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Cheap Flights from Los Angeles to Costa Rica

Cheapest round-trip prices found by our users on KAYAK in the last 5 days
Sort by: Cheapest
Liberia
5h 33mNonstop
from $438per person
San José
5h 48mNonstop
from $489per person
Booking Insights

KAYAK's insights & trends for Los Angeles to Costa Rica flights

Get data-powered insights and trends into flights from Los Angeles to Costa Rica to help you find the cheapest flights, the best time to fly and much more.

What is the cheapest Los Angeles to Costa Rica flight route?

The cheapest ticket to Costa Rica from Los Angeles found in the last 5 days was to Liberia, at $386 round-trip. The most popular route is from Los Angeles (LAX) to Liberia (LIR), and the cheapest round-trip airline ticket found on this route in the last 5 days was $386.

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

The cheapest time of day to fly to Costa Rica is generally in the afternoon, when round-trip flights cost $482 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 morning, which is peak travel time and where the average cost of a ticket is $618.

Can I save money by flying with a layover from Los Angeles to Costa Rica?

Yes, flying with a layover may cost you more time, but you can also save money on the route, with a 2 stops layover the cheapest option at $531 on average.

What is the cheapest month to fly from Los Angeles to Costa Rica?

The cheapest month for flights from Los Angeles to Costa Rica is October, when tickets cost $447 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are December and July, when the average cost of round-trip tickets is $681 and $635 respectively.

What’s the cheapest day of the week to fly from Los Angeles to Costa Rica?

If you are looking for a flight deal from Los Angeles to Costa Rica, look for departures on Tuesdays and avoid leaving on a Sunday, as it's usually the priciest day. When flying back from Costa Rica, Tuesday is the cheapest day to fly and Monday is the most expensive.

How far in advance should I book a flight from Los Angeles to Costa Rica?

To get a below average price on the flight from Los Angeles to Costa Rica, you should book around 1 week before departure. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 18 weeks before departure.

Good to know

Low season

September

Cheapest flight

$185
Best time to beat the crowds with an average 10% drop in price.
Most popular time to fly with an average 5% increase in price.
Flight from Los Angeles to Liberia

FAQs - booking Costa Rica flights

  • When I fly from Los Angeles to Costa Rica, do I need to obtain a visa before my trip and will I need a passport?

    For travelers that are hopping aboard flights from Los Angeles to Costa Rica, a valid passport is a requirement for the trip and the passport needs to be valid for the entire length of your stay in Costa Rica. The passport should have one blank page inside of it for an entry stamp. If you are traveling on vacation as a tourist and you plan on staying for less than 90 days, you will not need a visa but you will need to present a return airline ticket.

  • After landing at the airport in San Jose, what is a good choice for public transportation to travel to the center of the city?

    There is a bus service operated by TUASA that makes the trip from the airport to the downtown area in about 30min. The cost for this trip is around ₡640 ($1).

  • What is the best way for me to get to Puerto Viejo from Los Angeles?

    Start your journey by booking a one-stop flight from Los Angeles to Limon Airport (LIO) that will most likely have a layover at San José Juan Santamaria International. Once in Limon, you can take the bus service offered by Autotransportes MEPE that makes the trip in around 1h 30min for a cost of about ₡1920 ($3).

  • Are there any lounges at Los Angeles International Airport where I can wait for my flight to Costa Rica?

    Since two of the airlines that offer direct service between Los Angeles include United Airlines and Avianca, travelers will be happy to know that the airport offers a United Airlines Polaris Lounge and a United Airlines United Club inside of Terminal 7 at the airport. Passengers traveling on Avianca can make use of the Star Alliance First-Class Lounge inside of the International Terminal since Avianca is a member of this alliance.

  • How does KAYAK find such low prices on flights from Los Angeles 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 Los Angeles to Costa Rica.

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

    KAYAK’s flight Price Forecast tool uses historical data to determine whether the price for a flight from Los Angeles 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 Los Angeles 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 Los Angeles 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 Los Angeles 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 Los Angeles to Costa Rica up to 3 days before/after your preferred dates. You can then pick the flights that suit you best.

  • How many flights are there between Los Angeles and Costa Rica per day?

    Each day, there are 2 nonstop flights that take off from Los Angeles and land in Costa Rica, with an average flight time of 5h 58m. The most common departure time is 11:00 am and most flights take off in the morning. Each week, there are 4 flights and there are the same amount of flights each day (2).

