Last updated on January 16th, 2024 at 09:38 am GMT-6 (Costa Rica time)
Written by Nikki Solano
Nikki is the CEO of Pura Vida! eh? Inc. (Costa Rica Discounts), and the author of the guidebooks Moon Costa Rica (2019, 2021, 2023, and 2025 editions) and Moon Best of Costa Rica (2022 edition) from Moon Travel Guides. Together with her Costa Rican husband, Ricky, she operates the Costa Rica Travel Blog, created the online community DIY Costa Rica, built the Costa Rica Destination Tool, oversees the brand-new (summer 2023) Costa Rica Travel Shop, and designed the Costa Rica Trip Planning 101 E-Course. Also, Nikki wrote the Costa Rica cover feature for Wanderlust Magazine's sustainability-focused Travel Green List issue, showcased Costa Rica destinations and experiences on Rick Steves' Monday Night Travel show and podcast/radio show, and served as the Costa Rica Destination Editor for Essentialist, a luxury travel brand. Want to show your appreciation for her free article below? Thank Nikki here. ❤️️
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Get the Costa Rica info you need by browsing our article's TABLE OF CONTENTS:
- What to know about tipping in Costa Rica
- Tipping in Costa Rica: Tipping tour guides
- Tipping in Costa Rica: Tipping drivers including tour drivers, shared shuttle service drivers, private transfer service drivers, taxi drivers, and parking lot attendants
- Tipping in Costa Rica: Tipping waiters and waitresses
- Tipping in Costa Rica: Tipping hotel staff
- Who shouldn’t you tip
What to know about tipping in Costa Rica
At Pura Vida! eh? Inc., we often receive questions from travelers about tipping in Costa Rica. Answering these questions with confidence is tough because the deciding factor in determining whether you should or should not tip during your Costa Rica trip, as well as how much you should tip if you decide to do so, is the level of service you receive from tour guides, drivers, waiters/waitresses, hotel staff, and other workers. Since service levels vary and evaluations are subjective, it’s nearly impossible to say with certainty that you should tip, let alone how much you should tip. What we can do, though, is offer general recommendations for tipping in Costa Rica based on what we give, on average, for deserving services. Be sure to adjust the tip amounts below to your degree of comfort according to whether you experience above-average or below-average service.
If you come from a country where tipping isn’t customary…
If you’re visiting Costa Rica from a country where tipping isn’t commonly practiced, you may not feel comfortable tipping tour guides, drivers, waiters/waitresses, and/or hotel staff in Costa Rica. This is your prerogative, even though most service staff in Costa Rica hope, if not expect, to receive a tip. If you don’t feel comfortable tipping in Costa Rica because of your cultural norms or a different reason, don’t tip. Conversely, if you’re visiting Costa Rica from a country where tipping is generally practiced, know that leaving a tip is a kind and customary offering that’s sure to be appreciated.
Should I tip in USD or Costa Rican colones?
As we cover in our related blog post Spending Money In Costa Rica: What To Know About USD, Colones, Credit Cards, And More!, tips can be provided in US dollars or local Costa Rican colones. Tips in colones are preferred because they save tour guides, drivers, waiters/waitresses, hotel staff, and other workers a trip to the bank to exchange the funds, but that’s not to suggest that any worker would turn down a tip in US funds. 🙂
Tipping in Costa Rica: Tipping tour guides
Our quick Costa Rica tipping chart
Though the article below covers our tipping recommendations in greater detail, if you’re short on time, review our quick Costa Rica tipping chart:
| Who to tip | How much to tip | For how many people |
|---|---|---|
| Your tour guide | 10-15% of the tour cost | Per person or group of 2 people |
| Your tour guide | 10% of the tour cost | Per group of 3 or 4 people |
| Your tour guide | 5-10% of the tour cost | Per group of 5 or more people |
| Your tour driver | $2-5 USD (flat rate) | Per one-way service |
| Your shared shuttle service driver, private transfer service driver, or boat / water taxi captain | $2-5 USD (flat rate) | Per group of 1-4 people |
| Your shared shuttle service driver, private transfer service driver, or boat / water taxi captain | $5-10 USD (flat rate) | Per group of 5 or more people |
| Your taxi driver | Round-up the total shown on the meter | Per one-way service |
| Your parking lot attendant | $1-2 USD (flat rate) | Per vehicle, per hour of parked time |
| Your waiter / waitress | 15-20% of the total meal cost if Costa Rica’s 10% service charge (a mandatory gratuity charge) is not added to the bill | Per person |
| Your waiter / waitress | 5-10% of the total meal cost if Costa Rica’s 10% service charge (mandatory gratuity charge) is added to the bill | Per person |
| Your chef (if provided by your vacation rental at no extra cost to you) | 15-20% of the total meal cost (or the estimated total meal cost, if the actual cost is worked into your rental rate and unknown) if Costa Rica’s 10% service charge (a mandatory gratuity charge) is not added to the bill, or 5-10% of the total meal cost if the service charge is added to the bill. If you don’t know if the service charge has been added or not, split the difference and tip 10-15% of the total meal cost. | Per meal |
| Your chef (if hired and paid for privately) | 10-15% of the total meal cost | Per meal |
| Your bellhop | $2-5 USD (flat rate) | Per one-way service (luggage carriage) |
| Your hotel room cleaning staff | $2-5 USD (flat rate) or more, if the staff is responsible for cleaning an entire rental unit, not just a room/suite | Per night |
| Your hotel/vacation rental concierge | $2-5 USD (flat rate) or more, if the concierge makes a custom arrangement that requires a lot of work or an arrangement for a large travel group | Per booking service |
Which tour guides should I tip?
