Top 10 Costa Rica

With The New Year Comes A Wave of Price Increases

The new year is here and so is a wave of price increases for services like taxis, buses, gasoline, water and electricity. All increases were approved by the Autoridad Reguladora de los Servicios Públicos (Aresep) in 2009 and take effect in the new year.

Water today goes up an average of 15.2%, while the cost of sanitary sewers goes up on average 36.7%. The new rates will be included in the utility bills by the Acueductos y Alcantarillados (AyA).

What the increase means is a family consuming an average of 25 cubic metres of water a month will have to pay an additional ¢1.468 colones a month, bringing the total average bill to ¢9.298 from ¢7.830 colones monthly.

The increase affects some 500.000 customers.

Taxi fares also saw an increase at the beginning of the year. In 2010 the initial cost of taxi service is ¢510 colones, up from ¢455 and each additional kilometre costs ¢95 colones, up from ¢55.

Bus fares on almost all routes around the country also went up with the entrance of the new year. The average increase is 3.85%, the actual increase is dependent on the route. Check your local bus operator for the new prices before boarding a bus.

The cost of sending mail also went up in the new year.

Correos de Costa Rica has increased its rates depending on the country of destination. For example, sending a letter not weighing more than 20 grams, anywhere in Costa Rica now costs ¢225, up from ¢140. Sending a similar letter to any destination in Central America costs ¢330 colones, up from ¢160.

The cost of sending packages is also up. Since the Correos de Costa Rica is not a “courier service”, rates for packages falls in the jurisdiction of the Aresep.

In the middle of January the latest approved increase in gasoline prices takes effect, increasing the cost of a litre of super gasoline by ¢14 colones.