Top tips for finding cheap flights to Costa Rica

  • The two international airports that you can choose from in Costa Rica are San José Juan Santamaria International (SJO) and Liberia International (LIR). San Jose is located right in the center of the country whereas Liberia is in the northwestern corner of the country.
  • If you're looking for public transportation to take you from downtown Los Angeles to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), you can travel on a combination of the Metro A line, C line, and finally, the Greenline Shuttle. The trip takes about 54min and will cost around $12.
  • If you have just arrived after a long flight to Costa Rica and need currency exchange services, the airport in San Jose offers the services near both Gate Nine as well as in the baggage claim area. These currency exchange services are open 24h per day.
  • If you're looking for a public transportation option to take you from Liberia International Airport to the center of Liberia, the bus offered by Flor de Polanco makes the trip in about 27min for a cost of around ₡640 ($1).
  • If you are driving your own car to Los Angeles International Airport, there are parking lots adjacent to the terminal buildings. If you prefer to spend less, there are economy parking lots that are about 7min from the terminal buildings that offer free shuttle service to and from the airport.

Reviews of the top 5 airlines serving from Los Angeles to Costa Rica

 
Need help choosing which airline to fly with from Los Angeles to Costa Rica? KAYAK airline reviews give an overall score for each airline based on loads of factors, including comfort, boarding, in-flight entertainment and more, to make your decision easier. See airline scores according to verified KAYAK customer reviews.
7.9
Alaska AirlinesOverall score based on 12922 reviews
7.0Entertainment
7.8Comfort
7.0Food
8.1Boarding
8.5Crew
Airline reviews

Flight was delayed by almost 2 hours due to air control and no available plane. We didnt land until after 1:30am. And it changed my whole vacation, no sleep the 1st night

2.0 MediocreKerry, Aug 2026
Read more Alaska Airlines reviews

Flight was delayed by almost 2 hours due to air control and no available plane. We didnt land until after 1:30am. And it changed my whole vacation, no sleep the 1st night

It was awful. I will never appreciate this type of connection where i have to wait 12 hours which turned into 18 hours due to Alaska's delays after flying over 15hours already. The 15 hours already made my body suffer as soon as I deplaned. I struggled to breath and was about to faint,but being alone, I tried to hold on my carry on luggage I wasn't able to take it anymore, so I informed the airport people who then assisted me. My husband had to book me a $200 hotel room so I can rest. I stayed for only 4 hours in that expensive hotel in order to catch my 8 in the morning flight to Spokane only for it to be delayed until 2:17. We finally left LAX before 3pm. Alaska was also inconsistent with their gate assignments. Our first gate was 64A, after the delay they sent us an email that the next gate was 68,but the arrival and departure board showed gate 60. When I asked the desk 60 agents, they said it will be gate 61. All these experience contributed to my exhaustion and stress which affected my heart and well being.

The best airline!!! Their customer service is beyond wonderful, especially over the phone.

I paid for the $8 WiFi for the flight and it never worked. The crew told me it goes in and out and to keep trying. I didn’t get to watch the show I had planned to watch, bummer that I paid for the service. The person next to me said she has never been successful with in flight WiFi.

The check in Process was a bit slow. The flight was smooth and comfortable,

It was very frustrating that the people that got in th plane before I did had all taken the storage area above my seat so I had to go all the way town to store my luggage. My seat was 7c and I had to go all the way to 16 to find a place for my carry on. How is that even allowed! The worst part was trying to get my luggage when we landed.. such a headache and so unnecessary. If I’m in row 7c I should be able to store my carry on above where I’m sitting. It’s ridiculous that o need to go all the way down and struggle at the end of the flight to get my carry on.

Liberia airport was a disaster -- as we were pretty close, they shut the runway and we were diverted. San Jose wouldn't accept us so we had to go all the way to San Salvador and refuel and wait. Crew itself communicated as best they could.

Just another flight. No food, no entertainment. Left/arrived on time.

The FA's were fabulous, attentive, cheery, take pride in their vocation. The check in process was fast, orderly, etc save weight adjusted seat changes which respected aisle, window preference. The plane seemed new, clean. No free included food, fee based food options were average, free beverage. Could not get the entertainment App to work on my device. It seems other passengers were having the same issue. All in all a pleasant, efficient, restful flight made memorable by a keen, efficient, professional and very nice group of flight attendants.

