I personally use these websites to compare tickets: Kayak, Momondo and Google Flights. However, make sure you check Southwest Airline’s website for prices since they don’t show up on 3rd party search engines and they generally have excellent deals.
Tips for Finding the Best Airfare to Costa Rica
- Try to be flexible on your dates. Google Flights has a calendar to see prices and you can sign up for alerts. Some low season dates with cheap airline tickets are after Thanksgiving to mid December, September and October.
- Check both Liberia and San Jose airport. Liberia is generally more expensive than San Jose because the airport is much smaller with less flights. I generally find flights to be around $100-200 cheaper into San Jose.
- Sign up to Dollar Flight Club. This website finds cheap flights and mistake fares. They occasionally have some to Costa Rica and Central America. Definitely worth the upgraded membership. Scott’s Cheap Flights is another one.
Read more on how to get cheap flights to Costa Rica in this post!
Costa Rica Hotel Prices
As Costa Rica is a very touristic country, you will find all types of accommodation options. You have your standard hostels and hotels, but you can also find all-inclusive resorts, tree houses, eco-friendly lodges, camp sites, yoga retreats and surf camps.
Depending on what your budget is and what kind of vacation you want, you can spend as low as $15 a night to $500 a night. Touristic areas usually have a ton of options so you’ll be able to find one that fits your needs guaranteed.
Average Prices for Hotels in Costa Rica
- Hostels: $10-$15 for one bed in a dorm. Not guaranteed to have hot water or AC, usually no breakfast. Couples can have a private room in a hostel for around $45 a night per person (sometimes they will charge more for AC, usually $10 more).
- Basic/budget hotel: $35-$75. This includes a private room with hot water, AC and private bathroom.
- Mid-range hotel: $90-150. Mid range hotels usually include breakfast, AC, hot water, Wi-Fi, cable, coffee maker, a mini fridge and basic bathroom amenities.
- High end hotel: Starting around $200 and up. These high end hotels usually have a great view, a balcony/terrace, an on-site restaurant, hot water, breakfast, fridge, coffee maker, full bathroom amenities, tea and an infinity pool. Not all high end hotels are built the same – some are boutique and locally owned, some are international chains.
- All-inclusive resorts: Starting around $250, all inclusive resorts have a variety of food choices from buffets to a la carte restaurants, multiple pools, night time entertainment, a gym, shopping center, child care, business center and day time activities.
- One week surf camp: $800-1500 depending on the package and what’s included (meals, transportation, other activities, type of room, etc.)
Tips to Save Money on Accommodation
- Travel during the off/rainy season (generally May to November). However, the first and second week of July is considered high season because the schools have two weeks off for mid summer break. August to October doesn’t see many North Americans but it is a popular time for Europeans on the Caribbean side.
- Like the hotel’s Facebook page. Many of them throw promotions exclusively on their Facebook.
- Look on VRBO or Airbnb for alternative lodging options. You can find many apartments/condos/rooms for rent for a cheaper price. Read our guide to using Airbnb in Costa Rica and get $40 credit.
- If you are flexible, traveling during low season and not necessarily looking for a luxury vacation, you can check hotels in person when you arrive and bargain. When it’s low season, hotels are very willing to bargain since they rather get some business than not get any. (Learn how to bargain in Costa Rica here).
Best Hotel Booking Sites for Costa Rica
We personally use a few different sites when we’re looking for a hotel.
Some popular hotel booking websites are Booking.com (get 10% off), Hotels.com, Hotelscombined and Trivago.
One of the pros of using a hotel booking site is that hotel websites in Costa Rica aren’t usually the most informative or easiest to navigate if it’s not a chain. But hotels in Costa Rica are getting more tech savvy, their websites are becoming more friendly for direct bookings and sometimes they will offer discounts for booking on their site.
Some hotels don’t show up on travel search engines. You will need to book directly on their website (like the Flutterby House in Uvita).
Read more tips on finding accommodation in Costa Rica.
Cost of Transportation in Costa Rica
There are quite a few ways to get around Costa Rica.
- Public transportation: The bus system in Costa Rica is very wallet friendly though not always super timely or convenient. You can hop on a bus in the city for $1 (500 colones) or cross the country for around $20 (10,00 colones). Read our tips for taking public transportation in Costa Rica here.
- Taxis: A good option for short trips, definitely not for long ones. Make sure they use the meter or decide on a price before you get in the car.Here are Yeison’s tips on taking a taxi in Costa Rica.
- Uber: Right now Uber is only in San Jose but it is awesome. We’ve never had a problem calling one at 4 AM in Heredia to go to the airport.
