Costa Rica is a gorgeous nation to go to, particularly when you’re within the temper for fairly seashores and jungle adventures. It has turn out to be the place to go to in Latin America over the previous 10 years, and for good purpose. Of course, with that recognition comes a rise in costs. Costa Rica has turn out to be fairly expensive in comparison with its neighboring international locations, nevertheless it’s nonetheless low-cost in comparison with fashionable vacationer locations in North America and even Western Europe.
After visiting the nation a number of instances and touring by a whole lot of totally different means, we expect we now have a good suggestion of the particular prices of journey in Costa Rica. Heck, we even have good mates who moved down there and are loving it, in addition to different mates who owned and ran a lodge in Costa Rica for years. This is first-hand data.
So, how a lot cash do it’s worthwhile to journey to Costa Rica, and is finances journey within the nation even doable? Let’s dive into the finances breakdown for a Costa Rica vacation.
Is It Expensive To Visit Costa Rica?
Costa Rica is sort of an costly nation to go to. It’s dearer than different Central American international locations, nevertheless it’s nonetheless usually inexpensive in comparison with the United States and Western Europe. If you’re coming from a rustic with a excessive price of residing, I doubt you’ll discover Costa Rica very costly.
Also, there are tons of how it can save you cash whereas touring Costa Rica. Skip the guided excursions and discover as a lot as you may by yourself, and attempt to keep away from eating places that cater particularly to English-speaking vacationers. Most excursions and eating places that intention to draw as many English-speaking guests as doable have particular costs for vacationers and cost them thrice as a lot as they do locals. If there’s at the very least one fluent Spanish speaker in your group, it needs to be simple to keep away from the inflated vacationer costs when visiting Costa Rica.
On high of that, it is going to be considerably cheaper to go to the nation within the low season. Plan a visit between May and November, and it can save you some huge cash on flights, lodging, actions, and even meals. As lengthy as you don’t thoughts that it’s the wet season (however nonetheless heat), you may nonetheless have a ton of enjoyable in Costa Rica.
Common Questions About Visiting Costa Rica
Is Costa Rica Expensive For Holidays?
Costa Rica is an costly vacation vacation spot in comparison with different international locations in Central America. But when you select your lodge correctly, benefit from the free sights, and be good about the place you eat, a visit to Costa Rica doesn’t have to interrupt the financial institution.
What Is The Average Cost of a Trip to Costa Rica?
The common price of a visit to Costa Rica is $800-1,300 USD for mid-range vacationers. It’s doable to journey to the nation with a smaller finances of round $500, however that doesn’t embody the price of a return flight.
How Much Does An Average Meal Cost in Costa Rica?
An common meal in Costa Rica prices $15. Plenty of cheaper and pricier choices can be found, however $15 ought to get you a pleasant meal in most eating places.
How Much Money Do You Need For 7 Days In Costa Rica?
You want at the very least $1,200 for seven days in Costa Rica with lodging and a return flight (from the US). Although the nation will be explored on a smaller finances, it’s not fairly as pleasant when you miss out on enjoyable actions for the sake of saving cash.
Cost Of Accommodation
Costa Rica is an effective vacation spot for anybody as a result of the lodging choices vary from $20 dorm beds to all-inclusive resorts which might be $1,000+ per night time. Whether you wish to journey low-cost or stay it up, you can see loads of choices in your value vary.
Budget vacationers are most certainly to remain at non-public residences, hostels, or low-cost resorts. The common Costa Rican hostel fees $20 for a dormitory mattress, so the weekly finances for lodging in Costa Rica will be as little as $120. I’ll say that when you’re touring with one other individual, renting an condominium might be the very best budget-friendly possibility.
For about $350-400 per week, you may hire a spacious one-bedroom condominium for 2, the place you should have a personal lavatory and kitchen. Because you’ll have entry to a kitchen, you may cook dinner most of your meals and save fairly a bit of cash on meals. And that’s on a finances of $170-200 per individual for a whole week.
A mid-range finances in Costa Rica means you may keep in nearly each sort of lodging within the nation, barring a elaborate beachfront resort with all-inclusive service. With a finances of $70-100 per night time, you may afford the majority of the lodging within the nation.
This incredible five-star lodge is simply $150 per night time for 2, and this pretty cabin within the mountains is even cheaper. That’s a finances of $400-700 per individual for a whole week.