I’m surprised that there was no screens for an almost 6 hour flight! Alaska needs to step up in this department.

Smooth flight. Easy boarding. Come early. Check in line is long

Quick boarding and check in.. but premium seats don’t recline.. very hard to relax. But overall, it was a Great a satisfying experience.. Thank You

If they listen to you especially when there’s a problem with a passport now I lost my tickets and also my seat money

The worst airline I have ever experienced. Terrible customer service. Absolutely disgraceful

Checking bags at the airport, very confusing they make lines for different flights but they don’t have any signs, so if you are on the wrong line be aware they will send you to the end of the correct line. No priority for check in even if you pay and no priority to disabled persons and elderly persons.

Despite all the negative reviews, I took Volaris with a family of 4 (including a toddler and infant in arms). The only compliant was they charged me $70 to gate check our wagon (which we use as a stroller) and then it was not available for pickup at the gate (which is the entire point), so we had to get through customs and the airport with our luggage and no way to push our kids :(

Après avoir manqué l’avion aucune aide de la part des agents à l’aéroport pour trouver un autre vol

Más comida no cobrar tanto por los asientos y comida food

Worst airline ever!! Delays in all my flights!!! Do not flight with Volaris!

The departures screens in the airport showed the flight as canceled for some weird reason, but when I got to the gate just to double check, it showed it as on time, and not canceled. This was confusing, but ultimately I was able to get to where I needed to go.

Return Premium Economy section to the smaller section with comfortable seats. Add internet, upgrade the meals, and upgrade/update the Movies and Music onboard.

My return flight to Honolulu (UA 1170) was on a 777-200. I’d forgotten the weird seating arrangement in first-class (2-2-2); I was in 1B, so I faced the passenger in 1C. Unfortunately, there was a problem with the flight computer, so we left LA an hour late (6:05pm). The meal I chose was Korean BBQ Glazed short rib. It was served with a nice salad and fried rice. This meal was better than breakfast on the outgoing leg. All in all, a decent flying experience. Ratings: 777: 3.75, food: 3.5, service: 5 (out of 5).

Baggage claim signs were not updated with my flight information, so I had to guess. The app wasn't updated either.

The seats were very uncomfortable. I paid for the front economy. i swear they added a row of seats in there. It was so tight, that I could measure the distance between my seat and the one in front from my elbow to the tips of my fingers plus six inches. The seat cushion was completely worn out. The dinner was very good. Thank you for having a vegetarian option as a standard. But breakfast was nothing but sugar. that's not food. The crew was crabby and rude, especially in regards to coming to the back gallery. And the entertainment choice: why would you put violent movies on the choice? the Godfather? Some movies with black women being beaten over the head with clubs? What the heck? You know that when there is a movie on a plane, everyone gets to watch it. Why choose the most violent titles possible? The total number of movies were very limited, and the television, even more so. No games were available on the set. The wellness section was nice, thank you. I appreciated a galley in the middle where I could stand. The seats were unbearable.

UA594 was delayed multiple times. I ended up getting picked up so I can make it in time for work 6AM on Monday, 7/6/2026

Boarded from a very small gate at LAX. Staff at gate had us line up, then waited 25 minutes to board without a word of explanation. Plane arrived on time then waited 20 minutes for a plane to vacate our gate. Majority of bags arrived after 15 minutes but it took an hour for a small number of remaining bags to be off-loaded despite my “priority” bag tag.

Great staff. Clean plane, but we were delayed for more than an hour due to maintenance issues and had to board another plane.

I was very disappointed with my experience at the United Airlines baggage check. The representative was rude and unhelpful. I was required to remove approximately 1.5 pounds from my two checked bags, even though it was a very small amount over the limit. The interaction was unnecessarily unpleasant, and I expected much better customer service. I hope United will review this incident and provide additional customer service training to its staff.

The boarding process on the departure from LA was rather slow even though I was in Group 1. For first class, I was not expecting to have to pay for Wi-fi but I did and then the wi-fi was spotty. The entree was surprisingly good and so that was a pleasant surprise. However, once I got to Houston, it was terrible. Unfortunately there was bad weather but the constant gate changes for my connecting flight was difficult to manage due to having to navigate back and forth between different terminals.

