Everything you need to know about tipping in North and South America

Imagine this: you’re in a coffee shop in the US, and the barista turns the screen toward you and says, 'It’s just going to ask you something' – and that something is, 'Would you like to add a tip?' with three preset percentages. It’s perplexing, even for locals. What’s the etiquette here? Should you really leave $3 for a $7 latte?

Determining the appropriate tip in North and South America isn’t always simple. Depending on your location within the continent, here’s what you need to keep in mind.

Restaurants, bars, and coffee shops

In dining establishments across the USA and Canada, a service charge is usually added only for groups of six or more. Since waitstaff earn a lower minimum wage compared to other sectors, tipping is expected—around 18-25% is standard now. For bars, it’s customary to tip about $1 per drink or 15-20% of the total bill, while tipping baristas $1-2 in US coffee shops or rounding up for simpler orders is always welcome.

In Central and South American nations like Mexico, Nicaragua, Argentina, and Peru, service charges are more frequently included. If you wish to tip your server directly, 15-20% (in local currency or USD) is a reasonable amount. In countries such as Brazil, Chile, and Costa Rica, restaurants often include a 10% 'sit-down' fee (known as 'cubierto' in Chile), so while tipping isn’t mandatory, around 5% is appreciated if you choose to. Tipping in bars is less common, but rounding up your bill is fine.

If you’re dining in the Caribbean (outside of high-end resorts), check your bill for included gratuity. If it’s not there, a tip of 15-20% is suitable for restaurants, or you can simply round up your bar tab.

Hotel staff

It’s common practice to tip hotel staff in the USA and Canada, especially housekeeping. A tip of about $3-5 per day for housekeeping and $1 per bag for porters is appropriate. You aren’t required to tip if there has been no service or minimal service.

In hotels across Central and South America, it’s acceptable to tip a bit less. While US dollars are often accepted, local currency is preferred. For porters in countries like Costa Rica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Brazil, Chile, Peru, and Colombia, aim for the local equivalent of $1 per bag and $1-2 per day for housekeeping.

In South America, staying at rural haciendas is a popular choice. These family-run accommodations typically offer cooking, cleaning, and garden maintenance. Leaving a pooled tip of around $10-15 (or the local currency equivalent) per guest at the end of your stay is appreciated.

Tour guides

When you go on an organized tour in the USA, Canada, or Colombia, you can expect similar tipping practices—approximately $10-20 in local currency for the tour guide each day, and about $5-10 for the driver. Like in Europe, tips for guides and drivers are given separately.

In most Central and South American countries, it’s customary to tip tour guides around $5-10 (or the local currency equivalent) for a day’s work, while drivers typically receive about half that amount. Note that different rules may apply for porters on the Andes Trek and Inca Trail. Although their wages are often covered in guided tours, these hardworking porters deserve a tip for their efforts—around 15-20 nuevo soles per person, per day is a good guideline.

An exception to the general tipping norms in South America (excluding Colombia) is Brazil, where professionals in the tourism sector heavily rely on tips and appreciate more generous amounts. Consider tipping around 100-200 reals for a tour guide each day and slightly less for drivers. Keep in mind that Brazilians value discretion in financial matters, so try to keep your generous tipping under wraps.

Caribbean bus tours are a popular way to explore the various parts of the island you’re visiting. If you take one, tipping the driver a few US dollars is customary. For private tour guides, a tip of about $20 per day and around $10 for drivers is standard.

Taxi drivers

In the USA, Canada, and the Caribbean, it's customary to tip taxi drivers about 10-15% of the fare, or a couple of dollars for shorter rides.

In Central and South America, taxi tipping expectations vary. If you’ve negotiated the fare beforehand, there’s no need to tip unless you’ve formed a strong rapport with the driver. For fixed fares, feel free to round up at the end of your ride.