Short answer: On the ground in Costa Rica, plan on roughly $60–90 (about ₡27,000–41,000) per person per day on a hostel-and-soda budget, $140–250 (about ₡64,000–114,000) in a mid-range lodge shared by two with a tour or park most days, and from about $400 (₡182,000) for eco-lodge and resort comfort. A week therefore costs about $420–630, $980–1,750 or from about $2,800 per person, before flights to Costa Rica. For a reality check, visitors who flew in spent an average of $1,848 each during their stay in 2025, over about 10 nights, according to the Costa Rica Tourism Board (ICT).
Costa Rica is the priciest country in Central America for travelers, with hotels, tours and rental cars closer to US prices than to its neighbors’. But a local lunch costs about $12, national park entry about $17–18, and you can see sloths, toucans and volcanoes without spending much. The big costs are where you sleep, how you get between regions and how many guided tours you book. This guide breaks it all down with figures from official sources, so you can build a realistic budget for your own trip to Costa Rica. Costa Rica uses the colón (₡), and the official reference rate published by the Central Bank and the finance ministry was about ₡455 to the US dollar in early October 2026; colón figures here are rounded at that rate. US dollars are widely accepted, and our Money exchange tool has today’s rate.
Costa Rica daily costs at a glance
These example days are built from the prices further down this page: one person, one day in a popular area such as La Fortuna or Manuel Antonio. They leave out flights to Costa Rica and souvenirs.
| Per person, per day | Budget | Mid-range | Comfort |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bed | Hostel dorm bed or simple cabina: $15–30 | Half of a mid-range double at $100–200: $50–100 | Half of an eco-lodge or resort room from about $500: from $250 |
| Food | Breakfast and two casados at a soda (about $9–13 each): $28–35 | Soda lunch plus half of a ₡28,000 ($62) dinner for two, and drinks: $45–55 | Restaurant meals with drinks: about $100 |
| Transport | Local and regional buses: $2–7 | Shared shuttles, or half a rental car with fuel: $25–45 | Private transfers or a 4×4: about $50 |
| Sights | Free beach or one national park ($16.95–18.08): $0–18 | A national park plus a guided walk, hanging bridges or hot springs: $18–50 | Private guide or a full-day tour: from about $60 |
| Total | About $60–90 (₡27,000–41,000) | About $140–250 (₡64,000–114,000) | From about $400 (₡182,000) |
Park fees are SINAC’s official 2026 prices; meal prices are typical October 2026 San José prices from the crowd-sourced Numbeo index; room, transport and tour figures are our typical ranges for the main tourist areas, the same ones used in our destination guides. Treat them as typical ranges, not quotes, and check whether a price includes tax.
What visitors actually spend in Costa Rica
The Costa Rica Tourism Board (Instituto Costarricense de Turismo, ICT) interviews about 12,000 departing visitors a year at the international airports. In 2025, non-resident visitors who arrived by air spent an average of $1,848 per person during their stay, up from $1,602 in 2024, and stayed 10.3 nights on average. That is roughly $180 per person per night, close to our mid-range day.
Americans take shorter, slightly cheaper trips. Among visitors leaving through Juan Santamaría airport near San José in 2025, those from the United States stayed 9.0 nights and spent $1,543 on average, about $170 a night, while Europeans stayed 16.9 nights and spent $2,227. About a third of the American visitors used vacation-rental platforms for at least part of their stay, and 55% visited a national park or other protected area.
On our Travel costs by country scale, which compares hotel, restaurant and transport prices with the United States (US = 100), Costa Rica scores 67. In plain words, a typical room, meal or bus ride costs about a third less than in the United States, but it is the most expensive country in Central America on the same scale, well above Panama (46), Guatemala (35) and Nicaragua (38). Tours and rental cars, priced in dollars, often feel close to US levels.
Accommodation costs
Costa Rica has every kind of bed, from surf hostels to rainforest eco-lodges. As typical ranges in the main tourist areas:
- Hostel dorm bed: about ₡7,000–14,000 ($15–30), a little more in Manuel Antonio than in La Fortuna.
- Simple cabinas and family-run guesthouses: often the best value for couples, especially away from the beach.
- Mid-range double: about ₡35,000–70,000 ($75–150) in La Fortuna and ₡46,000–92,000 ($100–200) around Manuel Antonio.
- Eco-lodges and resorts: from several hundred dollars a night, often with meals or tours included.
Many hotels and tour operators quote prices más impuestos (plus taxes), so check whether the 13% value-added tax is included before you compare. Rates are highest from mid-December to early January and in Holy Week, and lowest in the rainy months of September and October.
Food and drink costs
The cheapest and most Costa Rican way to eat is at a soda, a small local diner serving the casado: rice, beans, salad, plantain and meat, chicken or fish, for about ₡4,000–6,000 ($9–13). Numbeo’s October 2026 figures for San José show a typical meal at an inexpensive restaurant at about ₡5,560 ($12) and a three-course dinner for two at a mid-range restaurant, without drinks, at about ₡28,000 ($62). A cappuccino costs about ₡2,000 ($4.50) and a half-liter of local draft beer about ₡1,500 ($3.30). Expect higher prices in beach towns such as Tamarindo and in hotel restaurants.
According to the ICT, restaurant bills include the 13% tax and a 10% service charge in the final price. Tap water is drinkable in most of the country, which saves on bottled water.
Getting around: buses, shuttles, flights and car hire
- Public buses: the cheapest way to travel, with city rides around ₡500 (about $1) and regional routes from San José to most towns, slower and with more changes than tourist transport. Buses prefer colones.
