Just got back from Costa Rica and the prices are way worse than last trip

I visited Tamarindo last week and a simple plate of rice and beans cost $14 US... that's double what I paid two years ago. Hotels jacked up their rates for dry season too, even the basic hostels were asking $50 a night. I get that tourism is big there but locals told me they can barely afford to live in their own towns anymore. Has anyone else seen prices spike this bad in other places?

3 comments

3 Comments

patricia2621mo ago

That $14 rice and beans thing really gets me, because that's supposed to be the cheap food locals eat, not a tourist trap price. Did you notice if the places catering to tourists were the only ones jacking up, or were the little sodas charging the same too? I keep hearing about places like Tulum and Cartagena turning into total money grabs, but I wonder if it's hitting every beach town or just the ones that made it on Instagram.

the_terry1mo ago

@patricia262 I hear you on the "total money grabs" thing, but honestly I think folks are reading too much into it. I was in a smaller beach town in Costa Rica last year, not even a big Instagram spot, and you could still find rice and beans for like $5 at the little stands away from the beach. The $14 stuff was mostly at the places with the cute signs and the English menus. I think it's more about where you choose to sit down than some big conspiracy. Take a walk two blocks inland and you're eating like a local again. Prices are going up everywhere, sure, but it's not like every spot is trying to empty your wallet.

jakewhite1mo ago

Oh come on, even the little sodas in Tulum were charging $10 for beans and rice, @the_terry.