$147 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 8/22. 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 José2 stops$539
Liberia
Liberia1 stop$466
San José
San José2 stops$539
Liberia
Liberia1 stop$466

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

Sa, Jul 4 - Do, Jul 16
JetBlue Logo
8:35 pm - 11:55 am
SFO
-
LIR
14h 20m
1 stop
JetBlue Logo
2:06 pm - 11:50 pm
LIR
-
SFO
10h 44m
1 stop
$466JetBlue
Sa, Jul 4 - Do, Jul 9
JetBlue Logo
8:35 pm - 11:55 am
SFO
-
LIR
14h 20m
1 stop
JetBlue Logo
2:06 pm - 11:50 pm
LIR
-
SFO
10h 44m
1 stop
$535JetBlue
Mi, Mai 27 - Mo, Jun 1
Alaska Airlines Logo
3:00 pm - 11:33 pm
SFO
-
SJO
31h 33m
2 stops
Alaska Airlines Logo
12:53 am - 4:48 pm
SJO
-
SFO
16h 55m
2 stops
$539Alaska Airlines
Sa, Mai 30 - Di, Jun 2
Alaska Airlines Logo
6:58 pm - 11:33 pm
SFO
-
SJO
27h 35m
2 stops
Alaska Airlines Logo
12:53 am - 7:56 pm
SJO
-
SFO
20h 03m
2 stops
$540Alaska Airlines
Mi, Aug 26 - So, Sep 6
Frontier Logo
8:51 pm - 8:20 am
SFO
-
SJO
10h 29m
1 stop
Frontier Logo
9:35 am - 11:38 am
SJO
-
SFO
27h 03m
2 stops
$543Frontier
Di, Aug 11 - Di, Sep 15
Southwest Logo
5:50 am - 6:40 pm
SFO
-
SJO
11h 50m
2 stops
Southwest Logo
9:00 am - 9:10 pm
SJO
-
SFO
13h 10m
2 stops
$549Southwest
Do, Sep 10 - Mi, Sep 16
American Airlines Logo
5:00 pm - 1:45 pm
SFO
-
LIR
19h 45m
1 stop
American Airlines Logo
1:10 pm - 10:58 pm
LIR
-
SFO
10h 48m
1 stop
$550American Airlines
Mi, Aug 19 - Mo, Aug 24
Frontier Logo
6:00 am - 8:20 am
SFO
-
SJO
49h 20m
2 stops
Frontier Logo
9:35 am - 10:57 pm
SJO
-
SFO
38h 22m
2 stops
$554Frontier
Do, Sep 10 - Mi, Sep 16
American Airlines Logo
5:00 pm - 1:45 pm
SFO
-
LIR
19h 45m
1 stop
American Airlines Logo
1:10 pm - 11:00 am
LIR
-
SFO
22h 50m
2 stops
$555American Airlines
Mi, Aug 19 - Mi, Aug 26
Southwest Logo
6:35 am - 6:40 pm
SFO
-
SJO
11h 05m
2 stops
Southwest Logo
9:00 am - 10:20 pm
SJO
-
SFO
14h 20m
2 stops
$561Southwest
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 $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 72 hours was $728.

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 $834 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 $834.

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 $1,840 and $1,741 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 Saturday, 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 18 weeks before departure.

Good to know

Low seasonSeptember
Cheapest flight$147
Best time to beat the crowds with an average 20% drop in price.
Most popular time to fly with an average 22% 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 12352 reviews
7.8Comfort
8.5Crew
8.1Boarding
7.0Entertainment
7.0Food
Airline reviews

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.

6.0 GoodAnonymous, Apr 2026
SFO - PDX
Read more Alaska Airlines reviews

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.

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.

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.

Some crew were unfriendly or in some cases just straight up rude.

Outstanding service, efficient & friendly crew, flight was safe, comfortable & on time

United Airline crews were very friendly and very attentive. 12 hours flight was gone like in a shorter one.

