What are housing prices like in Costa Rica right now? (2026)

Authored by the expert who managed and guided the team behind the Costa Rica Property Pack

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THE LATINVESTOR

A team specialized in real estate investing in LATAM countries

We are a team of financial experts, legal professionals, developers, and local real estate specialists dedicated to helping people like you avoid mistakes when investing in real estate in a foreign place, particularly in Costa Rica. If you’d like to learn more about us, you can check our presentation page.

What is the average housing price in Costa Rica in 2026?

The median housing price in Costa Rica in 2026 is more useful than the average because one expensive villa in Nosara, Tamarindo, or Escazú can pull the average up, while the median better reflects what a normal buyer is likely to see.

We are writing this as of 2026, with the latest data collected from authoritative sources that we manually double checked.

The median housing price in Costa Rica in 2026 is about ₡72 million, which is around $156,000 or €135,000.

The average housing price in Costa Rica in 2026 is about ₡113 million, which is around $245,000 or €212,000.

For about 80% of the residential property market in Costa Rica in 2026, a realistic price range is roughly ₡37 million to ₡461 million, or about $80,000 to $1 million, or about €69,000 to €865,000.

A realistic entry range in Costa Rica in 2026 is about ₡35 million to ₡55 million, or about $76,000 to $119,000, or about €66,000 to €103,000, which can buy an older 2-bedroom house of around 55 to 70 square meters in places such as Grecia, peripheral Cartago, Limón, or inland Puntarenas.

A realistic luxury range in Costa Rica in 2026 is about ₡553 million to ₡1.38 billion, or about $1.2 million to $3 million, or about €1.04 million to €2.59 million, which can buy a renovated ocean-view villa of around 250 to 450 square meters in Nosara, Tamarindo, Papagayo, or a premium gated area.

By the way, you will find much more detailed price ranges in our property pack covering the real estate market in Costa Rica.

Are Costa Rica property listing prices close to the actual sale price in 2026?

In Costa Rica in 2026, actual sale prices are estimated to be about 8% lower than listed property prices on average.

The gap exists because many Costa Rica sellers leave room for negotiation, especially in coastal and expat areas where buyers compare homes in US dollars.

The difference varies the most for luxury villas, older beach homes, and overpriced listings that sit on the market for a long time, where final prices can be 10% to 15% below asking.

What is the price per sq m or per sq ft for properties in Costa Rica in 2026?

As of 2026, the median housing price per square meter in Costa Rica is about ₡713,000, or $1,548, or €1,337, and the median price per square foot is about ₡66,000, or $144, or €124.

The average housing price per square meter in Costa Rica in 2026 is about ₡875,000, or $1,899, or €1,641, and the average price per square foot is about ₡81,000, or $176, or €152.

The highest price per square meter in Costa Rica is usually found in small modern condos and beach-area villas, while the lowest price per square meter is usually found in older inland houses because buyers pay much more for beach access, views, amenities, and international demand.

The highest price per square meter in Costa Rica in 2026 is usually found in Escazú, Santa Ana, Tamarindo, Nosara, and Santa Teresa, where common ranges are about ₡1.2 million to ₡3.2 million per square meter.

The lowest price per square meter in Costa Rica in 2026 is usually found in Limón, inland Puntarenas, peripheral Cartago, and some secondary towns, where common ranges are about ₡300,000 to ₡700,000 per square meter.

How have property prices evolved in Costa Rica?

Property prices in Costa Rica are estimated to be about 6% higher in 2026 than one year earlier.

The main reason is that demand stayed strong in coastal towns, expat areas, and the western side of San José, while the best locations still had limited supply.

Compared with two years ago, property prices in Costa Rica are estimated to be about 12% to 15% higher in nominal terms.

This two-year increase came from strong foreign demand, a firm colón, higher construction costs in good locations, and continued interest in beach and lifestyle markets.

By the way, we’ve written a blog article detailing the latest updates on property price variations in Costa Rica.

Finally, if you want to know whether now is a good time to buy a property there, you can check our pack covering everything there is to know about the housing market in Costa Rica.

How do prices vary by housing type in Costa Rica in 2026?

In Costa Rica in 2026, detached houses represent about 42% of the visible residential market, condos and apartments about 28%, villas and luxury houses about 10%, townhouses about 8%, rural homes and fincas with a house about 7%, and new-build pre-sale units about 5%, because Costa Rica is still mainly a house market but urban and resort condos are growing fast.

Older inland detached houses in Costa Rica average around ₡55 million, or $119,000, or €103,000, while standard Central Valley houses average around ₡92 million, or $200,000, or €173,000.

