All about beer
Costa Rica may be more expensive than some other Central American countries, but you can certainly experience the country on a backpacker’s budget if you take the time to investigate low-cost sleeping options like camping, hostels and small eco guest houses. Budget travelers can survive on around $30 – $50 USD per day.
Eating out in Costa Rica will cost more than you might think, and has become even more expensive over the past few years. Main dishes start at around $10 in San Jose, and can be double that in popular coastal towns. Many sodas are vegetarian, and in general vegetarians do quite well in Costa Rica .
You can expect a lunch or dinner to cost around $5-7. Costa Rica’s staple meal is called a casado, and it includes rice, beans, salad, meat, maybe some plantains, and a savory sauce. For a change of pace, you can find pizza, pasta, and steak in both typical and international restaurants.
Alcohol , or liquor in Costa Rica , can be quite expensive , depending a lot on what you drink and how much. Very important to know is the fact that there is a lot of contraband around, most of it is bad quality liquor .
Tipping in Costa Rica : Tipping waiters and waitresses Tipping restaurant wait staff an average of 15-20% is the norm in Costa Rica . Many restaurants automatically add a 10% service charge (a mandatory gratuity charge) to their bills, which may appear as a 10% service tax or service fee.
Eat on a Budget in Costa Rica – Restaurants We suggest eating at local places called “sodas” if you are trying to stick to a budget. Another option is to eat a large meal at lunch and just snack for dinner. Don’t be shy about asking for a to-go box in Costa Rica .
HERE ARE 10 THINGS THAT (NO ONE PROBABLY EVER TOLD YOU ) CAN KILL YOU IN COSTA RICA : SPIDERS. Most spiders are nothing to fear, but there are a few venomous varieties in Costa Rica , including the Brazilian Wandering Spider– said to be the most poisonous in the world. SCORPIONS. CROCODILES.
A trip for two weeks for two people costs ₡1,163,694 in Costa Rica . If you’re traveling as a family of three or four people, the price person often goes down because kid’s tickets are cheaper and hotel rooms can be shared. If you travel slower over a longer period of time then your daily budget will also go down.
Cost of Living in Costa Rica
Restaurants | Edit |
---|---|
Cappuccino (regular) | 1,530.56₡ |
Coke /Pepsi (12 oz small bottle ) | 913.90₡ |
Water (12 oz small bottle ) | 805.65₡ |
Markets | Edit |
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.) Naturally, how much cash you carry with you depends on what you plan on doing.
Using US dollars Something many visitors to Costa Rica find convenient is the fact that U.S. dollars are accepted virtually everywhere. This means you won’t have to waste a lot of time converting your cash into Costa Rican colones before you can start shopping.
1) Maracuya ( Passion Fruit ) It has a orange / yellow color, and the tough skin of the fruit is your ripeness beacon – it wrinkles to let you know it is ready! This fruit has an outer shell that protects the jelly and seeds on the inside. This is by far my favorite tropical fruit of Costa Rica!
Guaro
Visitors entering Costa Rica may bring in 500 grams of tobacco, 5 liters of wine or spirits, 2 kilograms of sweets and chocolates, and the equivalent of $500 worth of merchandise. It usually takes about 30 minutes to clear immigration and customs when arriving in Costa Rica .
Guaro , or Cacique, is the official liquor of Costa Rica. This sugarcane-derived alcohol is similar to rum but tastes a bit more like vodka on its own. A chili guaro is a famous shot in Costa Rica and one that you have to try at least once. It’s like a bloody mary shot.