Costa Rica is one of the most popular destinations for digital nomads who live and work remotely. With stunning beaches, year-round warm weather, a high quality of life, and a relaxed pace, learning how to become a digital nomad in Costa Rica should be the first thing you do on your journey.
Living in Costa Rica can be summed up in one term: Pura Vida. Translated, it means “pure life” or “simple life”, but locals use it to say hello and goodbye, and to express that all is well. Mostly, Pura Vida refers to the lifestyle unique to the Costa Rican approach to life: laid-back, easy-going, slow-paced, with a warm and friendly attitude.
If you’re considering becoming a digital nomad in Costa Rica, there are a few things to sort out first, especially the digital nomad visa for Costa Rica, which gives you legal permission to stay longer and work online. Questions about internet reliability, housing, and day-to-day costs also come up a lot, particularly for those looking at long-term stays.
In this guide, we’ll walk through everything you need to know: how the remote work visa for Costa Rica works, what to expect from daily life, tips on finding housing, where to live, and how much it really costs to live here as a nomad in Costa Rica.
Why digital nomads choose to live in Costa Rica
It’s not just for retirees. Costa Rica has been trending as a digital nomad destination for a few years now. It offers many places to work from, acceptable internet speeds in most cities, and you can get comparatively cheap flights anywhere in Central America. Also, medical care, the healthcare system, and health insurance in Costa Rica are overall decent and affordable.
While living costs are quite high compared to other Latin American countries like Colombia or Mexico, for those who enjoy the remote work lifestyle, finding out how to become a digital nomad in Costa Rica is an excellent choice. The rainy season, a.k.a. “Green Season” (also “winter” to Costa Ricans) generally falls between May through November, and some say this is the best time to be in Costa Rica.
Pros of living and working in Costa Rica
Costa Rica offers anything and everything you would want from a tropical tourist destination:
- Wonderfully pleasant, tropical weather year-round
- Dazzling beaches galore, on both the Pacific Coast and the Caribbean Coast
- Lush green rainforests
- Gorgeous national parks
- Incredible food from international cuisines
- Rich, diverse culture
- Hiking, surfing, diving, and buzzing nightlife are at your fingertips
- Easy and cheap SIM cards are available
- The public transport system can take you all around the country for as little as $20
- Speaking the local language, Spanish, isn’t strictly necessary, as English is widely spoken in the cities.
- Proximity to countries in Central America and North America, the USA, Canada, Panama, or Nicaragua
The Costa Rica digital nomad visa
If you’re planning to live and work remotely from Costa Rica for more than a few months, the digital nomad visa is worth a look. It’s one of the most straightforward ways to get legal permission to stay longer than a tourist visa allows, without the paperwork of a full residency application.
Here’s what the visa offers:
- Legal stay for up to one year, renewable for a second year
- Tax exemption on foreign-earned income
- The ability to open a local bank account and validate your driver’s license
- A relatively fast approval process (within 15 days once your documents are in)
Who can apply for the Costa Rica Digital Nomad Visa?
The visa is open to anyone who works remotely for a company or client outside of Costa Rica. That includes freelancers, remote employees, and business owners. You’ll need to show a stable monthly income of at least $3,000 (or $4,000 if you’re bringing a spouse or dependents), and you’ll need health insurance for the full length of your stay.
This law, introduced in 2021 and made fully accessible in 2022, is part of Costa Rica’s broader push to welcome location-independent workers. You’ll often see it referred to as the Estancia for Remote Workers, or just the digital nomad visa for Costa Rica.
What’s the application process?
You can apply online via Trámite Ya or in person at a regional immigration office. It’s not a quick five-minute form, so you’ll need to prep a few things:
- A valid passport
- Proof of income (bank statements or certified affidavit)
- Receipt for the $100 visa fee
- Proof of insurance
- Marriage/birth certificates for any dependents
- Spanish translations for non-Spanish documents
Once submitted, immigration has 15 days to approve or ask for more information. After approval, you’ll need to register your biometrics in-country within 90 days of arrival to finalize the process and receive your residence permit. Now, you are officially a digital nomad in Costa Rica!
