Costa Rica is an attractive nation to go to, particularly should you’re within the temper for fairly seashores and jungle adventures. It has turn into the place to go to in Latin America over the previous 10 years, and for good motive. Of course, with that reputation comes a rise in costs. Costa Rica has turn into fairly expensive in comparison with its neighboring international locations, however it’s nonetheless low cost in comparison with common vacationer locations in North America and even Western Europe.
After visiting the nation a number of instances and touring by quite a lot of totally different means, we predict we now have a good suggestion of the particular prices of journey in Costa Rica. Heck, we even have good associates who moved down there and are loving it, in addition to different associates who owned and ran a resort in Costa Rica for years. This is first-hand data.
So, how a lot cash do it’s essential to journey to Costa Rica, and is funds journey within the nation even doable? Let’s dive into the funds breakdown for a Costa Rica vacation.
Is It Expensive To Visit Costa Rica?
Costa Rica is type of an costly nation to go to. It’s costlier than different Central American international locations, however it’s nonetheless usually reasonably priced in comparison with the United States and Western Europe. If you’re coming from a rustic with a excessive price of dwelling, 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’ll be able to by yourself, and attempt to keep away from eating places that cater particularly to English-speaking vacationers. Most excursions and eating places that goal 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 no less than one fluent Spanish speaker in your group, it must be simple to keep away from the inflated vacationer costs when visiting Costa Rica.
On prime of that, it will likely 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’ll be able to 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 should you select your resort correctly, benefit from the free points of interest, 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 funds 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 no less than $1,200 for seven days in Costa Rica with lodging and a return flight (from the US). Although the nation may be explored on a smaller funds, it’s not fairly as fulfilling should 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 evening. Whether you need to journey low cost or dwell it up, you can find loads of choices in your worth vary.
Budget vacationers are most definitely to remain at personal residences, hostels, or low cost inns. The common Costa Rican hostel fees $20 for a dormitory mattress, so the weekly funds for lodging in Costa Rica may be as little as $120. I’ll say that should you’re touring with one other particular person, renting an house might be one of the best budget-friendly possibility.
For about $350-400 per week, you’ll be able to lease a spacious one-bedroom house for 2, the place you’ll have a non-public rest room and kitchen. Because you’ll have entry to a kitchen, you’ll be able to prepare dinner most of your meals and save fairly a bit of cash on meals. And that’s on a funds of $170-200 per particular person for a whole week.
A mid-range funds in Costa Rica means you’ll be able to keep in nearly each kind of lodging within the nation, barring a flowery beachfront resort with all-inclusive service. With a funds of $70-100 per evening, you’ll be able to afford the majority of the lodging within the nation.
This unbelievable five-star resort is simply $150 per evening for 2, and this beautiful cabin within the mountains is even cheaper. That’s a funds of $400-700 per particular person for a whole week.
Luxury vacationers may select to remain in an all-inclusive resort. They’re ample in Costa Rica, however their price varies fairly a bit relying on the placement. An all-inclusive resort with direct seaside entry will typically run you $400-500 per evening per particular person. 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 basic, anticipate five-star inns and all-inclusive resorts to price $300-500 per evening, per particular person, so about $1,800-3,000 per week.
How a lot you spend on the resort relies upon fairly a bit on the place precisely you’re staying in Costa Rica. The Caribbean coast is extra reasonably priced than the Pacific coast, largely as a result of the cities there aren’t fairly as common with vacationers.
If you’re simply searching for a spot the place you’ll be able to have a relaxed trip, Puerto Viejo on the Caribbean coast is an equally good possibility. There are loads of inns and resorts the place you’ll be able to take pleasure in lounging on the seaside and sipping cocktails, and also you’ll be saving cash in comparison with the resorts on the opposite facet of the nation.
Another factor to remember is that when is simply as vital as the place. Travel to Costa Rica in May or June, and also you’ll get one of the best resort 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 evening. That’s if you wish to camp in a tent on the grounds of a hostel; should you favor to have a mattress in a room and entry to a shared rest room, you’ll have to spend no less than $20-25 per evening. Double rooms in funds inns and personal residences are $50-100 per evening, and a number of the inns I’ve seen that supply double rooms for $80-100 per evening are simply within the mid-range class.
