21 Smart Ways to Plan a Family Trip to Costa Rica on a Budget
Trying to plan your family vacation to Costa Rica on a budget?
We’ve been recommending Costa Rica as the perfect family destination for many years, but we’re not completely oblivious to the fact that it’s become increasingly more difficult to plan a family trip to Costa Rica on a budget.
That said, we still highly recommend it for a family vacation, so we want to give families some tips on how to visit Costa Rica without breaking the bank.
In this guide, we’re going to give you an inside look at some of the money-saving strategies we use when visiting Costa Rica.
By the end, you should be able to apply some of these tips to your own trip planning to help you stay within budget.
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How to Save Money on a Family Trip to Costa Rica
Costa Rica wasn’t always the expensive destination it is today, but over the years, it has become one of the most expensive countries to visit in Central America.
We’ve seen this first-hand from our own visits, from flight and accommodations to tours and food. However, this doesn’t mean that there aren’t deals to be found. You just need to plan strategically.
This guide will focus on giving you our top travel planning tips that we use ourselves to plan our trips to Costa Rica, and pretty much everywhere we go.
You’ll be able to use these specific strategies to keep the cost of your Costa Rica trip in check without sacrificing experiences.
Let’s get to it!
1. Look For Hotels That Don’t Charge For Children
One of the most valuable planning strategies when traveling with family is to look for hotels that allow children to stay and eat for free when staying in the same room as the adults.
This can be a huge savings, especially if you have younger children.
Generally speaking, to qualify, children need to be under the age of five. However, occasionally, you will find hotels that offer this benefit for older children as well.
For example, Planet Hollywood Costa Rica will allow one child and one teen free in the same room with the adults. Keep in mind that this is usually only valid for certain room categories, so you may need to upgrade your room.
We suggest comparing the price between the standard and upgraded categories to decide if it makes sense for your family.
2. Don’t Book Tours Through Your Hotel
You will almost always find a tour desk somewhere in the lobby of most resort hotels, usually with a line of people waiting their turn.
At first glance, it might seem convenient to have this service in your hotel, and it is, but don’t forget that you’re paying for that convenience.
Most hotels have partnership agreements with local vendors to provide tours for their guests. In exchange, hotels receive a commission from the vendors that can total anywhere between 10% and 20% of the total trip cost.
This can add significantly to the overall trip cost, especially if you’re traveling as a family. To avoid this, we recommend booking your Costa Rica tours in advance.
You’ll usually find the best pricing through tour booking platforms because competition breeds lower prices.
The vendors on these platforms are competing for whatever business they can get simply because they don’t have a captive audience like the hotels do.
Wondering what a family trip to Costa Rica will cost? Read our complete guide:
→ How Much Does it Cost to Go to Costa Rica? 1-Week Family Guide
3. Compare Rental Car Options
This is another planning task that can save you some money in the long run. There are numerous car rental companies in Costa Rica and pricing can vary significantly from one to another.
We suggest comparing car rental options in advance to lock in the lowest price possible. Much like the tours, car rental booking platforms allow you to compare multiple rental companies at the same time.
If you plan to visit during peak season, booking in advance is especially important.
If you wait too long, less expensive rentals might sell out or prices might increase the closer you get to your arrival date.
Another option for saving a little money is to book the non-refundable rental car rate instead of the flexible rate.
We don’t usually opt for this because we like having the flexibility to cancel if we need to. However, this is another option for you if you want to save a little extra money.
Need some tips for driving in Costa Rica? Check out our complete guide:
→ Driving in Costa Rica: 15 Things to Know Before You Rent a Car
4. Limit Your Destinations
Costa Rica is such a diverse country which is why many visitors plan their itineraries around multiple destinations rather than staying in one spot.
While this is our favorite way to explore the country, it does come with a downside. Multiple stops can increase the cost of a trip significantly since you’ll need to figure in the cost of ground transportation to get from one place to the next.
This isn’t so much of an issue if you plan to rent a car, but if you opt for shuttles or private transfers, it can start to get pricey.
We suggest limiting your destinations to cut down on the number of transfers needed. Not only will you save money, but you’ll also be able to fully explore your chosen destinations rather than rushing from one place to the next.