Condos and apartments in Costa Rica average around ₡115 million, or $250,000, or €216,000, and townhouses in gated communities average around ₡138 million, or $300,000, or €259,000.

Beach condos in Costa Rica average around ₡230 million, or $500,000, or €432,000, while luxury villas average around ₡691 million, or $1.5 million, or €1.30 million.

If you want to know more, you should read our dedicated analyses:

• How much should you pay for a house in Costa Rica?
• How much should you pay for lands in Costa Rica?

How do property prices compare between existing and new homes in Costa Rica in 2026?

New homes in Costa Rica in 2026 usually cost about 18% to 28% more than similar existing homes, with a useful midpoint of around 22%.

This premium exists because new homes in Costa Rica usually include modern finishes, parking, security, amenities, and developer costs that older homes often do not include.

How do property prices vary by neighborhood in Costa Rica in 2026?

Escazú and Santa Ana are among the most expensive residential areas in Costa Rica in 2026, with condos, townhouses, gated homes, and luxury houses often ranging from about ₡130 million to ₡650 million, or $282,000 to $1.41 million, or €244,000 to €1.22 million.

Prices are high in Escazú and Santa Ana because these areas are close to private schools, hospitals, malls, offices, restaurants, and services used by many expat and high-income local buyers.

Tamarindo and Nosara are premium beach markets in Costa Rica in 2026, where beach condos, jungle homes, and villas often range from about ₡140 million to ₡1.15 billion, or $304,000 to $2.5 million, or €263,000 to €2.16 million.

These beach areas are expensive because the best land is limited, tourism is strong, and many buyers are paying with US-dollar budgets.

Grecia, Cartago suburbs, and Limón are more affordable Costa Rica residential areas in 2026, with older houses and family homes often ranging from about ₡30 million to ₡120 million, or $65,000 to $260,000, or €56,000 to €225,000.

These areas are cheaper because demand is more local, international buyer pressure is lower, and many homes are older or farther from the main beach and expat zones.

You will find a much more detailed analysis by areas in our property pack about Costa Rica. Meanwhile, here is a quick summary table we have made so you can understand how prices change across areas:

Area in Costa Rica	Market label	Average price range	Average range per sq m	Average range per sq ft
Limón city and outskirts	Entry and local	₡30M to ₡75M $65k to $163k	₡300k to ₡550k $651 to $1,194	₡28k to ₡51k $60 to $111
Grecia	Entry and retiree value	₡40M to ₡95M $87k to $206k	₡400k to ₡700k $868 to $1,519	₡37k to ₡65k $81 to $141
Cartago suburbs	Family and commute	₡50M to ₡120M $109k to $260k	₡450k to ₡800k $977 to $1,736	₡42k to ₡74k $91 to $161
Heredia	Family and services	₡75M to ₡170M $163k to $369k	₡650k to ₡1.05M $1,411 to $2,279	₡60k to ₡98k $131 to $212
Rohrmoser and Sabana	Urban professional	₡90M to ₡230M $195k to $499k	₡900k to ₡1.45M $1,953 to $3,147	₡84k to ₡135k $181 to $292
Curridabat	Urban family	₡85M to ₡210M $184k to $456k	₡800k to ₡1.30M $1,736 to $2,821	₡74k to ₡121k $161 to $262
Santa Ana	Expat and gated	₡130M to ₡450M $282k to $977k	₡1.0M to ₡1.8M $2,171 to $3,907	₡93k to ₡167k $202 to $363
Escazú	Premium and expat	₡160M to ₡650M $347k to $1.41M	₡1.1M to ₡2.0M $2,388 to $4,341	₡102k to ₡186k $222 to $403
Jacó	Beach and accessible	₡95M to ₡300M $206k to $651k	₡900k to ₡1.6M $1,953 to $3,473	₡84k to ₡149k $181 to $323
Tamarindo	Beach and international	₡140M to ₡600M $304k to $1.30M	₡1.3M to ₡2.3M $2,821 to $4,992	₡121k to ₡214k $262 to $464
Nosara	Luxury and lifestyle	₡230M to ₡1.15B $499k to $2.50M	₡1.6M to ₡3.0M $3,473 to $6,512	₡149k to ₡279k $323 to $605
Santa Teresa	Luxury and surf	₡230M to ₡1.38B $499k to $3.0M	₡1.7M to ₡3.2M $3,690 to $6,945	₡158k to ₡297k $343 to $645

How much more do you pay for properties in Costa Rica when you include renovation work, taxes, and fees?

