Are you planning your trip to Costa Rica and wondering what is the best way to stay connected? Don't waste money on high roaming costs or get annoyed by slow overseas data plans. This is a complete guide for finding the best sim card for your trip to Costa Rica.
Find out everything you need to know about buying a prepaid sim card in Costa Rica, where to buy a sim card, up to date prices and info as per January 2024, the best e-sim cards for Costa Rica, the best 4G/5G network, my recommendation, information about international sim cards and more.
One of the first things I research when traveling to a new country is how to get connected and get a data connection on my phone. In the past I used to buy a prepaid sim card on arrival in each country, but nowadays I mostly use e-sim cards.
Local prepaid sim cards are in general slightly cheaper than e-sim cards. But e-sim cards you order on the internet and local prepaid sim cards you can only buy on arrival in a phone shop.
I like to document all my travel tips and write sim card guide for fellow travelers to save money. Since Traveltomtom is also on a journey to visit every country in the world you can already find more than 200 sim card guides from all over the world on Traveltomtom: Panama, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Bogota, Brazil, Argentina, Peru, Mexico, Canada, and USA.
But also outside the Americas: Europe, United Kingdom, London, Paris, Rome, Hong Kong, Bali, Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, South Africa, Egypt, Istanbul, Dubai and many more.
So when planning your next adventure abroad come check out Traveltomtom for the latest prepaid and e-sim card advice for your holiday destination. Bookmark me and let me help you save money!
Why buying a sim card for Costa Rica
Amongst all the Central American countries, Costa Rica has the highest cost of living. Fortunately, buying a prepaid sim card in Costa Rica won’t break your bank and it is fairly cheap. Buying a local prepaid sim card in Costa Rica is simple, but even easier is getting a sim card for Costa Rica on the internet before your trip. There are international as well as e-sim cards available online.
It takes just a couple minutes and will cost you significantly less compared to international roaming plans. Some tourists disregard the importance of buying a sim card to stay connected abroad and one month later they get slapped with a massive phone bill. We’re here to help you save money on high roaming charges.
A short list of benefits why it is convenient to stay connected when traveling to Costa Rica:
- Use GPS for directions (Google Maps)
- Use taxi apps to get around safely (Uber)
- Traveling planning while on the go
- Kill time on long bus rides
- Check banking apps
Also don’t rely on public WiFi. Most places like restaurants and hotels have public WiFi, but there is no guarantee it is working nor that it is fast enough to upload a photo or video. Plus, keep in mind that roaming the internet on public WiFi is through an UNSECURED network. The use of a VPN is very much recommended!
My recommendation
Traveltomtom recommends a Liberty prepaid sim card for Costa Rica. It has the best mobile data coverage in Costa Rica and offers a wide range of data plans for tourists. For around $5 USD you get around 2 GB data + free social media for 1 week.
You can only buy this sim card deal as a physical prepaid sim card on arrival in Costa Rica in a Liberty store.
If you want to arrive prepared then get yourself an e-sim card for Costa Rica. As soon as the plane lands you are online and have data on your phone. Traveltomtom recommends ordering an e-sim card for Costa Rica via SimOptions, Airalo or Nomad.
Another great alternative is an international sim card for world travelers. These pre-activated travel sim cards will be shipped to your home address before your trip. Arrive prepared in Costa Rica, check out my comparison of the best international travel sim cards in 2024 and pick the one that suits your trip the best.
Before ordering an international sim card, buying an e-sim card for Costa Rica or a local prepaid sim card, make sure your phone is unlocked. Foreign sim cards only work in unlocked phones. If you are unsure about this ask your mobile internet provider in your home country if your phone is unlocked.
Best e-sim cards for Costa Rica
The easiest way to get connected when traveling to Costa Rica in 2024 is an e-sim card. No more swapping physical prepaid sim cards or visiting a phone store on arrival in Costa Rica. With an e-sim you arrange everything online.
None of the mobile internet providers in Costa Rica are offering e-sim cards for tourists, only physical prepaid sim cards are available for tourists. That means you can not buy an e-sim card in Costa Rica. Luckily there are many e-sim providers that sell e-sim cards for Costa Rica.
You order an e-sim card for Costa Rica on the internet, you receive a QR code, scan it, follow the simple steps and within less than 2 minutes you have a Costa Rica e-sim card installed on your phone.
Upon arrival in Costa Rica it automatically connects you to an available network and you enjoy data on your phone pretty much when the plane lands.
Make sure your phone is e-sim compatible before ordering an e-sim card for Costa Rica.
The following suppliers are tested, reviewed and approved by Traveltomtom personally.