5. Stay at an All-Inclusive
We’ve gone through hot and cold phases when it comes to Costa Rica all-inclusives. When we first started visiting Costa Rica more than 20 years ago, all-inclusives were our go-to accommodation of choice in the Guanacaste area.
At the time, we loved them because they had a lot to offer in the way of amenities and restaurants.
However, as the kids got older, we started to shift away from all-inclusives in favor of standard resorts.
This was mainly because we spent most of our time exploring as opposed to staying at the resort, so all-inclusives felt like a waste of money.
However, with how expensive Costa Rica has become, we’re slowly switching back to being pro all-inclusive.
It’s so difficult to predict what your actual costs will be when opting for a la carte pricing, so it’s very easy to go over your budgeted amount.
For many families, locking in a predictable food and drink budget upfront with an all-inclusive is one of the best ways to save money.
Check out our breakdown on whether all-inclusives in Guanacaste are worth it for families:
→ Are All-Inclusives in Guanacaste, Costa Rica Worth It For Families?
6. Eat Like a Local at Neighborhood Sodas
Food can account for a significant portion of your vacation budget when traveling as a family. If an all-inclusive isn’t for you, you can still keep the cost of meals down by trying some of the local restaurants called “sodas”.
These are small, family-owned restaurants that serve more traditional local dishes. You can often get a large amount of food for very little money.
Sometimes you can order dishes that can easily feed a parent and a child for under $10, which can save you a significant amount of money over some of the more touristy restaurants.
Even if you don’t want to eat exclusively at sodas, just swapping out a few meals during the course of a week-long vacation can save you hundreds of dollars.
7. Time Your Trip to Maximize “Shoulder Season” Savings
One of the best ways to save money when planning a vacation to Costa Rica is by traveling during the “green season”, otherwise known as the rainy season.
Don’t get me wrong, the weather in the dry season is fantastic, which is why everyone wants to visit during this time.
However, it also means that prices for flights and hotels will be at their absolute highest, especially if you visit during school holidays or around Easter week.
We always try to stay away from traveling anywhere during peak season when possible, which is how we came to visit Costa Rica during the green season the first time.
This is now one of our favorite times to visit, and we’ve found that it ends up costing us much less than if we went during the dry season.
Booking during the green season can be particularly helpful if you have your eye on a luxury hotel. These tend to be exorbitantly expensive during the dry season.
If you visit during the green season, you can usually book a five star property at a fraction of the dry season cost.
Want to learn more about Costa Rica’s rainy season? Read this guide:
→ Costa Rica Rainy Season: Travel Guide for May to November
8. Compare Room-Only Rates With Breakfast-Inclusive Rates
This is one of the things that some hotels really get you on, especially in Costa Rica. Standard resorts tend to charge extremely high prices for breakfast.
If you’re comparing room rates in Costa Rica, check to see if the hotel offers breakfast-inclusive rates and room-only rates.
Many hotels offer both, but the breakfast-inclusive rates basically roll the normal cost of the breakfast into the nightly rate so you’re not really getting a deal.
If anything, you might find that it’s at a slightly discounted rate, but it’s usually a very minimal savings.
We usually opt out of the breakfast-inclusive rate because our kids don’t always get up early enough to make it to breakfast. If you can relate, maybe skipping the breakfast-inclusive rate would make more sense.
Pro Tip:
Another advantage to traveling during the green season is that many hotels will offer specials in order to fill their rooms. The deals can range from free airport transfers and breakfast to discounted rooms or all-inclusive packages.
9. Skip the Full Breakfast if it’s Not Included
Many times when we travel, we opt for something smaller for breakfast rather than a full sit-down meal.
We do this mainly because we don’t like eating a huge breakfast everyday. Sometimes it’s nice to just grab a coffee and a muffin and sit by the pool instead.
If your resort happens to have a coffee shop on-site, opting for a lighter breakfast is a great way to reduce food costs.
If you have a rental car, you can also check out some of the local breakfast spots in nearby towns. Many times, you can get a decent breakfast for a fraction of what it would cost you to eat at the hotel.
Pro Tip:
Check to see if there are any breakfast options nearby before booking your hotel. Some hotels and resorts are fairly isolated, so a 20 or 30-minute drive might not make the most sense.
