$202 Find Cheap Flights from San Francisco to Costa Rica - Compare and Save

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 10/12. 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$654
Liberia
Liberia1 stop$597
San José
San José1 stop$654
Liberia
Liberia1 stop$597

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

Mon, Aug 24 - Mon, Aug 31
JetBlue Logo
10:40 pm - 1:01 pm
SFO
-
LIR
13h 21m
1 stop
JetBlue Logo
2:06 pm - 11:50 pm
LIR
-
SFO
10h 44m
1 stop
$597JetBlue
Thu, Nov 26 - Wed, Dec 2
Alaska Airlines Logo
10:20 pm - 6:25 pm
SFO
-
LIR
18h 05m
1 stop
Alaska Airlines Logo
7:35 pm - 9:00 am
LIR
-
SFO
15h 25m
1 stop
$598Alaska Airlines
Fri, Dec 4 - Sat, Dec 12
Alaska Airlines Logo
8:00 am - 6:20 am
SFO
-
LIR
20h 20m
1 stop
Alaska Airlines Logo
7:35 pm - 9:00 am
LIR
-
SFO
15h 25m
1 stop
$599Alaska Airlines
Fri, Dec 4 - Sat, Dec 12
Alaska Airlines Logo
6:50 pm - 6:20 am
SFO
-
LIR
9h 30m
1 stop
Alaska Airlines Logo
6:23 pm - 11:27 pm
LIR
-
SFO
7h 04mnonstop
$600Alaska Airlines
Fri, Dec 4 - Tue, Dec 8
Alaska Airlines Logo
6:50 pm - 6:20 am
SFO
-
LIR
9h 30m
1 stop
Alaska Airlines Logo
7:35 pm - 12:27 pm
LIR
-
SFO
18h 52m
1 stop
$603Alaska Airlines
Fri, Oct 30 - Tue, Nov 3
American Airlines Logo
11:36 pm - 11:20 am
SFO
-
LIR
10h 44m
1 stop
American Airlines Logo
1:21 pm - 10:58 pm
LIR
-
SFO
11h 37m
1 stop
$610American Airlines
Mon, Aug 24 - Fri, Aug 28
JetBlue Logo
10:40 pm - 12:57 pm
SFO
-
SJO
13h 17m
1 stop
JetBlue Logo
2:02 pm - 9:47 am
SJO
-
SFO
20h 45m
1 stop
$654JetBlue
Thu, Aug 6 - Sat, Aug 15
Southwest Logo
8:10 pm - 6:40 pm
SFO
-
SJO
21h 30m
2 stops
Southwest Logo
1:15 pm - 6:45 am
SJO
-
SFO
18h 30m
2 stops
$661Southwest
Mon, Aug 17 - Thu, Aug 20
Southwest Logo
5:05 pm - 12:45 pm
SFO
-
SJO
18h 40m
2 stops
Southwest Logo
1:40 pm - 7:50 am
SJO
-
SFO
19h 10m
2 stops
$662Southwest
Sun, Aug 16 - Sun, Aug 23
Copa Airlines Logo
8:21 pm - 10:58 am
SFO
-
SJO
13h 37m
1 stop
Copa Airlines Logo
8:45 am - 11:40 pm
SJO
-
SFO
15h 55m
1 stop
$666Copa Airlines
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 5 days was to Liberia, at $595 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 5 days was $713.

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 $846 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 $846.

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 October, when tickets cost $179 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are November and January, when the average cost of round-trip tickets is $1,978 and $1,678 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, Tuesday 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 1 week before departure. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 17 weeks before departure.

Good to know

Low seasonSeptember
Cheapest flight$202
Best time to beat the crowds with an average 16% drop in price.
Most popular time to fly with an average 18% 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 12510 reviews
8.1Boarding
7.8Comfort
8.5Crew
7.0Entertainment
7.0Food
Airline reviews

Not able to get boarding pass for domestic connection flight when check in at international airport. I was told I need to get connection flight boarding pass after I entered US. It us very inconvenient.

6.0 GoodVI, Jun 2026
SFO - SAN
Read more Alaska Airlines reviews

Not able to get boarding pass for domestic connection flight when check in at international airport. I was told I need to get connection flight boarding pass after I entered US. It us very inconvenient.

They called me 2 hours before my original flight from SFO was to depart to let me know it was delayed and that I would miss my connection. They then rebooked on a different flight leaving a half hour earlier to a different connecting airport, so that I would not miss my connection. It all worked out and I arrived at my destination without a problem and 15 minutes earlier than the original flight would have. Nice!

The flight would have been very good , if not dor the constantly screaming baby in the row behind me. Is there a way to isolate people traveling with infants? This is not the first time this has happened to me.

They treat me well because of my one world status. Crew is attentive and professional. One of the best airlines out there.

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.

It was perfect! United Airlines staff was extremely caring, super friendly and professional

United has maintenance issues and can then never recover. No operations ability and simple issues always turn into multiple hours long cascading delays. Worst airline on earth.

I paid for a confirmed upgraded aisle seat and was moved to a center seat in the back of the plane at the last minute.

