Costa Rica uses the Costa Rican colón, code CRC4. One US dollar equals about 455.58 colones as of 23 October 20261. Dollars are accepted almost everywhere, including ATMs and taxis10, but euros are not accepted by shops11. Knowing this helps you avoid bad trades and surprise ATM fees13.
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Mid-market rate, refreshed in your browser. The booth and the ATM will give you less than this: the difference is their fee.
Updated 2026-10-23
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Costa Rica's money is the colón. It is written with the sign ₡ and the bank code CRC4.
Banknotes come in five values: 1,000, 2,000, 5,000, 10,000 and 20,000 colones5. They are made of plastic, not paper. As of 2021, the central bank said this makes them last longer, stay secure and recycle fully9. As of 2021, each note also had a see-through window and a band that changes colour when you tilt it8. Every value has its own colour and its own animal. The 10,000 colón note shows a sloth8.
Coins come in five current values: 500, 100, 50, 25 and 10 colones6. Older round coins worth 5, 10 and 25 colones, from an earlier design, stopped working as payment on 1 July 20267. You can still take old coins to a bank and trade them for valid money7.
Match your payment to the price tag. Tours, hotels, restaurant bills and long taxi rides are often priced in US dollars, so pay those in dollars. Short rides and small shops price in colones, so pay those in colones12.
Carry a card that charges no foreign fee. Use it for the dollar prices, and pull colones from an ATM for the rest12.
App Store · soonUS dollars work almost everywhere in Costa Rica. ATMs, taxis, hotels and restaurants take them, and the government itself prices national park fees and some taxes in dollars10.
Euros are different. Shops do not take them11.
ATMs are the easiest way to get colones. Some bank machines charge foreign cards nothing, while others charge $4 to $9 for each withdrawal, on top of any fee your home bank adds13.
Most ATMs hand out colones. A few bank machines also hand out US dollars15. Each withdrawal is capped somewhere between 100,000 and 500,000 colones, and most travelers hit a daily wall of about $1,50014.
If the screen asks to charge you in US dollars instead of colones, say no and pick colones. That on the spot swap adds its own fee15.
Pack a card that charges no foreign fee. It is the cheapest way to pay dollar prices and to pull cash from an ATM12.
If you plan to carry paper money, know the line. Costa Rica requires you to declare cash and similar instruments worth $10,000 or more at the border16. Stay under that line and your trip stays simple.
Costa Rica uses the colón, code CRC4. One US dollar buys about 455.58 colones right now1.
Yes. Dollars are accepted almost everywhere, including ATMs, taxis, hotels and restaurants, and the government prices some fees in dollars too10.
No. Shops do not accept euros11.
Most machines charge $4 to $9 a withdrawal, though two of the largest local banks charge foreign cards nothing13. Each withdrawal is capped between 100,000 and 500,000 colones14.
You must declare cash and similar instruments worth $10,000 or more at the border16.
Not to pay. The old design stopped working as payment on 1 July 2026, though banks still exchange them for valid money7.
Exchy shows this colón rate with no ads, covers ATM fees for 35 countries, checks exchange booth rates, and still works offline. Get Exchy on Google Play.
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