Mid-Range:
The choices for mid-range vacationers vary from secluded mountain cabins to five-star inns. If you’ll be able to funds about $600 per particular person for lodging for the week, you’ll have your choose of inns 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 evening 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 save cash, I say keep away from the vacationer shuttles in any respect prices and stick with good outdated public transportation. Sure, they’re a bit sooner than the native buses, however they’re additionally considerably costlier. 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 should you’re making an attempt to go to Costa Rica on a funds.
For shorter journeys, Uber is most popular to taxis. Local taxi drivers are typically sketchy and may attempt to rip you off; Uber is way safer as you conform to a worth beforehand. Uber can also be a very good 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 do you have to funds for transportation?
It actually will depend on your journey fashion. If you don’t plan to spend an excessive amount of time outdoors your resort, then you definately simply have to funds for the switch to and from the airport.
A tough every day funds for Costa Rica can be $15 for funds 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 day-after-day of your keep; take in the future to stroll across the metropolis, or spend a day stress-free on the seaside.
Also, should you plan to go on guided excursions to nationwide parks, cut up the price of the exercise between the funds for leisure and transportation. If you’ll be able to manage the tour by yourself, it will likely be lots cheaper, however it’s comprehensible should you favor 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 have to funds a lot to discover the vacationer points of interest. 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 the town generally is a bit sketchy within the night.
Car Rental In Costa Rica
Renting a automotive is mostly not a funds journey tip, however it might probably 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, automotive rental is by far the most cost effective possibility for getting across the nation.
Car rental is $55-60 per day, together with fuel and insurance coverage. That’s cheaper than the vacationer shuttle per particular person, and should you’re touring with a couple of different particular person, it’s a no brainer. Having a automotive in Costa Rica additionally offers you the last word freedom to discover the nation and permits you to skip guided excursions as you don’t want to fret about transportation. Plus, you don’t want it each single day; lease a automotive for 4 days of per week’s keep, and that comes out to a transportation funds of $18 per particular person for the whole week.
Driving in Costa Rica is mostly very protected, and the primary roads are in good situation. Roads off the overwhelmed path will not be fairly as easy; typically, there’s no asphalt, and the potholes may be fairly large. If you’re contemplating automotive 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 recommend a automobile with a excessive floor clearance. These are often priced at $75-85 per day.
Flights to Costa Rica
The bulk of your funds for transportation in Costa Rica can be allotted in the direction of the flight to the nation. If you’re coming from the United States, you’ll be able to often get a very good deal on return flights to Costa Rica. Spirit Airlines presents round-trip flights from Miami which might be below $200 per particular person, 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 may be capable of get a greater deal should you journey within the low season.
Cost of Food
Eating out in Costa Rica may be expensive should you aren’t conversant in the native methods. The primary factor to know is that many eating places have menus in Spanish and English, with greater 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 primary course isn’t an outrageous quantity, it’s costly in Costa Rica, the place the common price of a restaurant meal is $10-20. A $30 meal is nearly a luxurious deal with at a very good 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 also 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 one of the best native meals and pay the identical costs because the locals, which is vital for Costa Rica on a funds.
Also, it’s vital to needless to say consuming out in San Jose, Tamarindo, and La Fortuna is mostly costlier than within the smaller cities. Destinations off the overwhelmed path will provide higher offers each for lodging and meals, and it’s one more reason why you must contemplate 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 here are some meals that you must goal to attempt, even when it means it’s a must 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 contains 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 one of the best native dessert that yow will discover in nearly each restaurant, and it’s so scrumptious that you simply’ll need 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 should you store for groceries and prepare dinner meals, particularly on longer journeys. Local grocery shops in Costa Rica are ample in reasonably priced recent fruit and greens, and you may typically get nice offers from locals promoting produce at stalls on the facet of the highway. Even simply 1,000 CRC ($2) goes a good distance in Costa Rica and is sufficient for a home-cooked meal. Pineapple is absolutely low cost in Costa Rica, and you may often get three items for about $2.
