Written by the Fortrip travel editor. Desk research only: we did not pay these fees in person. Every price and acceptance claim is attributed to a named source and checked against it before publishing, with sources reviewed through October 2026. Park-fee figures were last confirmed against a page updated 23 September 2026.
How much cash to bring to Costa Rica: the short answer
Bring $200–300 per person in small, clean US bills, and withdraw colones from an ATM as you go.
Put hotels, tours and the busiest national parks on a Visa or Mastercard.
The $200–300 range is our editorial judgement, not an official standard. Only the Costa Rica Tourism Board (ICT) is an official source here. The blogs below are traveller reports, and they disagree with each other.
The two sources that name a figure sit on either side of our range. Costatica Travel (October 2025) suggests $100–200 in cash. My Tan Feet (March 2026) suggests about $300 per person for a week.
We landed in between because a small cushion costs little and dollars are widely taken in tourist areas.
- Carry: $200–300 per person in small, clean US bills.
- Withdraw: colones from an ATM for sodas, buses and markets.
- Exceptions: pay for major parks by card, booked ahead, and carry toward the top of the range if your route includes remote stops such as Osa, Tortuguero or Drake Bay.
Cash, dollars or card: what to use where
The ICT rows are official. The rest are traveller reports. The ICT page is undated.
| Where | What to carry | What the source says | Source |
|---|
| Hotels, tours, restaurants in tourist areas | Dollars or Visa/Mastercard | Dollars are widely accepted, but change may come back in colones. Visa and Mastercard are the most reliable cards. | ICT (undated page) |
| Sodas, pulperías, rural markets | Colones | Carry cash for sodas and rural markets. Dollars cannot be relied on. | ICT; Route Pura Vida, May 2026 |
| Local buses | Colones | Buses cannot reliably be paid in dollars. | Route Pura Vida, May 2026 |
| Major national parks, online | Card | The SINAC portal takes credit or debit cards only. | VoyageWindow, 23 Sept 2026 |
| Park ticket offices | Card, with some cash as backup | Offices outside the portal take cards. ICT and a 2014 blog say booths take cash. | VoyageWindow; ICT; Costa Rica Travel Blog, 2014 |
| Tortuguero, Drake Bay, Cabo Matapalo | Extra cash | Cards are patchy. | Two Weeks in Costa Rica, 2023 (older) |
Dollars or colones
The colón is the official currency. ICT says dollars are widely accepted in tourist areas, but that your change may come back in colones.
Route Pura Vida (May 2026) goes further: sodas, pulperías, buses and park fees cannot reliably be paid in dollars.
In practice, dollars cover hotels, tours and restaurants in tourist areas. Colones matter for small local spending: the lunch counter, the village shop, the local bus.
We print no exchange rate, because it would be stale by the time you land. Check the rate on the day you withdraw, using your card issuer's rate or the Banco Central de Costa Rica's published reference rate.
Which bills to bring, and what to do with the wrong ones
Small, crisp bills
My Tan Feet recommends $5, $10 and $20 bills only. Route Pura Vida says worn bills and $100 bills are refused.
Arriving with $50 or $100 notes
Per those two blogs, large and worn bills are the likeliest to be turned down. We would not count on spending them.
Our inference is to withdraw colones from an ATM instead. We did not verify ATM fees, limits or exchange policies at Banco Nacional de Costa Rica, Banco de Costa Rica or BAC Credomatic, so ask your own bank about its foreign-withdrawal and card fees before you fly.
National parks: card first, cash second
What the tourism board says
ICT tells visitors to carry cash for rural markets, sodas, park booths and signs reading 'efectivo solo'. A Costa Rica Travel Blog page dated 2014 also says park booths take cash. Treat that one as dated.
What the fee sources say
The fees below come from VoyageWindow's national park tickets guide, updated 23 September 2026. It is a secondary source that cites the SINAC tariff sheet, and the page carries a 'factual review pending' label. We could not open the SINAC tariff sheet itself, so read these as figures to confirm, not as final prices.
