hey guys I'm Michael Allen I'm the
Angelou for trouble Costa Rica now calm
guys one of the first videos we ever did
it was about the exchange rate and the
currency used down here in Costa Rica
and I got to admit it was probably one
of our more drab videos but quite a few
drab videos ok one of them but anyway it
was drab because of a couple things one
because that we used not very good
lighting we didn't know about lighting
really and the other one was the Costa
Rican money back then was drab very drab
now it's a nice new colorful bills like
they came from a land of rainbows or
something where they got all these
beautiful colors these purples and
oranges they got butterflies and
hummingbirds beautiful money the money's
called the Cologne and right now the
exchange rate goes for about five
hundred Colonus to one American dollar
now we've been down here seven years and
that's almost always been true about the
average which makes conversion pretty
easy now it does fluctuate from day to
day but that's the average norm around
where it's gonna be and in your head you
want to keep it at 500 now one time it
got close to 600 but that was a while
back four years ago and it's but it's
been around 500 now the other thing is
you'll notice on these bills
it says mil well that's the Spanish word
for thousand here so the trick of
learning this money you only have to
know one thing the number to take any of
these numbers times them by 2 and it's
going to be the American equivalent so
this is a $4 this is $10 this is $20 $40
$100 approx now the thing they don't
really you don't see too many of these
too too much you're normally going to
use these so but conversions I think
kind of easy conversion is pretty easy
now especially with the new bills they
have dropped all those zeros at the end
that which was confusing every corner
because there was a lot of zeros now
it's a kind of it's a lot easier now
when you go into the airport do not
exchange money there they're kind of
kind of I don't want to say rip you all
but it's a bad it's a worse exchange
rate than you would get in the city or
get a better bang for your buck at the
banks in the cities and a lot of times
you don't even have to exchange your
money
it's everybody here will take dollars
they normally will give you the five
hundred to one conversion or there
abouts there abouts I've the only
problem time I've ever had a problem
with nobody wanting to take a American
money was on a public bus yeah I need
Costa Rican money now this goes against
what most people say most people say
convert your money convert your money
you could if you get off the plane go to
a bank maybe convert $50 $60 because
what's gonna happen when you use your
American money you're more than likely
most people give colonna's back and as
long as you know the rate you're not
gonna get ripped off it's you know but
if it is it's by a few cents so almost
everyone in the country or most places
you're gonna be going takes American
money so don't get all caught up in this
I got to convert my money I got to
convert my money you'll get colonna's
back like he said what change so just
keep track of the conversion you'll be
set right and the other thing is just
real quick you don't want to carry
around they don't really like American
50s and $100 bills they they kind of
consider them counterfeit so don't bring
out don't definitely don't bring a lot
of those now that they don't consider
counterfeit it's just it's a big bill to
worry about getting a counterfeit bill
for so they don't even touch them now
just did today this is my change do this
you do get a lot of coin change to here
in Costa Rica yeah W by and the only one
so they're the highest one is a 500 coin
which is about a dollar the next one is
a hundred which is about twenty cents
well anything under that which they have
a lot of they have 50 s and twenty fives
and tens and fives some of them are less
than a penny so you get a lot you get a
lot of change
useless change yes that so what I would
say the what's the best thing the change
could they could use it for tipping
tipping because normally - you don't
really tip here tips include it so if
it's already included and you just got a
handful of change just or me or maid
service or something just be careful
because you might be laying down a bunch
of change and you're thinking wow I hope
that let's all buy hundreds and it could
it could literally be maybe thirty five
cents so just be careful that the other
thing you could always do is give your
change when you leave the airport they
have those boxes of 90 boxes
boxes which is really nice as well so so
that's the thing about the the money
down here beautiful I wish that America
would kind of get caught up and if
you're wondering about any other Kurt of
ways of payment down here you can do
credit card you can do debit cards ATMs
are down here we do not recommend
traveler's checks at all ever never
those are the forms of payment that you
can use down here anyway guys this is
our updated video the two thousand
almost thirteen video about currency and
the exchange rate in Costa Rica
I am Michael Allen I'm D'Angelo Flor
travel Costa Rica now calm peace guys
hope it helps look at this money dad the
rainbow
you