What To Know About Tipping In Costa Rica

Hello International Living – Costa Rica!

Thanks for the great tips! Also, you’re absolutely right—tips are an important source of income for many Costa Ricans. It’s wonderful that travelers supply them, whenever and however much they can. 🙂

Pura vida!

Hey travelrecos!

Thanks so much for the re-blog! Great recent post on “stuff to remember in budget hotels.” Costa Rica backpackers could benefit from reading that article of yours. 😉

Pura vida!

Con mucho gusto (you’re welcome), donoghuemc! 🙂

Hi Colley!

This one is tough to estimate. It depends on a lot of factors, including whether the trip is an overnight one, whether it’s an inshore or offshore fishing trip, whether the staff prepares meals for you during the trip, and obviously, the quality of service you receive. Normally, I’d recommend tipping 5-10% of the tour cost, but chartered fishing trips can be wildly expensive, so that approximation may not work for you. Would you feel comfortable reporting back with the cost and of the fishing trip and its inclusions? That will give me a better idea of a ballpark for tipping.

Pura vida! 🙂

Hi MS!

You ask such great questions! It sounds like you may have already returned home from your trip, but our answers to your questions may help future travelers with respect to their upcoming vacations, so we appreciate you sharing them on our Costa Rica Travel Blog.

We’ll start with a disclaimer: It’s tricky to say in all cases whether something is or is not legitimate, and therefore, whether you should or should not tip. There will always be sincere people just as there will always be people who try to take advantage of situations. The below recommendations are simply what we would do in each case, but the most important advice we can offer is to always trust your gut.

In response to question #1:

We tend to tip in this case. It isn’t required to do so, but we tend to give about $1-2 USD or 500-1,000 colones per hour of parking time. The people who keep watch over cars are usually members of the community, and the attendant job is their only source of income. This being said, there’s no guarantee that their vigilance will prevent problems such as vehicle theft, theft of possessions from inside the vehicle, and/or vehicle damage. Regardless, we err on the side of caution and take parking lot attendants up on their offers and have them watch our car.

In response to question #2:

We tend not to tip in this case. On rare occasions, we have encountered government- or school-run projects that request donations from passersby, but in these cases, the project is formally established as a fundraiser and has uniformed representatives or provides official donation receipts. With respect to road construction, it is rare to be asked on the spot for a donation, especially when details, evidence of the project, signage, and/or other representation are not provided. We usually only see this type of random, personal fundraising in town/community centers where residents roam the streets with a jar or a can in hand, asking neighbors for donations to help a loved one who is struggling. In these gut-wrenching cases, we usually provide monetary support.

Pura vida! 🙂

Hey Two_4_Exploring!

We don’t always tip gas station attendants. Only if we’re paying with cash will we round up the total to provide a small tip.

Most grocery stores don’t have baggers (apart from the cashier), but some larger chains might. In either case, we don’t tip the cashier/baggers as they tend to be paid store employees.

Pura vida! 🙂