$97 Find Cheap Flights from California to Costa Rica

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Useful Info
Useful Info

Good to know

Low seasonSeptember
High seasonDecember
Cheapest flight$97
Best time to beat the crowds with an average 17% drop in price.
Most popular time to fly with an average 49% increase in price.
Flight from Los Angeles to San José

Flights from California to Costa Rica: the best tips from KAYAK users

Insights shared by verified travelers who flew the route from California to Costa Rica 
Learn how KAYAK collects reviews and tips from users.
Verified travelerFlew with Alaska AirlinesLAX-SJOApr 2025
This was my 1st time flying internationally with Alaska and the whole carry on storage situation has me not very positive.
CarmelFlew with Alaska AirlinesLAX-LIRJan 2025
Know that flights are very unreliable so pad your days/plans.

FAQs for booking flights from California to Costa Rica

  • How does KAYAK find such low prices on flights from California to Costa Rica?

    KAYAK is a travel search engine. That means we look across the web to find the best prices we can find for our users. With over 2 billion flight queries processed yearly, we are able to display a variety of prices and options on flights from California to Costa Rica.

  • How does KAYAK's flight Price Forecast tool help me choose the right time to buy my flight ticket from California to Costa Rica?

    KAYAK’s flight Price Forecast tool uses historical data to determine whether the price for a flight from California to Costa Rica is likely to change within 7 days, so travelers know whether to wait or book now.

  • What is the Hacker Fare option on flights from California to Costa Rica?

    Hacker Fares allow you to combine one-way tickets in order to save you money over a traditional round-trip ticket. You could then fly from California to Costa Rica with an airline and back with another airline.

  • What is KAYAK's "flexible dates" feature and why should I care when looking for a flight from California to Costa Rica?

    Sometimes travel dates aren't set in stone. If your preferred travel dates have some wiggle room, flexible dates will show you all the options when flying from California to Costa Rica up to 3 days before/after your preferred dates. You can then pick the flights that suit you best.

  • Which is the cheapest airport to fly into in Costa Rica?

    Prices will differ depending on the departure airport, but generally, the cheapest airport to fly to in Costa Rica is San José Juan Santamaria Intl Airport (SJO), with an average flight price of $224.

  • What is the cheapest day to fly to Costa Rica?

    Based on KAYAK data, the cheapest day to fly to Costa Rica is Monday where round-trip tickets can be as cheap as $513. On the other hand, the most expensive day to fly is Friday, where round-trip prices are $570 on average.

  • What is the cheapest time of day to fly to Costa Rica?

    The cheapest time of day to fly to Costa Rica is generally at night, when round-trip flights cost $513 on average. Morning departures are around 4% more expensive than evening flights, on average. The most expensive time of day to fly to Costa Rica is generally in the afternoon, which is peak travel time and where the average cost of a ticket is $587.

  • What is the cheapest flight to Costa Rica?

    The cheapest ticket to Costa Rica from California found in the last 72 hours was to San José, at $262 round-trip. The most popular route is Los Angeles (LAX) to San José (SJO) and the cheapest round-trip airline ticket found on this route in the last 72 hours was $262.

  • What is the cheapest month to fly from California to Costa Rica?

    The cheapest month for flights from California to Costa Rica is January, when tickets cost $537 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are December and April, when the average cost of round-trip tickets is $1,173 and $688 respectively.

  • How far in advance should I book a flight from California to Costa Rica?

    To get a below average price on the flight from California to Costa Rica, you should book around 8 weeks before departure. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 18 weeks before departure.

  • How long is the flight to Costa Rica?

    An average nonstop flight from California to Costa Rica takes 11h 44m, covering a distance of 2805 miles. The shortest route is Los Angeles (LAX) to Liberia (LIR) with an average flight time of 5h 33m.

  • What are the most popular destinations in Costa Rica?

    Based on KAYAK flight searches, the most popular destination is San José (73% of total searches to Costa Rica). The next most popular destination is Liberia (27%).

