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Smart travel doesn’t have to mean missing out. Here’s how we enjoyed Costa Rica for less—without skimping on adventure.

Diving into the “Budget” Reality of Costa Rica

Costa Rica isn’t the budget travel gem it once was—but with the right strategies, it’s still very possible to plan an unforgettable trip without breaking the bank. Here’s how we did Costa Rica on a budget.

From $23 bottles of grocery store rum to surprisingly expensive Walmart runs, we quickly learned that saving money here takes a little strategy and a lot of flexibility. But the trade-off? Waterfalls with no one else around. Wildlife outside our cabin window. And fresh, local food that didn’t cost a fortune.

In this post, I’ll show you exactly how we made Costa Rica on a budget work—including what we skipped, when we splurged, and how to get the most value from every colones.

Kari’s Travel Tip: We did the work so you don’t have to. These tips will save you hours of research—and probably hundreds of dollars.

Affiliate disclaimer telling readers that if they click on any of the red links on my website, I may receive a small bit of compensation at no additional cost to them.

PLAN YOUR TRIP WITH OUR
FAVORITE TOOLS

– Best Lodging site: Booking.com
– Book Day Tours here: Viator.com
– Rent Cars here: DiscoverCars.com

What a Budget Trip to Costa Rica Really Looks Like

Let’s be honest: a “budget” trip to Costa Rica doesn’t mean dirt cheap.

We aimed to keep our nightly lodging under $100, either cooked our own food or ate our meals at local Sodas, and did several self-guided adventures instead of pricey tours. Still, we encountered higher-than-expected prices for basics like snacks, toiletries, and groceries.

A realistic travel budget here means prioritizing. Know what you care about (wildlife? food? comfort?) and spend your money there—then cut back on the rest.

Turquoise water fills the bay with palm trees close by and rocky cliffs in the distance.

Time of Year Matters

If you come to Costa Rica during the Dry Season (December to April), you will pay more for everything. That time frame has the best weather, so the crowds are bigger, the lodging is more expensive and the best tours are booked out in advance. Both times we have been to Costa Rica was in January – February.

But during the Rain Season (May to November), hotel rates are often much lower and the restaurants and tours are offering “deals”. So it’s a great time to come and enjoy a more peaceful experience.

However, within this time frame, avoid July and August because that’s when Europe and American families are on Summer Vacation so the crowds get bigger again.

May, June, and September are the best times to go to Costa Rica on a budget!

Budget-Friendly Lodging in Costa Rica

How We Found Affordable Places Under $100/Night

We used a few key strategies:

Booked early and filtered for high reviews on Booking.com – We like Booking because most reservations can be canceled for free, payments are often made closer to time of stay, and we quickly reached the Genius Level 3 status, giving us more discounts and perks.
Stayed slightly outside of the major towns for lower nightly rates
Always booked reservations that can be canceled – then if our plans change or we find a better accommodation, it’s easy to adjust.
Sometimes we get discounts for staying over 1 week

We found basic but comfortable accommodations all within our price range. We stayed 4 different places during our 5+ weeks in Costa Rica and our nightly rates ranged from $58.69 to $90.77. Our average for 37 nights was $75.72 per night.

To save you hours of Googling and reading reviews, we have researched where to stay in the main areas and made recommendations based on different budget levels – check these out:

3 brown buildings with green roofs and a white car in the yard shows the TucanTico Lodge in Monteverde Costa Rica. — TucanTico Lodge in Monteverde – We’d stay here again!

When It’s Worth It to Splurge

Sometimes, we spend a bit more to get something unique—like an amazing view of the water in the Galapagos or staying on a working farm in Australia. It is always intentional when we feel it’s worth it.

On our latest trip to Costa Rica, we wish we had paid a little bit more for two of our main 3 stays. Only one of them made the list of recommendations above!

Outdoor patio with comfortable chairs for watching wildlife or the sunset.

