Costa Rica is a fantastic nation to go to, particularly should you’re within the temper for fairly seashores and jungle adventures. It has grow to be the place to go to in Latin America over the previous 10 years, and for good cause. After all, with that recognition comes a rise in costs. Costa Rica has grow to be fairly dear in comparison with its neighboring international locations, nevertheless 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 a variety of totally different means, we predict we’ve 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. That is first-hand data.
So, how a lot cash do you’ll want to journey to Costa Rica, and is finances journey within the nation even potential? Let’s dive into the finances breakdown for a Costa Rica vacation.
Is It Costly To Go to Costa Rica?
Costa Rica is form of an costly nation to go to. It’s costlier than different Central American international locations, nevertheless it’s nonetheless usually inexpensive in comparison with the USA and Western Europe. When you’re coming from a rustic with a excessive price of residing, I doubt you’ll discover Costa Rica very costly.
Additionally, there are tons of the way it can save you cash whereas touring Costa Rica. Skip the guided excursions and discover as a lot as you possibly can 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 potential have particular costs for vacationers and cost them thrice as a lot as they do locals. If there’s a minimum of 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 prime of that, it will likely be considerably cheaper to go to the nation within the low season. Plan a visit between Might and November, and it can save you some huge cash on flights, lodging, actions, and even meals. So long as you don’t thoughts that it’s the wet season (however nonetheless heat), you possibly can nonetheless have a ton of enjoyable in Costa Rica.
Widespread Questions About Visiting Costa Rica
Is Costa Rica Costly For Holidays?
Costa Rica is an costly vacation vacation spot in comparison with different international locations in Central America. However should you select your lodge correctly, benefit from the free sights, and be sensible about the place you eat, a visit to Costa Rica doesn’t have to interrupt the financial institution.
What Is The Common Price of a Journey to Costa Rica?
The common price of a visit to Costa Rica is $800-1,300 USD for mid-range vacationers. It’s potential to journey to the nation with a smaller finances of round $500, however that doesn’t embody the price of a return flight.
How A lot Does An Common Meal Price in Costa Rica?
A median meal in Costa Rica prices $15. Loads of cheaper and pricier choices can be found, however $15 ought to get you a pleasant meal in most eating places.
How A lot Cash Do You Want For 7 Days In Costa Rica?
You want a minimum of $1,200 for seven days in Costa Rica with lodging and a return flight (from the US). Though the nation may be explored on a smaller finances, it’s not fairly as pleasurable should you miss out on enjoyable actions for the sake of saving cash.
Price Of Lodging
Costa Rica is an efficient vacation spot for anybody as a result of the lodging choices vary from $20 dorm beds to all-inclusive resorts which are $1,000+ per night time. Whether or not you wish to journey low cost or dwell it up, you’ll discover loads of choices in your value vary.
Funds vacationers are more than likely to remain at non-public flats, hostels, or low cost resorts. The common Costa Rican hostel prices $20 for a dormitory mattress, so the weekly finances 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 the perfect budget-friendly possibility.
For about $350-400 per week, you possibly can hire a spacious one-bedroom house for 2, the place you should have a non-public lavatory and kitchen. Since you’ll have entry to a kitchen, you possibly can prepare dinner most of your meals and save fairly a bit of cash on meals. And that’s on a finances of $170-200 per particular person for a whole week.
A mid-range finances in Costa Rica means you possibly can keep in nearly each kind of lodging within the nation, barring a elaborate beachfront resort with all-inclusive service. With a finances of $70-100 per night time, you possibly can afford the majority of the lodging within the nation.
This implausible five-star lodge is simply $150 per night time for 2, and this beautiful cabin within the mountains is even cheaper. That’s a finances of $400-700 per particular person for a whole week.
Luxurious 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 seashore entry will usually run you $400-500 per night time per particular person. However select a resort with out direct seashore entry, and also you’ll pay practically half that quantity for a similar stage of service. Normally, anticipate five-star resorts and all-inclusive resorts to price $300-500 per night time, per particular person, 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 common with vacationers.
When you’re simply searching for a spot the place you possibly can have a relaxed trip, Puerto Viejo on the Caribbean coast is an equally good possibility. There are many resorts and resorts the place you possibly can take pleasure in lounging on the seashore and sipping cocktails, and also you’ll be saving cash in comparison with the resorts on the opposite facet of the nation.