If you decide to tip a tour guide, the general rule of thumb is to tip the specific tour guide you have. This recommendation might sound obvious, but you may participate in tours where you interact with several tour guides and you’re not sure who to tip. If the tour operator’s office or reception desk displays a communal tip box/jar such as the one pictured at the top of this article (ask the staff at the tour’s entrance or reception desk if you’re not sure), you can leave your tip there, and at the end of the day, it (along with other participants’ tips) will be split among the day’s employees. You’re most likely to find tip boxes/jars at adventure parks where several tour guides operate tours collaboratively. When a tip box/jar is not provided, simply hand your tip to the specific tour guide who led your activity. For example, if you participate in white-water rafting tour, although several tour guides may be working on the day of your tour, hand the tip to the tour guide who led your specific raft. If two or more tour guides shared your tour’s guiding responsibilities (for example, if both were in your raft and they took turns guiding it), feel free to divide your tip across the tour guides.
How much should I tip tour guides?
Average tip percentages in Costa Rica are slightly lower than in the US/Canada where the standard runs between 15% and 20%. Costa Ricans are typically satisfied with less, around 10% to 15%. If you’re a solo traveler or traveling as part of a group of 2 people, consider tipping your tour guide 10-15% of the total tour cost. If you’re traveling as a group of 3 or 4 people, consider tipping your tour guide around 10% of the total tour cost. If you’re traveling as a group of 5 or more, consider tipping your tour guide 5-10% of the total tour cost.
Tour drivers
Many travelers forget to tip drivers who are responsible for transporting you to and from organized tour/activity locales, or to and from your hotel and the location where the tour takes place. In general, we recommend giving a flat rate (not a percentage of the tour cost) of $2-5 USD to each driver who performs the service well.
These drivers/captains are generally responsible for transporting you between cities or beaches, resulting in multi-hour drives/rides. We typically recommend offering a flat rate of $2-5 USD to each driver who performs their service(s) well. If you’re traveling as part of a group of 5 or more people, consider tipping the driver a flat rate (not a percentage of the shuttle service cost) of $5-10 USD.
Taxi drivers
Tipping taxi drivers isn’t as common a practice as tipping other drivers in Costa Rica. However, it’s kind to show your appreciation for the ride by rounding up the total shown on the maria (meter).
Parking lot attendants
If you intend to rent a car in Costa Rica, you’ll often find yourself looking for places to park. Outside of the capital city of San Jose, and especially at beach towns situated on the Pacific and Caribbean coasts, most parking lots are unofficial, makeshift lots. At several of these lots, you’ll encounter an individual (usually a resident of the local community) who offers to watch parked cars for a small fee. (The fee isn’t a gratuity per se; it’s a payment for an optional service.) The fee amount depends on the travel season, the popularity of the place, and the size/capacity of the lot, but tends to average $1-2 USD per hour of parked time. Although in most cases it isn’t a requirement to pay the attendant, we always do, to help support local workers. When the fee amount is by donation, use the $1-2 USD per hour of parked time as a guide.
Tipping in Costa Rica: Tipping waiters and waitresses
Tipping restaurant wait staff an average of 15-20% is the norm in Costa Rica. Many restaurants automatically add a 10% service charge (a gratuity charge) to their bills, which may appear as a 10% service tax or service fee. Most restaurant menus will state whether food and drink costs include or exclude the charge (ask restaurant staff if you’re not sure). If you see the charge noted on your bill, opt to leave an additional 5-10% tip. If the charge does not appear on your bill, leave 15-20% of the total meal cost.
Tipping in Costa Rica: Tipping hotel staff
Bellhops
Bellhops are responsible for transporting your luggage to your hotel room upon check-in. In general, we recommend giving a flat rate of $2-5 USD to each bellhop that performs their service well.
Room cleaning staff
Many travelers forget to tip the hotel staff who are responsible for cleaning your room upon check-out. In general, we recommend giving a flat rate of $2-5 USD for each night spent at the hotel.
Hotel concierge
Most travelers make tour and activity arrangements through tourism companies, so hotel concierge services aren’t often used. That said, if you use one, consider tipping them a flat rate of $2-5 USD per item that they arrange for you, or more, if the arrangement is for a large group or is a custom request that requires a lot of work.
Who shouldn’t you tip
Because you’re probably like us, and not made of money, here’s who you can easily get away with not tipping, unless, of course, they provide fantastic service that you feel is deserving of a financial reward:
- Public bus drivers
- Restaurant and hotel kitchen staff (save for private chefs; see the chart above)
- Hotel reception and/or reservations department staff (save for concierge employees; see the chart above)
- Car rental agency employees
- Business owners and/or management staff
- Souvenir store employees
QUESTION TO COMMENT ON: What are your recommended guidelines for tipping in Costa Rica?
Pura vida!
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