Is it better to pay in dollars or colones?

We suggest you take dollars, but if you can grab some colones at your bank, it will make the beginning of your trip much more manageable. For example, if you have a taxi, they may take only colones. If you need to go to the local market before you head to your hotel, they may not be able to take dollars.



People Also Ask

Credit or debit cards are the best way to pay for things in Costa Rica. Visa and MasterCard are widely accepted, but American Express and Discover are less common. Some places may also accept payment via digital wallets like Apple Pay or Google Wallet.

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Yes, credit card companies automatically convert foreign currencies to the domestic currency using their exchange rate.

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Nearly everybody accepts the U.S. dollar, so if you have dollars, you do not need to convert it. You will usually receive change in local Costa Rica colones. The exchange rate hovers between 500 and 550 colones to $1 USD. You can exchange money at banks or at the airport.

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How Much Cash Should I Carry in Costa Rica? In general, it's a good idea to carry between $50-$100, most of which should be composed of small and medium-sized bills (example exchange rates include $20 =10.000 colones, $10=5.000 colones, $4=2.000 colones, $2=1.000 colones.)

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A dinner meal such as a decent steak or fresh fish with a couple sides will cost around 5,000 colones (around $10). There are also restaurants that cater to tourists.

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We spent 2 weeks in CR last month and spent about $1,000 US. We used credit cards for hotel and rental car, but paid cash for everything else. We averaged about $100 in cash per day for food and incidentals, including tips, gas (for rental car), entrance to parks (but not organized tours).

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It's completely safe to drink the tap water over the majority of the country. That includes your luxury vacation rentals in Guanacaste! Costa Rica is quite notable in Latin America as 92.5% of the population has access to drinking water.

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If you're wondering “Is Costa Rica expensive?”, the answer is yes and no. Compared to other Central American countries like Nicaragua or El Salvador, Costa Rica is generally more on the expensive side. It's pretty well-developed and has a thriving tourism industry, so things do cost more.

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The cheapest time to visit Costa Rica is during the green season or rainy season, May to November. As the largest influx of tourists visit Costa Rica during the dry season (December through April), that is the most expensive time to visit. Read more about Costa Rica weather to know what to expect.

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