Costa Rica
Practical guide
Costa Rica is in Central America. It has 5,152,950 inhabitants across 51,100 km². It borders 2 countries. Its capital is San José. People speak Spanish and the currency is the Costa Rican Colón (CRC). Ezplora has pages for 15 of its cities, with month-by-month climate and the distances between them.
- Capital
- San José
- Population
- 5,152,950
- Area
- 51,100 km²
- Currency
- Costa Rican Colón · CRC
- Languages
- Spanish
- Time zone
- America/Costa_Rica
- Dialling code
- +506
- Domain
- .cr
When to go to Costa Rica
The best months to visit San José are January, February and December. In San José, daytime highs go from 25° in November to 28° in March. Temperatures change little through the year. The wettest month is October (439 mm) and the driest is January (51 mm). The rainy season runs from April to December.
Weather in San José month by month
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| high | 26° | 27° | 28° | 28° | 27° | 26° | 26° | 26° | 26° | 26° | 25° | 26° |
| low | 15° | 15° | 16° | 16° | 17° | 16° | 16° | 16° | 16° | 16° | 16° | 15° |
| rain | 51 mm | 56 mm | 54 mm | 121 mm | 311 mm | 367 mm | 348 mm | 411 mm | 432 mm | 439 mm | 264 mm | 109 mm |
1970–2000 normals (WorldClim 2.1). Monthly rainfall total.
Cities in Costa Rica
- San Josécapital · 1,148 m
- Limón47 m
- Alajuela953 m
- Liberia145 m
- Paradise1,332 m
- Puntarenassea level
- San Isidro de El General713 m
- Curridabat1,210 m
- San Vicente1,233 m
- San Vicente1,233 m
- Purral1,247 m
- Turrialba646 m
- Escazú1,214 m
- Saint Peter1,193 m
- San Rafael Abajo819 m
Distances in Costa Rica
- San José → Limón158 km 53 min · 3 h 16 min
- San José → Alajuela20 km 46 min · 23 min
- San José → Liberia210 km 57 min · 3 h 43 min
- San José → Paradise32 km 47 min · 44 min
- San José → Puntarenas96 km 51 min · 1 h 51 min
- San José → San Isidro de El General126 km 51 min · 3 h 38 min
53 min · 
3 h 16 minNeighboring countries
Frequently asked questions
What is the capital of Costa Rica?
The capital of Costa Rica is San José.
What currency is used in Costa Rica?
Costa Rica uses the Costa Rican Colón (CRC).
What language is spoken in Costa Rica?
In Costa Rica, people speak Spanish.
When is the best time to visit Costa Rica?
The best months to visit San José are January, February and December. In San José, daytime highs go from 25° in November to 28° in March. Temperatures change little through the year. The wettest month is October (439 mm) and the driest is January (51 mm). The rainy season runs from April to December.
Data from Banco Mundial, GeoNames and WorldClim. Photo from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).