- Tourist shuttles: shared minivans on fixed routes between San José, the airports, La Fortuna, Monteverde, Manuel Antonio, Tamarindo, Puerto Viejo and the boat docks for Tortuguero, with hotel pick-up. Private shuttles cost more but leave when you want.
- Domestic flights: SANSA flies from San José to La Fortuna, Tamarindo, Liberia, Quepos, Tortuguero, the Osa Peninsula and more in 25 to 50 minutes, with tight luggage limits (one personal item of up to 4.5 kg, or 10 lb, plus checked bags by fare class). They save a long day on the road.
- Car hire: gives the most freedom, but mandatory local insurance often costs more than the headline daily rate, so compare total prices; a 4×4 helps on unpaved roads to Monteverde and the Nicoya and Osa peninsulas. Shared between two or more, a car can cost less than shuttles.
National park fees and free things to do
Costa Rica’s national parks are run by SINAC, and most popular parks sell timed tickets online only, through SINAC’s own booking site. As of October 2026, prices for non-resident visitors, tax included, are:
| Park or sight | Non-resident adult | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Manuel Antonio National Park | $18.08 (children 2–12 $5.65) | Closed Tuesdays; online tickets only |
| Arenal Volcano National Park | $16.95 | Daily 8 a.m.–4 p.m. |
| Poás Volcano National Park | $16.95 | Online tickets only |
| Irazú Volcano National Park | $16.95 | Daily, including holidays |
| Tortuguero National Park | $16.95 | Cerro Tortuguero lookout $2.26 |
| Cahuita National Park | Voluntary donation (Playa Blanca) or $5.65 (Puerto Vargas) | Daily 8 a.m.–4 p.m. |
| National Museum of Costa Rica, San José | $11 | Closed Mondays |
| Pre-Columbian Gold Museum, San José | ₡8,800 (about $19) | Under 12 free |
Entry to SINAC’s parks is free for everyone on 24 August, National Parks Day. Tickets are personal and non-refundable, though you can change the date if a park closes for an emergency. Guided tours, hanging bridges, private reserves such as those in Monteverde, hot springs and turtle-watching tours are run by private operators with their own prices. For free fun, Costa Rica’s beaches are public, and walks along them at sunrise often turn up monkeys and macaws.
Taxes and visitor fees
- Value-added tax: 13%, included in final prices in shops and restaurants but often added on top of hotel and tour quotes.
- Restaurant service charge: 10%, already on the bill.
- Departure tax: $29 per person. Most airlines include it in the ticket; if yours does not, pay it in dollars or colones at the Banco de Costa Rica counter in the airport lobby before check-in.
- Park fees: $16.95–18.08 at the most visited national parks.
- Entry: visitors may be asked for proof of onward travel and of funds of at least $100 per month of stay.
Tipping in Costa Rica
Because the 10% service charge is already on restaurant bills, extra tips there are optional. For nature guides, drivers and hotel staff, a few dollars per day is common and appreciated, and a good wildlife guide who finds you a sloth or a quetzal earns a little more. Our tip calculator does the sums for you.
Money-saving tips for Costa Rica
- Travel in the green season. From May to November hotels and tours cut prices and parks are quieter; rain usually falls in the afternoon. September and October are the cheapest and wettest. See our best time to visit Costa Rica guide.
- Eat at sodas and pick up fruit at local markets and farmers’ markets.
- Compare “plus taxes” prices: 13% on a hotel or tour adds up fast.
- Book park tickets yourself on SINAC’s official site rather than paying a mark-up.
- Fewer bases, longer stays. Two or three regions in a week cut transfer costs and travel days.
- Check the full car hire price, including mandatory insurance, before you book.
- Pay in colones at sodas, buses and markets, where change in dollars is not given.
For a classic route from the volcano to the cloud forest and the coast, see our Costa Rica itinerary, and for help choosing where to go, our list of the top places to visit in Costa Rica.
Plan your trip: our free trip planner can build a day-by-day plan for Costa Rica from our guides, including La Fortuna, Monteverde, Manuel Antonio and San José. Then use the Money exchange tool to turn colones into your own currency, and the Destination weather tool to pick your dates.
Frequently asked questions
How much money do I need for a week in Costa Rica?
Using the example days above, seven days on the ground cost roughly $315–630 (about ₡143,000–287,000) per person on a tight budget, $980–1,750 (about ₡446,000–796,000) mid-range, and from about $2,800 (about ₡1.27 million) in comfort, before flights. American visitors spent $1,543 on average in 2025, over about nine nights.
Is Costa Rica expensive?
For Central America, yes: it is the most expensive country in the region on our cost scale. Compared with the United States, everyday travel costs run about a third lower, but tours, rental cars and resort hotels are priced close to US levels.
Do I need cash in Costa Rica?
Some. US dollars and major credit cards are widely accepted by hotels, tour operators and many restaurants, and national park tickets are bought online. But sodas, buses, markets and roadside stands prefer colones, and change is usually given in colones, so carry a mix of small bills.
Is the departure tax included in my plane ticket?
Usually. Costa Rica’s departure tax is $29 per person, and most airlines include it in the fare. If yours does not, pay it at the Banco de Costa Rica counter in the airport lobby before you check in.
What is the cheapest month to visit Costa Rica?
September and October, the wettest months, bring the lowest prices and the fewest visitors, though some businesses close. May to August and November are good-value green-season months with sunnier mornings. Avoid mid-December to early January and Holy Week if price matters most.
How much are national park fees in Costa Rica?
Most of the popular parks charge non-resident adults $16.95, and Manuel Antonio charges $18.08, tax included, as of October 2026. Children aged 2 to 12 pay $5.65. Buy tickets on SINAC’s official booking site, and remember that Manuel Antonio is closed on Tuesdays.