Book cheap flights from California to Costa Rica

Recent round-trip flight deals

8/25Mon
1 stop
19h 32mLAX-SJO
8/27Wed
1 stop
7h 32mSJO-LAX
$227
8/18Mon
1 stop
19h 32mLAX-SJO
8/26Tue
1 stop
7h 32mSJO-LAX
$231
7/3Thu
1 stopVolaris El Salvador
17h 20mLAX-SJO
7/7Mon
1 stopVolaris El Salvador
19h 32mSJO-LAX
$257
7/12Sat
1 stopVolaris El Salvador
17h 20mLAX-SJO
7/18Fri
1 stopVolaris El Salvador
19h 32mSJO-LAX
$259
9/4Thu
nonstopVolaris Costa Rica
7h 29mLAX-SJO
9/9Tue
nonstopVolaris Costa Rica
7h 37mSJO-LAX
$279
8/29Fri
1 stopCopa Airlines
18h 19mSAN-SJO
9/7Sun
1 stopCopa Airlines
10h 04mSJO-SAN
$292
7/27Sun
1 stopVolaris Costa Rica
7h 29mLAX-SJO
10/20Mon
1 stopVolaris Costa Rica
7h 37mSJO-LAX
$293
8/12Tue
nonstopAlaska Airlines
5h 51mLAX-LIR
8/14Thu
nonstopAlaska Airlines
5h 49mLIR-LAX
$304
8/12Tue
nonstopAlaska Airlines
6h 04mLAX-SJO
8/13Wed
nonstopAlaska Airlines
6h 13mSJO-LAX
$305
7/11Fri
1 stopCopa Airlines
10h 17mSAN-SJO
7/20Sun
1 stopCopa Airlines
8h 39mSJO-SAN
$372

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Recent one-way flight deals

8/30Sat
1 stop
6h 55mLAX-SJO
$97
8/16Sat
1 stop
6h 55mLAX-SJO
$101
7/24Thu
1 stopVolaris El Salvador
17h 20mLAX-SJO
$104
6/24Tue
1 stopVolaris El Salvador
24h 38mLAX-SJO
$105
6/11Wed
2 stopsSpirit Airlines
20h 48mLAS-SJO
$124
8/23Sat
nonstopVolaris Costa Rica
7h 29mLAX-SJO
$140
8/24Sun
2 stopsAvianca
9h 15mLAX-SJO
$141
9/22Mon
2 stopsSpirit Airlines
15h 21mLAX-SJO
$142
8/3Sun
1 stopVolaris Costa Rica
7h 29mLAX-SJO
$145
8/22Fri
1 stopAvianca
7h 10mLAX-SJO
$181

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Last minute flights from California to Costa Rica

Last minute flight, train and bus deals

5/27Tue
multi-stop
12h 15mLAX-SJO
6/4Wed
multi-stop
7h 34mSJO-LAX
$290
5/27Tue
multi-stop
12h 15mLAX-SJO
6/2Mon
multi-stop
24h 24mSJO-LAX
$301
5/27Tue
multi-stop
12h 15mLAX-SJO
6/4Wed
multi-stop
7h 34mSJO-LAX
$314
5/25Sun
multi-stopVolaris Costa Rica
7h 19mLAX-SJO
6/4Wed
multi-stopVolaris Costa Rica
7h 34mSJO-LAX
$341
5/26Mon
nonstopVolaris Costa Rica
7h 19mLAX-SJO
5/30Fri
nonstopVolaris Costa Rica
8h 02mSJO-LAX
$348
5/27Tue
multi-stopAmerican Airlines
12h 36mLAS-SJO
6/3Tue
multi-stopAmerican Airlines
17h 13mSJO-LAS
$356
5/27Tue
multi-stopAmerican Airlines
12h 22mLAS-SJO
6/3Tue
multi-stopAmerican Airlines
14h 32mSJO-LAS
$360
5/27Tue
multi-stopVolaris El Salvador
12h 31mLAX-SJO
6/1Sun
multi-stopVolaris El Salvador
11h 38mSJO-LAX
$366
5/24Sat
nonstopAlaska Airlines
5h 38mLAX-SJO
6/6Fri
nonstopAlaska Airlines
6h 23mSJO-LAX
$389
5/27Tue
multi-stopAlaska Airlines
26h 47mLAS-SJO
6/2Mon
multi-stopAlaska Airlines
15h 25mSJO-LAS
$398

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Everything you need to know for your flight to Costa Rica

Cabin class types available on flights to California

Cabin classes available on flights to California. Prices are the lowest found on KAYAK over the last 7 days. Price and availability is not guaranteed.
First Class flights to Costa Ricafrom $1,256
Business Class flights to Costa Ricafrom $1,090
Prem Econ Class flights to Costa Ricafrom $1,305
Economy Class flights to Costa Ricafrom $262

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