$197 Find Cheap Flights from San Francisco to Costa Rica

This is the cheapest one-way flight price found by a KAYAK user in the last 72 hours by searching for a flight from San Francisco to Costa Rica departing on 5/8. Fares are subject to change and may not be available on all flights or dates of travel. Click the price to replicate the search for this deal.
1 adult
1 adult, Economy, 0 bags

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Cheap Flights from San Francisco to Costa Rica

Cheapest round-trip prices found by our users on KAYAK in the last 72 hours
San José
San José1 stop$420
Liberia
Liberia1 stop$444
San José
San José1 stop$420
Liberia
Liberia1 stop$444

Book Cheap San Francisco to Costa Rica Plane Tickets

 
Here are some of the best deals found on KAYAK recently from the most popular airlines for round-trip flights from San Francisco to Costa Rica that are departing in the next months. While these flights were available on KAYAK in the last 72 hours, prices and availability are subject to change and deals may expire.
Discover the best prices for you by selecting your travel dates on KAYAK.

Recent round-trip flight deals from San Francisco to Costa Rica

Sun, Jun 7 - Mon, Jun 15
Frontier Logo
8:44 pm - 8:19 am
SFO
-
SJO
10h 35m
1 stop
Frontier Logo
9:35 am - 10:29 am
SJO
-
SFO
25h 54m
1 stop
$420Frontier
Mon, Jun 1 - Fri, Jun 5
Multiple Airlines Logo
7:40 am - 11:33 pm
SFO
-
SJO
14h 53m
2 stops
Multiple Airlines Logo
9:35 am - 10:41 am
SJO
-
SFO
26h 06m
1 stop
$439Multiple Airlines
Wed, Jul 8 - Fri, Jul 10
Frontier Logo
8:51 pm - 8:20 am
SFO
-
SJO
10h 29m
1 stop
Frontier Logo
9:35 am - 4:16 pm
SJO
-
SFO
31h 41m
2 stops
$441Frontier
Wed, May 27 - Sun, Jun 7
Multiple Airlines Logo
7:40 am - 11:33 pm
SFO
-
SJO
14h 53m
2 stops
Multiple Airlines Logo
9:35 am - 10:41 am
SJO
-
SFO
26h 06m
1 stop
$442Multiple Airlines
Wed, Jul 22 - Sun, Jul 26
Frontier Logo
8:51 pm - 8:20 am
SFO
-
SJO
10h 29m
1 stop
Frontier Logo
9:35 am - 10:29 am
SJO
-
SFO
25h 54m
1 stop
$443Frontier
Sat, May 2 - Wed, May 6
JetBlue Logo
11:10 pm - 11:55 am
SFO
-
LIR
11h 45m
1 stop
JetBlue Logo
1:00 pm - 11:51 pm
LIR
-
SFO
11h 51m
1 stop
$444JetBlue
Tue, May 5 - Fri, May 8
JetBlue Logo
11:05 pm - 11:55 am
SFO
-
LIR
11h 50m
1 stop
JetBlue Logo
1:00 pm - 11:51 pm
LIR
-
SFO
11h 51m
1 stop
$446JetBlue
Fri, May 29 - Sun, Jun 7
Frontier Logo
11:59 pm - 8:19 am
SFO
-
SJO
31h 20m
2 stops
Frontier Logo
9:35 am - 10:41 am
SJO
-
SFO
26h 06m
1 stop
$446Frontier
Sat, May 2 - Thu, May 7
JetBlue Logo
11:10 pm - 11:55 am
SFO
-
LIR
11h 45m
1 stop
JetBlue Logo
1:00 pm - 11:51 pm
LIR
-
SFO
11h 51m
1 stop
$464JetBlue
Tue, May 5 - Tue, May 12
JetBlue Logo
11:05 pm - 11:55 am
SFO
-
LIR
11h 50m
1 stop
JetBlue Logo
1:00 pm - 11:51 pm
LIR
-
SFO
11h 51m
1 stop
$466JetBlue
Booking Insights

KAYAK's insights & trends for San Francisco to Costa Rica flights

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

What is the cheapest San Francisco to Costa Rica flight route?