Flight itself excellent, but delayed so missed connection & got to destination 2 hrs later

Due to cancellation of connecting flight (Lufthansa) I didn’t fly with United

It was a red-eye, but the flight felt surprisingly quick. The seats were very comfortable, and that made resting much easier. I also want to thank the gentleman seated next to me, who graciously moved so my mom could sit beside me. We slept almost the entire way. The cabin crew was respectful in not disturbing us, while also being courteous and professional throughout. Thank you, United.

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 space between seat rows seemed to be larger than other airlines. I didn’t check their food or entertainment since I slept most of the way. They do seem to have a lot of options for purchase though.

Kayak sucked. You gave me a confirmation number that was not useable by the jet blue system. Nor did you send any check in emails. I’ll not be using your site again. Nice work.

Direct tv did not work on flight Short flight so no good service offered Arrived early to destination and had to wait for gate to open. Deplaned LATER than if we arrived on time!! Poor planning Jet blue has had something go wrong on every flight I’ve taken with them in last five years. Terribly run airline

Given us a free miles or free flight for waiting for 9 hours I didn’t get home till 5am in the morning and I was supposed to be home at 9:30 touch down.

Excellent price. Everything on time. two bad parts. Kayak said I couldn't sign in for the flight online, but I got an email at the same time from Jet Blue and they let me sign in online. Second bad part was that, although I had provided my known traveler number, neither of my boarding passes, for this flight and the previous one, had TSA pre-check showing.

Jet blue was great But the Jayak system Wasa pure nightmare and wasted so much of my time and energy by not giving me a way to access jet blue to check in the flight back I didn’t even get the number confirmation code 24 hours before. Because I didn’t receive the email with the confirmation code I could NoT CHECk IN. I spoke to a kayak third party and they informed me I could not carry a carry on, on the flight which caused me so much extra stress it was just too much. You can be sure I will not be using it recommending your site. Again.

There was a screen but no earphones that could use the older input so I could listen to anything.

My experience with JetBlue was fine BUT I am very upset with Kayak! JetBlue had delayed our scheduled departure by an hour and you NEVER notified me of the change. I did not hear directly from JetBlue because the trip was booked through Kayak, a mistake I will not repeat. Your reminder of the our trip last week still had the WRONG departure time. Our return trip has also changed, and again no notice from you.

Jet blue just had great service overall! Only a little turbulence heading out of Austin, otherwise the jet stream helped the speed of the trip!

Boarding was quick and efficient. The flight crew were friendly. There were limited food options available on the flight. The pocket guide said there would be salad and sandwich sections available on flights over 3.5 hours. The only food available were snack boxes. And those were limited as well. My flight was over 5 hours. The entertainment system worked well. I had both extra legroom seats and regular coach seats. The seats were not very comfortable. The entertainment controls in the armrest made it difficult to rest my arm without changing the channel on my neighbors TV. Overall, my experience was mediocre.

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

The crew was very attentive through out the flight. Seats were comfortable, nice flight bag with pillow and blanket. Food was okay, since it was a overnight flight seemed to go by fast.

Left early arrived early..right amount of talking from pilots..of course had to love the biscuit and water!

Boarding gate at LAX was too crowded—two gates next to one another

On time departure and early arrival. Flight attendant very nice.

The business class layout of chairs was weired. You are sitting directly across stranger.,

The SFO Lounge crew were amazing. The bartender Faris was great. Thanks!

Friendly crew is the only nice thing. Seats uncomfortable. Food and snacks horrible. Movies were the same as the first 10 hour flight two weeks before

Was not able to do a online check-in because the American Airlines system doesn't store our visa or other passport information, allowing us to have a trouble-free check-in. We were forced to have to check-in at the counter which Changes are upgrade status given that we were not able to check in much earlier.

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

The airline did not allow enough time for the Columbia checkpoint

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.

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

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

Information on your arrival and departure airports