I was promised by United Airline (operated by ANA) that I will be seated together with my kids as I am the only adult flying with two minors. We did not get seats together in our 11 hours flight from LA to Tokyo. When asked at the gate, ANA representative said United Airline should have informed them that there is a parent flying with two minors. He said they can’t do anything in the system as the flight is full. He ask me to ask passengers next to me and the kids if they are willing to change seats. This is ridiculous! However, I went in the flight and asked other passages but no one willing to change seats. 11 hours and we were seating separately. I was very disappointed with this. It made things super inconvenient for me.

British Airways canceled our original flight and rebooked us on Air Canada one day later. As a result, we lost one day of our Geneva trip and incurred financial losses for a prepaid hotel night and a day trip that we were unable to use.

On time and stellar premium class service. Not liking non LCD display in seat backs - miss the convenience of not using your own device.

It was my first time flying with Alaska Airlines and it was a pleasure!

We enjoy the professionalism and cleanliness of the staff and aircraft. We are grateful to the experiences pilots and flight crew

Our experience with American Airlines was extremely disappointing and honestly made an already exhausting international journey much worse. After flying all the way from Melbourne and dealing with significant jet lag, the American Airlines experience at LAX was the last thing we needed. The terminal and boarding area felt very old and uncomfortable, with little to no air conditioning and only old fans running in the area. Boarding was also through outdoor stairs rather than a jet bridge, which felt especially inconvenient after such a long journey. Even though we were traveling First Class, the onboard experience was surprisingly poor. There were no meaningful snack options, no decent coffee available to order, and the aircraft was so small that there was barely enough overhead space for carry-on luggage. The staff experience was also disappointing and lacked the warmth or attentiveness we had experienced on our international flights. To make matters worse, the flight departed late, extending an already very long travel day. Overall, the combination of the outdated terminal, uncomfortable boarding process, limited First Class service, small aircraft, poor staff experience, and delay made this an extremely unpleasant final leg of our journey. It significantly worsened our exhaustion and jet lag rather than making the connection home easier. Unfortunately, this experience was bad enough that I do not plan to travel with American Airlines again in the future.

Gate 461 the worst in LAX Boarding lacks professionalism And as usual, your food sucks.

With a 24 hour delay, the Flight stared off rough. They had a nationwide IT Outage but communications to Passengers was very bad. Ground Staff and Ticket Agents were extremely rude and unhelpful. Perhaps they should take ground training from DL or Qatar. The food was horrible. Seafood was mixed with Bacon. Those two don’t have any space for Jewish or Muslim Faith Customers. The Airline needs new management.

My seat had a worn out cushion, which made it a bit uncomfortable. Other than that, the flight was excellent.

My luggage never made it, I booked business class only to find out I’m sitting in the back. Very disappointed with the reservation

The boarding and fllight were good. The reason for the ok rating was the long walk to get to the transport to finally get to the gate.

Staff are the rudest in the industry … awful customer service … will never fly Avianca again

Here we have another airline flying to Guatemala but doesn't have a plus or a less, just in the middle. Why? Well, first we don't have even free water Movie selection is poor Seats don't recline in some places Food selection is carb based Forgot to mention, customer service on the web is the worst. Good things; Very reliable on schedule Kind crew

I had to go to the boarding counter for them to enter my return flight as it’s not with Avianca. There was a long queue as there were lots of people being called to the counter.

Boarding, crew were excellent, food was ok and entertainment need to improve

No water for a 5 hour flight entertainment not working seats with little room for knees when person in front of me reclined kept bumping my knees.

Awful. I checked in online and there was no option to pay for baggage, at the airport when I checked in my baggage was received and Iwas not charged. When I got to LA during the boarding process I was told I didn't pay for baggage, the crew resolved I was let in the plane. When I got to my final destination my baggage was not there. It took me two days to receive my baggage. Bad service ever!

There was no food or drink service, couldn’t even get a glass of water for free. It was a long and expensive flight to not offer food or beverage on the plane.

My experience was amazing! They helped my elderly mother board on early through a wheelchair and were accommodating to have us sit together since our seats were in different locations. When landing at the airport in GUA they were very helpful with full of hospitality.

They charge me $190.00 dollars for the baggage for the bag in side the plane and in the baggage compartment in the plane. The service I got bad bad bad they make wait for a log time and i got to the airport 4 hours before. I don't think I'm going to use you guys never never again no support . And I am going to tell all the guys and people i now to don' use KAYAK

Avianca is the worst most uncomfortable airline I've ever been in, the seats are incredibly small and offer no support, the worst experience I've had traveling ever, do not bother with Avianca

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