Data is based on round-trip flight searches on KAYAK over the past month.

The cheapest ticket to Costa Rica from San Francisco found in the last 72 hours was to Liberia, at $453 round-trip. The most popular route is from San Francisco (SFO) to San José (SJO), and the cheapest round-trip airline ticket found on this route in the last 72 hours was $683.

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

The average price for all round-trip flights from San Francisco to Costa Rica depending on the time of departure, clicked by users on KAYAK in the last 2 weeks.

The cheapest time of day to fly to Costa Rica is generally at night, when round-trip flights cost $796 on average. The most expensive time of day to fly to Costa Rica is generally at night, which is peak travel time and where the average cost of a ticket is $796.

Can I save money by flying with a layover from San Francisco to Costa Rica?

The average round-trip price for all non-stop flights, flights with one layover, and flights with two layovers for the route found by users searching on KAYAK in the last 2 weeks.

No, with an average price for the route of $649, prices are generally cheapest when you fly direct.

What is the cheapest month to fly from San Francisco to Costa Rica?

To calculate monthly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each month over the last year for round-trip flights from San Francisco to Costa Rica, removes the top 0.1% to account for outliers, and then takes the median of all values for each month.

The cheapest month for flights from San Francisco to Costa Rica is May, when tickets cost $501 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are December and November, when the average cost of round-trip tickets is $870 and $745 respectively.

What’s the cheapest day of the week to fly from San Francisco to Costa Rica?

The average price of all round-trip flights from San Francisco to Costa Rica clicked on KAYAK for each day over the last 12 months.

For San Francisco to Costa Rica, Wednesday is the cheapest day to fly on average and Saturday is the most expensive. Flying from Costa Rica back to San Francisco, the best deals are generally found on Wednesday, with Sunday being the most expensive.

How far in advance should I book a flight from San Francisco to Costa Rica?

To calculate weekly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each week before departure over the last year for round-trip flights from San Francisco to Costa Rica, removes the top 0.1% to account for outliers, and then takes the average of all the values for each week.

To get a below average price on the flight from San Francisco to Costa Rica, you should book around 2 weeks before departure, which saves you about 3% compared to booking last minute. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 4 weeks before departure.

Good to know

Low seasonSeptember
Cheapest flight$197
Best time to beat the crowds with an average 21% drop in price.
Most popular time to fly with an average 24% increase in price.
Flight from San Francisco to San José

FAQs - booking Costa Rica flights

  • If I have made plans to travel from San Francisco to Costa Rica, will I need to have a valid passport and do I need to obtain a visa before I make my trip?

    Travelers that are making the trip to Costa Rica will need to have a valid passport and you need to make sure that your passport will be valid for your entire length of stay in Costa Rica. It is also important to remember that your passport needs to have at least one blank page for an entry stamp. While you will not need a visa to stay in Costa Rica for up to 90 days, the immigration service in Costa Rica will expect you to present a return airline ticket upon your arrival.

  • If my flight from San Francisco International Airport will be landing at San José Juan Santamaria International Airport (SJO), what type of public transportation is available to travel from the airport to downtown San Jose?

    There is a bus service available, operated by TUASA, that will make the trip from the airport to downtown San Jose in around 30min. The fare for this trip is around CRC 642 (USD 1).

  • If I'm looking for a lounge to wait for my flight to Costa Rica, will I find one at San Francisco International Airport (SFO)?

    There are several lounges provided by both United Airlines and American Airlines at San Francisco International Airport (SFO). These lounges are often used by passengers making the trip to Costa Rica from this airport since both airlines offer one-stop service to airports in Costa Rica.

