Costa Rica

Costa Rica has one route for remote workers and three residence categories that lead to permanent residence. The digital nomad visa suits people working for employers or clients abroad who want up to two years without paying local income tax on that work. The rentista category suits people with steady income, the pensionado category suits retirees with a lifetime pension, and the investor category suits people putting money into the country.

Short stays

Nationals of first-group countries can enter without a visa for up to 180 days, though border officers can grant fewer days. Other nationalities get shorter stays or need a visa, so the rule for each passport is worth checking with DGME before travel.

The digital nomad visa

It needs income of at least $3,000 a month, or $4,000 a month for a family, and health insurance of at least $50,000. It lasts up to 1 year plus one extension, and the holder's foreign remote-work income is exempt from Costa Rican income tax (Law 10008). The time doesn't count toward residence.

The residence categories

All three give temporary residence for up to 2 years at a time, renewable, with permanent residence possible after three consecutive years (Law 8764). They're filed with DGME inside Costa Rica, and holders enroll with the CCSS, the national health fund.

• Rentista: $2,500 a month of stable income for at least two years.
• Pensionado: a lifetime pension of $1,000 a month.
• Investor: $150,000 under Law 9996, whose five-year window closed on July 14, 2026. DGME hasn't said whether the older $200,000 figure now applies.

The Law 9996 tax and import incentives for these three categories are closed to new applicants.

Numbeo's crowd-sourced prices, updated June 2026, give these monthly budgets for one person: rent for a one-bedroom apartment outside or in the center, plus other living costs.

• San José: about CRC 793,000 to CRC 891,000 (about $1,750 to $1,970).
• Heredia: about CRC 769,000 to CRC 940,000 (about $1,700 to $2,080), per Numbeo's Heredia page.

Dollar amounts use the exchange rate of Sept. 24, 2026. Numbeo has too few entries for full budgets in the beach towns, where furnished rentals in the main tourist areas tend to cost more than in the Central Valley, especially in high season. Numbeo's averages are a guide rather than a quote.

What the totals leave out

• Visa costs: $100 per nomad visa applicant, or $50 plus $200 for a residence filing in the country.
• Health insurance for nomads, or CCSS contributions for residents.
• Coworking and a car, which many people outside San José rely on.

San José, the capital, has the country's main services, hospitals and coworking choice, and suits nomads who need dependable infrastructure. Nearby Escazú is a popular base with many international residents, and Heredia is a university city in the Central Valley with a budget close to San José's in Numbeo's June 2026 prices.

Tamarindo on the Pacific coast of Guanacaste suits nomads who want a beach town with plenty of services and an easy airport connection through Liberia.

Santa Teresa and Nosara suit surfers and those who want a slower pace, at the cost of rougher roads and patchier infrastructure.

On the Caribbean side, Puerto Viejo de Talamanca suits nomads who want a laid-back town and rainforest close by. Inland, La Fortuna near the Arenal volcano suits those who put nature first.

Speedtest's Global Index for August 2026 put Costa Rica's median fixed broadband download speed at about 223 Mbps and its median mobile speed at about 138 Mbps.

Those are national medians. Fiber is most common in the Central Valley around San José, while beach towns and rural areas vary much more by building and provider. Testing the connection before a long rental, and keeping mobile data as a backup, avoids surprises.

Coworking

San José and the nearby suburbs such as Escazú have the widest choice of coworking spaces. Popular beach towns such as Tamarindo, Santa Teresa and Nosara have a few spaces aimed at remote workers, and elsewhere cafes and hotels fill the gap. Prices vary by space and season.

Costa Rica taxes income from Costa Rican sources (Law 7092, Article 1), so foreign income is generally outside its income tax. Tax residence follows days in the country: more than 183 days, continuous or not, in the fiscal period (Ministry of Finance).

Digital nomads

Law 10008 (Article 16) sets the tax rule: Holders are fully exempt from Costa Rican income tax on their foreign remote-work income and are not treated as tax residents; the exemption does not extend to family members.

Residents

Rentistas, pensionados and investors pay tax on Costa Rican-source income, such as rent from a local property. The Law 9996 incentives (duty-free household goods and up to two vehicles, and a 20% exemption on property transfer tax) could be claimed only until July 14, 2026; people who opted in keep them for 10 years.

What nomads should check

• Home country rules: the Costa Rican exemption doesn't end tax duties elsewhere.
• Local income: any Costa Rican client or property income is taxable locally.
• Treaties: advice before a long stay is worth it for anyone with income from several countries.

Arrival

First-group nationals can enter visa-free for up to 180 days, though the border officer decides the days granted. Nomad visa applicants can file online through Trámite Ya; residence applicants file with DGME in Costa Rica.

Paperwork from home

Residence applications need a birth certificate and a criminal record certificate, apostilled or legalized, plus official Spanish translations. Getting these before leaving home saves time.

Health

Nomad visa holders need private insurance with at least $50,000 of cover. Residents enroll with the CCSS, the public health system, and have to stay enrolled to renew (Law 8764, Article 80).

Money

The currency is the colón (CRC). Cards work widely in towns, and cash is handy in rural areas and small shops.

Phone and internet

Prepaid SIM and eSIM plans are sold by the national carriers; a passport is needed to register a line.

Safety

Home governments' travel advice lists the areas and risks to take care with, and is worth reading before trips to remote beaches or border areas.