- Shuttle: A shuttle can cost anywhere from $50 a person to $500 for 1-4 people depending on your destinations and if it’s private or shared. A shared shuttle from San Jose to Fortuna is $55 a person, a private shuttle costs $200.
- Car rental: Renting a car can get very expensive during high/peak season. You really need to do your research when it comes to car rentals companies to make sure that they include all the mandatory insurance fees in their final quote.
- A one week car rental for a Hyundai Accent automatic (4 door sedan) runs around $400-500 and a 7 passengers 4X4 full size SUV runs around $700-800 a week with mandatory insurance.
- Flying: There are several domestic airlines such as Sansa, Skyway and Aerobell. Depending on the time of year and route, flights range from about $70-$250 one way. Get our Skyway Costa Rica promo here to get 10% off and an extra 10 lbs of luggage!
Tips for Saving Money on Transportation
Unfortunately, there’s not a whole you can do on saving money in this aspect. The cheapest way is to take the bus or even hitchhike but it’s not the most efficient option for those here for a short period of time and don’t want to be sitting on a bus for most of their trip.
If you plan to fly on the local airlines, make sure to book asap. If you decide to rent a car or book a shuttle, you need to pre-book it. You can usually get one at the airport when you land but it’ll be much more expensive. Comparison shop and be aware that prices differ whether you book online, over the phone or in person.
We have some discounts on transportation that will help save money.
Up to 20% off your car rental plus 2 free drivers and 33% off GPS
Tours
Many activities like going to the beach or hiking you can do on your own but if you want to do something like ziplining, white water rafting or sailing, you need to book a tour. I always tell visitors that you can certainly skip tours to save money but the trip won’t be as fun.
You’ll miss out on a lot of amazing experiences since some natural attractions and landmarks are only accessible through tour companies.
Average Cost of Tours in Costa Rica
Most tours include hotel pick up and drop off and a meal (usually lunch).
- Ziplining: $55-85. Some canopy tours have different options like an adrenaline tour, a tarzan swing or something extra that may cost more
- 1 day White water rafting: $80-120 including lunch
- Sunset sailing: $70-95 for a half day tour which includes lunch, snacks, drinks and snorkel equipment. You can also get private charters which can cost $500 for a half day up to 5 passengers
- Half day sport fishing: $500 including equipment, snacks
- 2 tank dive: $115
- Combo adventure tour: $90-140 which includes multiple activities such as horseback riding, ziplining, white water tubing, canyoning
- National Park entrance fee: $6-16 for foreigners. Costa Rican citizens pay around $2. Cahuita NP is free!
- 2 hour surf lesson: $40-60 including board rental
- Horseback riding: $60-90 depending on the length and location
Tips for Saving Money on Tours
Bargain! Foreigners have no idea that you are allowed to bargain in Costa Rica but you absolutely can and this goes for tours as well. This is a must especially if you are going during low season or in a big group. We’ve saved up to $40 per person by negotiating for big groups.
If you have your own form of transportation (car rental), you can save money by going on your own instead of going with a tour company. Most of the times you can contact the company running the tour and coordinate the time to show up. For example, we drove ourselves to the Buena Vista Combo Tour and got the whole day tour for around $80 where normally with a tour company, it goes around $140.
Food
Food costs vary slightly in the country, depending on where you are. Touristic areas are no doubt more expensive than local or rural areas but even that depends. When we lived in Playas del Coco, we couldn’t get anything at a soda for less than $8 to save our lives. In Jaco, an equally touristic beach town there are sodas where you can get lunch for $5!
Average Cost of a Meal in Costa Rica
- A smoothie: $1.50 (800 colones)
- Beer: $2.25 (1,200 colones). Depends if you go for happy hour or if you get beer at the supermarket.
- Traditional breakfast: $5 (2,500 colones)
- Traditional lunch: $7 (3,500 colones)
- A 1750 ml bottle of water: $2 (1,000 colones)
Tips for Saving Money on Food
My best advice for those looking to save money on food? Walk away from the touristic areas at least half a mile. I know that most blogs say that the best tip is to eat only at sodas which is true, but even if you eat at sodas in touristic areas, it can get expensive.
For example, we ate at a soda outside the entrance of Manuel Antonio National Park and the average price was $9-10 a plate including casados. So yes, look for sodas but one away from the touristic areas.
One more option if you’re sick of sodas is to look for a bakery or panaderia. You can get empanadas, enchiladas and sandwiches for $1-2.
One more way to save money on food is by drinking the tap water. Tap water in Costa Rica is actually safe to drink (read more about it here) contrary to popular belief but if you are worried or have a sensitive stomach, save money (and help the environment) by bringing your own insulated water bottle and a filter.