  • If I will be bringing children on my trip to Costa Rica and I plan on renting a car at the airport, what should I know about car seat laws in Costa Rica?

    When traveling with children in a car in Costa Rica, all children under the age of 12 months must ride in a rear-facing car seat and children from 12 months old to four years old must ride in a forward-facing car seat. Children from four years old to six years old must ride in a booster seat and those from six years old to 12 years old must ride on a booster cushion.

  • How does KAYAK find such low prices on flights from San Francisco 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 San Francisco to Costa Rica.

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

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

Top tips for finding cheap flights to Costa Rica

  • A good way to get from downtown San Francisco to San Francisco International Airport (SFO) is via the train service offered by Bay Area Rapid Transit, which makes the trip to the airport in around 30min for a cost of about $9.
  • If you are going to be driving yourself to the airport before your flight to Costa Rica, San Francisco International Airport has two different international garages that are just a few steps from the terminal building. For the ultimate convenience, the airport also offers a valet parking service.
  • If you are bringing kids along with you on your trip to Costa Rica, San Francisco International Airport has Kids' Spots play areas in terminals 1, 2, and 3 of the airport.
  • For any travelers with disabilities that will be bringing a service animal along with them to San Francisco International Airport, you'll be glad to hear that there are several animal relief areas located throughout the terminals, including one in the International Terminal near the A Gates.
  • If you want the most convenient way to travel out of San Francisco International Airport, you might consider using the airport's Airport Butler service that provides travelers with a dedicated staff member to guide them through every step of their journey through the airport.

Reviews of the top 5 airlines serving from San Francisco to Costa Rica

 
Need help choosing which airline to fly with from San Francisco 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 12210 reviews
7.8Comfort
8.5Crew
7.0Food
7.0Entertainment
8.1Boarding
Airline reviews

Crew were bad Didn’t help with luggage When asked for a glass of wine, I was told that they will serve later , which they didn’t to Me and didn’t serve anyone else in First class . Didn’t offer any snacks , Chips or Nuts to anyone . Flight was not crowded either. Worst Service/ or No Service !

2.0 MediocrePrasadarao, Apr 2026
SFO - LAS
Read more Alaska Airlines reviews

Crew were bad Didn’t help with luggage When asked for a glass of wine, I was told that they will serve later , which they didn’t to Me and didn’t serve anyone else in First class . Didn’t offer any snacks , Chips or Nuts to anyone . Flight was not crowded either. Worst Service/ or No Service !

Alaska drastically changed our flight from a direct flight to a flight with connection and a long layover. So we canceled the Alaska flight and we learned a valuable lesson that we will never book through kayak again because the third party travel agent tried to withhold our money.

Four hour delay. Missed our event. And they offered me $75. Absolutely shameful.

I have been flying commercial for decades. I was in one of the ladder boarding groups, had my bag tagged because they thought there was not going to be enough space for it in the overhead bins. I politely asked one of the attendance if I could try to find a space- she said I could and I did. I then took the bag tag off and gave it to one of the other attendants as I was told to do by the first one. He, in a curt, anal, and disrespectful manner, told me that I needed to take my bag down from the overhead bin and check it. This was a situation I’ve never encountered before. The attendant’s attitude was confrontational and belittling in front of other onlooking passengers as if daring me to challenge him. I am a physician who takes care of patients day in and day out. Not wanting to make a scene, I calmly told him, “do what you need to do.” he took my bag down from the overhead bin, put the back tag back on it, and checked it only to make room for another bag that was also supposed to be technically checked by a following passenger. The same male attendant later came up to me and said “you shouldn’t have showed me the bag tag,” as if conveying that he was just following protocol was a justification for treating me like a kid out of line. I cared about this because it took 15 minutes from my life to then retrieve the bag at baggage claim and it also felt like really poor customer service. I understand the need for protocols. This is also a service industry, and we the passengers are the clients. We should be made to feel welcome and respected and our life in transit made as easy as it can be within reason. This attendant clearly needs to be reminded of that. Of note, an older female fellow passenger sitting next to me agreed with this assessment.