How to Eat Well in Costa Rica on a Budget

Eat at Sodas Like the Locals

Sodas are small, family-run eateries that serve hearty Costa Rican meals at local prices. A typical “casado” (a plate with meat, rice, beans, plantains, salad, and sometimes eggs or cheese) runs around $5–$8 USD.

You’ll find sodas in almost every town. Ask locals where they eat—those places are often better and cheaper than anything listed online. Here’s my guide to eating at Sodas in Costa Rica.

A plate full of plantains, salad, chips and guacamole.

Grocery Stores, Walmart, and Duty-Free Hacks

We stocked up on snacks and basics at Walmart in San José, but were surprised to find many prices higher than at home. A package of sliced cheese at home costs $6 USD. In Costa Rica, it was $9! One of the cheapest places to eat is at the grocery store cafeteria!

Kari’s Travel Tip: Planning to enjoy a cocktail or two? Hit the duty-free shop at the airport when you land. We got a 1-liter bottle of brand-name rum for $10. The same bottle cost $23 at a grocery store later.

Farmer’s Markets

Another place to get amazing fresh produce is at the local Farmer’s Market. Almost every town holds it at least once a week, often on a Saturday.

A sea of colorful canopies appear in the area of the Quepos Farmer's Market

For our 5+ weeks in Costa Rica, we spent $1190 on groceries and eating out.

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Free and Cheap Things to Do in Costa Rica on a Budget

National Parks, Waterfalls, and Wildlife Watching

Many outdoor attractions in Costa Rica are free or very low cost. We hiked to waterfalls for a few dollars, watched birds from our deck, and spent hours on beautiful beaches that didn’t cost a thing.

A green and blue bird with a black eye mask sits in the tree. — Lesson’s Motmot in the tree outside our lodging in Monteverde

Even most national parks charge under/around $20 for entry—and you can spend a whole day exploring on your own. But tickets often must be purchase online in advance – Here’s what you need to know about buying Costa Rica National Park tickets online.

Self-Guided vs. Tours (When to Save vs. Spend)

For nature activities like birdwatching, you can often do just as well on your own if you’re patient and prepared. But for more in-depth experiences (like spotting elusive wildlife or learning about ecosystems), a paid guide can definitely be worth the cost.

We do a mix of both – Hire a guide for one day, then go on our own for the next day. For sure, we always see way more wildlife with a guide than we do on our own, usually significantly more. See my Birds of Costa Rica post to learn how to find a qualified guide.

A local guide and a smiling visitor pose on a shaded jungle trail, surrounded by lush green tropical foliage. Both are equipped with cameras and binoculars for birdwatching. — Me and guide Franklin out birding

For activities such as ziplining or ATV riding or white water rafting – you have to pay for the excursion. No two ways about it. Each of my “Things to Do” posts offers high quality and highly-rated tours in Manuel Antonio, Monteverde and La Fortuna.

Free and Cheap Things to Do

Every town in Costa Rica has affordable and free things to do. You just have to know where to find them. Lucky for you, we travel bloggers love to uncover these items and share them with you.

In total, for 37 days in Costa Rica, Bill and I spent $1327 on “fun” activities. We did a lot of hiking and exploring on our own with self-guided tours, but we also hired birding guides on 4 occasions, took a couple of fun cooking classes, road the tram up above Lake Arenal at Sky Adventures in La Fortuna and visited the La Paz Waterfall Gardens.

All four participants are lined up, chopping away at various vegetables.

Transportation Tips for Budget Travelers

Renting a Car Smartly

We’ve covered this in detail in our Driving in Costa Rica guide, but here are the basics:

Always ask for the total cost, including insurance. Often online tools just show you the amount for the car rental, not the insurance and fees. You don’t want a big fat surprise when you get to the rental counter to pick up your car.
Costa Rica has some required insurances that you can’t get around paying for. But if your credit card or personal auto insurance has rental protection built in, bring a written document showing that so you can decline the “optional” insurances (which the car rental company will make sound mandatory, not optional)
If you’re staying in bigger cities like Quepos / Manuel Antonio or La Fortuna for your entire trip, consider renting a sedan rather than an SUV. But for areas like Monteverde where any road leading off the main one is going to be rough and full of ruts, you’ll want the higher clearance of an SUV.
If you encounter a rough spot in the road, just take your time and go very slowly over or around it. Bill is a careful driver and he can crawl the car over some crazy rough spots.

