Can you be a digital nomad in Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica? Absolutely!
For years, Costa Rica has been at the top of my travel bucket list. So, when I started digital nomad life, I spent ages researching the best place for digital nomads in Costa Rica – and the results were pretty mixed!
If you’re thinking of becoming a Manuel Antonio digital nomad, here’s everything you need to know.
While lots of people flock to popular places like Jaco, Santa Teresa and Puerto Viejo, my partner and I settled on Manuel Antonio.
This small beachside town centres around the national park, which is home to an array of wildlife including sloths, monkeys and some pretty huge lizards.
While many tourists pass through Manuel Antonio for a few days – normally to visit the national park and then move on – we stayed for a month to soak up the beach and jungle life.
In this guide, I’ll share my tips and honest review of what life is like in Manuel Antonio for digital nomads, including where to stay, good spots to work from and fun things to do.
Table of Contents
The Complete Manuel Antonio Digital Nomad Guide
Manuel Antonio Digital Nomad Pros
- Easy access to a nice beach
- Convenient to get to from San Jose
- Surrounded by wildlife and jungle
Manuel Antonio Digital Nomad Cons
- Less of a digital nomad community
- Limited things to do if you’re staying long-term
- Geared towards tourists
- Limited co-working options
Cost of living in Manuel Antonio as a digital nomad
Compared to the rest of Central America, Costa Rica is quite expensive and the same goes for Manuel Antonio. In fact, we found prices to be pretty similar to the UK (where we’re from) if not more expensive in some cases.
Typical prices
- Meal with soft drink at mid-range restaurant – $15-20 per person
- Groceries – $50-70 per week
- Beer – $3
- Bus fare – > $1
- National park entry – $18
The currency in Costa Rica is the colón (colones). Fun fact – the currency is named after Christopher Columbus, whose Spanish name was Cristóbal Colón.
Prices in Manuel Antonio vary depending on your taste, but I would say we generally went for cheaper, more affordable options.
However, compared to digital nomad hotspots in Costa Rica, we found long-term accommodation was less booked up, meaning we could secure a more affordable deal.
Best time to visit Manuel Antonio for digital nomads
Costa Rica’s dry season runs from December to April, so this is generally regarded as the best time to visit.
It gets very hot and humid, with temperatures around 33 degrees Celsius when we were there in January.
There was occasional rain, but mainly in the late afternoon and evenings so it didn’t interrupt our plans too much.
However, this is also the high season for tourists (particularly around Christmas and January) so expect higher prices for accommodation and places to be busier.
If you don’t mind a bit of rain, you may want to consider visiting between May and November, when accommodation may be a little cheaper and less booked up.
We stayed in Manuel Antonio in January.
Although this is supposedly the most popular time of year, we found the town to be relatively quiet and didn’t have any problems getting into restaurants or anything like that.
The only thing we had to book ahead of time was our tickets to the national park.
They limit the number of people allowed in each day so it’s advisable to book ahead (we booked a couple of weeks before we arrived) whatever time of year you go.
How to get to Manuel Antonio
If you’re flying into San Jose, there are a few ways to get to Manuel Antonio:
Shared Shuttle
This was our choice of transport and a good middle ground in terms of affordability and ease.
We booked a shuttle to pick us up from the airport via Bookaway and the journey took about four hours.
We paid around $38, which included our suitcases, and the whole thing was pretty straightforward.
The driver met us at arrivals and made a stop along the way so we could use the restrooms.
Private taxi
If you don’t want to hang around and are looking for a more luxurious option, you can also book a private transfer.
Starting at around $140, these cost considerably more than a shared shuttle.
Public bus
If you’re on a budget, you can also catch the public bus.
While we didn’t do this, we did catch other (shorter) buses in Costa Rica and found them to be pretty comfortable.
They’re slightly nicer than the chicken buses you see around the rest of Central America!
There is a direct bus from San Jose to Manuel Antonio, with nine departures a day. You can check out the timetable here.
Tickets are under $10 and you can only buy them at the station.
Drive
Many people choose to rent a car in Costa Rica and there are a wealth of rental services to choose from. The drive takes around four hours.
Transportation – Getting around Manuel Antonio
Walking
Manuel Antonio is a relatively small place and we ended up walking around a lot.
Although there aren’t many sidewalks, it seems that drivers are very used to people walking on the side of the road and generally go quite slowly so we found it safe enough to walk.
However, there are a lot of hills so this isn’t ideal for everyone – we definitely got pretty sweaty on the steep, uphill trek back to our accommodation from the beach.
Taxis
Licensed taxis operate around Manuel Antonio and they tend to hang out at the tourist hotspots, like the national park.
There are also “unofficial” taxis but we wouldn’t recommend using these.
Bus
There is also a very regular and convenient bus service through Manual Antonio.
The bus starts at the national park and goes to Quepos, a larger town which has more shops, including supermarkets (more on that later).
It costs 385 colones ($0.75), no matter where you’re getting off, and runs about every 20 minutes during the day.
Car rental
The easiest way to get around Costa Rica is by driving and there are plenty of parking spots at all the attractions around Manuel Antonio.
There are also car hire services in the town if you want to pick up a vehicle when you arrive.
Manuel Antonio Digital Nomad Accommodation
We chose to stay at the Selina Hostel in Manuel Antonio and found it was a great base to work from.
For digital nomads, there is a coworking space with desks and proper desk chairs included in your stay.
This was practically deserted when we were there – which was most days. The wifi throughout the property was super fast and reliable.
The whole complex is huge and includes three pools, a rooftop bar and a nightclub, so there is plenty to keep you entertained.
