Sodas, casados, and street food, how locals eat for $5-8 a meal and where to find it.
Eating well in Santa Teresa does not require spending like you're at a resort. If you know where to look, you can sit down to a full plate of fresh fish, rice, beans, salad, and a juice for somewhere between 5 and 8 dollars, and walk away more satisfied than you would from most places charging triple that. This guide is for people who want to eat the way residents actually eat.
What a Casado Actually Is (and Why You Should Order One Every Day)
A casado is the workhorse of Costa Rican lunch culture, and it is your best friend here if you are watching your budget. You get a protein (fish, chicken, pork, beef, or sometimes shrimp), rice, black beans, a small salad, and usually fried plantains or fries. Sometimes there is a little soup on the side. It is a complete meal, portioned generously, and at a local soda it will run you roughly 3,500 to 5,500 colones, which is about 6.50 to 10 dollars at mid-2026 exchange rates. Confirm locally since the colon fluctuates, but that range has held steady through the first half of 2026.
The key is ordering at a soda, not at a restaurant with a chalkboard menu in English and a DJ on weekends. The food is often better anyway.
The Sodas Worth Knowing
Soda Tiquicia is the one locals point visitors toward when they ask where to eat cheap without eating badly. The portions are enormous. The seafood soup alone is a meal. Order the fried red snapper casado or the mahi mahi casado and you will not be hungry again until dinner. Fresh juices come in a range of options including cas, a tart local fruit that you will not find back home and should absolutely try. Service is fast and friendly. Get there after 9am when they open, not before, regardless of what Google says. As wanderlog.com notes, reviewers consistently flag the quality and quantity as the real draw here.
Soda La Naranja operates out of Montezuma, which is about 45 minutes south and worth knowing if you are doing the day trip from Santa Teresa. It is a family-run spot with a relaxed atmosphere, excellent ceviche (fish and shrimp together, which is the move), and casados that hold up against anything in the area. The fresh juice combinations are genuinely creative. According to wanderlog.com, multiple visitors came back twice in the same trip, which tells you something.
For sodas closer to the main strip in Santa Teresa and Mal Pais, the honest advice is to look for places where the menu is written in Spanish first, the tables are plastic, and there is a TV on in the corner showing football. That combination is a reliable signal you are in the right place. Prices at these spots are almost always lower than anything near the beach road.
Eat Street: Not a Soda, But Worth It for the Price
Eat Street is a different animal. It is a food market concept opened by a group of expats, with four vendors under one roof covering coffee, bowls, Tex-Mex, and cocktails. Open daily from 7am to 10pm according to eatstreetcostarica.com. It is not a soda and it is not the cheapest option on this list, but a breakfast bowl or a taco order here will run you less than a sit-down meal at most of the trendier restaurants on the main road, and the quality is consistent. Good for mornings when you want something fast and more varied than gallo pinto.
The Hierarchy of Value: How to Think About Meals Here
As villaspuravida.com puts it plainly: beachfront atmosphere and imported ingredients mean higher prices. That is just the reality of Santa Teresa. The way to eat well without overspending is to treat the meal type and timing strategically.
- Breakfast: Make it at home or grab something simple. Gallo pinto (rice and beans with egg) at a soda is 2,000 to 3,000 colones. A smoothie bowl at a health cafe is 6,000 to 9,000. You decide what matters to you.
- Lunch: This is the main event at sodas. Order the casado. This is when local spots are fully stocked and the food is freshest.
- Dinner: Sodas are still an option but some close early (by 8 or 9pm). If you want to splurge once a day, dinner is the right meal to do it. For the rest of the week, keep it simple.
For more on managing your overall spend here, the cost of living guide breaks down what a realistic monthly or weekly budget looks like across food, housing, and transport.
What to Order to Keep Costs Down
- Casado with fish: Best value protein option. Local catch is fresher and usually cheaper than imported beef.
- Gallo pinto: The breakfast standard. Rice, beans, sometimes egg and cheese. Filling and cheap.
- Fresh juice (natural): Skip the bottled stuff. A fresh juice at a soda is 1,000 to 2,000 colones and usually made in front of you.
- Ceviche: At a soda, a small portion runs 2,500 to 4,000 colones. At a beachfront restaurant, expect to pay double for the same thing.
- Arroz con pollo or sopa negra: Comfort food options that are almost always under 4,500 colones at local spots.
Avoid the daily specials at tourist-facing restaurants unless you have checked the price first. "Market price" on a fish dish can mean anything here.
The Thursday Market
The Feria (Thursday market) in Santa Teresa is one of the best cheap eating opportunities of the week. Local vendors sell fresh produce, homemade food, tamales, empanadas, and snacks at prices well below any restaurant. It runs in the late afternoon into the evening. Go hungry. The Thursday market guide has current times and what to expect.
A Note on Tipping
At sodas, tipping is appreciated but not expected the way it is at full-service restaurants. A 10% service charge is sometimes added automatically at larger spots. At a soda where you order at the counter or from a single family member running the whole operation, leaving a small tip (a few hundred colones) is a kind gesture. The tipping guide for Costa Rica covers the full picture if you want to get it right.
Getting Around to Find These Spots
Some of the best sodas are not on the main beach road. They are a block or two inland, or in the Cobano town center, where rents are lower and the clientele is mostly local. If you do not have a vehicle, the getting around Santa Teresa without a car guide will help you figure out how to reach Cobano and the surrounding areas without renting a quad.
FAQ
What does a typical cheap meal cost in Santa Teresa in 2026? At a local soda, a full casado with a drink runs roughly 5,500 to 8,000 colones, which is approximately 10 to 15 dollars at mid-2026 rates. Simpler plates and breakfast dishes come in lower. Confirm locally as exchange rates shift.
Are sodas safe to eat at in terms of food hygiene? Generally yes. Busy sodas with high turnover tend to have fresh food. Look for spots that are clean, well-lit, and have locals eating in them. Avoid anywhere where the food looks like it has been sitting out for hours.
What is a casado and is it always the same? A casado is a set plate with a protein, rice, black beans, salad, and usually plantains. The protein changes daily or by your choice. No two sodas make it exactly the same, which is part of the appeal.
Can I eat vegetarian or vegan cheaply at sodas? Some sodas will do a vegetarian casado on request, swapping the meat for egg or extra vegetables. It is not always on the menu, but asking works more often than not. For a fuller picture of plant-based eating here, the vegetarian and vegan guide has specific recommendations.
Is the Thursday market actually worth going to for food? Yes, genuinely. It is one of the few places in Santa Teresa where you can eat well for under 3,000 colones. Go between 4pm and 7pm for the best selection.
Browse all local restaurants and food spots on the Onda Teresa eat directory.