A weekly funds 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’ll be able to try the costs and availability of substances within the closest store to you.
Also, many grocery shops within the larger 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’ll preserve 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 funds of $50 per week. Eating a couple of vegetarian meals can be even cheaper, as recent produce is mostly very reasonably priced in Costa Rica.
Mid-range vacationers may do one grocery run after which eat out for one meal per day. If they stick with sodas, a funds of $100-150 per week for one particular person must be sufficient. Some days, you’ll spend rather less, and others, you’ll spend a little bit extra, however that amount of cash must be sufficient to cowl all meals and drinks in Costa Rica.
Luxury vacationers usually tend to eat for each meal except they’re staying in all-inclusive lodging. Fancy eating places in Costa Rica are fairly costly, and the value of primary programs ranges from $25-40. A tasting menu in San Jose’s fanciest restaurant is round $110 per particular person with out wine pairings, so you could possibly simply spend north of $1,000 simply on meals should you needed.
But say you eat breakfast on the resort, go to a extra reasonably priced place for lunch, and splurge for dinner. That’s a funds of $300-500 per week for meals and drinks.
Cost of Activities
How a lot cash will you spend on sightseeing and actions when you’re in Costa Rica? That largely will depend on what you love to do; there are a lot of free issues to do in Costa Rica, and you could possibly simply discover a very good chunk of the nation with out spending something. Discover the mountaineering 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 well-liked place like Arenal Volcano National Park, or take pleasure in a day of deep-sea fishing, the prices shortly add up. I like how Costa Rica is nice each for vacationers preferring to discover the free actions and for individuals who need to expertise these bucket record 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 folks, however that’s simply a part of touring to Costa Rica.
Budget vacationers are more likely to stick with free actions and revel in 2-3 paid excursions throughout their keep. A tough funds of $20 per exercise offers you all kinds of choices, because it covers every little thing from kayaking to nationwide park entrances and entry to waterfalls. A weekly funds could possibly be as little as $50, however I like to recommend growing it as a result of the actions are one of the best factor about Costa Rica. If you’ll be able to handle a weekly funds of $100 for leisure, you’ll be able to even squeeze in one of many pricier experiences like ziplining in Monteverde or La Fortuna’s hanging bridges.
Mid-range vacationers will most likely need to do one thing enjoyable day-after-day of their keep. A weekly funds of $150-200 must be sufficient to find Costa Rica’s pure magnificence and have enjoyable the whole time.
Luxury vacationers are most definitely to spring for expensive actions like scuba diving or white water rafting. If you’re doing one thing that prices $100 day-after-day, you’ll be able to 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 funds 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 particular person for a whole week, not together with the return flight. And take into accout I’ve allotted the next funds for meals and actions; should you had been to spend a few days having fun with the free issues to do in Costa Rica and eat out much less regularly, you could possibly simply get by with a funds of $1,000 per week.
Budget vacationers can expertise Costa Rica for $400-500 in per week, whereas luxurious vacationers will spend no less than $2,500. I need to say that, for luxurious vacationers, reserving an all-inclusive resort drastically reduces the funds for meals and drinks.
Budget For 2 Weeks in Costa Rica
A two-week funds for a mid-range traveler in Costa Rica is just about simply double the weekly funds:
$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 one of the best expertise. Luxury vacationers are more likely to spend no less than $5,000 for an all-inclusive two-week trip in Costa Rica.
Costa Rica is unquestionably considered one of our favorite international locations in Latin America. It doesn’t actually matter in case you are a backpacker on a funds or somebody searching for luxurious; you might be assured to have a tremendous journey. While it’s true that Costa Rica shouldn’t be the most cost effective vacation spot in Central America, that doesn’t imply it’ll break the financial institution both. If you comply with our ideas above, it is possible for you to to journey Costa Rica realizing that you may preserve your funds the place you want it and have a good time as effectively.