The primary check is the SINAC portal, which shows the VAT-inclusive total at checkout. PuraVida.com gives matching VAT-inclusive figures as of October 2026.
| Park (non-resident) | Base fee | With 13% VAT | Source and date |
|---|
| Manuel Antonio, adult | $16 | $18.08 | VoyageWindow, 23 Sept 2026 |
| Poás, Irazú, Arenal, adult | $15 | $16.95 | VoyageWindow, 23 Sept 2026 |
| Child aged 2 to under 12 | $5 | Not stated | VoyageWindow, 23 Sept 2026 |
VoyageWindow says a 13-year-old pays the adult fee. It does not say what a 12-year-old pays, so check that at checkout if you travel with a 12-year-old.
On payment, VoyageWindow, citing the SINAC portal FAQ and terms, says the portal takes credit or debit cards only. Parks outside the portal take cards at the ticket office.
The same source says a personal user can buy up to 6 Manuel Antonio tickets in one transaction, one transaction per day.
Corcovado and Isla del Caño work differently. They are reserved by email and paid by bank deposit, so neither cash nor a card at the gate applies.
Where sources disagree
Cash or card at park booths: ICT and the 2014 blog say cash, while VoyageWindow says cards. Carry a little cash as backup.
Manuel Antonio's weekly closing day: VoyageWindow says Mondays from July to November, and PuraVida.com says Tuesdays. Check the SINAC portal calendar before you book.
Our inference
The busiest parks need a card and a booking made ahead, so cash matters less for park entry than ICT's tip implies. That is our reading, not something any source states.
Cards: what works and where it gets patchy
ICT calls Visa and Mastercard the most reliable cards. Costatica Travel (October 2025) says American Express and Discover are rarely accepted, so do not plan around either.
Two Weeks in Costa Rica (2023, so older) says cards work even at very small businesses, but are patchy in Tortuguero, Drake Bay and Cabo Matapalo.
Tamarindo is where the sources split. My Tan Feet lists Tamarindo, Santa Teresa, Samara, Osa and Bijagua as card-shaky, while Route Pura Vida treats Tamarindo as fine for both cards and dollars. We would keep a small cash buffer there.
Two Weeks in Costa Rica also says rental cars need a credit card. Keep one free for the deposit rather than draining it on cash. We did not verify debit-card rules, so confirm them with the rental company.
How much cash by trip type
This section is our advice. The reasoning sits under each heading.
Beach towns and the main circuit (Tamarindo, Manuel Antonio, La Fortuna)
The lower end of $200–300 per person is a sensible start. Parks are paid by card in advance, so cash is left for sodas, buses, markets and tips.
Osa, Tortuguero and Drake Bay
Carry toward the top of the range. No source gives a cash figure for these areas, so we give none. Our reason is only that Two Weeks in Costa Rica calls cards patchy in Tortuguero and Drake Bay.
Withdraw colones before the leg, not during it. If your route strings several remote stops together, run it through the Fortrip itinerary validator to see where the long transfers fall, and plan your cash stops around them.
Before you leave home
Pre-book the major parks by card. Ask your bank about ATM and foreign-card fees. For more trip-planning guides, browse the travel planning articles on the blog.
FAQ
How much cash should I bring to Costa Rica?
Bring $200–300 per person in small, clean US bills, then withdraw colones from an ATM as you go. That is our judgement between Costatica Travel's $100–200 and My Tan Feet's roughly $300 for a week, not an official figure.
Can I use US dollars in Costa Rica?
Yes, in tourist areas. The Costa Rica Tourism Board says dollars are widely accepted there, but change may come back in colones. Route Pura Vida says sodas, pulperías, buses and park fees cannot reliably be paid in dollars.
Do I need colones?
Yes, for small local spending. Withdraw them from an ATM rather than trying to spend $50 or $100 bills, which the blogs say are the likeliest to be refused.
Can I pay park fees in cash at Manuel Antonio?
Not online: the SINAC portal takes credit or debit cards only, according to VoyageWindow. That source lists $16 per non-resident adult, or $18.08 with 13% VAT, and its page is marked 'factual review pending'. ICT and a 2014 blog say booths take cash, so keep some as backup, but book by card.
Does my American Express or Discover card work in Costa Rica?
Probably not. Costatica Travel (October 2025) says both are rarely accepted. The Costa Rica Tourism Board calls Visa and Mastercard the most reliable cards.
