The colón is the official currency of Costa Rica, although the US dollar is also accepted in many areas of the country, including Cartago. It was named after Cristóbal Colón (Christopher Columbus) The plural is colones, pronounced /kolonƐs/ . The symbol for the colón is a letter “C” with two slashes: ₡

Costa Rican BanknotesThe colón was introduced in 1896, replacing the old Costa Rican currency: peso. The colón is divided into 100 céntimos (cents) although due to the inflation, céntimos coins are no longer used. Current coins in use are: ₡10, ₡20, ₡25, ₡50, ₡100 and ₡500. Banknotes in use are: ₡1,000, ₡2,000, ₡5,000, and ₡10,000. Older banknotes are now treasured by collectors!

There is a new collection of banknotes that came out at the end of June 2011. The denominations are of  ₡1,000,  ₡2,000,  ₡5,000,  ₡10,000,  ₡20,000 and of  ₡50,000. These are  completely different from any other banknotes the country has ever had: higher denominations, new material, brighter colours and new security measures too. Six distinguished Costa Ricans were chosen to be printed on the obverse, and on the reverse are scenes from six of the main ecosystems of the country.

As of March 2012 only the new banknotes of ₡1,000, ₡2,000 and ₡20,000 are in circulation. The rest will be available possibly for mid or late 2012. Click here to see a photo gallery of the new collection of banknotes.

Exchange Rate and Banks

The exchange rate with the American US dollar and the European Euro fluctuates constantly. The official exchange rates can be found at the Banco Central de Costa Rica (Costa Rican Central Bank).

State banks like: Banco Nacional de Costa Rica, Banco de Costa Rica, and Banco Popular, usually offer a better exchange rate than the private banks.

State Banks Locations' in Cartago

Banco Nacional's closest office to Casa Aura is located 250 m west from the Basílica de Nuestra Señora de Los Ángeles. They open Monday to Saturday from 8:30 am to 3:45 pm, phone: 2550-1400. That location has an ATM /cashpoint that works with Visa and Mastercads but it only dispenses colones. The ATM located on the south side of Parroquia del Carmen dispenses dollars.

Banco de Costa Rica's closest office to Casa Aura is located 125 m west from the Mercado Municipal (Municipal Market). They open Monday to Saturday from 9 am to 4 pm, phone: 2552-9006. The ATM/cashpoint dispenses dollars and colones. This bank is linked to the ATH network.

Banco Popular's closest office to Casa Aura is located opposite the south side of the Cartago Ruins and opens Monday through Friday from 8:45 am to 4:30 pm, and Saturdays from 8:30 am till 11:30 am.

Private Bank Locations in Cartago

Bac San José has an office 100 m south of the Cartago Ruins 100 m south from the Parque Central (Cartago's Central Park) and they open Monday through Friday from 9 am till 6 pm and on Saturdays from 9 am till 1 pm, telephone: 2295-9797. The ATM/cashpoint dispenses dollars and colones.

HSBC has an office 200 m west from Cartago Ruins and opens Monday through Friday from 9 am till 6 pm and on Saturdays from 9 am till 12:30 pm, phone: 2287-1550. ATM/cashpoint dispenses dollars and colones.