Is Costa Rica worth the money

Costa Rica is expensive, and you should know that going in. Not expensive by the standards of its poorer Central American neighbours, but expensive in absolute terms, often on a par with Western Europe or the United States, which catches a lot of people off guard. The country has worked out that visitors will pay, and it prices accordingly.

What stings is not the prices themselves but the value. Too often you pay a premium and get something ordinary. A waterfall with a steep entry fee. A 'rainforest' that is a pleasant but unremarkable walk. Activities sold as extraordinary that turn out to be a standard day out. I went in with high expectations on several of the headline experiences and came away feeling, more than once, that I had been charged a great deal for very little.

That does not mean the country is not worth visiting. Some things genuinely earn their price: the volcano-and-hot-springs combination around Arenal, a few of the wildlife encounters, the better restaurants. The trick is being selective. Pay up for the things that are actually special, and skip the ones trading on a reputation they no longer quite deserve.

My honest take: budget more than you think you need, treat the glossy must-do activities with healthy suspicion, and put your money toward a smaller number of genuinely good experiences rather than ticking off an expensive list. Costa Rica can absolutely be worth it. It is just very good at separating you from your money along the way, and a little scepticism goes a long way.