10. Stay in Less Touristy Areas
Costa Rica is a fairly large country, and while a handful of areas get the most attention, there are plenty worth visiting just outside these areas.
Because they’re lesser-known areas, they also tend to be less expensive as well. This is a great way to save money on accommodations without being too far from the places you want to see.
11. Compare Family Suites vs Two Rooms
Nowadays, hotels and resorts are jumping on the family suite bandwagon, finally. This is something we’ve always looked for, no matter where we traveled, but it used to be very difficult to find.
Thankfully, it’s much easier to find them today, and sometimes, you’ll find that they can be less expensive than booking two rooms.
However, be sure to compare it against a standard room since this isn’t always the case.
Pro Tip:
This strategy usually makes more sense if you plan to book two rooms. Upgrading to a two-bedroom suite may end up being less expensive than booking two separate rooms at the regular rate.
12. Compare Flights into Liberia vs San Jose
One of the great things about Costa Rica is that there are two international airports in Costa Rica, one in Liberia and one in San Jose. Each serves different parts of the country.
If you’re flexible with your Costa Rica itinerary, we suggest checking for flight deals into both airports and planning your visit accordingly.
Regardless of which one you choose, you’ll have access to inland areas as well as beach destinations.
Check out our family itineraries that cover both airports:
→ 1-Week Costa Rica With Kids Itinerary from Liberia Airport
→ Costa Rica Family Itinerary: 1-Week From San Jose Airport
13. Set Price Change Alerts For Flights
This strategy is particularly helpful when we’re tied into specific dates for our vacation.
The first thing we do is head over to Google Flights, enter our dates of travel and sign up for price change notifications.
We get notifications directly to our inbox without the pressure of checking the prices every day.
We also love that Google Flights has a pricing calendar that allows you to see the difference in pricing from one day to the next.
It will also tell you if prices are low, typical or high which is helpful when deciding when the time is right to purchase your tickets.
14. Use Travel Points for a Portion of the Trip
We’re all about the travel points and we go out of our way to charge as many large purchases as possible to credit cards that will give us the most points and benefits.
For most of our trips to Costa Rica, we didn’t pay anything for our flights other than a small amount for taxes, and that’s for four people.
Not having to pay for airfare is a gamechanger when it comes to traveling as a family.
Using points usually requires advance planning, but nowadays credit cards make it very easy to earn a lot of points in a short amount of time.
With massive bonus points for signing up and triple points on certain purchases, you can earn free flights before you know it.
Pro Tip:
We don’t recommend this strategy unless you’re able to pay off your credit card each month. If you start to incur interest charges, it defeats the purpose of trying to save money.
15. Sign Up For Loyalty Programs
Nowadays, every company has a loyalty program, and inevitably, we get inundated with notifications asking if we want to sign up.
We’re not usually ones for signing up for every single loyalty program, but when it comes to travel, we sign up for as many as possible.
Over the years, they’ve saved us a ton of money and they’ve given us many perks that we wouldn’t have had otherwise.
From early check ins and upgraded rooms to free breakfasts and free nights, we’ve gotten them all.
While some loyalty programs require a steady amount of stays or purchases before seeing any true benefits, some offer perks the minute you sign up.
You just need to do a little research to find which programs make the most sense for you.
16. Compare Shuttle Costs vs Private Transfers
We’ve mentioned this in other posts, but it’s worth mentioning again here.
If you opt for transfers instead of renting a car in Costa Rica, be sure to compare the per person rate of shared shuttles versus private transfers.
Shared shuttles are priced per person while private transfers tend to be priced per group.
You may find that booking private transfers costs the same, or less than, shared shuttles.
We find this particularly true if you have four or more people in your group. Given the choice, we recommend private transfers over shared shuttles because they offer more flexibility as far as transfer times and pit stops.
17. Subscribe to Travel Deal Newsletters
This is a strategy that works best if you have a lot of time to plan as opposed to booking something last minute. It also helps if you’re flexible with your dates.
We sign up for as many travel newsletters as possible so we receive notifications regarding deals on flights, accommodations, bonus transfer points, and more.
The trick is that you need to be ready to act on any deals that come through because they might only last for a couple of days.