Souvenirs
You can find Costa Rica souvenir stores everywhere but you can easily spend a lot. A t-shirt is around $15-25, a painted cup is around $15, a little trinket like a wooden toucan statue is around $10-15.
If you’re buying several items, you can usually get a discount. Most of the time I’ve been given around 10% off, more if I’m buying a handful of stuff and paying in cash.
Another tip is to avoid the souvenir stores and shop at the supermarkets. You can find the same stuff for half the price, including coffee which is my favorite souvenir and you can get those for $3 a bag, the good stuff.
Tipping
You can read all about tipping in Costa Rica in this post but basically, tips are not mandatory here. However, since Costa Rica is a touristic country and many locals are used to receiving them from Americans and Canadians, it is kind of expected (but you don’t have to if you don’t want to).
If you decide to tip, the standard percentage is 10%. You will see this in restaurants under “service tax” which is what they call their tip.
Overall Cost of Traveling in Costa Rica
You can certainly travel in Costa Rica on a budget but as you can see in our breakdown, if you want to have a more exciting trip, it costs a bit more.
As a solo traveler, here is an idea of what your trip will be like according to budget (not including airfare):
- For $30-$50 a day, you can travel fairly minimally. Sleep in a bed in a dorm, eat at sodas and walk around the beach. No tours.
- Spend a bit more for $75-$100 a day and you can upgrade to a private room in a hostel, have a couple beers, hop on a bus to visit a different beach or a national park or take a surf lesson.
- Throw in a bit more dough and for $150-175 a day, you’re looking at a mid-range hotel, a few tours here and there and a shuttle ride or two. Including meals at places other than sodas.
- Splurge on your vacation and for $200 and up a day, you’re looking at swanky digs, guided tours, renting a car or hiring a private shuttle and dinners at more expensive restaurants. You can even stay at an all-inclusive for as low as $180 per person a day during off season.
Handling Money and Prices
You will see that I quoted everything in USD in this post and this is because USD are readily accepted in Costa Rica and many items in tourism are quoted in USD. These are tours, hotels and shuttles. You can read more about handling money in Costa Rica in this post.
So there you have it, the breakdown of costs of traveling in Costa Rica and you have a better idea of how much a trip to Costa Rica costs. For more of an idea, check our 1 week Costa Rica travel budget breakdown to see how much we spent.
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Tips for driving in Costa Rica
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Sammi says
Hi Sari, there are a lot of tours you can do that aren’t too crazy. There are a lot of easy and short hikes in Costa Rica (there aren’t that many long hard hikes), nature walks in the national parks, boat rides and safari floats to see wildlife and local towns you can sightsee. Some recommendations that come to the top of my head are these:
La Fortuna river safari float wildlife watching tour
Palo Verde National Park wildlife watching boat ride
Hacienda Baru: they have an electric chair that goes through the forest
Rainforest Adventures Atlantic: they have a really nice aerial tram, hummingbird garden and easy hiking trails
Things to do in San Jose: best place for museums and culture
Tortuguero National Park: wildlife watching boat rides through the national park
Zarcero: cute local town with a church and topiary gardens
sari goldman says
Hola,
Thank you for the wonderful info. We are in our late 70’s. in good health and active( not for zip lining) What can you recommend for people our age. We are past the long hikes stage. Love museums, animals, beautiful sights, ethnic food and people of all ages. All help would be appreciated. Most tours are geared to eco adventures and thrills. We can spend weeks if needed. country looks beautiful.
Sari
Angela says
Hi MyTanFeet!
Love your blog–most informative one that I can find re: Costa Rica 🙂 My husband and I are headed to CR for 5 nts in a few weeks. How much should we expect to pay for a massage? And is this negotiable too?
TIA! Pura Vida!
Sammi says
Hi Angela, it will depend where you get your massage. If you go to a resort like Hilton or Westin or a high end hotel, massages can get pretty like $100 or more depending on the type. If you go to a spa or beauty salon, it could be around $60 an hour. If you go to the beach and get a massage from a local, it is around $35 for an hour so it all depends.
Colleen Dunaway says
Hello! We are going next month to Tamarindo, Arenal, and Manuel Antonio. I have a question regarding the hot springs and the safety of the water. I know that some springs have bacteria and can cause some trouble. Also, we are renting houses that have washers. Can you speak to the hot springs and bacteria in the Arenal area and the washers?
