Last Updated: May 20, 2025
This is an actual Costa Rica travel budget with an item-by-item breakdown of the cost to travel to Costa Rica for a family of four on a one-week itinerary. This budget is based on my family’s most recent trip to Costa Rica during high season and Easter week – one of the most expensive times to go. We had to travel during my daughter’s spring break holiday to limit the days she spent out of school. But with careful planning, we were still able to keep the costs pretty reasonable.
This is the 7 day- Best of Costa Rica itinerary that we followed. Don’t forget to also check out my Step-by-Step Guide to Costa Rica to get more money-saving tips and help with planning your hotels and activities. You can also download my free Wildlife Spotting Guide for Kids here.
In total, we spent about $4,000 USD on our trip, not including flights. About 25% of the budget was on activities, 20% on meals, 20% on transport, and about 35% on accommodation. We stayed in mid-range hotels and used a rental car for the entire trip. We packed our days with activities, most of which were tours we booked online, or required an entrance fee. Read on to see a complete breakdown below..
How to Save Money on Accommodation
Accommodation in Costa Rica can vary widely in price. Low-cost budget hotels with very basic facilities can be as little as $50 a night. Mid-range resorts will typically have on-site restaurants, views of the beach, volcano, or mountains, and family-friendly facilities. These usually run around $200 a night. They are what I would consider the sweet spot for a budget-conscious family looking to balance pampering with value. High-end resorts typically have stunning landscaping, nicely renovated interiors, and a modern aesthetic, but cost between $600 to $1200 a night. See my hand-picked recommendations for Best Places to Stay in La Fortuna and Best Places to Stay in Monteverde
Share a room with kids – If you are a family, consider sharing a room with multiple beds instead of getting two rooms. Many of the hotels and resorts offer room types with 2 double beds or an extra sofa bed. When you use a website like Booking.com or Expedia, it always shows the bed configuration before booking a room.
High Season Vs Low Season – Hotel prices are cheaper from May to November during Costa Rica’s rainy season. You can still plan a great vacation during this time, but be prepared to take things at a slower pace and be flexible with the weather. See my article on When to Go to Costa Rica
Book Early – This has a huge impact on how much you can save, especially if you’re traveling in the high season. Some mid-range hotels don’t vary their pricing much by season, so you can get a great price even on Spring Break week. They’re usually the first to get booked though. Others actively update their pricing based on demand so the longer you wait, the more expensive they get. Many offer free cancellation, so if you’re still working on your itinerary, book something for now and change it as needed.
Shop around for hotels – If you like to shop around using a hotel comparison site like booking.com, then make sure to check out my Tips to find hotels in La Fortuna and Tips to find hotels in Monteverde. Don’t just book the cheapest hotel you see in the search results because location is really important here. My accommodation guides have several tips that help you know where to look and what features to value in your search.
Avoid Remote Locations – More often than not, remote destinations like Corcovado can actually be more expensive than the main tourist hubs. Not only is transport here more pricey but the cost for the hotels to acquire staff and goods actually make them more expensive to visit.
How to Save Money on Meals
This is the expense that can quickly get out of control if you’re not careful. Costa Rica is more expensive than you might expect. It’s not because restaurants are greedy and overcharging tourists. It’s because the cost of living is actually quite high, and grocery prices are on par with US and Europe. On average, meals at a low cost “Soda” – a family-owned roadside eatery cost about $30 for 2 adults and 2 kids meals. At typical restaurants, expect to spend closer to $50. At high-end restaurants and hotels within resorts, lunch and dinner each cost around $100.
Drink Tap Water instead of ordering expensive bottled water and sodas. Beverages and desserts can quickly drive up the price of your meal. Carry empty water bottles in your suitcase so you can refill them instead of buying pricey water at gift shops.
Book hotels with Breakfast included – It can be more expensive to buy breakfast separately at a restaurant. Depending on the hotel, young kids might get to eat free.
Tips – There is a service charge of 10% added to the restaurant bill. Tips are therefore completely optional and can be skipped if budget is tight. Sometimes the servers go out of their way to take care of our kids so we still offer a tip for exceptional service.
Exchange rate at Restaurants – Most restaurants in Costa Rica will give you a bill in both USD and the local currency. For the best exchange rates, use a credit card with no foreign transaction fees, and charge it in the local currency. I found the restaurant’s USD exchange rate was always much more expensive.
Order from the “Traditional” section – Many restaurants will have a few options under “Traditional”. This is the typical local cuisine and often comes with several sides included with the main. Not only are they usually cheaper but it’s a great way to savor the delicious foods of Costa Rica.