What We Did for a Rental Car

While we almost always rent a car when we travel from RentalCars.com, for this trip, we weren’t finding what we wanted and could afford.

So I asked some questions in one of the Costa Rica Facebook groups and discovered there are a whole bunch of local rental companies which are based in Costa Rica. They usually offer slightly older cars, but for a much lower price than the big national brands. You can also find them if you Google “Costa Rica Car Rental companies”.

In the end, we decided to rent from a private party in Costa Rica. The owner basically let us rent his wife’s car for 5 weeks. It was somewhat risky process because you can’t call Hertz for a replacement if the car breaks down. Bill asked a lot of questions about the car’s condition, maintenance and insurance coverage before we decided to proceed. We made it all legit with a written rental agreement between the parties.

Our costs for transportation for 37 days was $1604.57, including fuel. But unless you happen to find a sweet deal like we did, you are likely going to pay more than that.

Other Transportation Options

We met a lot of travelers who chose not to rent a car for their time in Costa Rica.

They booked tours that picked them up at their accommodation and they hired a private driver to take them from one part of the country to another. You can find the private drivers on Viator. The rest of the time, they walked to their destination.

Taxis are available in bigger towns like San Jose, Quepos and La Fortuna. Uber is also available in larger towns, but there is friction between them and the taxi system.

Is There a Bus Option?

Yes, by far the cheapest way to get around Costa Rica is on the Bus. Within a town, the fares are often only $1-2. To get from one town to another part of the country usually costs less than $10.

But it takes a long time (like hours) and the buses only run 1-2 times a day. So it’s not the most convenient option. You have to weigh time vs cost to determine if it’s right for you.

If you want to explore this option, I strongly recommend downloading the Rome2Rio app. It will tell you all the options to get from Point A to Point B.

Screenshot of the Rome2Rio App showing transportation options from Jaco to Quepos

FAQs About Traveling Costa Rica on a Budget

Is Costa Rica still affordable for budget travelers?

Yes—but you’ll need to be strategic. Lodging, food, and tours can add up quickly, so it helps to prioritize free or low-cost activities and eat like the locals.

What’s the cheapest time of year to do Costa Rica on a budget?

The green season (May to November) is less expensive, especially May, June, and September. Expect some rain, but also fewer crowds and lower prices

Can you visit Costa Rica without a car?

Absolutely. With public buses, group shuttles, and walkable towns, you can enjoy many parts of the country car-free.

How much should you budget per day?

A frugal traveler could get by on $50–$70/day/person, especially if splitting costs. Mid-range comfort with a few splurges? Plan closer to $100–$150/day.

Our entire 37 day trip (as described above) came out to $105/person/day. It includes some costs not mentioned above such as airfare and tips.

Conclusion: You Can Definitely Experience Costa Rica on a Budget

A trip to Costa Rica on a budget doesn’t mean giving up good food, amazing views, or unforgettable experiences. It just means choosing wisely, doing a little planning, and staying flexible.

If you’re willing to trade a bit of convenience for more adventure, Costa Rica rewards you tenfold.

Kari’s Travel Tip: Budget travel isn’t about sacrifice. It’s about smart choices that let you spend less money—and make more memories.

Safe travels—and enjoy the pura vida!

More Info on Costa Rica

Here are some more posts about Costa Rica, including some that I’m still working on. If you’d like to receive emails when I’ve posted new content to the site, please complete the short form above.

Monteverde / Santa Elena Rainforest Area

Manuel Antonio / Quepos Area

La Fortuna / Arenal Volcano Area