They offer extra activities such as yoga classes, workout sessions and salsa lessons – most of which are free for guests.
We particularly enjoyed that the accommodation backs onto the jungle, so we saw plenty of wildlife – much more than we saw in the national park, including monkeys (who even dipped in the pool occasionally), iguanas and toucans.
It wasn’t as sociable as we expected although there are definitely opportunities to meet fellow digital nomads.
However, the majority of guests we met were just staying for a few days rather than long term, which surprised us given Selina’s reputation as a digital nomad favourite.
In general, even though it was January (the high season), it was pretty quiet when we were there.
The only downside is the price!
Generally, Selina’s are pretty expensive compared to normal accommodation. However, we snagged a great deal on booking.com so keep an eye out for those.
For other Manuel Antonio digital nomad accommodation, we also liked the look of Cockatoo Studio Apartments.
This place offers studios for under $1,000 per month (depending on dates) and is in a great location, on the road down to the beach.
According to reviews, there is lots of wildlife around and good wifi.
Internet & Co-working spaces in Manuel Antonio
As we were staying at the Selina, we used the co-working space there. If you’re not a guest, you can buy a pass for around $10 per day, which includes a desk, wifi, and tea and coffee.
As far as I’m aware, this is the only co-working space in Manuel Antonio and the options for working in cafes are limited.
There aren’t loads of cafes to chill at as most places are geared towards tourists looking for a proper meal.
This is one of the downsides to being in Manuel Antonio as a digital nomad, so I would definitely recommend finding accommodation with somewhere suitable to work from, or budgeting for a pass to the co-working space at Selina.
Or, if you don’t mind a short bus ride, there are plenty of casual cafes with wifi in the nearby town of Quepos.
Where to buy groceries in Manuel Antonio
As digital nomads, our first question when we arrive anywhere new is: where’s the best grocery store?
This was particularly important to us in Costa Rica, where the price of eating out is much higher compared to other parts of Central America.
There are a couple of small grocery stores in Manuel Antonio. Our favourite was Super Joseth, which stocks all the basics and some imported goods.
However, it was quite expensive.
So we tended just to pick up small things there and get the bus to Quepos to do a larger weekly shop at one of the supermarkets there.
The best supermarkets in Quepos are Maxi Pali, which is the most affordable, and BMSupermarket, which sells more imported goods.
There is also a regular farmer’s market in Quepos and smaller stores selling fruit and vegetables, generally for less than you would pay in the supermarket.
Things to do in Manuel Antonio
Although it is only small, there are plenty of activities to keep you entertained in Manuel Antonio. Our favourites included:
Visit the National Park
You can’t come to Manuel Antonio and not visit the national park. There are multiple trails through the jungle, including one to a waterfall, and you can spot wildlife including monkeys, lizards and sloths.
If you’re desperate to see animals, it is best to organise a guided tour.
We decided to do a self-guided visit and saw monkeys and lots of crabs!
There is also a nice beach within the park (access to this is included in the ticket) so you can plan for a whole day out.
We arrived when the park opened at 7am and were very glad we did. It was quiet when we arrive but by the time we left at around 1pm, all the trails were very busy.
There are good facilities in the national park, including a small restaurant and showers, changing rooms and bathrooms by the beach.
They limit the number of visitors allowed each day so make sure you book your ticket in advance.
Ziplining
Costa Rica is famous for its incredible ziplines so we knew we had to give it a try! We had a great day at El Santuario Canopy Adventure.
As part of our accommodation, we were picked up from our hotel and taken to the ziplining facility in the jungle (about 45 minutes away), where we went on around ten ziplines – some of which were super long. It was really fun and a great way to see the jungle from above.
The guides were also super friendly and made us feel very safe. It finished with a typical Costa Rican lunch and then they dropped us home.
Secret beach – kayaking, snorkelling, paddleboarding
As well as Playa Espadilla Sur, the main beach in Manuel Antonio, we enjoyed visiting Biesanz Beach – commonly referred to as the “secret beach”, but judging by how many people were there, it’s not a very well-kept secret.
This makes a nice change to the main beach as it is in a bay, so more sheltered. There is also watersports equipment available to hire including kayaks, paddleboards and snorkelling equipment. We enjoyed kayaking around the bay in the sun.
Snorkelling tour
If you’re keen to immerse yourself in Costa Rica’s underwater worlds, there are snorkelling tours available around Manuel Antonio, which take you to several different spots around the beaches.
Surf lessons
If, like us, you’re not already a pro surfer, Manuel Antonio is a great place to learn as the waves are suitable for beginners. You can take lessons on the beach with prices starting at $70 for a three-hour session.
Night walk
We didn’t do this in Manuel Antonio, as we wanted to save it for another part of Costa Rica, but met others who really recommended it. This is a great opportunity to see the jungle come alive at night. These tours aren’t available in the national park but there are plenty operating around other parts of Manuel Antonio.
Overall review: Manuel Antonio digital nomad life
Overall, we really enjoyed our time in Manuel Antonio but felt that any longer than a month would have been tough, mainly due to the smallness of the town (although for some people, this is perfect!)
The highlights were the amazing scenery, lots of wildlife and stunning beaches. We also though the Selina hostel was a great base to work from and had no problems with internet.
However, Manuel Antonio doesn’t (yet) have a big digital nomad community like more popular hotspots in Latin America (we came after travelling around Mexico and Guatemala), so if you’re on your own or looking for a really sociable experience, this might not be the best place for you – although with a bit of effort, you could definitely meet other solo travellers.
That’s it for the Complete Manuel Antonio Digital Nomad Guide! Do you have questions about Manuel Antonio digital nomad life? Let us know in the comments.
