Expensive for Costa Rica — an isolated beach town where everything comes in by ferry and dirt road — and the room rate is what decides your budget.
Come by ferry, not by plane
The Puntarenas–Paquera ferry runs from 04:00 to 22:00 and costs ₡810 for a foot passenger, ₡480 for a child and ₡11,400 for a car. From Paquera you continue by bus or shuttle through Cóbano; the whole run from San José is a long day but a cheap one.
Know what the flight costs you
Sansa flies San José to Tambor and to Cóbano, listed as Santa Teresa–Malpaís, turning a nine-hour day into about an hour. It is several times the ferry-and-bus fare, so it is a straight time-for-money trade rather than a convenience.
Shop in Cóbano, not on the beach
Cóbano, 10 km inland, has the bank, the clinic and the full-size supermarket, and prices there are normal. Stock up on the way in rather than buying everything from the Playa Carmen minimarkets.
Come in September or October
The wettest months are by a wide margin the cheapest, and the surf is still good — rain here tends to arrive in afternoon bursts rather than all day. December to April, plus Christmas and Easter week, is when room rates roughly double.
What a day costs
Budget roughly ₡14,000–22,000 for a dorm bed, ₡4,000–6,000 for a casado at a soda, around US$12 a day or US$60 a week for a surfboard, and ₡810 each way on the ferry. Beach-restaurant dinners and quad hire are what break the number.