In Costa Rica in 2026, a buyer should usually add 4% to 6% for clean closing costs, 10% to 18% if light renovation is needed, and 25% to 45% if the property needs major renovation.

If you buy a property in Costa Rica for about $200,000, or roughly ₡92 million, closing costs alone can add about $10,000, or ₡4.6 million.

With light renovation, the total extra budget can be closer to $30,000, or ₡14 million, meaning the all-in cost can reach about $230,000, or ₡106 million.

If you buy a property in Costa Rica for about $500,000, or roughly ₡230 million, normal closing costs can add around $25,000, or ₡11.5 million.

If the same $500,000 property needs light to meaningful renovation, the extra budget can easily reach $75,000 to $150,000, so the all-in cost can move toward $575,000 to $650,000, or ₡265 million to ₡299 million.

If you buy a property in Costa Rica for about $1 million, or roughly ₡461 million, clean closing costs can add about $50,000, or ₡23 million.

If the $1 million property is an older villa that needs real upgrades, the additional budget can be around $250,000 to $450,000, so the all-in cost can reach about $1.25 million to $1.45 million, or ₡576 million to ₡668 million.

By the way, we keep updated a blog article detailing the property taxes and fees to factor in the total buying cost in Costa Rica.

Meanwhile, here is a detailed table of the additional expenses you may have to pay when buying a new property in Costa Rica

Extra cost	Type	Estimated cost range
Transfer tax	Tax	About 1.5% of the declared or registered value. On a $200,000 purchase, this is about $3,000, or ₡1.4 million. This is one of the main taxes paid during the purchase process.
Registry stamps and documentary fees	Fees	Usually about 0.5% to 0.8% of the property value. On a $200,000 purchase, this is about $1,000 to $1,600, or ₡461,000 to ₡737,000. These are smaller official charges linked to registration.
Notary and legal fees	Fees	Usually about 1.0% to 1.5% of the property value. On a $200,000 purchase, this is about $2,000 to $3,000, or ₡921,000 to ₡1.4 million. A good lawyer is important because title and due diligence matter in Costa Rica.
Escrow, due diligence, and translations	Transaction cost	Often about 0.3% to 1.0% of the purchase price. On a $200,000 purchase, this is about $600 to $2,000, or ₡276,000 to ₡921,000. The amount depends on the buyer profile, documents, and transaction structure.
Total buyer closing cost	Fees and taxes	Usually about 4% to 6% of the property price. On a $200,000 purchase, this is about $8,000 to $12,000, or ₡3.7 million to ₡5.5 million. This estimate excludes renovation and furniture.
Light renovation	Renovation	Often about ₡9 million to ₡46 million, or $20,000 to $100,000. This can cover painting, kitchen improvements, bathroom updates, appliances, humidity treatment, and small repairs. Older homes in Costa Rica often need this budget.
Heavy renovation	Renovation	Often about ₡46 million to ₡184 million or more, which is $100,000 to $400,000 or more. This can include roof work, electrical upgrades, structural repairs, full kitchen and bathroom replacement, drainage, and landscaping. The risk is higher for older coastal homes.
Annual property tax	Ongoing tax	Usually around 0.25% of the registered property value per year. On a registered value of $200,000, this is about $500 per year, or ₡230,000. This is separate from one-time buyer closing costs.

We made this infographic to show you how property prices in Costa Rica compare to other big cities across the region. It breaks down the average price per square meter in city centers, so you can see how cities stack up. It’s an easy way to spot where you might get the best value for your money. We hope you like it.

What properties can you buy in Costa Rica in 2026 with different budgets?

With $100,000 in Costa Rica in 2026, or about ₡46 million, there is a real market, but mostly for an existing 2-bedroom house of 55 to 70 square meters in Grecia, a small existing apartment of 45 to 55 square meters in outer San José or Cartago, or an older local house of 70 to 90 square meters in Limón or inland Puntarenas.

With $200,000 in Costa Rica in 2026, or about ₡92 million, a buyer can look at an existing 3-bedroom house of 110 to 140 square meters in the Cartago suburbs, a 1 or 2-bedroom apartment of 60 to 80 square meters in Rohrmoser or Curridabat, or a small house or townhouse of 90 to 120 square meters in Heredia.

With $300,000 in Costa Rica in 2026, or about ₡138 million, a buyer can look at an existing townhouse of 120 to 150 square meters in Santa Ana, an existing 2-bedroom condo of 80 to 100 square meters in Jacó, or a family house of 160 to 220 square meters in Heredia or Curridabat.