Luxury vacationers would possibly select to remain in an all-inclusive resort. They’re ample in Costa Rica, however their price varies fairly a bit relying on the situation. An all-inclusive resort with direct seaside entry will typically run you $400-500 per night time per individual. But select a resort with out direct seaside entry, and also you’ll pay almost half that quantity for a similar stage of service. In common, count on five-star resorts and all-inclusive resorts to price $300-500 per night time, per individual, so about $1,800-3,000 per week.
How a lot you spend on the lodge relies upon fairly a bit on the place precisely you’re staying in Costa Rica. The Caribbean coast is extra inexpensive than the Pacific coast, largely as a result of the cities there aren’t fairly as fashionable with vacationers.
If you’re simply on the lookout for a spot the place you may have a relaxed trip, Puerto Viejo on the Caribbean coast is an equally good possibility. There are loads of resorts and resorts the place you may get pleasure from lounging on the seaside and sipping cocktails, and also you’ll be saving cash in comparison with the resorts on the opposite aspect of the nation.
Another factor to bear in mind is that when is simply as necessary as the place. Travel to Costa Rica in May or June, and also you’ll get the very best lodge offers. It’s the start of the moist season, so the vacationer crowds are minimal, however the climate continues to be dry sufficient. Hotels are sometimes as much as 50% cheaper within the low season.
Budget:
Budget vacationers can discover lodging in Costa Rica for as little as $10 per night time. That’s if you wish to camp in a tent on the grounds of a hostel; when you want to have a mattress in a room and entry to a shared lavatory, you’ll must spend at the very least $20-25 per night time. Double rooms in finances resorts and personal residences are $50-100 per night time, and a number of the resorts I’ve seen that provide double rooms for $80-100 per night time are simply within the mid-range class.
Mid-Range:
The choices for mid-range vacationers vary from secluded mountain cabins to five-star resorts. If you may finances about $600 per individual for lodging for the week, you’ll have your decide of resorts and residences throughout Costa Rica.
Luxury:
All-inclusive beachfront resorts are the epitome of luxurious in Costa Rica. Spend your days stress-free on the seaside or by the pool, getting cocktails delivered to your lounge chair. The resorts begin at roughly $600 per night time for 2 vacationers, with many choices that exceed the nightly price of $1,000.
Cost of Transportation
If you’re not pressed for time and like to economize, I say keep away from the vacationer shuttles in any respect prices and persist with good outdated public transportation. Sure, they’re a bit sooner than the native buses, however they’re additionally considerably dearer. A vacationer shuttle from Monteverde to San Jose is roughly $50-70, whereas the general public bus is simply $7. The shuttle is barely an hour faster, so it’s usually not value it to spring for this mode of transport, particularly when you’re making an attempt to go to Costa Rica on a finances.
For shorter journeys, Uber is most well-liked to taxis. Local taxi drivers are typically sketchy and would possibly attempt to rip you off; Uber is far safer as you conform to a value beforehand. Uber can also be an excellent possibility for transfers between two cities which might be comparatively shut to at least one one other, as it may be considerably sooner than the bus however not extraordinarily costly.
So, what must you finances for transportation?
It actually relies on your journey fashion. If you don’t plan to spend an excessive amount of time exterior your resort, then you definately simply must finances for the switch to and from the airport.
A tough every day finances for Costa Rica can be $15 for finances vacationers, $40 for mid-range vacationers, and round $80-100 for luxurious vacationers. And that’s since you don’t really want to go someplace far daily of your keep; take at some point to stroll across the metropolis, or spend a day stress-free on the seaside.
Also, when you plan to go on guided excursions to nationwide parks, cut up the price of the exercise between the finances for leisure and transportation. If you may arrange the tour by yourself, it is going to be so much cheaper, nevertheless it’s comprehensible when you want to have a information with you out of the country.
The cities and cities in Costa Rica are usually walkable, so that you don’t must finances a lot to discover the vacationer sights. If you keep in downtown San Jose, you’ll be capable of stroll to each main attraction within the metropolis. I simply wouldn’t advocate strolling alone after darkish, as a result of some areas of town is usually a bit sketchy within the night.
Car Rental In Costa Rica
Renting a automobile is mostly not a finances journey tip, however it might prevent fairly a bit of cash in Costa Rica. If you’re planning to go to the nationwide parks and journey to extra secluded locations, automobile rental is by far the most affordable possibility for getting across the nation.
Car rental is $55-60 per day, together with gasoline and insurance coverage. That’s cheaper than the vacationer shuttle per individual, and when you’re touring with multiple different individual, it’s a no brainer. Having a automobile in Costa Rica additionally offers you the final word freedom to discover the nation and means that you can skip guided excursions as you don’t want to fret about transportation. Plus, you don’t want it each single day; hire a automobile for 4 days of per week’s keep, and that comes out to a transportation finances of $18 per individual for the whole week.
