I rarely take vacations, but I decided to see if I could pull off a trip to Costa Rica on a $1,000 budget. Here’s how I did.
The big irony of freelancing is that while you ’re “ costless ” to make your own schedule , it can be virtually unacceptable to take sentence off . Unless you ’re a freelancer with consistent , well - paying clients , you ’re always hustling up the next gig — and any sentence by is money lost .
As a freelance writer , I rarely take vacation . But of late , I decided to get my nature mess in one of my favorite shoes on the planet : Costa Rica . It ’s for sure not the most affordable option inCentral America , but because I ’ve visited antecedently , I know I would n’t overspend on some of the big tourer attractions and that I would feel more comfortable adjust plans on the tent-fly if needed . I just desire a couple of days to enjoy Arenal Volcano , the rainforest , and wildlife near La Fortuna — plus a few more days to top up my Vitamin D on the coast in Playas del Coco .
My goal was to keep the one - calendar week Costa Rica trip under $ 1,000 . Thanks to a $ 200 flight credit , moderately priced shuttle , and monolithic food for thought portions that exercise for double meals , I almost draw it off . But a bad Airbnb that caused me to switch to a more expensive hotel at the last minute of arc pushed me a bit over budget . Here ’s a breakdown of what I spent on asoloCosta Rica vacation .
Design by Maitane Romagosa
About the traveler
Job : mercenary writerAnnual salary : $ 20,000 - 40,000 per yearLocation of residence : New YorkAge : 41
About the vacation
Where : Costa RicaHow long : Seven daysPlanned budget : $ 1,000
Upfront costs
flight of steps : $ 292.46 . I booked a last - second flight from Syracuse , New York to Liberia , Costa Rica , and used a $ 200 escape credit ( the aggregate without the flight credit would have been $ 492.46).Hotels / housing : $ 483.66 . I spent two nighttime in an Airbnb in La Fortuna for $ 98.61 , two unplanned nights atHotel Arenal Montechiarifor $ 177.05 , and two nighttime atToro Blanco Hotelin Playas del Coco for $ 208.Rental car / cabs or rideshares / public transit : $ 196.84 . I paid for two Interbus share shuttles , one taxicab , and one Uber drive .
Day by Day
Day 1 - Thursday
Total cost : $ 8.75I snagged a innocent sub at Jersey Mike ’s , my usual pre- and post - flight spot , with points I ’d accumulated from preceding purchase , so I did n’t pay a penny for my first meal of the trip — just a $ 2 tip . I also did n’t have to worry about hailing a cab as my parents dropped me off at Syracuse International Airport with an absurdly large sub in bridge player .
I come a few moment early at the Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport in Liberia , Costa Rica , passed through customs and immigration in about 30 minutes , had a nice chat with a Costa Rican gentleman who was waiting to pick up his menage member from the aerodrome , and caught the Interbus bird from Liberia to La Fortuna . After the 3.5 - hour campaign to La Fortuna , the shuttlecock dropped me off at a hotel close to my Airbnb , keep me the added cost of an Uber from the center of townsfolk .
I left my bag at the Airbnb , did a quick search for nearby sodas ( casual and fairly priced eating house serve up distinctive Costa Rican sweetheart ) , and found a highly critique nutrient hand truck calledVikingos Restaurantenearby . I walk five minutes and was met with a full-grown grin and favorable Pura Vida vibe from the chef , and the solid food was quick , delicious , affordable , and plentiful . I had the 3,500 colones ( ~$6.75 ) Gallus gallus casado ( a dish that typically include a protein served with rice , beans , salad , and unfermented plantain ) , and discovered it also come up with a down of freshly deep-fried tortilla chips . I happily devoured one-half of the repast and saved the other half for breakfast before returning to my Airbnb to dash for the night .
Day 2 - Friday
full monetary value : 26,500 colones ( ~$52)Paper - thin wall , dirty sheets , noisy neighbor , and a nauseating chemical substance stench at the Airbnb left me haggard and unchurch my booking determination . I ’d hoped to get a bit of workplace done , take a walk around town , book a tramp duty tour , and then fulfil an one-time friend for dinner ; or else , I spend the first one-half of the day search nearby hotel for affordablealternative accommodations — last minute and on a weekend in one of the busiest tourist destinations in the state . Fortunately , I had that leftover Vikingos casado to keep me caller .
After securing two nights atHotel Arenal Montechiari(and getting ratification from the Airbnb owner that she ’d give back me for two of my four nights ) , I headed out for a walk . The sun was smoothen and I wanted to see if the elusive Arenal Volcano would show itself . I also ask lunch and deep brown , and I was craving the typical Costa Rican breakfast of gallo pinto ( rice and noodle ) served with eggs , cheese , and sweet Musa paradisiaca . I get hold a cheery place called Restaurante Costumbres serving breakfast all day for 5,100 Aspinwall ( ~$10 ) .