With $500,000 in Costa Rica in 2026, or about ₡230 million, a buyer can look at a 3-bedroom condo or townhouse of 150 to 200 square meters in Escazú, a recent beach condo of 90 to 120 square meters in Tamarindo, or a detached gated-community home of 180 to 240 square meters in Santa Ana.

With $1 million in Costa Rica in 2026, or about ₡461 million, a buyer can look at a modern existing or renovated villa of 250 to 350 square meters in Tamarindo, a luxury house of 300 to 450 square meters in Escazú, or a high-end jungle or ocean-view home of 180 to 280 square meters in Nosara.

With $2 million in Costa Rica in 2026, or about ₡921 million, there is a real market but it is concentrated in a few luxury zones, such as an ocean-view villa of 350 to 500 square meters in Nosara, a large luxury estate of 450 to 700 square meters in Escazú or Santa Ana, or a premium beach villa of 300 to 500 square meters in Papagayo or Tamarindo.

If you need a more detailed analysis, we have a blog article detailing what you can buy at different budget levels in Costa Rica.

What sources have we used to write this blog article?

Whether it’s in our blog articles or the market analyses included in our property pack about Costa Rica, we always rely on the strongest methodology we can … and we don’t throw out numbers at random.

We also aim to be fully transparent, so below we’ve listed the authoritative sources we used, and explained how we used them and the methods behind our estimates.

Source used	Why it is authoritative	How we used it
Banco Central de Costa Rica, economic indicators	BCCR is Costa Rica’s central bank, so it is the strongest source for exchange rates and macro context.	We used BCCR to convert Costa Rican colones into US dollars with the June 2026 displayed sell rate. We also used BCCR to understand the low-inflation and strong-colón environment around housing prices in Costa Rica.
INEC Costa Rica, 2025 construction statistics	INEC is Costa Rica’s official statistics agency, so its construction data is the best official source for new supply.	We used INEC to understand where residential construction is growing in Costa Rica. We paid special attention to apartment and condominium growth because it affects urban and resort markets.
INEC Costa Rica, Consumer Price Index	INEC’s CPI is the official consumer inflation measure for Costa Rica.	We used INEC CPI data to adjust recent housing price changes for inflation. We also used it to explain why real price growth can be higher than nominal growth when inflation is very low or negative.
BCCR, direct investment by sector	BCCR’s foreign direct investment data is official and includes sector-level flows.	We used BCCR FDI data to check whether foreign capital was still reaching real estate and tourism-linked sectors. We used it as a macro cross-check for coastal and expat demand.
European Central Bank, EUR/USD reference rate	The ECB is the official euro-area central bank and publishes daily euro reference exchange rates.	We used the ECB’s 9 June 2026 EUR/USD reference rate to convert US-dollar property estimates into euros. We used that date because it is close to the June 2026 writing period.
World Bank, Costa Rica CPI inflation history	The World Bank provides internationally comparable inflation data from recognized public sources.	We used World Bank data as a secondary check for longer-term inflation. We still preferred INEC and BCCR for the most current Costa Rica figures.
Global Property Guide, Costa Rica residential market	Global Property Guide is a long-running international real estate research source.	We used it as a private-sector cross-check for residential price levels and market direction. We did not use it alone because Costa Rica does not publish one complete official house-price index.
Ministerio de Hacienda, Costa Rica tax system	Hacienda is Costa Rica’s tax authority, so it is the primary public reference for tax administration.	We used Hacienda to frame taxes that can affect property buyers. We also cross-checked buyer closing costs with common legal and notarial market practice.
Ley de Impuesto sobre Bienes Inmuebles, Law 7509	This law is the legal basis for Costa Rica’s municipal property tax system.	We used Law 7509 to explain recurring annual property tax. We did not use it to estimate purchase prices directly.
Registro Nacional de Costa Rica	The National Registry is the key public institution for property registration in Costa Rica.	We used it to understand the formal property registration environment. We also used it to separate purchase taxes and fees from market price estimates.
Instituto Costarricense de Turismo	ICT is Costa Rica’s official tourism authority.	We used ICT as context for tourism-linked housing demand in beach markets. We used it especially when interpreting areas such as Tamarindo, Nosara, Jacó, Papagayo, and Santa Teresa.
PROCOMER Costa Rica	PROCOMER is Costa Rica’s official export promotion agency and provides useful economic context.	We used PROCOMER as a broad context source for Costa Rica’s international economic exposure. We did not use it as a direct property price source.