• Budget: US$5-15
  
• Mid-range: US$20-30
  
• Top-end: US$50 and upwards
  
  

If you're coming from one of the poorer neighbourhoods such as Nicaragua or Honduras, Costa Rica can strike you as the rather well-to-do Central American cousin with a proportionately high-dollar lifestyle. In reality, it's a fast-developing country with an unabashed interest in the tourist dollar that, nevertheless, still has hotels and nosheries for the shoe-string traveller. If you're traveling with someone else and don't mind a bit of grunge living and a few low-rent meals, you should be able to scrape by on US$20 a day. If you're planning to have your own bathroom, eat decently and catch an occasional plane, US$30-60 should cover your needs. Travelers expecting to be very comfortable can easily spend US$100-150 per day, depending on their definition of comfort. The best tours cost upwards of US$200 per day, but these include flights and first-class accommodations and services. If you want to change cash, stick to US dollars (but make sure they're in decent condition and avoid US$100 bills - due to a counterfeiting scam, most Costa Ricans won't touch them).

US dollars are your best bet for traveler's checks as well, as other currencies will rarely be accepted - any of the major brands will do. If you buy colones with your credit card, expect to get hit with a huge interest bill. Banco Popular, ATH and Credomatic have the largest number of ATMs and their networks often extend as far as the smaller towns and cities. Some banks though, like branches of Banco Nacional, accept cards held by their customers only. Visa and Mastercards are the most widely-accepted credit cards; you may have some trouble with American Express. You don't usually need to bother with tipping at restaurants, as most add a 10% tip (plus 15% tax) to the bill. You should tip bellboys and room cleaners about US$0.50, tour guides US$1-5 a day per person. Of course, if the service is excellent or lousy you should use your own discretion.