Airalo
Airalo is a reliable e-sim provider that sells e-sims for pretty much every country in the world. Check out the Airalo e-sim card plans for Costa Rica in 2024:
- 1 GB data for 7 days = $9 USD
- 2 GB data for 15 days = $17 USD
- 3 GB data for 30 days = $22 USD
- 5 GB data for 30 days = $31 USD
Click here to directly order a Costa Rica e-sim card via Airalo.
The above data-only e-sim cards for Costa Rica are from Hot Telecom and they operate on the 4G/LTE networks of Claro and Kolbi in Costa Rica. Incoming and outgoing phone calls are not supported. 5G is not supported.
SimOptions
SimOptions is another e-sim provider and Traveltomtom has used SimOptions in more than 50 countries around the world without any issues. SimOptions offers international e-sim cards that are valid in up to 141 countries, including Costa Rica.
- 3 GB data for 30 days = $24.90 USD
- 5 GB data for 30 days = $34.90 USD
- 6 GB data for 15 days = $39.90 USD
Click here for more info or to order an international e-sim card for Costa Rica via SimOptions.
These SimOptions international e-sim cards are also data-only e-sim cards, but they come with a phone number so you can receive calls and sms. Outgoing calls/sms are not supported.
Nomad
Nomad is another e-sim card provider. They offer Costa Rica e-sim cards through Thruphone, a global mobile internet operators.
- 1 GB data for 7 days = $25 USD
- 3 GB data for 30 days = $40 USD
- 5 GB data for 30 days = $45 USD
Click here to order a Costa Rica e-sim card through Nomad.
With an e-sim card you keep your own phone number, but very important is that you make sure that your phone is unlocked and e-sim compatible before you order an e-sim card, because otherwise an e-sim card won't work on your phone.
Mobile internet operators in Costa Rica
The 3 main mobile internet providers in Costa Rica are: Kolbi, Liberty and Claro. Liberty took over Movistar back in August 2021. All mobile internet operators in Costa Rica sell prepaid sim cards for tourists.
In stores in Costa Rica you can only get physical prepaid sim cards, there are no e-sim cards for tourists available.
Prices for prepaid sim cards are more or less the same, but there is definitely some difference in the mobile data network strength and the 4G/5G coverage. More about that later.
Sim card registration in Costa Rica
All prepaid sim cards in Costa Rica have to be registered with the national regulator SUTEL. Therefore you will need to bring you passport when buying a prepaid sim card in Costa Rica. The registration process takes only a couple minutes. Per passport you can register 5 prepaid sim cards.
Your name and passport number will be registered to your new physical prepaid sim card that comes with a Costa Rica phone number that starts with +506.
If for some reason you want to avoid the sim card registration process then look into ordering an e-sim card for Costa Rica on the internet.
Traveltomtom recommends ordering an e-sim card for Costa Rica via SimOptions, Airalo or Nomad.
Where to buy a sim card for Costa Rica
Buying a sim card at San Jose Airport Juan Santamaria
Yes, you can buy a prepaid sim card for Costa Rica on arrival at San Jose International Airport.
There used to be sim card shops from Claro and Kolbi near the baggage claim carousels, but unfortunately they are not there anymore in 2024.
However, there is an alternative for buying a sim card and that is a sim card vending machine. There are 2 Costa rica sim card vending machines at the airport.
One sim card vending machine is in the lobby of Terminal A, International Arrivals and the second vending machine that sells Costa Rica sim cards for tourists is located in the ConRac Rental Car lobby, which is right across the street from Terminal B.
Although the airport in San Jose is the most convenient place to buy a local prepaid sim card in Costa Rica, sim card vending machines are not the most recommended way to get connected. It works, but it is also a bit of a hassle as you have to do the activation and the registration all by yourself.
Phone store in San Jose
In San Jose city center there are many official retail stores from Kolbi, Liberty and Claro. The best place to find these phone stores is to go to one of the big shopping malls. Multiplaza Escazu is where you will find stores of all 3 mobile internet providers near to each other.
Pretty much all popular Costa Rica tourist destinations have mobile phone shops for buying a local prepaid sim card.
Traveltomtom recommends buying a sim card at an official retail store as they do the registration and activation process the proper way. Make sure that everything works before leaving the shop. They take care of your settings, etc.
Online
No doubt the easiest way to get a sim card for Costa Rica is to order one online. I already mentioned it a couple times, but if your phone is e-sim compatible then simply order an e-sim card for traveling to Costa Rica. Super easy, fast and reliable. Traveltomtom recommends ordering an e-sim card for Costa Rica via SimOptions, Airalo or Nomad.
If your phone is not e-sim compatible then don't worry, you can also order a physical prepaid sim card card on the internet to stay connected. A pre-activated prepaid sim card will be delivered to your home address and it is plug and play on arrival in Costa Rica. You can order a physical prepaid sim card for Costa Rica via SimOptions.