Nice crew, healthy snacks and drinks available. Flight to Seattle was short and comfortable.

had to be rerouted due to a medical emergency onboard. Alaska crew treated the patient with utmost respect and continued to keep the passengers updated the entire way through, which I appreciate. But it took 4 hours from landing until we were able to be airborne again, causing us to not get into SFO until ~2 am. I understand it was a tough situation for everyone, but that was an indecent wait.

I love Alaska! We arrived on the later side without seat assignments only to find the had oversold the flight by 1. The attendants worked extra hard to find a way for our party of 7 to stay together and we made it on the flight! Loved the free WiFi also!

Delay for switching planes. Then delay after delay (mechanical) after boarding so that we were almost 3 hrs late, getting in at 230am. Crew was good.

The he whole flight was very smooth on every aspects.

I paid for wifi and it never worked... it was miserable. I couldn't access my shared files to work on the plane, it didn't work on my phone. I paid for nothing but frustration and continual refreshing, hoping it would work

Boarding was again a "free for all". We were boarding group 4, and almost the entire plane was able to board before us. It's a shame that someone who follows the rules, gets the short end of the stick. Not fair.

It was perfect! I've never flown with United before, but I definitely will in the future

the entire flight felt off. The crew seemed uninterested and disengaged. The food service was really bad - overcooked, bland, weird food service. They actually woke us up to serve chicken wraps in the middle of the night, after dinner and before breakfast. Made no sense. Ultimately, I was glad they did though, because the breakfast had been held for so long it was inedible. Eggs, potatoes, sausage - all disgusting. We were asked to "honor" the lavatories for premium customers and stay in our own cabin: this was also strange. So people in economy didn't pay enough to use the closest toilet to them??? It's a toilet. All in all, not the experience I have come to expect from United Airlines. The return flight from Paris to SFO was better, btw.

They delayed the flight from 9:00 to 11:55 At 11:45 they canceled the flight. I paid a premium price for the tickets with poor service

The 777’s economy seat’s legroom was more tolerable than expected. I appreciate the reclining mechanism which slides the seat forward to minimize cannibalizing the space behind. The food was terrible: very salty.

Seats are uncomfortable. This has been a trend in the industry for decades. Trying to fit more seats on each plane to increase profits at the expense of the passenger.

Staff were good. My seat was in need of repair, but for a short flight was not problematic. Usual basic snack and drink setup that you'll find on any US carrier. Over, a decent, basic flight.

Flight delayed for more than 16 hrs and no effort was spent to provide an alternate

We had turbulence ever 1/2 hr or so and the captains announcements were SOOOO LOUD

it was a very short flight so my expectations were low.

We were delayed and had to circle due to weather and had to divert for fuel. While I understand that you can’t control the weather I would have appreciated knowing that the crew wasn’t going to run out of hours and then having to spend the night in the Raleigh airport.

Messy plane that was falling apart Small screens that didn't work

I was traveling with two small kids and our TV s were the only ones not working. Informed the flight attendant who did nothing about them.

They forced me to check my hand luggage at the gate.

I specifically choose not to check bags to ensure I can proceed directly to ground transportation upon arrival. However, due to a recurring lack of cabin space, I was again forced to gate-check my rolling luggage after going through my luggage to take out electronics and batteries. This practice unilaterally changes the service agreement made at the time of purchase. JetBlue needs to find a better way to manage overhead space that honors the carry-on baggage allowance.

Still hasn’t left. Why are you asking how it was?

Flight was good wish there were more snacks options for such a long flight but stewardesses were very pleasant as was flight crew.

I was denied a plastic fork to eat my food and was told plastic forks are for paying customers who buy Jet Blue’s food. So I had to make a utensil out of a cup so nourish my body. Like a refugee. Because decency is dead.

