Can unmarried couples travel together without judgement from locals?

Although traditional family structures and a strong religious base are much prized throughout Latin America, Gringos are often viewed as having lower morals and lesser beliefs largely fueled by our ridiculous comparative wealth. They are more likely to feel slightly sorry for us than be detrimentally judgmental however and at no time will you have to pretend to be other than you are.

Its nice that you asked. Its is traditional in many parts of CA/Nica, gay couples can have more an issue than anything else.

i travelled there as (half of) an unmarried couple.....both Nica and Panama...and it was never an issue.

A few times people asked if we were married (not hostel/homestay owners though,just people we met) and when we said no,they didn't seem particularly surprised......

Many couples in Costa Rica are not legally married despite the strong Catholic theology. I am not sure completely why so many are hesitant as there are, here at least, effective laws that deal with common law marriages (union libre) and children born out of wedlock. ( these are the kind of laws they DO enforce with a vengeance.) Certainly not an issue for most people.

gay couples can have more an issue than anything else.

Nah... there are plenty of reports about this. CAmericans are generally very 'live and let live' about the issue unless you've decided to hold a lascivious pride parade in their lobby.

Gringos are often viewed as having lower morals and lesser beliefs

That's a bit of a stretch too, but if it works for you, hey... I'm sure that gringos don't tend to use the thousands of "love hotels" always located conveniently just out of town.

IMO this will never be an issue unless you come up upon some wackadoo bible nut, which to be honest is probably more likely in US and the UK (see widely publicized cases over the last couple of year).

I agree with enroutesiglo, it shouldn't be a problem at all unless you get the odd straight edge.
Considering many men here (at least in Managua) have multiple partners and have kids with multiple women while still having a wife, not to mention all the auto hotels (rent by the hour) littered throughout the country, travelling around unmarried won't raise any eyebrows.

Gringos do indeed have lower moral standards but this is not one of them.

Can unmarried couples travel together without judgement from locals?

People will always judge, but they'll take your money. If it's a problem, just say you're engaged.

Never had it be an issue anywhere in CA...often they just assume you are. The locals where we live in Guate often refer to us as spouses even though they know technically we are not.

I would be conservative about PDA, but not being married will not be an issue...more likely to be an issue in rural USA than CA.

Keep in mind that through out CA it is not uncommon for effectively married couples not to legally be married...even those in the same household w kids. Marriage has historically be made legally complicated and expensive to discuorage it among the indigenous/worker classes...no legal marriage =no inheritence rights = no accumulation of wealth/power/land = no threat.