Prices Costa Rica prepaid sim cards in 2024
Let’s compare the mobile internet operators in Costa Rice based on their network coverage, prices for prepaid sim cards and data plans to find the best sim card for Costa Rica in 2024.
The below information and prices are updated as per January 2024. Prices are in Costa Rica Colon: 1,000 CRC = $1.93 USD and $1 USD = 520 CRC.
What makes it easy is that all mobile operators charge the exact same for calling, texting and internet:
- 34 CRC per minute
- 3 CRC per text
- 8.6 CRC per MB
But it is of course the best to buy a prepaid sim card plan with data.
Kolbi
Because Kolbi enjoyed a monopoly for many years, it’s the most popular mobile internet operator in Costa Rica. A Kolbi sim card costs 1,000 CRC and they offer 3 different monthly prepaid plans:
- 2 GB data + 35 minutes + 30 sms + 3 GB for Whatsapp = 5,000 CRC - $10 USD
- 4 GB data + 50 minutes + 30 sms + 3 GB for Whatsapp = 8,000 CRC - $15 USD
- 5 GB data + 100 minutes + 30 sms + 5 GB for Whatsapp, Facebook, Instagram = 12,000 CRC - $23 USD
You can also top-up with one of the available data-only packages:
- 1 GB data for 15 days = 2,500 CRC - $5 USD
- 2 GB data for 30 days = 4,500 CRC - $8 USD
Not the super data deals you we were hoping for, but…
One of the best things about a Kolbi prepaid sim card is the Social Package which gives you unlimited internet on Facebook, Whatsapp, Instagram, Twitter for 7 days and cost only 1,500 CRC, around $2.5 USD!
For more info check out the Kolbi website. My recommendation for Kolbi would be to buy a sim card for 1,000 CRC, top up with 1 GB for 2,500 CRC + the unlimited social package for 1,500 CRC = 5,000 CRC ($10 USD) total for unlimited Whatsapp, Instagram, Facebook + 1 GB for internet and other apps.
Liberty
After Kolbi, Liberty is the second-largest mobile internet provider in Costa Rica. Liberty prepaid sim cards cost 1,500 CRC and you can choose from one of the following prepaid sim card plans:
- 1 GB data for 24 hours = 700 CRC - $1.4 USD
- 1.2 GB data + 20 minutes for 7 days = 1,250 CRC - $2.4 USD
- 1 GB data + 15 minutes for 6 days = 2,000 CRC - $3.9 USD
All data plans include free social media. Check the Liberty website for more info.
Claro
Claro sim cards also cost 1,500 CRC and these are their prepaid sim card deals:
- 1 GB data + free social media* + 20 international minutes** + 50 sms - valid for 7 days = 2,000 CRC - $4 USD
- 2 GB data + free social media* + 30 international minutes** + 100 sms - valid for 10 days = 3,000 CRC - $6 USD
- 3 GB data + free social media* + 45 international minutes** + 200 sms - valid for 15 days = 4,500 CRC - $9 USD
- 4 GB data + free social media* + 70 international minutes** + 200 sms - valid for 15 days = 6,000 CRC - $12 USD
- 5 GB data + free social media* + 85 international minutes** + 300 sms - valid for 30 days = 10,000 CRC - $19 USD
*Free social media means: Whatsapp, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest.
**International minutes: all of Central America, Panama, USA and Canada.
Claro offers a wide range of prepaid plan. Check the Claro Costa Rica website for more info.
Best 4G/5G network in Costa Rica in 2024
To determine the best prepaid sim card for traveling in Costa Rica we will also have to look at the mobile internet coverage, so let’s compare the 4G/5G network of the mobile internet providers in Costa Rica.
Is there 5G in Cost Rica?
No, unfortunately there is still no 5G available in Costa Rica as per 2024. However, plans to launch the 5G network are finally underway. The deployment got delayed by the coronavirus pandemic is what they said. The 5G network will most likely be available in San Jose somewhere in 2024.
According to the news they recently started rolling out 5G in some central areas in San Jose, the capital of Costa Rica. But when traveling in Costa Rica do not expect 5G, the fastest data speed is 4G/LTE.
Claro 4G/5G network coverage map
Liberty 4G/5G network coverage map
Kolbi 4G/5G network coverage map
Although the above mobile data network coverage maps are updated for 2024 they are not 100% accurate. However, they are a great reference to compare the 4G/5G networks of the mobile internet providers in Costa Rica in 2024.
From the above mobile internet coverage maps for Costa Rica we can clearly see that Claro has the weakest mobile internet network in Costa Rica in 2024. Kolbi and Liberty are competing for the best mobile data network, but when we look closely we can see that the 4G+ network from Liberty is much better compared to Kolbi.
