Costa Rica on a budget

For a budget traveler Costa Rica is a great place. Transport is cheap if you stick to buses. You do not need to book accommodation in advance. You can turn up practically anywhere and still be able to find some small, sometimes pathologically clean local guest houses ( jokes aside, toilet in one of them smelled of flowers and looked so sparkling white that I was too embarrassed to use it!) or hotel to spend the night.
You can also eat tasty lunches and dinners cheaply, as long as you don’t mind various pies, love chicken and pizza and not fast about your vegetables.
If are you are a vegetarian or vegan – there are small shops and markets abound, but if you are planning to make your own salads you should bring the bowls and the cutlery. Most of the cheapest places to stay do not offer self catering facilities.
If however you are going to one of the touristy places, like volcano Arenal, Tabacon Hot springs or Monteverde Cloud Forest – there are some excellent hostels available, which do have a kitchen you can use as well as TV, Wi-Fi and other perks. These should probably be booked ahead during the high season (Christmas, New Year and Easter).
The only negatives are the high prices on certain items like clothes, electrical stuff, toothpaste, shampoos, conditioners and suntan lotions. Buying these items in a small local supermarket is often just as expensive as in bigger shops in any popular tourist area. The tax is often added at the end of your purchase and can make a big difference to the final price.