Colones first, dollars second
The currency is the Costa Rican colón (₡). In tourist zones, plenty of businesses quote in U.S. dollars and happily take them — but the conversion happens at their rate, set to favor the house. The rule is dead simple: if the price is in colones, pay in colones. If a tour or hotel quotes in dollars, pay dollars. Never let a merchant convert a colones price into dollars for you when you could just pay the colones.
Paying by card in colones is the sweet spot for most spending: your bank converts at something close to the real rate, and you skip the merchant's margin entirely. Cash dollars are your backup, not your plan.
Where to exchange — and the one place you shouldn't
The worst rate in the country is the exchange counter at the airport. It's convenient, it's right there after customs, and it exists precisely because tired travelers will take any rate. Walk past it.
The best rates come from bank branches — Banco Nacional, BCR, BAC San José — where you'll exchange at close to the official rate. Bring your passport, go mid-morning, and expect a line; it's a 20-minute errand, not a quick stop. Hotels will also exchange for you, at rates only slightly better than the airport.
For most travelers, though, the practical winner isn't an exchange counter at all — it's an ATM, which is the next section.
ATMs: the mechanics that save you money
Use ATMs attached to actual banks — BN, BCR, BAC, Scotiabank — not the standalone machines in tourist strips, which add their own surcharges. When the machine offers to do the conversion for you ("pay in your home currency"), always decline: choose to be charged in colones and let your home bank convert. The machine's rate is a markup wearing a helpful mask.
Fees hit from both sides: your home bank's foreign ATM fee plus a local machine fee of a few dollars per withdrawal. That means fewer, bigger withdrawals — pull a few days' worth at once instead of topping up daily. And tell your bank you're traveling before you go, so your card doesn't get frozen on day one.
Keep a small stash of U.S. dollars in small bills as backup — useful for the rare cash-only tour operator or an emergency — but run your trip in colones.
Tipping: the 10% is already there
This is the one that confuses everyone. Costa Rican law builds a 10% service charge (impuesto de servicio) into sit-down restaurant and bar bills. Check the bill — if that line is there, the tip is paid. Anything extra is a genuine bonus for great service, not an obligation, and doubling it is the most common money mistake tourists make.
Sodas fall under the same law, so the 10% is in there too; rounding up the change is appreciated but never expected. Beyond restaurants, tipping is cash, in colones or dollars, scaled to the service:
- Tour guides: $5–10 per person for a group day tour; $15–25 a day for a private guide; more on multi-day trips. The guide who finds you the quetzal earns it.
- Drivers and transfers: a few dollars per person on a shared shuttle; more for a private driver who waited, navigated, and told you where to eat.
- Hotels: a couple of dollars a day for housekeeping, left daily rather than at checkout.
- Sportfishing and private boats: 10–15% for a crew that worked hard — these are long, skilled days.
Cash vs card, day to day
Cards — Visa and Mastercard — are accepted almost everywhere tourists spend: hotels, restaurants, tour operators, supermarkets, gas stations. American Express is spottier, so don't make it your only card. National park tickets are bought online and paid by card only, and the Route 27 tolls take cash or card.
But the country's daily economy still runs on cash: sodas, ferias, fruit stands, beach parking, pulperías in small towns, and every tip on the list above. Make it a habit — leave the hotel each morning with enough colones for the day's small spending. The day you need cash is the day you're far from an ATM.
Questions people ask
Should I bring U.S. dollars or exchange before I go?
Bring some U.S. dollars in small bills as backup — not as your spending plan. Don't exchange at home; your bank's rate will be worse than a Costa Rican bank's. Land, use a bank ATM at the airport, and operate in colones from there.
Can I just use dollars everywhere?
In tourist zones, yes — but you pay for it in the merchant's exchange rate and the mental math on every bill. In sodas, markets, ferias, and small towns, it's colones or nothing. Running the trip in colones is simpler and cheaper.
Do I tip at restaurants in Costa Rica?
The 10% service charge (impuesto de servicio) is already on the bill by law — look for the line item. Anything on top is a real bonus for great service, not an expectation. Don't tip twice.
How much cash should I carry each day?
Enough for the day's small spending — soda meals, parking, fruit, tips. A day's worth, not a week's: ATMs are everywhere in towns, and carrying less is both safer and simpler.
