Costa Rica is a good looking nation to go to, particularly should you’re within the temper for fairly seashores and jungle adventures. It has change into the place to go to in Latin America over the previous 10 years, and for good motive. Of course, with that recognition comes a rise in costs. Costa Rica has change into fairly expensive in comparison with its neighboring international locations, however it’s nonetheless low cost in comparison with standard vacationer locations in North America and even Western Europe.
After visiting the nation a number of occasions and touring by numerous completely different means, we predict we have now a good suggestion of the particular prices of journey in Costa Rica. Heck, we even have good pals who moved down there and are loving it, in addition to different pals who owned and ran a lodge in Costa Rica for years. This is first-hand info.
So, how a lot cash do you have 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 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 typically reasonably priced in comparison with the United States and Western Europe. If you’re coming from a rustic with a excessive value of dwelling, I doubt you’ll discover Costa Rica very costly.
Also, 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 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 potential have particular costs for vacationers and cost them 3 times as a lot as they do locals. If there’s no less than 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 should you select your lodge 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 value 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 embrace 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 could 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.
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 can be $1,000+ per night time. Whether you wish to journey low cost or dwell it up, one can find loads of choices in your worth vary.
Budget vacationers are almost certainly to remain at non-public flats, hostels, or low cost accommodations. The common Costa Rican hostel prices $20 for a dormitory mattress, so the weekly finances for lodging in Costa Rica could be as little as $120. I’ll say that should you’re touring with one other particular person, renting an house might be the very best budget-friendly choice.
For about $350-400 per week, you may hire a spacious one-bedroom house for 2, the place you should have a personal rest room 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 particular person 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 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.
Luxury vacationers would possibly select to remain in an all-inclusive resort. They’re ample in Costa Rica, however their value varies fairly a bit relying on the placement. An all-inclusive resort with direct seashore entry will typically run you $400-500 per night time per particular person. But select a resort with out direct seashore entry, and also you’ll pay almost half that quantity for a similar stage of service. In common, anticipate five-star accommodations and all-inclusive resorts to value $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 reasonably priced than the Pacific coast, largely as a result of the cities there aren’t fairly as standard 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 choice. There are loads of accommodations and resorts the place you may get pleasure from lounging on the seashore 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 remains 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; should you want to have a mattress in a room and entry to a shared rest room, you’ll must spend no less than $20-25 per night time. Double rooms in finances accommodations and personal flats are $50-100 per night time, and among the accommodations 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 accommodations. If you may finances about $600 per particular person for lodging for the week, you’ll have your decide of accommodations and flats throughout Costa Rica.
Luxury:
All-inclusive beachfront resorts are the epitome of luxurious in Costa Rica. Spend your days enjoyable 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.
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 keep on with good previous 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 just an hour faster, so it’s typically not price it to spring for this mode of transport, particularly should you’re making an attempt to go to Costa Rica on a finances.
For shorter journeys, Uber is most popular to taxis. Local taxi drivers are generally sketchy and would possibly attempt to rip you off; Uber is way safer as you conform to a worth beforehand. Uber can be a very good choice for transfers between two cities which can be comparatively shut to 1 one other, as it may be considerably sooner than the bus however not extraordinarily costly.
So, what do you have to finances for transportation?
It actually is determined by your journey type. If you don’t plan to spend an excessive amount of time outdoors your resort, then you definitely simply must finances for the switch to and from the airport.
A tough each 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 every single day of your keep; take sooner or later to stroll across the metropolis, or spend a day enjoyable on the seashore.
Also, should you plan to go on guided excursions to nationwide parks, break 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 rather a lot cheaper, however it’s comprehensible should you want to have a information with you in another country.
The cities and cities in Costa Rica are typically walkable, so that you don’t must finances a lot to discover the vacationer points of interest. If you keep in downtown San Jose, you’ll be capable to stroll to each main attraction within the metropolis. I simply wouldn’t suggest strolling alone after darkish, as a result of some areas of town generally is a bit sketchy within the night.
Car Rental In Costa Rica
Renting a automobile is usually 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 choice 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 multiple different particular person, it’s a no brainer. Having a automobile in Costa Rica additionally offers you the final 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; 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 the complete week.
Driving in Costa Rica is usually very protected, and the primary roads are in good situation. Roads off the crushed path should not fairly as easy; typically, there’s no asphalt, and the potholes could be fairly massive. If you’re contemplating automobile rental only for simple transfers between cities, you can be nice 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 a very good deal on return flights to Costa Rica. Spirit Airlines provides round-trip flights from Miami which can 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 have been round $700, and people have been uncommon. The common value of a return flight from Europe to Costa Rica was $850, though you would possibly be capable to get a greater deal should you journey within the low season.
Cost of Food
Eating out in Costa Rica could be expensive should you aren’t acquainted with the native methods. The fundamental factor to know is that many eating places have menus in Spanish and English, with increased 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 value 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 actually have a menu in English. It’s the place all of the locals eat, and you’ll 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 essential for Costa Rica on a finances.
Also, it’s necessary to understand that consuming out in San Jose, Tamarindo, and La Fortuna is usually costlier than within the smaller cities. Destinations off the crushed path will provide higher offers each for lodging and meals, and it’s another excuse why it is best to 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 below are some meals that it is best 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 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 the very best 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 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 sum of money should you store for groceries and cook dinner meals, particularly on longer journeys. Local grocery shops in Costa Rica are ample in reasonably priced contemporary fruit and greens, and you’ll typically get nice offers from locals promoting produce at stalls on the aspect of the street. 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’ll 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 substances 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 is going to hold 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 occasions can simply get by with a finances of $50 per week. Eating a number of vegetarian meals will likely be even cheaper, as contemporary produce is usually very reasonably priced in Costa Rica.
Mid-range vacationers would possibly do one grocery run after which eat out for one meal per day. If they keep on 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 extra, however that sum of money needs to 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 fundamental 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 wished.
But say you eat breakfast on the lodge, go to a extra reasonably priced 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 is determined by what you love to do; there are lots 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 get pleasure from 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 listing adventures. The latter goes to be the pricier different, however price it for the expertise.
One factor to notice is that most 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 keep on with free actions and revel in 2-3 paid excursions throughout their keep. A tough finances of $20 per exercise offers you all kinds of choices, because it covers all the pieces 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 every single day of their keep. A weekly finances of $150-200 needs to be sufficient to find Costa Rica’s pure magnificence and have enjoyable the complete time.
Luxury vacationers are almost certainly to spring for expensive actions like scuba diving or white water rafting. If you’re doing one thing that prices $100 every single day, 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 particular person for a whole week, not together with the return flight. And be mindful I’ve allotted a better 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 steadily, you could possibly 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 no less than $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 no less than $5,000 for an all-inclusive two-week trip in Costa Rica.
Costa Rica is certainly one among our favorite international locations in Latin America. It doesn’t actually matter in case you are a backpacker on a finances or somebody on the lookout for luxurious; you might be assured to have a tremendous journey. While it’s true that Costa Rica shouldn’t be the most affordable vacation spot in Central America, that doesn’t imply it is going to break the financial institution both. If you comply with our ideas above, it is possible for you to to journey Costa Rica figuring out that you would be able to hold your finances the place you want it and have a good time as properly.
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