Costa Rica is one of the most expensive countries in Central America. Many tourists come with the notion of Costa Rica being a small country in Latin America, and therefore cheap. But, they are often shocked to see the hotel and restaurant prices here. Some even find their home country to be much cheaper than Costa Rica.
Sadly, this is true. We have been to many countries in Europe, and some countries in Latin America, and we can say that in most cases, prices were similar to Costa Rica, and in some cases, even less than Costa Rica.
Does that mean you should strike off Costa Rica from your bucket list? Definitely not! Costa Rica is a piece of heaven on Earth and a tropical paradise. You have to experience it at least once in your lifetime. This is why we have compiled some easy tips and hacks to travel on a budget in Costa Rica without compromising on the fun. These tips come from personal experience and more than 3 years of Costa Rica travel. Read on!
Tips For Budget Travel In Costa Rica
Plan Ahead
Planning ahead is key to a low-cost vacation. Booking flights and hotels close to your travel date will cost you extra money. Moreover, good hotels sell out fast! So you will have to choose from whatever options you have left.
If you have enough time on your hands, you can monitor airfares and book when they are low. Some platforms, like Google Flights, allow you to set an alert for changes in prices. This will help you book the flights as soon as the prices drop.
Travel During Low Season
It is no secret that traveling during the low season is the best for your pocket. Not only do you save money, but also find fewer crowds at popular destinations. You will find good hotels at affordable prices, which otherwise increase their nightly charge during tourist season. The flights during the off-season are cheaper too. Undoubtedly, your purchasing power increases during the low season.
Check Individual Websites And Social Media Accounts Of Hotels
It’s always better to check the website of the hotel before going ahead with the reservation through a third-party platform. There was one instance when I found the price of a hotel in Guanacaste to be cheaper on the website than on booking.com.
You can also keep an eye on discounts and offers, if any, on the social media handles. Many luxury hotels offer a discount during the low season or give an offer like 4th night free on a stay of 3 nights when booking directly through their website.
Use Public Transportation
Traveling by bus is a great way of saving money on your trip. The buses here are good enough for traveling to popular destinations from San Jose. You can find all useful information related to public transportation in Costa Rica in our guide. Bus fares start from $2 and go up to $13-15 for long distances. For example, a bus ticket to Tamarindo costs around 6,895 colones or $13, which is around 250 kms from San Jose.
Renting a car or booking a shuttle for your commute will cost you more than a bus. But, if you are in a group of more than 3 people, renting a car can be an economical option too, not to forget the added convenience. For larger groups, booking a private shuttle is also a good option.
Cook Your Own Meals & Shop At Farmers Market
Food accounts for a major part of our travel expenses. Therefore, if you are planning to do a long-term trip, it’s best to cook your own meals at the hotel/hostel. For this, you would need to buy groceries.
Each town/area has a farmer’s market every Saturday or Sunday. If you are staying for a long term at a place, ask your hotel or Airbnb for the local feria/farmer’s market. The farmers sell fresh vegetables (sometimes organic too) at these ferias. Buying directly from the farmers is not only a great way of saving money but also being environmentally conscious.
You can also pack instant meals in your bag which just require hot water for them to be ready. You can carry your own tea, coffee, and other products with you so that you do not have throw or give away the leftovers.
Eat Local Cuisine At Locally Owned Restaurants
The local restaurants, often called Sodas in Costa Rica, serve local cuisine at very reasonable prices. They cater mainly to the locals, bus drivers, and the workforce, therefore, their prices are low and the food has a very local taste to it.
You may often find gallo pinto, the staple breakfast of Costa Rica, for $3-4 at a soda, which otherwise costs around $10 at big restaurants.
Do Self-guided Tours & Hikes
For some national parks and tours, you do not need a guide. For example, in national parks like Manuel Antonio, Arenal Volcano, and Tenorio Volcano, you can easily do a self-guided tour. The trails are easy to moderate and you can spot wildlife on your own.
If you have a car, you can reach the entrance on your own. If you do not have a car, you can research the transport options to your destination and then decide whether you need to book a tour.
For example, when we went to Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve in 2021, we didn’t have a car. We thought we might have to book a tour as it was far from where we were staying. Upon talking with some locals and with our hotel owner, we got to know that there is a local bus that goes to Monteverde Cloud Forest every day at particular times. Once we found out all the details of the bus, we were convinced that we didn’t need to book a tour and could do this on our own.
Search For Free Spots & Viewpoints
If you do some research ahead of your travel, you will come across many local spots that do not have an entrance ticket and can be accessed by everyone.
One such example is “El Choyin” in La Fortuna. In La Fortuna, you have to take a day pass to enter the hot springs inside the resorts. Some tourists even prefer to stay at the same resort. But if you are on a budget, there is a hot springs river right next to Tabacon Resort. It’s the same river that flows through the Tabacon resort. And while a day pass at Tabacon can cost you more than $90, entry to this river spot is free. Look for “Free Natural Hot Springs River” on Google Maps. “El Choyin” is the local name for it.
Carry Your Own Gear, Equipment & Accessories
Whenever possible, carry your own gear and equipment. Of course, that’s easier if you have a car. For example, if you have your own snorkeling gear, you can find a nice spot near the shore (or see where the locals are), and start snorkeling. In other cases, you would have to rent snorkeling gear or book a snorkeling tour with a tour operator.
Another thing that we have been doing for the last 10 years is carrying our own water bottles. This helps save a lot of money on water consumption. If the water is not potable at the property where we are staying, we get a big water jar from a supermarket and keep filling our water bottles. If the water is potable, we fill the bottles before going out. And then later in the day, we request any nice restaurant to refill our water bottles. We have never been denied so far!
Pay In Cash
If you are coming from outside Costa Rica, bring enough cash with you. You may even get a fairer exchange rate than what you may get in popular tourist places.
Many properties here accept cash payments only or levy an extra charge for card payments. Moreover, many restaurants and hotels will purposely apply a very low exchange rate when converting colones to dollars for you, so that the amount that you have to pay in dollars is more. Therefore, if you have enough cash, you can opt to pay in colones and avoid the unnecessary hassle.
We have experienced this at some places in the past where we initially offered to pay in dollars, but on seeing the low exchange rate, we immediately decided to pay in colones.
Final Thoughts
While Costa Rica can seem expensive to an outsider, it is still possible to travel on a budget here and enjoy everything you can. If you do some research and planning ahead of time, you are going to save a lot of money on your travel. We hope these tips were helpful to you!
Do you know of any tips or tricks that can help save money on Costa Rica travel? Let us know in the comments section below. Cheers!
Comments