If your last trip to Costa Rica was before 2024, here’s what changed: understanding Costa Rica currency today means resetting the exchange rate math you used back then.

A dollar that bought you ₡600 or more a few years ago now buys under ₡450, and that shift affects how far your cash goes on the ground.

First time here? Welcome. Costa Rica uses the colón, though dollars are accepted almost everywhere tourists go.

Either way, our team handles Costa Rica currency questions with every trip we plan, and this guide covers colones versus dollars, how much cash to bring, and how to avoid overpaying without meaning to.

Costa Rica’s official currency is the colón (₡, ISO code CRC), in use since 1896 and named after Christopher Columbus, Cristóbal Colón in Spanish. Bills range from ₡1,000 to ₡20,000, coins run from ₡5 to ₡500, and every bill features a different native animal instead of a historical figure on its reverse.

The animals (a white-tailed deer, a bull shark, a capuchin monkey, a sloth, and a hummingbird, one per denomination) are a detail most visitors remember long after the trip. You may also hear about a ₡50,000 note; the Central Bank stopped issuing new ones in 2018 and pulled it from circulation entirely in 2022, so you won’t be handed one and don’t need to plan around it. Costa Rica has fully switched every active denomination to polymer (plastic) bills, so any older cotton-paper notes you still have are no longer accepted anywhere.

Dollars work well in tourism-facing businesses, but that doesn’t mean every price here is dollar-friendly, and that’s exactly what the next section untangles.

The Exchange Rate Has Changed a Lot: Here’s the Short Version

The US dollar has lost close to a third of its value against the colón since mid-2022, falling from around ₡697 to under ₡450 by September 2026. That’s the sharpest, most sustained move in the Costa Rica exchange rate in almost two decades, and converting Costa Rica currency to USD (or back) makes a lot more sense once you see the trend rather than a single number.

Why the swing? In short, heavy dollar inflows from tourism, foreign investment, and remote workers paid in USD have met a Central Bank that lets the rate float within limits under its managed-float policy, in place since 2015. The bank has bought close to a billion dollars in 2026 alone to slow the colón’s rise, though the broader trend has held.

Between June 2022 and May 2026, the dollar lost about 34 percent of its value against the colón, according to Tico Times reporting that cites economist Roxana Morales of the Universidad Nacional.

What this means for you: your dollar buys fewer colones than it did a few years back, so plan with today’s numbers, not a memory from your last visit. That’s part of what it means for your trip financially, and worth factoring into your budget early rather than at the register.

The rate you actually get at a bank counter or ATM (the retail rate) runs a few colones worse than the wholesale Monex figure above, so budget slightly on the conservative side. To check the live number before you travel, search for tipo de cambio, the Spanish term for exchange rate, on the Banco Central de Costa Rica site. For the latest reported figures, see this Tico Times update from September 11, 2026.

Dollars or Colones? One Simple Rule

The simplest rule for handling Costa Rica currency day to day: pay in whatever currency the price is already quoted in. Hotels, tours, shuttles, and rental cars almost always quote in US dollars, so pay those in USD or by card. Local spending (sodas, supermarkets, taxis, buses, tolls, farmers markets) runs in colones, so keep colones on hand for those.

There is one card trick worth knowing. When a payment terminal asks “USD or CRC?”, always choose CRC and let your own bank handle the conversion; picking USD at the terminal usually triggers dynamic currency conversion, a markup your card network adds that you don’t need to pay.

Public buses in San José are colones cash only, no cards and no dollars, so carry small colón bills and coins if you plan to ride them. The same goes for many small businesses once you’re off the main tourist routes. In cash-heavy areas like the Osa Peninsula, Tortuguero, Drake Bay, and Santa Teresa, card machines and ATMs are scarcer and slower, so arrive with more colones on hand than you think you’ll need, especially around tolls and parking.

How Much Cash to Bring, and in Which Bills

Cards cover most of what you spend in Costa Rica. Visa works almost everywhere, Mastercard close behind, American Express at some hotels and larger shops, and Discover rarely at all. Still, cash matters once you’re outside the main tourist corridors, so plan for a mix instead of relying on one or the other.

When it comes to money in Costa Rica, small bills matter more than big totals. For a one-week trip, budget roughly $100 to $150 worth of colones for sodas, small purchases, tips, and parking, plus a handful of small-bill US dollars (fives, tens, and twenties) as backup. Skip $50 and $100 bills; they’re genuinely hard to break outside banks and larger stores.

Whatever bills you bring, keep them clean. Torn, stained, or written-on notes get refused, and this rule is enforced more strictly here than in most countries. Running low isn’t a crisis, either: ATMs are common in towns and cities, so you can top up colones as you travel instead of carrying everything upfront. For the rest of what to pack, the money section of our Costa Rica packing list covers it bill by bill.

Tips From Our Team in Costa Rica

A few things we tell every traveler about Costa Rica currency before they land, from our team here in Costa Rica. Restaurant bills already include 10% service and 13% tax, so extra tipping is a nice gesture, not an expectation. For guides and drivers, ₡1,000 to ₡2,000 or a couple of dollars is genuinely appreciated.

You’ll hear locals ask “¿SINPE?” everywhere, referring to Costa Rica’s mobile payment system; it needs a Costa Rican bank account, so it isn’t something visitors can use. Cash or card works fine instead. Keep a few ₡500 coins loose for parking attendants and toll booths, since exact change speeds things up.

At small, family-run spots, it’s worth asking “¿aceptan dólares?” (do you accept dollars?) before you order, just to avoid a surprise at the register. One small, honest note on currency in Costa Rica during low season: paying in cash sometimes earns a quiet courtesy discount at family businesses. Not a rule, just something our team sees often.

However far Costa Rica currency moves before your trip, the plan stays simple: know today’s numbers, carry a mix of cards and colones, and skip the guesswork on where to change money. If you’d rather have someone handle that part, your Costa Rica Travel Designer sends a pre-arrival note with the current rate and exactly what to carry for your itinerary.