How much does a trip to Costa Rica cost?
A mid-range week in San José for two runs about $3,480 before flights: $147 a night for a hotel room and $153 a day each for meals. On a budget, the same week is about $1,120; in luxury, about $3,400.
Estimate your trip
| Lodging1 room for 7 nights at $147 a night | $1,029 |
|---|---|
| Food and incidentals2 people for 8 days at $153 a day · government meal allowance | $2,448 |
Daily costs in Costa Rica
Per person per day, two people sharing a room, before flights and activities.
Budget
$70Mid-range
$217- San José
- $217
- Guanacaste (Liberia)
- $217
- La Fortuna
- $217
Luxury
$213How expensive is Costa Rica?
Restaurants and hotels in Costa Rica cost about 63% of what they cost in the United States, by the World Bank’s International Comparison Program (2021). That makes it cheaper than the US for the two things a trip spends most on.
How these estimates work
Mid-range uses the U.S. government’s per diem for each place: the most a federal traveler may claim for a hotel room, by season, plus meals and incidentals. It tracks a solid business-class hotel and restaurant meals.
Budget and luxury rooms use published guide figures for Costa Rica, converted to US dollars and linked beside each number; ranges are averaged. Where a guide gives no daily food spend, food uses the same government meal allowance as mid-range.
Currencies are converted at the European Central Bank reference rate, or the U.S. Treasury reporting rate where the ECB has none, as of October 8, 2026.
Not included: flights, activities and shopping. Two travelers share a room; a third takes a second room.
Plan Costa Rica within budget
Build the itinerary day by day, track what everyone spends, and split it fairly, in one app.
Trip cost questions
About $3,480 for two at mid-range, before flights: $147 a night for the room and $153 a day each for food. On a budget it is about $1,120, and in luxury about $3,400.
Plan on about $217 per person per day at mid-range, with two people sharing a room. Budget travelers spend about $70, luxury travelers about $213.
Restaurants and hotels in Costa Rica cost about 63% of US prices (World Bank, 2021).