Some locally made clothing caught my oculus as I passed theCianikalartisan boutique in town , and I buy a top for 10,000 Costa Rican colon ( ~$20 ) that could be worn multiple way … so really that ’s several tops for $ 20 , right ? Then I park myself atTypica Coffee Bar & Grill , where I hammered out some work while enjoying an iced coffee , a freshly twinge juice , and a huge plate of arroz con pollo(rice and chicken ) for 11,400 colon ( ~$22 ) , including a 10 % bakshis and 10 % service complaint . The horizon of a sloth chilling in a tree just across the street from me ? Completely spare .
Matyas Rehak/Shutterstock
I fear returning for a final night in the blue , noisy Airbnb but coaxed myself back with the promise I ’d spend the next day altogether outside .
Day 3 - Saturday
Total cost : 31,670 colones ( ~$62)I awoke to the audio of pour out rainfall . ( If you ’re chatter a tropical rain forest , you have to take that you might see more rain than timber . ) I decide to fight the hiking plans to the following day but was still eager to break loose the Airbnb , so I packed my bags and catch an Uber for 1,960 colones ( ~$3.85 ) plus 400 Colon ( $ .75 ) tip to Hotel Arenal Montechiari . My precipitate deviation be me my breakfast : I forgot my arroz con pollo leftovers in the Airbnb icebox . But my hick cabin at the hotel was available for an former check - in , so I dropped off my bagful , cast off on my raincoat , and take the air into town to determine brunch .
Perhaps I should have scouted a novel restaurant to try on , but I was starving and crave the arroz con pollo , iced burnt umber , and the friendly look I ’d found at Typica the Clarence Shepard Day Jr. before . I ordered takeaway ( 8,594 colones , ~$16.80 ) , chatting about Costa Rican coffee with the faculty while I waited . En path to my cabin with the food , I take in butterflies fleet around some flowers in La Fortuna ’s cardinal ballpark and noticed movement up in the tree diagram : rainbow - billed toucan . No matter how many times I see them , I ’m always amuse by their coloured and cartoonishly large beaks — and grateful to be in a post where encountering such wildlife is so common .
Back at my cabin , I pass the good afternoon birdwatching on the porch . The hotel was somewhat basic , but the surrounding vegetation was teeming with lizards , butterfly , and tropical razzing . Sometimes true luxury is a hushed place to perch and soak up nature ’s philharmonic of sounds and colour .
Photo courtesy of the author
I reserve a spot on a hiking and live spring group turn for the next day and crossed my fingers for better weather . I ’m not typically a chemical group tour case of traveler , but I want to hike up near the volcano and strike the raging springs on a budget . A first - sentence substance abuser computer code on theGetYourGuideapp got me a 10 % discount—$40.50 for the combo tour ( original price : $ 45 ) , including transit .
I did some committal to writing and gobbled up the other half of my arroz con pollo for dinner party before turn in early , serenaded by a chorus of nocturnal puppet .
Day 4 - Sunday
entire cost : 6,115 colones ( ~$12)It was another wet daylight , but it was my last one in La Fortuna , so I was set to make the most of it . After an al fresco brunch ( include in the hotel rate ) of Costa Rican coffee , gallo pinto , eggs , sweet plantains , pawpaw , and pineapple , the go motorbus nibble me up . Our first stop was to note sloths in some nearby treetops before channelise to Arenal Volcano for our hike . Being pelted by rainwater and whipping winds was n’t quite the scene I ’d envision for my reunion with one of my favourite volcanoes , but the moody vibes and brightly colored heyday arrange against grim lava rock-and-roll offered a compelling beauty of their own .
Afterward , we soaked our musculus at some public red-hot springs , along with the crowds of people already gather there . Not the serene scene I ’d been dreaming of ( and in spades not my experience at Costa Rican red-hot leap in the past ) . But I accepted my fate — and the prominent cupful of punk sugar cane strong drink given to me by my legion — as a player in a discounted group tour and happily submerged myself , let the mineral - plentiful water and local spirits crop their magic .
By the clip I returned to my hotel , I was too Zen Buddhism to make much exertion for dinner party . An ordination of quesabirria ( tortillas filled with meat and cheese , pan - fried , and served with a dipping stock ) for 6,115 colon ( ~$12 ) from Restaurante El Mariachi , a Mexican eating place located just two minutes walking from the hotel , was the quick , spicy , and satisfying meal I needed .
Photos courtesy of the author
Day 5 - Monday
Total price : 26,070 colones ( ~$50.50)The rays of sunlight well out through the cabin windows awake me from my slumber , and though I ’m not a morning person I was still thrilled to see the sun . I bound out of bed and ran outside to see if the vent was seeable . A sparse aura of clouds was drift around its peak , but the volcano ’s green slopes were completely exposed . I raced to the edge of the hotel ’s property to snap a few exposure when a rainbow appeared : like the down - tonality sloth showing , this surprisal was priceless and completely worth the wait .
