Bills
Costa Rican colon bills are 6.15 inches long by 2.62 inches wide. This is slightly smaller than an American bill. Costa Rican colon bills come in four different denominations: 1,000 colons, 2,000 colons, 5,000 colons and 10,000 colons.
Coins
Costa Rican colon coins come in both silver and gold. There are five different denominations: five colons, 10 colons, 20 colons, 25 colons and 100 colons. Coins of greater value are larger in size.
History
Costa Rican colons are named after Christopher Columbus. Colon bills came in smaller denominations such as the 1 colon or 5 colon bill but were withdrawn from circulation after rapid inflation increased prices in Costa Rica.
Images
Bills feature brightly colored portraits and pictures of cultural and political figures as well as animals found in Costa Rica.
Costa Rican colon coins have the country seal on one side and the value of the coin on the other.
Advice and Tips
In tourist areas, prices are listed in United States dollars as well as Costa Rican colons. Many items such as hotel rooms and tours can be paid for in dollars as well.
Older coins are silver and larger; newer coins are smaller and gold, even of the same denomination.
Costa Ricans use slang terms such as "teja" for the 100 colon bill and a "cinco teja" for the 500 colon bill. A 1,000 bill is a "rojo" and the 5,000 bill is a "tucan."
Article Written By Celeste Fiore
Celeste Fiore, a Rutgers University Law school graduate, writes about law, education, the Mid-Atlantic region and other assorted topics she finds interesting. Fiore has traveled in Europe and the United States. She has been a writer all her life and began writing professionally in 2009; currently her work is published on eHow, Trails.com and GolfLink.