Although the overall network coverage of Kolbi is pretty good the 4G+ network is pretty disappointing. This is also makes me questioning the data speed of Kolbi.
Traveltomtom comes to the simple conclusion that Liberty has the best 4G/5G mobile data network in Costa Rica in 2024.
Best sim card for Costa Rica in 2024
Looking at the prepaid sim card plans for tourists in Costa Rica the first thing Traveltomtom noticed is that they are very small. The biggest prepaid plan with data is just 5 GB data. Most plans are also only valid for just 1 or 2 weeks, which is pretty inconvenient if you need a lot of data or if your trip to Costa Rica is longer than 1 week.
However, the local prepaid sim card plans in Costa Rica are pretty cheap and come with free social media.
Local prepaid sim cards are cheaper than e-sim cards and international prepaid sim cards for Costa Rica.
In fact, the best value sim card for Costa Rica that you can order on the internet is a physical prepaid sim card from Three with 10 GB data for $24.90 USD. E-sim cards are more expensive, but also much more convenient.
You order an e-sim card on the internet in just a couple clicks and as soon as the plane lands in Costa Rica you are online and enjoy data on your phone. Traveltomtom recommends ordering an e-sim card for Costa Rica via SimOptions, Airalo or Nomad.
Most prepaid sim card plans from Kolbi, Liberty and Claro are more or less the same. All mobile internet providers offer free social media included in their prepaid sim card plans, but be aware that Tiktok, Snapchat and YouTube are not included.
Data packages are rather small and you you get some minutes for calls in Costa Rica, but prices are relatively cheap.
Claro has the smallest mobile data network and Liberty has the best 4G/LTE network in Costa Rica as of 2024. Kolbi sim card prices are slightly more expensive than Liberty.
All in all it is a fairly easy conclusion for Traveltomtom that Liberty is the best prepaid sim card for traveling in Costa Rica in 2024.
Buying a prepaid sim card on arrival in Costa Rica is fairly easy but it takes time and finding a phone store can be a hassle especially since they also have limited opening times.
If you feel like you would be wasting precious holiday time then look to order a sim card for Costa Rica on the internet before your trip.
Order a prepaid sim card for Costa Rica online
If your phone is not e-sim compatible but you would like to order a sim card for traveling to Costa Rica online before your trip then check out the following.
Arrive prepared in Costa Rica with an international prepaid sim card. You order them online and a physical prepaid sim card will be delivered to your home address. You put this sim card in your phone and it automatically connects to an available network upon arrival in Costa Rica, basically when the plane lands you are instantly online.
SimOptions is the only sim card provider that sells physical prepaid sim cards for Costa Rica:
- 10 GB data for 30 days = $24.90 USD
- 5 GB data for 14 days = $49.90 USD
Click here for more info or to order an international sim card for traveling in Costa Rica via SimOptions.
Last reminder that if your phone is e-sim compatible then get yourself an e-sim card for Costa Rica. Within a couple clicks you can arrange everything online. Traveltomtom recommends ordering an e-sim card for Costa Rica via SimOptions, Airalo or Nomad.
My experiences buying a prepaid sim card in Costa Rica
During my last visit to Costa Rica, I got a Kolbi sim card and it worked fine. On the airport in San Jose when I arrived I could unfortunately not buy a Liberty sim card, because it was closed and only the Kolbi shop was open back then.
It was easy to check my balance with a Kolbi sim card through calling *888#. You can also send a text with the word SALDO to 8888 after which you receive a text showing their balance.
I also loved how easy it was to recharge your sim card in Costa Rica. All I had to do was buy a scratch card from a supermarket, convenience store or phone shop. Most of the times I gave the staff cash and my phone number and they did it for me. Including activating the data package.
In my experience, the cell phone service and the Kolbi internet network in Costa Rica was ok, but could have been better. Of course, especially in isolated regions in Costa Rica you will struggle to find a good data connection anyway. Next time when visiting Costa Rica I will buy a Liberty sim card though as it supposed to have faster data speed and better network coverage.
What was your cell phone experience like in Costa Rica? Feel free to share it all with us in the comment section below. Regardless of whether it was smooth or disastrous.
I hope some of the above tips for buying a sim card for Costa Rica were helpful. If you have any more questions please leave me a comment below.
Curious what it looks like trying to visit every country in the world? Go check out my Instagram account @traveltomtom and follow along. As of January 2024 I have visited more than 155 countries, so still a long way to go.
Enjoy your trip to Costa Rica!
Some links in this article about the best way to stay connected when traveling to Costa Rica are affiliate links. If you buy any of the products after using an affiliate link I will earn a small commission. Don’t worry this is at absolutely no extra cost to you.