Costa Rica — Currency & Money

The colón (CRC) trades at roughly 500 to the US dollar. Dollars are accepted almost everywhere (bring small bills — change comes back in colones at the merchant's rate), and cards are near-universal in San José and the tourist towns. ATMs (BAC, BCR, Banco Nacional) dispense both currencies; use machines inside bank branches to cut skimming risk. Restaurants add a mandatory 10% service charge plus 13% VAT by law, so extra tipping is optional; taxi drivers are not tipped.