Driving in Costa Rica is mostly very protected, and the principle roads are in good situation. Roads off the overwhelmed path will not be fairly as easy; typically, there’s no asphalt, and the potholes will be fairly large. If you’re contemplating automobile rental only for simple transfers between cities, you may be high quality with smaller autos. But if you wish to discover nature and go to nationwide parks, you’ll encounter rougher roads, and I counsel a car with a excessive floor clearance. These are often priced at $75-85 per day.
Flights to Costa Rica
The bulk of your finances for transportation in Costa Rica will likely be allotted in direction of the flight to the nation. If you’re coming from the United States, you may often get an excellent deal on return flights to Costa Rica. Spirit Airlines gives round-trip flights from Miami which might be below $200 per individual, which is dirt-cheap in comparison with the price of flying out of Europe.
The most cost-effective round-trip flights from Europe I’ve seen had been round $700, and people had been uncommon. The common price of a return flight from Europe to Costa Rica was $850, though you would possibly be capable of get a greater deal when you journey within the low season.
Cost of Food
Eating out in Costa Rica will be expensive when you aren’t accustomed to the native methods. The fundamental factor to know is that many eating places have menus in Spanish and English, with larger costs on their English menus. These eating places are vacationer traps, and the meals is never pretty much as good as the value would point out.
While $30 for a fundamental course isn’t an outrageous quantity, it’s costly in Costa Rica, the place the typical price of a restaurant meal is $10-20. A $30 meal is sort of a luxurious deal with at an excellent native restaurant, not only a burger and a few fries at a vacationer joint.
The key to consuming good however low-cost in Costa Rica is to hunt out sodas. These are small, family-owned, hole-in-the-wall eating places that often don’t actually have a menu in English. It’s the place all of the locals eat, and you may often have a very nice meal for simply $10. You get to eat the very best native meals and pay the identical costs because the locals, which is vital for Costa Rica on a finances.
Also, it’s necessary to understand that consuming out in San Jose, Tamarindo, and La Fortuna is mostly dearer than within the smaller cities. Destinations off the overwhelmed path will supply higher offers each for lodging and meals, and it’s another excuse why you need to take into account staying in a city that’s not included in all of the vacationer guides for Central and South America.
No matter the place you keep and the way a lot cash you’ll be able to spend on meals in Costa Rica, listed below are some meals that you need to intention to attempt, even when it means it’s important to splurge:
Casado is a Costa Rican dish consisting of rice, plantain, black beans, tortilla, salad, and optionally meat. It’s often $6-10 in a restaurant, relying on whether or not it consists of meat.
Gallo Pinto is one other conventional Costa Rican dish primarily based on beans and rice. It is historically served for breakfast with fried eggs and often prices 3,500-4,500 CRC ($7-9).
Arroz con leche is to Costa Rica what Tiramisu is to Italy. It’s the very best native dessert that you could find in nearly each restaurant, and it’s so scrumptious that you simply’ll wish to eat it after each meal. The candy rice pudding is often priced at 1,300-2,000 CRC, which is roughly $3-4.
Grocery Shopping In Costa Rica
Budget vacationers are unlikely to eat out for each meal in Costa Rica. You can save a good amount of cash when you store for groceries and cook dinner meals, particularly on longer journeys. Local grocery shops in Costa Rica are ample in inexpensive contemporary fruit and greens, and you may typically get nice offers from locals promoting produce at stalls on the aspect of the highway. Even simply 1,000 CRC ($2) goes a great distance in Costa Rica and is sufficient for a home-cooked meal. Pineapple is basically low-cost in Costa Rica, and you may often get three items for about $2.
A weekly finances of 25,000 CRC ($50) is sufficient to cowl breakfast and dinner for 2, in addition to drinks. It’s finest to buy at native supermarkets; Maxi Pali even has an internet store the place you may try the costs and availability of components within the closest store to you.
Also, many grocery shops within the greater cities in Costa Rica have a ready meals part. Meals are often priced at 2,000-3,000 CRC ($4-6), and the parts are very beneficiant. It received’t be the tastiest meals you eat in Costa Rica, however it can maintain you full, and it’s cheaper than consuming out.
How Much To Budget For Food In Costa Rica
Budget vacationers who store for groceries and eat out solely a few instances can simply get by with a finances of $50 per week. Eating just a few vegetarian meals will likely be even cheaper, as contemporary produce is mostly very inexpensive in Costa Rica.
