Is $500 Enough for a Week in Costa Rica?

$500 per person for a week in Costa Rica is tight but possible if you're careful. For a comfortable trip to Nosara without constant penny-pinching, plan for $100-150 per person per day, not including accommodation.

Here's the reality: Costa Rica isn't the budget backpacker destination it was 20 years ago. Prices for food, activities, and transportation are closer to US levels than you might expect, especially in popular beach towns. A nice dinner for two will run $40-60. A surf lesson is $50-70. A half-day tour can be $80-150 per person.

The good news? Staying in a vacation rental with a full kitchen dramatically changes the math. Make breakfast and coffee at home, pack lunches for the beach, and eat out only for dinner - you can easily cut food costs by 50%. Super Nosara and local markets have everything you need at reasonable prices.

Budget-stretching tips for Nosara: eat at local "sodas" (family-run restaurants) for authentic casados around $6-10. The beach is free and that's where you'll spend most of your time anyway. Happy hours offer cheaper drinks. Rent a surfboard for the week instead of daily. Skip the guided tours and explore on your own - Nosara's magic is in the everyday moments.

A realistic weekly budget for two people: $1,000-1,500 for accommodation in a vacation rental, $400-600 for food (cooking half your meals), $200-400 for activities, $100-200 for transportation. That's roughly $1,700-2,700 total, or about $850-1,350 per person for a week that doesn't feel restricted.