Sidebar #15 - Chatting Colones

In my last sidebar, I discussed the finances of being a Peace Corps Volunteer, so on a related note, I figured I’d talk about money and currency in Costa Rica. Although some countries in Latin America use the US Dollar, Costa Rica isn’t one of them. In really touristy places like La Fortuna or Manuel Antonio, they may accept USD, but it isn’t ubiquitous throughout the country. Instead, Costa Rica uses colones. It’s roughly 500 colones to 1 US Dollar which actually makes for a relatively easy conversion. (Just multiply by 2.) Costa Rica is also an extremely modern and industrial country. Unlike some other neighboring countries, you can get by on a day-to-day basis without a lot of cash. Almost all businesses accept cards, and many also take something called SINPE. In short, SINPE is connected to phone numbers and transfers money through bank accounts. To me, it resembles Venmo most similarly. You must be a Costa Rican resident to have access to SINPE. Once I received my temporary residence, or DIMEX, I was finally able to use it for the first time. I should also note that because Costa Rica has one of the strongest economies in the region, it also happens to be one of the most expensive. The cost of living in urban Costa Rica isn’t too dissimilar from most of the United States other than certain major cities like New York, Los Angeles, etc.