Mid-range vacationers would possibly do one grocery run after which eat out for one meal per day. If they persist with sodas, a finances of $100-150 per week for one individual needs to be sufficient. Some days, you’ll spend rather less, and others, you’ll spend a bit of extra, however that amount of cash needs to be sufficient to cowl all meals and drinks in Costa Rica.
Luxury vacationers usually tend to eat for each meal until they’re staying in all-inclusive lodging. Fancy eating places in Costa Rica are fairly costly, and the value of fundamental programs ranges from $25-40. A tasting menu in San Jose’s fanciest restaurant is round $110 per individual with out wine pairings, so you would simply spend north of $1,000 simply on meals when you needed.
But say you eat breakfast on the lodge, go to a extra inexpensive place for lunch, and splurge for dinner. That’s a finances of $300-500 per week for meals and drinks.
Cost of Activities
How a lot cash will you spend on sightseeing and actions whilst you’re in Costa Rica? That largely relies on what you love to do; there are various free issues to do in Costa Rica, and you would simply discover an excellent chunk of the nation with out spending something. Discover the mountain climbing trails, swim within the sea, and stroll round San Jose, marveling on the structure and the native vibes.
But if you wish to go to a preferred place like Arenal Volcano National Park, or get pleasure from a day of deep-sea fishing, the prices rapidly add up. I like how Costa Rica is nice each for vacationers preferring to discover the free actions and for many who wish to expertise these bucket listing adventures. The latter goes to be the pricier various, however value it for the expertise.
One factor to notice is that lots of the touristy issues to do in Costa Rica have particular costs for foreigners, which permits them to maintain the prices low for locals. It is a bit infuriating to pay $20 for one thing that’s free for many different individuals, however that’s simply a part of touring to Costa Rica.
Budget vacationers are more likely to persist with free actions and luxuriate in 2-3 paid excursions throughout their keep. A tough finances of $20 per exercise offers you all kinds of choices, because it covers every part from kayaking to nationwide park entrances and entry to waterfalls. A weekly finances may very well be as little as $50, however I like to recommend growing it as a result of the actions are the very best factor about Costa Rica. If you may handle a weekly finances of $100 for leisure, you may even squeeze in one of many pricier experiences like ziplining in Monteverde or La Fortuna’s hanging bridges.
Mid-range vacationers will in all probability wish to do one thing enjoyable daily of their keep. A weekly finances of $150-200 needs to be sufficient to find Costa Rica’s pure magnificence and have enjoyable the whole time.
Luxury vacationers are most certainly to spring for expensive actions like scuba diving or white water rafting. If you’re doing one thing that prices $100 daily, you may simply spend $600-700 for per week in Costa Rica.
Budget For 1 Week in Costa Rica
Here’s a breakdown of a mid-range finances for one week in Costa Rica:
$600 for lodging
$150 meals
$250 for transportation
$200 for actions
$200 (US) – $850 (Europe) for flights
That’s round $1,200 per individual for a whole week, not together with the return flight. And have in mind I’ve allotted a better finances for meals and actions; when you had been to spend a few days having fun with the free issues to do in Costa Rica and eat out much less incessantly, you would simply get by with a finances of $1,000 per week.
Budget vacationers can expertise Costa Rica for $400-500 in per week, whereas luxurious vacationers will spend at the very least $2,500. I have to say that, for luxurious vacationers, reserving an all-inclusive resort drastically reduces the finances for meals and drinks.
Budget For 2 Weeks in Costa Rica
A two-week finances for a mid-range traveler in Costa Rica is just about simply double the weekly finances:
$1,200 for lodging
$300 meals
$500 for transportation
$400 for actions
$200 (US) – $850 (Europe) for flights
Budget vacationers could make do with $800-1,000 for 2 weeks, whereas mid-range vacationers want $2,000-2,500 for the very best expertise. Luxury vacationers are more likely to spend at the very least $5,000 for an all-inclusive two-week trip in Costa Rica.
Costa Rica is certainly one in all our favorite international locations in Latin America. It doesn’t actually matter if you’re a backpacker on a finances or somebody on the lookout for luxurious; you might be assured to have an incredible journey. While it’s true that Costa Rica is just not the most affordable vacation spot in Central America, that doesn’t imply it can break the financial institution both. If you observe our options above, it is possible for you to to journey Costa Rica realizing you can maintain your finances the place you want it and have a good time as properly.