Tipping In Costa Rica - A Complete Guide
Quick Guide
🍽️ Restaurant - 10% If No Service Fee (IVI = Tax)
🍹 Bar - $1 USD/Drink in ₡ If No Service Fee
🚕 Taxi - Round Up Expected
🚐 Shuttle - 10-15% Expected
🚤 Water Taxi - $2 USD in ₡
🅿️ Parking Attendant - $0.50-$1 USD in ₡
🛎️ Porter/Bellhop - $1 USD/Bag in ₡
🛏️ Housekeeping - $2 USD/Day in ₡
📸 Tour Guide - 10% Expected
🎣 Fishing Charter - 15-20% Expected
🏝️ All-Inclusive Resort - No Tip Expected
⛽️ Gas Station Attendant - $2 USD in ₡
Whilst most Costa Ricans don’t tip, it is considered customary to tip in a lot of scenarios if you’re a tourist or business traveller.
Calculate a culturally appropriate tip for Costa Rica using the calculator below and read on for more detail on tipping in Restaurants, Bars, Taxis, Parking Lots, Hotels etc.
Costa Rica Tip Calculator
Good Tip For Costa Rica
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Tipping in Restaurants
Since the vast majority of restaurants add a 10% service charge to the bill, there’s no need to tip extra on top.
Don’t confuse a service charge with sales tax, denoted on the bill as IVI (“impuestos de ventas incluídas”) which means “sales tax included”.
It would be considered customary to leave a 10% tip for good service if a service charge. hasn’t been included.
You can leave a cash tip on top of the service charge if your server went above and beyond but it’s definitely not an expectation, 10% is perfectly acceptable here.
Tipping in Bars
If a service charge (typically 10%) is added to your bar bill, there’s no need to tip extra.
No service charge? Tip the current equivalent of $1 USD per drink in Costa Rican Colónes (just tip in USD if you don’t have any local currency).
Tipping Taxi & Shuttle Drivers
If you’re getting a Taxi or Uber over a relatively short distance, it would be considered customary to round up your fare to the nearest Colón (use USD as a backup).
For longer journeys or private shuttles, tip 10-15% if satisfied (no less than that).
Taking a water taxi? The skipper will usually expect a tip of around $2 USD in Colónes.
Tipping Parking Lot Attendants
Parking lot attendants or “Wachiman” usually work predominantly, if not exclusively, for tips. When you leave, roll down your window and tip them around $0.50-$1 USD in the local currency (Colónes).
Wachiman are usually unofficial parking lot attendants identified by bright orange/yellow vests.
They’ll usually help you park, guide you to a spot or watch your car for you whilst you’re away. It’s best to acknowledge them with a wave. They might say something like “se lo cuido” (I’ll watch it for you).
Tipping The Porter/Bellhop
Whilst 10% hotel service charges are common, it’s still customary to tip the bellhop around $1 USD per bag. If you can, try to give them the current equivalent amount in Costa Rican Colónes.
Tipping Housekeeping
It’s customary to tip your housekeeper the Colón equivalent of around $2 USD per day.
If you’re paying the hotel a 10% service charge, tipping the housekeeper would be considered optional.
Just bear in mind that they might not see a lot of that service charge and you might get better service if you do leave a tip (especially if you leave one on the first day).
Sometimes, your housekeeper will leave an envelope in your room in which you can leave the tip.
Tipping Tour Guides
For tours and excursions (e.g. scuba diving, dolphin tours, ziplines), it’s customary to tip around 10% of the total cost as long as you’re satisfied.
Going on a private fishing charter? In this case, a larger tip of around 15-20%, which should be split between the captain and crew, would be expected.
Which Currency To Use
Stick to the official currency, the Costa Rican Colón (₡), if you can. As a backup, you can tip in US Dollars ($) but their acceptance tends to be confined to more tourist areas. Other currencies, like Euros, aren’t accepted.
If you tip in USD, the person you gave it to will usually exchange the money meaning they might incur fees or they might be offered a poor exchange rate.
“Que lo pase bien en Costa Rica” - Have a good time in Costa Rica! 🇨🇷🌴🐒🏖️