One other factor to bear in mind is that when is simply as vital as the place. Journey to Costa Rica in Might or June, and also you’ll get the perfect lodge offers. It’s the start of the moist season, so the vacationer crowds are minimal, however the climate continues to be dry sufficient. Inns are sometimes as much as 50% cheaper within the low season.
Funds:
Funds 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; should you want to have a mattress in a room and entry to a shared lavatory, you’ll must spend a minimum of $20-25 per night time. Double rooms in finances resorts and personal flats are $50-100 per night time, and a few of the resorts I’ve seen that supply double rooms for $80-100 per night time are simply within the mid-range class.
Mid-Vary:
The choices for mid-range vacationers vary from secluded mountain cabins to five-star resorts. When you can finances about $600 per particular person for lodging for the week, you’ll have your choose of resorts and flats throughout Costa Rica.
Luxurious:
All-inclusive beachfront resorts are the epitome of luxurious in Costa Rica. Spend your days stress-free on the seashore 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.
Price of Transportation
When 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. Positive, they’re a bit quicker 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 price it to spring for this mode of transport, particularly should you’re attempting to go to Costa Rica on a finances.
For shorter journeys, Uber is most well-liked to taxis. Native taxi drivers are typically sketchy and may attempt to rip you off; Uber is far safer as you conform to a value beforehand. Uber can also be possibility for transfers between two cities which are comparatively shut to at least one one other, as it may be considerably quicker than the bus however not extraordinarily costly.
So, what must you finances for transportation?
It actually will depend on your journey type. When you don’t plan to spend an excessive amount of time exterior your resort, you then simply must finances for the switch to and from the airport.
A tough day by day finances for Costa Rica could 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 each day of your keep; take at some point to stroll across the metropolis, or spend a day stress-free on the seashore.
Additionally, should you plan to go on guided excursions to nationwide parks, cut up the price of the exercise between the finances for leisure and transportation. When you can set up the tour by yourself, it will likely be quite a bit cheaper, nevertheless it’s comprehensible should you want to have a information with you abroad.
The cities and cities in Costa Rica are usually walkable, so that you don’t must finances a lot to discover the vacationer sights. When you keep in downtown San Jose, you’ll have the ability to 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.
Automobile Rental In Costa Rica
Renting a automobile is usually not a finances journey tip, however it may well prevent fairly a bit of cash in Costa Rica. When 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.
Automobile rental is $55-60 per day, together with gasoline and insurance coverage. That’s cheaper than the vacationer shuttle per particular person, and should you’re touring with multiple different particular person, it’s a no brainer. Having a automobile in Costa Rica additionally provides you the last 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 particular person for all the week.
Driving in Costa Rica is usually very secure, and the principle roads are in good situation. Roads off the overwhelmed path aren’t fairly as clean; usually, there’s no asphalt, and the potholes may be fairly massive. When you’re contemplating automobile rental only for simple transfers between cities, you can be superb with smaller autos. However if you wish to discover nature and go to nationwide parks, you’ll encounter rougher roads, and I recommend a car with a excessive floor clearance. These are normally priced at $75-85 per day.
Flights to Costa Rica
The majority of your finances for transportation in Costa Rica will probably be allotted in the direction of the flight to the nation. When you’re coming from the USA, you possibly can normally get deal on return flights to Costa Rica. Spirit Airways affords round-trip flights from Miami which are underneath $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 have been round $700, and people have been uncommon. The common price of a return flight from Europe to Costa Rica was $850, though you may have the ability to get a greater deal should you journey within the low season.
Price of Meals
Consuming out in Costa Rica may be dear should you aren’t accustomed to the native tips. 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 nearly as good as the value would point out.
Whereas $30 for a principal 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 native restaurant, not only a burger and a few fries at a vacationer joint.
The important thing 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 normally don’t also have a menu in English. It’s the place all of the locals eat, and you may normally have a very nice meal for simply $10. You get to eat the perfect native meals and pay the identical costs because the locals, which is vital for Costa Rica on a finances.
Additionally, it’s vital to take into account that consuming out in San Jose, Tamarindo, and La Fortuna is usually costlier than within the smaller cities. Locations off the overwhelmed path will provide 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.
Regardless of 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 goal to strive, 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 normally $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’s historically served for breakfast with fried eggs and normally prices 3,500-4,500 CRC ($7-9).