I was especially impressed without efficiently the crew got passengers on and off. One of the stewards was slightly gruff, I thought. No big deal but that's what I noticed.

Absolutely horrible. Flight was delayed 4 hours and they had no clue what was going on.

Good flight, seated and had a water within 5 minutes. Crew was hospitable.

We left at 1030 am pacific from LA and supposed to land at 7 pm Eastern in NY. They made a detour, stopped in Philadelphia and didn’t land till 1130 PM Eastern!!! Worst flight experience with no pilot communication with no explanation as to what was going on. Everyone was very frustrated to say the least.

I cancelled my ticket less than 24 hours deadline but I didn’t get refunded.

Flight boarded from Gate 159B, the farthest gate in the LAX Bradley Terminal. While the flight operated on time, the first class cabin attendant made no recognition of my being an Advantage Executive Platinum member.

The flight itself was excellent but the gate attendant made me check my carryon since she said it was an inch too big. I’ve had no problems with this carryon on recent flights on Qantas, Delta, Austrian, Southwest Airlines even though the overhead bins are the same size. there were other carryons in the bins that also looked larger than mine and there was room left in the bins for more. When I picked up my carryon from baggage claim one of the wheels had broken off.

I was in last row so that is never great bc the person in front of me leaned his seat all the way back into me.

The experience at checkin for my American Airlines flight from Sacramento to LAX was very good including the assistance I received in getting my bags checked in and boarding passes printed. Was pleasantly surprised the my bags were checked through all the way to my destination at Clark International Airport in Angeles, Philippines.

Terrible planning. And even worse gate agents. Absolutely rude behavior.

Flight was scheduled at 11:26am but they keep Delaying until midnight. They waited at airport restless.

Rough flight No beverage service due to turbulence Bottom Seat cushion was non existent

The worst experience I've ever had because the "people" @ Avianca wouldn't let me fly because they said I needed a round trip ticket

Seating was tight. Seats don't recline. Initial flight was cancelled. Lost two days of vacation.

I had bad experiences before now was excellent I am glad they have business class again

Horrible experience with Avianca, they delayed their flight and when we arrived to NYC, AVIANCA took 1 hr y 30 mins to park the airplane and all passenger get off the plane, it made me lost all my trains to get back home and I came back to my place at 3 am instead of 12 am. On the top of that their plane seat are so uncomfortable and is not enough space and killed my legs and knees, Avianca used to be good when it was a Colombian company, now after Brasilian company bought them, their service quality is bad and their flights are delayed and oversold.

It was delayed and I lost my connection flight to Cali and I missed my Mom's funeral

I actually upgraded to the medium level of seats from basic and even doing that it may have been physically the most uncomfortable flight I have ever had. They packed everyone like is a train to death camp. It was a red eye so I hoped to get some sleep but it was physically impossible to find a comfortable way to rest. I met other folks on the same flight and they said the same thing. It was an utterly miserable flight and if I have any other options I will never fly with them again

Deplaning was a mess, I sat in business (seats are horrible) and the front door had a problem so we had to deplane from the rear exit. The stairs were not tall enough to reach so there was a large step down from the plane to the top of the stairs.

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

Pros: we leave and arrive on time Cons: the most uncomfortable seats ever. You cant recline at all your seats. No entertainment No TVs flight attendants didn't provide even a glass of water. You have to go to back of the airplane and ask for one. I am Colombian and I remember seeing the flight attendants very neat, elegants which is or was a staple of Avianca.it was one with tennis shoes, no male up, the hair was messy... that was really odd.

The flight attendant smashed her beverage cart into my knee, causing significant amount of pain. The seats were extremely uncomfortable. No food or drink is offered unless you want to pay the ridiculous prices for it. The schedule of flying in the overnight hours is also very uncomfortable.

Everything you need to know for your flight from San Francisco to Costa Rica

Information on your arrival and departure airports