Restaurant bills generally include 10% service. An extra tip is optional appreciation, not another automatic percentage. Check tour and hotel tipping separately from your meal bill.
Usually includedDining quick answer
Guidance applies to the services described below; customs can differ by provider. How we research our guides
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Costa Rica tipping cheat sheet
Amounts, whether a tip is expected, and the exceptions that matter. Open a row to see the supporting source.
RestaurantsAdvice & exceptionsUsually included
Restaurant bills generally include 10% service. An extra tip is optional appreciation, not another automatic percentage. Check tour and hotel tipping separately from your meal bill.
Before paying: Check for an included service charge or gratuity. If adding a card tip, confirm the total before completing payment; with cash, make clear what is a tip and what change you need.
Keep a prepaid airport transfer separate from a metered taxi or a full-day driver. For tour budgets, check the unit and whether guide and driver tips are separate.
Settling into your hotel
A pooled staff gratuity and a personal tip are different arrangements; avoid paying the same gratuity twice.
Eating out & paying
Read the dining answer and your bill together. A suggested amount applies to the service described, not automatically to every purchase.
If you choose to give a personal cash tip, use a currency the recipient can spend and make its purpose clear. Card payment for the bill does not guarantee a card-tip facility. Check the final total before approving it.
For a prepaid tour or resort stay, read the gratuity inclusions. A service fee, a staff tip pool and an individual guide tip may cover different people.
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Sources & review notes
Last reviewed . Each service answer links to its evidence. Official visitor guidance, operator recommendations and older publisher examples are identified separately. A review date records our check; it does not make an old source new.
Intrepid Travel — Costa Rica: tipping FAQ ↗First-party tour-operator guidance, cross-checked with the dining reference where available. Not a rule for every local provider; publication date not stated. Accessed September 17, 2026.
No amount is inferred from a neighboring country. Operator examples are not national tariffs, and a documented “optional” answer does not imply a fixed amount exists. Next editorial review due March 17, 2027; monitoring is not automated.