Can I renew the visa?
Yes. If you spend at least 80 days in Costa Rica during your first year and still meet the income and insurance requirements, you can extend it for a second year. Renewal costs $90, and the process is similar to the initial application.
Do I have to pay taxes in Costa Rica?
Under the digital nomad law in Costa Rica, you’re not required to pay income tax on foreign-earned income. You’ll also be exempt from import taxes on work equipment you bring in. It’s one of the most tax-friendly setups for nomads anywhere in the region.
That said, this doesn’t exempt you from taxes in your home country. For Americans, especially, the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion (FEIE) might still apply. If you’re unsure how to handle it, talk to a tax advisor familiar with remote work and expat laws.
What if I don’t qualify for the Digital Nomad Visa?
If learning how to become a digital nomad in Costa Rica is as far as you get, there are other long-stay options if the income threshold or paperwork is a barrier. These include:
- Tourist Visa: Up to 90 days, but not for remote work
- Rentista Visa: For passive income earners ($2,500/month)
- Inversionista Visa: Requires a $200,000 investment in Costa Rica
- Work Visa: Only if you’re employed by a Costa Rican company
You can also hop between tourist visa runs if you’re not staying for long, but that’s becoming less reliable post-2022 as the country tightens border policies.
One of the biggest factors to consider is that the new Digital Nomad Visa allows foreign nationals and their families to live and work in Costa Rica for at least a year, with the option of extending it to two years. This new law was passed very recently on August 11, 2021, so some kinks are still being worked out, but people should be able to apply for the digital nomad visa within a matter of weeks.
The cost of living in Costa Rica
The costs of living in Costa Rica vary depending on the city you decide to live in. As a rough estimate, living costs can run as high as $2600 per month for living somewhere with better internet speeds and international cuisine, such as San José, or drop down to around $1500-ish if living outside of a major city where rent is cheaper but your options are fewer.
Based on our community’s own experiences, we’ve compiled this overview of living expenses in the digital nomad hotspots in Costa Rica. This table is a handy piece of information if you’re weighing up how to become a digital nomad in Costa Rica
Best places to live in Costa Rica for digital nomads
For digital nomads looking for the best places to live in Costa Rica, a few locations consistently come up in our community. Santa Teresa has become a favorite for its surf scene, coworking spots, and social energy. It’s remote, but there’s a solid international crowd that keeps it lively. Tamarindo is another well-established beach town with reliable internet, cafes, and an easygoing pace that works well for remote life. If you prefer something more developed, San José has better infrastructure, access to services, and flights in and out, making it a solid home base between beach stints.
1. San José
San José in the Central Valley is the capital city of Costa Rica, where most expats end up living at some point or other. The infrastructure is relatively advanced compared to other cities and towns outside San José. There are well-maintained parks everywhere, which makes for a pleasant living environment despite being very busy during rush hours.
Above all, San José offers a great living experience for the expat community. In addition to what are probably the fastest internet connections in the country, there are a number of coworking spaces in San José that can be rented at reasonable prices per day, as low as $15/day if you’re renting monthly. There is also a wide range of international cuisine and a vibrant nightlife scene, especially in the Escazu district.
Check out the main coworking spaces in San Josè:
2. Puerto Viejo
The epitome of Pura Vida! WiFi Tribe digital nomads frequently compare Puerto Viejo to living in Bali. The reason is the laid-back atmosphere and slow pace of life, as well as its proximity to nature, including white sand beaches and coral reefs, which make it a popular destination with surfers and other water sport enthusiasts.
Puerto Viejo has a few coworking spaces that are more expensive than their counterparts in San José, but generally speaking, it’s a cheaper living option.
Here’s a top list of coworking spaces in Puerto Viejo:
Digital nomads love Santa Teresa for its near-perfect weather. The beaches are some of the best in Costa Rica, with white sands and plenty of surf spots for beginners to experts alike. Those living here rave about how living costs are lower than other digital nomad hotspots around Costa Rica, while still offering okay internet coverage.
