ABOUT COSTA RICA

Currency
The Costa Rican currency is called colones even though the U.S. dollar has long been the second currency of Costa Rica. However, outside the tourist areas nobody really refers to dollars.

The majorities of Costa Ricans get paid, in colones, and buy and sell in colones. It might all sound strange to you now but soon enough you will get the hang of the Costa Rican currency. So here is a short cheat sheet to get you started.

 

Remember that the exchange rate changes daily so be sure to check the local newspaper or ask what the exchange rate is. If one U.S. dollar equaled 470 colones you would use the following math problem to figure out the exchange of currency.

1000 divided by 470 = $2.10 so...
1000 colones = $ 2.10
2000 colones = $ 4.25
5000 colones = $10.63
10,000 colones = $ 21.27
20,000 colones = $ 42.55
40,000 colones = $ 85.65
46,700 colones = $ 100.00
(Remember the exchange rate changes daily so do check the local newspaper for the current rate.)