Moving to Costa Rica
Visas and residency, citizenship, tax, company and banking, cost of living and the places to live in Costa Rica, in one place.
Central AmericaThinking about moving to Costa Rica?
Here's how long you can stay, the ways to live there for good, what you'd pay in tax and what everyday life costs, each figure from an official source.
In this guide, I'll show you:
- How long you can stay, by passport
- The visas and residency routes that let you live there
- How long citizenship takes
- How tax works, with the rates
- What it costs, and the internet and safety
- The best places to live
- The basics: capital, currency and languages
Pick your passport at the top of the page, and the stay rule shows for you.
TL;DRKey takeaways
Costa Rica at a glance
How long can you stay in Costa Rica?
It depends on the passport you hold.
Here's the rule for the most common ones:
US passport- Rule
- Visa-free
- Stay
- 90 days
UK passport- Rule
- Visa-free
- Stay
- 180 days
EU passport (German)- Rule
- Visa-free
- Stay
- 180 days
Canadian passport- Rule
- Visa-free
- Stay
- 180 days
Australian passport- Rule
- Visa-free
- Stay
- 90 days
Indian passport- Rule
- Visa needed
- Stay
- –
For any other passport, pick yours at the top, or see every country on the visa-free countries map.
Visas and residency in Costa Rica
Costa Rica has a visa for people who work remotely:
- Digital nomad stay (nómadas digitales) – an income of $3,000 a month, for 12 months
Compare them with every other country in the digital nomad visa finder.
Citizenship in Costa Rica
Naturalization takes about 7 years of residence.
Dual citizenship is allowed, so you can keep your passport.
Work out your own timeline with the second passport calculator.
Tax in Costa Rica
Costa Rica taxes only income earned inside the country, not income from abroad.
See where it sits among every country on the territorial tax map.
The main rates:
- Lowest income tax band – 0%
- Top income tax rate – 25%
- Corporate tax – 30%
- VAT or sales tax – 13%
Where you're a tax resident usually comes down to days.
Count yours with the 183-day rule calculator.
Company and banking
Compare the banks and cards that work for people abroad in the bank account finder.
Move money for less with the money transfer comparison.
Many people who live abroad run a US LLC instead; check yours with the US LLC for non-residents checker.
Cost of living in Costa Rica
Everyday prices in Costa Rica are about 59% of US prices.
That's the World Bank's price level for 2025: its purchasing power conversion factor divided by the exchange rate.
It's cheaper than the US, though rent in the big cities can close the gap.
Convert what things cost with the currency converter.
Is Costa Rica safe?
The US State Department rates Costa Rica Level 2 ("Exercise increased caution", updated 2026-04-02), the same level it gives France, Germany, the United Kingdom and Spain. Levels 1 and 2 are both everyday travel; the US only asks you to reconsider a trip at Level 3. Some advisories are stricter for parts of a country, so read the full advisory before you go.
For a second view, the UK has no warning against travel.
See every country's level on the travel advisory map.
Internet in Costa Rica
In M-Lab's open speed tests across Costa Rica over the last 12 months, half came in above 58 Mbps download.
The fastest quarter of lines came in above 116 Mbps, closer to a good fiber connection (136,109 tests).
By place:
- San José – 60 Mbps typical
- Tamarindo – 50 Mbps typical
- Santa Teresa – 36 Mbps typical
Test your own line when you arrive with my internet speed test.
The best places to live in Costa Rica
Compare them with places everywhere in digital nomad locations.
Costa Rica: the basics
| What | Costa Rica |
|---|---|
| Capital | San Jose |
| Currency | Costa Rican colón (CRC) |
| Languages | Spanish, English |
| Population | about 5.0 million |
From GeoNames' country data (CC BY 4.0).
More tools for Costa Rica
- Passport index and compare passports
- Time zone overlap calculator for calls with home
- eSIM finder for data when you land
- Card fees abroad calculator before you spend
Costa Rica FAQs
Visa-free, for 90 days.
Pick another passport at the top of the page to see its rule.
It depends on your passport.
Pick yours at the top of the page to see the days, and whether you need a visa first.
Yes: Digital nomad stay (nómadas digitales).
It asks for an income of $3,000 a month.
About 7 years of residence.
Yes.
Check that your own country allows it too.
Costa Rica taxes only income earned inside the country, not income from abroad.
Check the details with a tax adviser before you move.
Everyday prices are about 59% of US prices, by the World Bank's price level for 2025.
Rent in the biggest cities can be higher than that suggests.
The US State Department rates it Level 2.
Levels 1 and 2 are everyday travel; read the full advisory for any regions it warns about.
Half of M-Lab's tests there came in above 58 Mbps download over the last 12 months.
The fastest quarter of lines passed 116 Mbps.
The places I cover there are San José, Tamarindo and Santa Teresa.
Each has its own guide with the weather by month, internet and costs.
The Costa Rican colón (CRC).
The main languages are Spanish and English.
Navid Moazzez
AI business strategist & AI OS builder
Navid Moazzez helps creators and founders master AI and build their own AI Operating System (AI OS) to automate their business and life.
Navid.me is reader-supported. When you buy through links on this site, I may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more.
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