Tipping in Costa Rica: 2026 Guide for Travelers

Restaurants: The 10% Servicio

Restaurant and bar bills in Costa Rica carry two additions: the 13% sales tax (IVA) and the 10% service charge, usually labeled servicio or impuesto de servicio. If the menu lists prices before tax, those two lines together add roughly 23% to what you expected to pay.

Menus are supposed to show final prices, but many still list them before tax and service, with a small note at the bottom. A price marked i.v.i. already includes tax. Check which kind of menu you’re looking at so the bill doesn’t surprise you.

Because service is built in, an extra tip is optional. For exceptional service, many visitors add another 5–10% in cash, handed straight to the server. Some small sodas — family-run local eateries serving casados and gallo pinto — don’t add the service charge; leaving a few hundred colones in change there is appreciated but not expected.

If you pay by card, the 10% is already in the total. Any extra tip is best given in cash so it reaches your server directly.

Tour Guides and Naturalist Guides

Guides are where tipping matters most in Costa Rica. Naturalist guides on wildlife walks in Manuel Antonio, Monteverde, or Tortuguero, plus zip-line and rafting crews, often work for a modest day rate and count on tips from visitors.

• Half-day group tour: US$5–10 per person.
• Full-day group tour: US$10–20 per person.
• Private guide: 10–15% of the tour price, more if they went above and beyond.
• Zip-line or rafting crew: a few dollars per person, often dropped in a shared tip box for the whole team.

For more on how guide tips compare with home, see our tour guide tipping guide. Sport-fishing crews in Guanacaste and along the Pacific coast follow charter norms — see the fishing charter tipping guide.

Hotels, Lodges, and Shuttles

Leave US$1–3 (roughly ₡500–1,500) per night for housekeeping, more at upscale eco-lodges, and US$1–2 per bag for porters. Many jungle and rainforest lodges keep a communal tip box at reception that is shared among all staff, including kitchen and maintenance workers — a good place for a lump-sum tip at the end of your stay.

Drivers on shared tourist shuttles between towns usually get a couple of dollars per traveler, especially if they handle your bags. For a private transfer, US$5–10 is typical, more on long drives over mountain roads.

Taxis, Bars, and Spas

• Taxis: official red taxis use a meter, known locally as the maría. Drivers don’t expect tips; round up on short rides. In ride apps, a tip is optional.
• Bars: the 10% service charge usually applies to bar tabs too. Leave small change if you like.
• Spas and massage: many resort spas add a service charge. If one isn’t on the bill, 10–15% is appreciated.

Paying in Colones or Dollars

You can pay and tip in US dollars in most of Costa Rica, and many tour prices are quoted in dollars. Change, however, often comes back in colones at the business’s own rate. Carry small US bills (US$1s and US$5s) for tips, plus colones for sodas, buses, and rural areas. Torn or heavily worn dollar bills are sometimes refused.

For a guide or driver, either currency is fine. For a server at a local soda or a housekeeper, colones save them a trip to the bank.