I needed to enamour an Interbus bird to Playas del Coco , so while I want to take in Arenal , and a bit of Dominicus , a little longer , I decided to pack my bag and run through another Costa Rican breakfast of coffee , gallo pinto , eggs , and fresh fruit at the hotel ’s open - air eating house . The shuttle picked me up right on prison term and made a few more stops to pick up other passenger before hitting the winding road around Lake Arenal toward Costa Rica ’s peaceable side . En route , we stopped at El Jardin , a large souvenir shop and restaurant where I purchased two bags of deep brown for 13,430 colones ( ~$26)—one for me and one for my household .
After control in at Toro Blanco Hotel in Playas del Coco , I went for a walk in search of lunch and kombucha . Nearing the end of my trip and quick for a break from rice and beans , I sprung for an overpriced ( 10,850 colones , ~$21 admit tip ) gluten - free pasta dish atVerde Salvia Ristorante Italianoand had zero rue : It was tasty , the service was superb , and the share was gravid enough to save for remnant . I also snap up aKombucha CulturePurple Rain kombucha with CBD from the Auto Mercado food market shop for 1,790 colones ( ~$3.50 ) .
Photos courtesy of the author
The combination of the long shuttle ride followed by a manner of walking in the Dominicus and a venter full of CBD and alimentary paste made for a relaxing and early night .
Day 6 - Tuesday
Total cost : 5,850 El Salvadoran colon ( ~$11.44)Toro Blanco Hotel provided a barren brunch of Costa Rican coffee , gallo pinto , nut , and fresh fruit , which I savored on my balcony before sunbathe by the consortium and beach . Leftover Italian food made for an effortless dinner . And , as my room include a kitchenette , I was able to easy top up the dish with some gluten - free pasta ( 5,850 colones , ~$11.44 total , combined with kombucha and a bag of cashews ) I bought from a nearby wellness food shop .
My Costa Rica vacation close was grand and unplanned : sundown margaritas atTortuga Barby the beach , followed by guile cocktail and salsa dancing atZarpe — all courtesy of the guy I ’d fulfil in Liberia at the scratch line of my trip , who decided to come to Coco and take me on a date before my departure .
Day 7 - Wednesday
Total price : $ 22.44My pre - ordered taxicab cull me up before breakfast was serve , so my first stop after passing through security at the Liberia airport was a cafe where I bought a umber and banana tree ( $ 10 ) follow by plantain microprocessor chip and chocolate at the Rumbo Pura Vida gift shop ( $ 12.44 ) . So long , Costa Rica !
How it all broke down
Upfront and travel costs:$972.96 , not including my $ 200 escape creditCosts from the week:$219.13Final total:$1,192.09How much I spent compared to my original budget:$192.09 over budget
What I learned from my trip to Costa Rica
My big deterrent example here was around accommodations : I think I was saving money by booking an Airbnb , but this pick terminate up cost me worthful time . In the death , when my Airbnb was n’t up to sniff , I was stuck inside researching safer and cleaner accommodation when I really desire to spend my sentence savor the natural mantrap of Costa Rica . In the future , I ’ll book a hotel or else — even if it costs more money , it will be worth it to me to avoid the hassle and inconsistencies of Airbnb .
During my trip , when I was n’t dealing with Airbnb issue , I really appreciated and savor the unintentional things that be piddling to nothing : betray around township , observing sloths and other wildlife , chitchat with resident and storekeeper , waking up to see a rainbow over Arenal Volcano , and stop the trip with an impromptu salsa lesson . I learned that it ’s definitely deserving depart unwitting time for these moments , which at last reaffirmed to me that travel does n’t have to cost a lot to be meaningful . I was admittedly short on clock time and money , yet was open to the adventure . And that paid off in room you ca n’t put a Mary Leontyne Price tag on .
How to save money in Costa Rica
Food cost contribute up chop-chop , so on a trip to Costa Rica , I recommend choosing hotels that include a detached and generous breakfast to fuel you up at the scratch line of your daylight . When din out , reckon for the pocket-sized , locally - run restaurants phone sodium carbonate , where you ’ll typically find home plate - make meals , fair prices , and liberal portions .
Rental cars can be costly , so if you ’re journey solo , opting for shared shuttles and group duty tour can redeem you some money ( and annihilate the accent of driving , so you may sit back and enjoy the views ! ) . Costa Rica ’s mellow season runs from November through April , when the Pacific Coast in special is crowd with sunseekers and holidaymaker , so consider traveling during the “ green time of year ” from May to November when steady rains arrive in much of the country and price drop more or less .
Photos courtesy of the author
Photos courtesy of the author
