Due to its increasing popularity as a vacation destination, Costa Rica cannot be considered cheap anymore. However if you’re a budget traveler or a backpacker, do not let this deter you from traveling to Costa Rica - it is still a wonderful place. To make your funds last longer (and to stay within your budget), I suggest that you become more like a Tico (a Costa Rican) – avoid the most popular and most Americanized beach resorts and tourist traps – Manuel Antonio, Tamarindo, Flamingo Beach, Arenal and the like – and by all means patronize some of the local sodas and cafes when dining. You will save a lot of monies.

Manuel Antonio, while being the most beautiful and most scenic of the many beach resorts in Costa Rica, it is also the priciest with budget accommodations costing in the neighborhood of $80/90USD. If you still insist on going to Manuel Antonio, you will find cheaper accommodations in the nearby town of Quepos, about 5KM from the beginning of the resort area. What beach resorts do I recommend for the budget traveler? Well, on the Pacific Coast, I would try Playa del Coco, Playa Negra, Playa Potrero or Brasilito. These places are all very popular with TICOS – which means they are more affordable. Even though I haven’t been to Cahuita and Puerto Viejo on the Caribbean Coast in many years, I believe you’ll still find relatively affordable accommodations there as well.

Most travelers will spend at least 1-2 nights or more in San Jose, Costa Rica’s Capital City because it is the transportation hub and the primary transit point in the country. For instance, if you’re traveling from the Caribbean Coast to the Pacific Coast, most likely you will have to overnight in San Jose, before continuing your journey. In San Jose, there are many secure low cost hostels and places that cater to backpackers. While walking through San Jose’s popular Barrio Amon district (not far from the downtown area) on my most recent trip to Costa Rica, I came across two fairly respectable hostels – Tranquilo Backpackers and Kabata Hostel. Both places offered a choice of a bed in a dormitory or a private bedroom with shared bathroom facilities as well as providing a variety of other amenities such as free WIFI (in the lobby), free luggage storage and laundry service. While I didn’t have a chance to inspect the rooms, I did get the room rates:

For a bed in the dorm, Backpackers.. $10 Kabata .. $12
For a private room (with shared bathroom), Backpackers.. $24-28 Kabata.. $32

Note: All prices in USD

Next up - Dining on a budget in Costa Rica!

PURA VIDA!