Horrifying Almost 2 million miles. Bring your own food and drink. One coffee or drink every three hours. Have to order meals on app more than 24 hours ahead Tiny and dirty bathrooms

Easy of boarding, helpfully staff at check in, surprisingly comfortable seating

Lost of requested seat assignments. Lost my husband's meal choice

My service dog and I were asked to deplane just before they closed the door - clearly very last minute they couldn’t find the documentation that I have filled out many many times before that is for flying service animals. I purposely purchase 3seats (a whole row) since he is large and not all passengers want to sit next to a dog on a cross country flight. The plane departed with my husband on it!!! They made me fill out a hard copy of the same form and had to reschedule me on a later flight where they could find 3 seats together!! I’ve done this so many times before - clearly the error was on their part in a technology glitch - but really people - do better!! Very traumatic - and my husband had to wait for us when he landed ….so bad. Poor pup was confused and tired.

My flight time was changed without any notification to me which ruined my time sensitive plans so I ended up completely changing my travel plans and no reimbursement.

No screens or meal options. Freezing cold. Dirty seats. Left late.

I liked that my son and I were reseated next to each other (we had different bookings). I liked that it was a directg flight and mostly on time. I liked that you provided pillows and blankets. Flight attendants were generally courteous. The messaging through wifi did not work well. The food was not good. Seats are very narrow and I felt slightly claustraphobic in the window seat.

Luggage did not make it onto my plane. Business seats were economy with empty row seat. Just horrible experience. Why would the company allow for transfers that don’t give employees enough time to transfer luggages??

The gate experience at LAX was abysmal (same for the arrival experience two days prior). Despite the LAX -> SAT schedule of two flights daily, our departure gate was at a smaller hub that we had to be bussed to from Terminal 4. Fortunately, I arrived at LAX extra early and had time to spare, but if I had not known, I might have missed my flight. I looked at the LAX airport map in the AA app and there was no indication of the additional boarding process. Lastly the gate area we were bussed to was crowded with limited food and beverage options. On flight, the fight attendant was hospitable and attentive, the flight was smooth, and AA's free (and working) wifi for AA members were all on the positive side.

Our flight from JFK to Madrid was delayed. We had to go from one side of the Madrid airport (Terminal 4s to the far end of terminal 4 - Gate K98) to our gate in less than 30 minutes. Put passport control and security/baggage check and that’s very hard unless you’re Usain Bolt. I called Iberia Airlines and the telephone customer service told me that I was going to have to pay to re-book. Luckily the help desk in the airport (who was dealing with dozens of people from the same JFK-Madrid flight) did not charge us extra to reschedule to a flight 8 hours later. They also gave us a voucher for breakfast and lunch. Glad the actual person at the airport had some actual sense.

For an long range economy flight I feel more space and more meal options need to be offered for flights over 5 hours

Take-off delayed an hour because of a missing flight officer, so,arrived in Charlotte lates causing many passengers to miss connections. Otherwise a very good flight, safe and comfortable, with an excellent professional crew.

The flight from LA to Chicago was smooth and service was very good overall.

B-class on an old plane with antiquated amenities and poor service. Landed in Rome w/o bag that didn’t make the connection (plenty of time in London). Bag will come to hotel NOT the day it lands but the following night!! Still waiting for bag…BA had nothing to offer in support and couldn’t even tell me their comp, told to submit receipts and then I’ll learn what is or isn’t covered.

Ontario airport boarding was very easy to park and access, is clean and TSA took 10 minutes total. Check-in was a breeze and cruise was very nice.

It's a long flight and that is always difficult. I was comfortable and well. The movies available were great and the crew was good.

Premium Economy Good crew, good service, excellent food. Seat back screen just not bright enough.

I like everything. Blythe at DCA is the absolute best!

JetBlue worker, Blythe, was so amazing at the DCA counter. If it wasn’t for her, I’m not sure we would’ve made it through. Please thank her!

They lost my luggage and refuse to help. Terrible airline. I've never experienced worse customer service in my life. Pretty much just told me too bad that I lost all my luggage, not caring that I am stuck in Europe for 2 weeks with absolutely nothing.

You should have had Wifi to make it much enjoyable.

The flight out was delayed from 3:40pm to 5pm and again to 8pm. We boarded after 5pm, had to disembark because they could not get the Engine started, then we switched gates and got a new plane and did not board until after 8pm.

The flight was delayed after already taxiing from the gate due to a malfunction. After 3 hours we were told the flight was canceled. The next flight available was Sunday. My daughter and I stayed overnight in the airport due to this issue. I was given a $12 meal voucher. Unacceptable

Whole experience was poor. Delayed 2 hours. Lied about the delays. Was all jet blues fault and tried to blame on air traffic control. Sent out other let trips and wouldn't allow people to switch aircraft.

My bag was not loaded on my flight. it was not communicated to me until i was waiting for my bag at my destination. there was no confirmation of when my bag was arriving and no way to track it.

Nice plane, clean, wifi available and movies. All the flight attendants were courteous.

The gate attendant in Boston had a high raspy voice and spoke much too fast to be understood. Not pleasant.

The airline did not allow enough time for the Columbia checkpoint

Seats are absolutely not comfortable and large enough. There’s a limit and you stepped over it. I understand that there’s a business class, however for the price it costs, it’s just plain stupid for a 50 minute flight.

They should provide water to passengers who ask for it

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.

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

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

Information on your arrival and departure airports