Matt M. Says:
I’ve heard that I should only carry small US dollar bills in Costa Rica—nothing bigger than a 20. Why is this?
IL Costa Rica Correspondent Bekah Bottone Says:
Hi Matt,
One interesting fact to make note of here is that you can, in fact, use your dollars in Costa Rica. Although Costa Rica’s currency is the colon, the US dollar is widely accepted.
It’s true that you should aim to carry mostly small bills. And it’s for one simple reason: many places won’t make change for bills larger than $20.
In my experience, this is mostly true for smaller shops and restaurants. I would expect fine-dining restaurants and hotels to accept larger bills, but it’s up to each business.
So, to be safe, it’s always a good idea to have a selection of smaller bills in your wallet.
Another important point to consider is how shops handle the exchange rate.
Some businesses use the daily exchange rate, but many smaller businesses charge their own rate. For example, the exchange rate today is $1 = 519 colones. A small business may use 500 colones as their exchange rate to keep things simpler. So it’s not uncommon to find variations in the value of your dollar from shop to shop.
For more on how far your dollars go in Costa Rica, check out our dedicated Cost of Living page.
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