Shop at Grocery Stores – You can easily pick up fruit, bread, and snacks. If your kids are picky eaters (like ours), we found that we can save money by buying them peanut butter and a loaf of bread instead of ordering meals the kids won’t eat.
Check Prices for foreign branded snacks – Don’t do what we did and accidently buy a $9 bag of Gold fish. They are only $2 in the US but are much more expensive in Costa Rica because they are an imported premium brand. Stick to local brands.
How to Save Money on Rental Cars and Transport
See my article on Renting Vs Not Renting a car to see which will work out cheaper for your trip. If you end up renting a car, be sure to check all hidden charges such as insurance so you are not surprised by an unexpected bill.
How to Save Money on Activities
Child Fares – Many attractions in Costa Rica have free or reduced entrance fees for kids. However, you need to do your research because each attraction and tour has a different cutoff age.
Guides – Many attractions will give you the option of a guided tour or a cheaper self-guided option, especially when it comes to spotting wildlife. A guide at the right place can exponentially increase your chances of actually spotting animals, but there are several cases where the extra cost is not necessary. In my detailed 7 day itinerary, I’m very clear about when you should spend extra for a guide, and when you should not.
Don’t book through your Hotel – More often than not, hotels will charge a premium for tours. I contacted many hotels for quotes and I found that the fancier the hotel, the more expensive the tour. Instead, reserve your tours online with well-reviewed tour providers. To save money on activities, see my full list of things to do in Monteverde and things to do in La Fortuna.
Buy Travel Insurance
Buy travel insurance. Even though it’s a small added cost up front, you do not want to get stuck with a huge health care bill if things go sideways. People have reported emergency hospital bills as high as $90,000 while traveling in Costa Rica.
Detailed Cost Breakdown
Here I detail exactly what we spent at each of our destinations on this 7 day itinerary. All numbers are in US Dollars.
General Expenses
| Rental Car for 8 days | $561 |
| Unlimited Data Plan through Holafly | $38 |
| Travel Insurance | $54 |
| Gas/Petrol | $84 |
| Total | $737 |
La Fortuna – 3 nights
| Accommodation at La Fortuna for 3 nights including breakfast for 4 | $601 |
| Ziplining for 4 | $226 |
| Bogarin Trail Self Guided Entry fee for 3 (kids under 3 free) | $60 |
| Hot Springs Day Pass with Lunch (kids under 5 free) | $144 |
| River Safari Float (kids under 6 free) | $195 |
| La Fortuna Falls Entrance Fee for 2 (kids under 8 free) | $40 |
| Mirador El Silencio (Arenal Volcano) Entry fee for 2 (kids under 7 free) | $20 |
| Meals and other Expenses | $340 |
| Total | $1626 |
Monteverde – 2 nights
| Accommodation at Monteverde for 2 nights including breakfast for 4 | $297 |
| Coffee Plantation Tour for 3 (kids under 6 free) | $92 |
| Curi Cancha Reserve – Birdwatching (kids under 5 free) | $65 |
| Hanging Bridge Hike and Butterfly Garden | $220 |
| Night Tour for 2 – Group tour (kids under 7 free) | $70 |
| Meals and Other Expenses | $220 |
| Total | $964 |
Playa Hermosa – 2 nights
| Accommodation at Playa Hermosa for 2 nights | $323 |
| Volunteering at Monkey Farm for 4 | $80 |
| Meals and Other Expenses | $280 |
| Total | $683 |
Is Costa Rica worth it?
The grand total cost of our trip before flights was $4010. We spent about $1500 on round trip flights from the US putting our total cost at around $5500. That means we had to save about $450 a month for 12 months for this trip.
Was this worth it for us? Absolutely! Costa Rica can be expensive, particularly if you do lots of activities like we did. But overall, we found this comparable to a similar vacation within the United States. The facilities and safety equipment at all of the tours and activities were top notch, and this justified the higher costs for us. We also found that this self-planned itinerary was significantly cheaper than organized tours that go for about $4000 per person!
Ready for the Next Step?
- Complete Step-by-Step Guide to Costa Rica for Families – Know everything you need about flights, food, currency, rental cars, accommodation and activities
- 7 Day Itinerary from San Jose Airport or 7 Day Itinerary from Liberia Airport
- Which Airport should I fly into?
- Download a Free Wildlife Spotting Guide and other Costa Rica Fun Facts for Kids by subscribing to my Newsletter.
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