3. Santa Teresa
Coworking in Santa Teresa is limited to a small number of excellent spaces. They tend to be more expensive than others in the country, but overall, living costs for digital nomad workers tend to be lower. Santa Teresa is also known as a great place for networking and making new connections with other remote entrepreneurs.
Here are some coworking options in Santa Teresa that our Tribers love:
And of course, there are our WiFi Tribe chapters we frequently host in Santa Teresa. Keep an eye on our calendar for the next time we beach and surf it up there.
4. Tamarindo
Tamarindo is one of the most popular tourist hotspots in Costa Rica. Not only is it a popular beach destination for summer-seekers, but digital nomads living in Tamarindo enjoy living near the best surfing beaches and activities that Costa Rica has to offer, like surfing, scuba diving, and horseback riding.
Like in Puerto Viejo, internet coverage can be an issue here; however, there are some coworking spaces that make up for this problem. Digital nomads also love Tamarindo as a great place for networking and business.
Good to know: High season in Tamarindo runs from December to April, which drives living costs up. However, if you’re living in Tamarindo during low season (May through November), your living costs will be significantly lower than the rest of Costa Rica, especially when it comes to rent prices!
Check out these coworking spaces in Tamarindo:
5. Liberia
Granted, Liberia is a little off the beaten path compared to other digital nomad hotspots. Some people living in Liberia describe it as a “sleepy beach town”, which is exactly what makes living there so great for those looking for a break from city life – there’s that Pura Vida again.
Internet coverage in Liberia is getting better, and GuanaWork is probably the best place to open your laptop. With that said, it’s a good idea to get a solid mobile data plan.
But it offers the biggest plus for digital nomad beach town destinations: living costs are overall quite a bit lower than in the rest of Costa Rica. This is probably why it’s currently in first place on NomadList’s Costa Rican destinations for remote workers.
6. Samara
Samara is a small beachfront city, known as an “eco-friendly” place to live with plenty of nature, beaches, and forest trails nearby.
Samara has few coworking spaces and the internet coverage is – no surprise – spotty, so remote working options are somewhat limited here. But that’s okay! Digital nomads living in Samara tend to have more of a “break” living and working lifestyle than other digital nomad hotspots.
Remote workers come here to enjoy epic beaches and nature trails, not for constant work. If that’s not living the Pura Vida dream, then we don’t know what is.
Check out Samara’s coworking spot, LoCoworking.
How digital nomads find housing in Costa Rica
Your options for finding housing in Costa Rica as a digital nomad depend on which city you choose as your living and working space.
- AirBnB
- Booking
- Coliving organizations like WeWork or Outsite
- Check out this Facebook group: House Sitting in Costa Rica
- Driving around Costa Rica, you’ll see signs proclaiming “Se Alquila” on apartment buildings and in windows. Se Alquila means “to rent”. These are places where locals live, so they tend to be functional rather than fancy – yet well worth it if you’re living and working in Costa Rica on a tight budget.
It’s also worth joining the following Facebook groups to keep an eye out and an ear on the ground for housing offers. Each touristic destination has its own real estate and rentals group where you can post your request for an apartment and find available listings:
- Expatriates in Costa Rica
- DigitalNomad Costa Rica
- Tamarindo Rentals and Real Estate
- Tamarindo Apartment Rentals
- Puerto Viejo Property for Sale, Rent, or Wanted
- What’s On Santa Teresa
Should you consider living in Costa Rica?
If a tropical Pura Vida lifestyle is what you crave, you cannot go wrong with Costa Rica.
The cost of living is cheaper than in many other digital nomad hotspots around the world, but it’s quite high when compared to other neighboring countries. Both housing and food tend to be more expensive, though you can always find cheaper options.
Make sure you check out the Costa Rica Digital Nomad Visa, as this will make it easy for you to stay in the country without having to go on frequent “visa runs,” which might offset the higher costs of living in the end.
WiFi Tribe loves Costa Rica! We’ve been to Santa Teresa several times, and the members on chapter never want to leave. We’d love for you to join us on our next chapter there, so keep an eye on our chapter calendar and become part of our remote working community!