Sammi says
Hi Colleen, the water in the hot springs in Arenal are either natural (Tabacon, Nayara) or it goes through a filtration process, it depends on which facility you go to. I’ve never heard of anyone having any trouble with the water from the hot springs to be honest. Water quality in the touristic areas is usually pretty good, for washing clothes I don’t see or know of any problems from that. As for drinking tap water, it is safe in touristic areas and cities, you can bring a filter if you have a sensitive stomach though. I wrote more about drinking tap water in Costa Rica in this post: https://mytanfeet.com/costa-rica-travel-tips/safe-to-drink-tap-water-in-costa-rica/
Nadia says
Hey Sammi,hey yeison,
first of all I really love reading your blog,it helped me a lot planning our trip to Costa Rica .
In this article I saw your recommendation for the Canyon de la Vieja Lodge. During our trip we stayed there for 2 nights and it was by far the worst accommodation we had on our trip. People are really nice ther I will not doubt that,but the lodges had their best times long ago..
Our lodge was not clean at all..the bed had stains I don’t really want to know what it was. The whole area seemed as if nobody really cares about and the breakfast also was prepared halfhearted.
I just wanted to let you know..
Yours Nadia from Germany
Sammi says
Hi Nadia, thanks for your feedback! We went there in 2014 and that’s unfortunate to hear about the hotel because it wasn’t like that when we went :/ it is in a nice location and they have great activities on site but the rooms did seem like they needed more tlc. Thanks for the update and I’ll be sure to include it in the post.
Anne says
Hi
Leaving in 7 days for a 2 week trip. So excited 🙂
Do you recommend I take US or Colones?
If I pay US, will they give the change in Colones or US?
Thanks for the tips!!! Your blog has been very helpful while planning our trip!
Sammi says
Hi Anne, you don’t need to exchange currency to colones before your trip, USD are readily accepted in Costa Rica. You can use USD at the supermarket, restaurant, souvenirs shops and they will give you your change back in colones.
Pip says
Hi!
We love the article, excellent advice! By contacting hotels directly and making a reservation directly on their website, you are helping small independent business and not a global company such as booking.com to which they have to pay commission. Perhaps you could recommend people to check directly on the hotel website as a growing number of hotels do actually have their own reservation systems with secure methods to store credit card information, and by supporting them you are keeping more of your tourist dollar within Costa Rica!
Cory says
Hello !
I am traveling to Manuel Antonio solo traveling . Staying at hostel Selena Antonia . Hostel got great reviews .
I like to party and drink and eat. Just wanna sit at the beach relax meet some people and explore the country side maybe do a waterfall adventure of some sort . I’m on a tight budget arriving around 1pm to San Jose .
My plan is to try and share a cab to the bus terminal then take bus to the hostel, is that recommended ?
Also little concerned about the cost of food and drinks, perhaps I can get some groceries from a market and they have a kitchen at hostel. Plus hostel offers breakfast every day for 5$ extra .
I just hope eating will not be really expensive as I want to spend 2-300 for the 7 days I’m there (not including my accommodations) I want to know if this is a reasonable budget ? Any advise would be much appreciated !! Thank you!
Sammi says
You can take Uber if you have Internet in San Jose (cheaper than a taxi) and then grab a bus to Manuel Antonio. Manuel Antonio is not a cheap destination since it’s super touristic so you may find it to be too expensive for your budget.
Sammi says
Since your budget is $70 a day per person, you can rent a car but you’d have to rent a smaller car like the compact ones to stay within your budget. I don’t know if you guys are staying at hostels or hotels or where you guys are, but in most touristic areas like Manuel Antonio or Fortuna, the roads are well paved and maintained so you can get around with a sedan or compact, you won’t need a 4×4. Manuel Antonio National Park is an easy to get to, convenient and very pretty national park as well as Arenal Volcano and Poas. There is good hiking at those places and Manuel Antonio has beaches too (here is our guide Manuel Antonio National Park). Most national parks that are easy to get to are touristic but since you have a strict budget that doesn’t really have any room to rent a 4×4 or take tours, it’ll be hard to get to the less touristic ones like Corcovado National Park.
Marisa says
Hola! I’m looking for someone who can help us tow have a great stay here in costa rica! We arrived yesterday and have 2 weeks time to see the country. We love to do some hiking and also some others activities. But i read a lot that they are expensive…and what would be better for a couple to rent a car or travel by bus? We wanna see some different places like nationalpark and also some beaches. But we dont like the really touristic spots, more the local ones. Maybe you can help us? Our budget is about 70$ per day and per person. Kind regards marisa
Beth says
I want to spend a month near the beach and jungle learning Spanish. I would like to hang out with expats to see if I want to move there in 2 years. I’m in my mid 50’s very active and a school teacher. I might teach English a little while I’m there. I will travel solo, but want to connect with expat groups.