Arroz con leche is to Costa Rica what Tiramisu is to Italy. It’s the perfect native dessert that you could find in nearly each restaurant, and it’s so scrumptious that you just’ll wish to eat it after each meal. The candy rice pudding is normally priced at 1,300-2,000 CRC, which is roughly $3-4.
Grocery Buying In Costa Rica
Funds vacationers are unlikely to eat out for each meal in Costa Rica. It can save you a good sum of money should you store for groceries and prepare dinner meals, particularly on longer journeys. Native grocery shops in Costa Rica are ample in inexpensive recent fruit and greens, and you may usually get nice offers from locals promoting produce at stalls on the facet 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 admittedly low cost in Costa Rica, and you may normally 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 possibly can try the costs and availability of substances within the closest store to you.
Additionally, many grocery shops within the larger cities in Costa Rica have a ready meals part. Meals are normally priced at 2,000-3,000 CRC ($4-6), and the parts are very beneficiant. It gained’t be the tastiest meals you eat in Costa Rica, however it would hold you full, and it’s cheaper than consuming out.
How A lot To Funds For Meals In Costa Rica
Funds vacationers who store for groceries and eat out solely a few instances can simply get by with a finances of $50 per week. Consuming a number of vegetarian meals will probably be even cheaper, as recent produce is usually very inexpensive in Costa Rica.
Mid-range vacationers may do one grocery run after which eat out for one meal per day. In the event that they persist with sodas, a finances of $100-150 per week for one particular person needs to be sufficient. Some days, you’ll spend rather less, and others, you’ll spend a bit of extra, however that sum of money needs to be sufficient to cowl all meals and drinks in Costa Rica.
Luxurious 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 principal 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 would simply spend north of $1,000 simply on meals should you wished.
However 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.
Price of Actions
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 lots of free issues to do in Costa Rica, and you would simply discover chunk of the nation with out spending something. Uncover the mountain climbing trails, swim within the sea, and stroll round San Jose, marveling on the structure and the native vibes.
However if you wish to go to a preferred place like Arenal Volcano Nationwide 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 many who wish to expertise these bucket checklist adventures. The latter goes to be the pricier different, however price 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’s 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.
Funds vacationers are prone to persist with free actions and revel in 2-3 paid excursions throughout their keep. A tough finances of $20 per exercise provides you all kinds of choices, because it covers the whole lot 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 perfect factor about Costa Rica. When you can handle a weekly finances of $100 for leisure, you possibly can even squeeze in one of many pricier experiences like ziplining in Monteverde or La Fortuna’s hanging bridges.
Mid-range vacationers will most likely wish to do one thing enjoyable each day of their keep. A weekly finances of $150-200 needs to be sufficient to find Costa Rica’s pure magnificence and have enjoyable all the time.
Luxurious vacationers are more than likely to spring for dear actions like scuba diving or white water rafting. When you’re doing one thing that prices $100 each day, you possibly can simply spend $600-700 for per week in Costa Rica.
Funds For 1 Week in Costa Rica
Right 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 particular person for a whole week, not together with the return flight. And have in mind I’ve allotted the next finances for meals and actions; should you have been to spend a few days having fun with the free issues to do in Costa Rica and eat out much less often, you would simply get by with a finances of $1,000 per week.
Funds vacationers can expertise Costa Rica for $400-500 in per week, whereas luxurious vacationers will spend a minimum of $2,500. I have to say that, for luxurious vacationers, reserving an all-inclusive resort drastically reduces the finances for meals and drinks.
Funds For two 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
Funds vacationers could make do with $800-1,000 for 2 weeks, whereas mid-range vacationers want $2,000-2,500 for the perfect expertise. Luxurious vacationers are prone to spend a minimum of $5,000 for an all-inclusive two-week trip in Costa Rica.
Costa Rica is certainly considered one of our favorite international locations in Latin America. It doesn’t actually matter if you’re a backpacker on a finances or somebody searching for luxurious; you’re assured to have a tremendous journey. Whereas it’s true that Costa Rica will not be the most affordable vacation spot in Central America, that doesn’t imply it would break the financial institution both. When you comply with our ideas above, it is possible for you to to journey Costa Rica realizing which you could hold your finances the place you want it and have a good time as nicely.