Practical travel information on Money and costs in San José

Money & costs

Money

Any bank will change foreign currency into colones, but US dollars are by far the most accepted currency for exchange, with euros following a distant second. Upmarket hotels have exchange windows for their guests, but commissions can be steep, so check before changing large sums.

Credit cards are widely accepted in San José, though Visa tends to be preferred over MasterCard and American Express.

Banco de Costa Rica (221 8143; www.bancobcr.com; Av 1 btwn Calles 7 & 9; 8:30am-6pm Mon-Fri)

Banco de San José (295 9595; www.bancosanjose.fi.cr; Av 2 btwn Calles Central & 1; 8am-7pm Mon-Fri, 9am-1pm Sat) Has ATMs on the Plus and Cirrus systems.

Banco Nacional de Costa Rica Exchange House (cnr Av Central & Calle 4; 10:30am-6pm) A good find in the event of a Sunday cash-exchange emergency since it’s open seven days; expect long lines.

Compañía Financiera de Londres (222 8155; cnr Calle Central & Av Central, 3rd fl; 8:15am-4pm Mon-Fri) No commission on cash transactions and accepts US and Canadian dollars, euros and yen. Will also change traveler’s checks.

Credomatic (295 9000; inside Banco de San José; Calle Central btwn Avs 3 & 5) Gives cash advances on Visa and MasterCard.

Scotiabank (287 8700; www.scotiabank.com; Av 1 btwn Calles 2 & 4; 8:15am-5pm Mon-Fri) Good service and ATMs on the Cirrus system dispense US dollars too.