We’ve been able to book business class flights and luxury hotels for much less than they normally go for.
18. Choose a Smaller Rental Car
We often recommend that visitors opt for a 4×4 if they’re renting a car in Costa Rica, especially if they’re traveling to the more mountainous regions of the country.
However, 4x4s also tend to be one of the more expensive rental car options.
If you happen to be staying closer to the coastal areas, a 4×4 may not be necessary, and you can probably save some money by opting for a sedan instead.
The one exception to this is if you decide to visit during the green season. While many of the coastal roads are well paved, some are not and are susceptible to flooding.
Renting a 4×4 may give you more peace of mind which might be more important than saving a few dollars.
19. Skip the Combo Tours
You’ll find that many tour operators in Costa Rica will package multiple experiences into one tour.
For example, when visiting the Arenal area, many tour operators offer a combo tour that includes a canopy tour and a ride on an aerial tram.
At first glance, this sounds like a great tour. What many people don’t realize is that the aerial tram is often a quick 3 to 5-minute ride that you need to take in order to get to the top of the mountain to begin the canopy tour.
It’s really just an excuse for the tour operator to charge an extra $30 per person over the tour down the street that only costs $80 per person.
We recommend only booking combo tours if they are offering you something that is on your Costa Rica bucket list. Otherwise, you can probably skip it.
20. Rent a Villa
If you really want to save some money when visiting Costa Rica, consider renting a villa instead of staying at a resort.
There are some absolutely stunning homes that can provide a luxury experience at a fraction of the cost of a resort.
You can also save money on food by opting to have some of your meals at the villa instead of a restaurant.
Even if it’s just breakfast, it’ll save you quite a bit of money. Plus, if you plan to spend a couple of days at the villa pool, you can save even more by having lunch there as well.
21. Compare Value Between Hotels
If there’s one thing we’ve learned through our years of trip planning, it’s that finding value in a hotel isn’t just about getting the lowest nightly rate.
It’s about looking at the total cost of your stay and what you’re getting for your money. Sometimes the better value is the hotel that includes more for a higher price.
One prime example for Costa Rica is deciding where to stay in the Arenal area.
Many people opt to stay at a less expensive property and then they purchase day passes to hot springs at a different resort.
This can make sense in some situations, however, be sure to compare the cost of the less expensive property plus the day passes against the price of just upgrading your hotel to one with its own hot springs.
You may find that it’ll cost roughly the same. Even if it costs a little more, keep in mind that you get unlimited use of the hot springs for the entire length of your stay.
Answering Your Questions About Costa Rica on a Budget
How much does a family trip to Costa Rica typically cost?
A family trip to Costa Rica can vary quite a bit depending on the time of year you visit and where you stay. A typical 1-week trip for a family of four can cost anywhere from $6,500 for a moderate budget to upwards of $25,000 for an ultra luxury trip.
Which part of Costa Rica is best for families?
There are many great destinations for families in Costa Rica, but some of the most popular ones are La Fortuna, Manuel Antonio, and the Guanacaste area.
What is the cheapest month to visit Costa Rica?
September and October tend to be the least expensive months to visit Costa Rica.
More Costa Rica Travel Guides
Planning Guides
- Best Time to Visit Costa Rica: The Ultimate Seasonal Travel Guide
- Costa Rica Airports Guide 2026: Which Airport to Fly Into & Why
- Driving in Costa Rica: 15 Things to Know Before You Rent a Car
- Costa Rica Dry Season: Travel Guide for December to April
- Costa Rica Rainy Season: Travel Guide for May to November
- 15 Costa Rica Travel Mistakes to Avoid for First-Time Visitors
- Costa Rica Family Itinerary: 1-Week From San Jose Airport
- 1-Week Costa Rica With Kids Itinerary from Liberia Airport
Destination Guides
Our Final Take: Costa Rica Family Trip On a Budget
So there you have it, our top tips for planning a family trip to Costa Rica on a budget.
You don’t need to spend a fortune to have a great time, and if you plan strategically, you can absolutely experience Costa Rica without breaking the bank.
Our recommendation is to do as much research as possible because there are deals out there.
If you have any questions about traveling to Costa Rica as a family, feel free to reach out to us at any time.
Talk soon!
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