California Female.
Sammi says
Sounds like a great plan! Have a great time Beth!
Kris says
Is there a bank in Tamarindo where we can pay our exit tax before going to the airport? I heard the airport line can be very long.
Sammi says
Hi Kris, the exit tax has been included in airplane tickets for awhile now so if you bought your ticket within the last year, the exit tax should be included. There is a large bulletin board inside the airport that will say which tickets need to pay it and since the exit tax has been included in tickets, the line is pretty much empty now.
rosetta says
Greeting Samantha,
Love your Blog! It’s a wealth of helpful information.
I’ll be traveling to Playas Del Coco for the month of February, and would like to book a few tours. One of which is the day or overnight trip to Nicaragua. I see that I might possibly be able to book through you. Could you also help me arrange other tours. I enjoy beach, zip lining, hot springs, national parks, yoga, local festivals, social gathering spots. I was there last March for a couple of weeks, so I have a little bit of familiarity. However, I’ll be traveling solo, this time, and want to ensure a safe, fun time.
Thank you.
Sammi says
Hi Rosetta, I just sent you an email 🙂
Sammi says
Hi Karla, here’s our post on things to do in Guanacaste:
Karla says
We are headed there in February and I am enjoying reading your tips. We have no idea what to expect. We are only there for 3 full days. Are there any recommendations you can give me on a must do? We are not the zip line, water rafting type:) It is an all expense paid vacation other than personal expenses. We are staying in Guanacaste.
Katerina says
Hi Sam, tried to checked into airbnb and claim your $35 but not sure how it works.can you pls direct me?Thank you,just made some reservation but not ure how to claim friends referral fee.
Sammi says
Hi Katerina, you have to sign up with a new account when you click this link: https://www.airbnb.com/c/sw39 ($20 credit, Airbnb controls how much the credit is) so unfortunately if you already made an account and reservation, you won’t be able to get the credit. It’s for new sign ups so you’ll have to make a new account.
Lauren says
Do you have any suggestions for hiring a private driver? We would love to just relax and enjoy the country while someone else navigates.
Sammi says
Hi Lauren, hiring a private driver is a great way to relax and not have to worry about driving. You want to go with a bigger tour/transportation company as they cover more of the country, Jacamar is an excellent one as they have offices and shuttles throughout all of Costa Rica.
Evelyn Slater-Shew says
This is THEE most helpful article I have seen on Costa Rica…period. I truly appreciate you posting this! I am going in December! 😀
Sammi says
Thank you Evelyn! I put a lot of time into the post so glad to hear it is helpful. Hope you have an awesome time in CR 🙂
Marissa & Alain says
My husband and I just came back from a 16 day tour in Costa Rica, we enjoyed it very much and your tips are really very helpful. Thanks for accepting me as your mytantfamily .. We will for sure come back . People are so friendly, fruits are so fresh except the road we took . It was unpaved, long and winding road, I guess we missed the turn and ended up climbing on the top of the mountain .. Overall it was an adventure that we will always treasure .
Thanks to you Sam and yieson for the helpful advise !
Sammi says
So happy to hear you had a great time! Also glad the blog is helpful! Thanks for being a loyal reader 🙂
Evelyn says
Hi
Considering I already have tours and hotels paid, and 3 tour already includes breakfast and lunch, so the money is going to be only for food, drinks and some souvenirs…
How much money do you think I’ll need?
Thanks!
yeison says
It all depends where you go to eat and drink there are cheap an expensive places every where you go, you can pay $6 for a “casado” in a Costa Rica Restaurant or you can go to a tourist fancy place and pay $50 for lunch. It is hard to say how much you will spend. Most of the places here take credit cards.
Steph of Big World Small Pockets says
I love Central America, one reason being it’s still so cheap to travel there. If you’re coming from Europe however, airfares can be expensive. However, a great tip for bringing this cost down is to look for flights with companies that deal with package holiday groups a lot – they often sell off spare seats at ridiculously cheap prices. JetBlue are a great airline in this respect and I’ve heard of many people getting crazy bargains on flight from UK-Liberia
Sammi says
Jetblue is a great airline! I know that Thompson has been throwing promos and direct flights from the UK to Liberia, we’ve been seeing a lot more British people here recently. More flights are opening up from everywhere, I think there is even direct flights from Spain!
scott says
Thanks for posting these are all tips helpful!
Sammi says
You’re welcome!
Madi says
I am definitely pinning this for later. I’ve been dying to get to Costa Rica and am planning a trip in the next year or so. Thanks for posting these are all incredibly helpful!
Sammi says
Hi Madi! You’re very welcome and glad to hear it is helpful!