$133 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 4/8. 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$354
Liberia
Liberianonstop$364
San José
San José1 stop$354
Liberia
Liberianonstop$364

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, Feb 23 - Wed, Mar 4
Avianca Logo
1:20 pm - 11:40 pm
SFO
-
SJO
8h 20m
1 stop
Avianca Logo
3:05 pm - 9:50 pm
SJO
-
SFO
8h 45m
1 stop
$354Avianca
Mon, Mar 2 - Mon, Mar 16
Avianca Logo
1:20 pm - 11:40 pm
SFO
-
SJO
8h 20m
1 stop
Avianca Logo
7:50 pm - 1:00 pm
SJO
-
SFO
18h 10m
1 stop
$355Avianca
Mon, Apr 20 - Wed, May 20
Avianca Logo
11:55 pm - 11:30 am
SFO
-
SJO
10h 35m
1 stop
Avianca Logo
5:05 am - 12:50 pm
SJO
-
SFO
8h 45m
1 stop
$358Avianca
Mon, Mar 9 - Wed, Mar 11
JetBlue Logo
10:39 pm - 11:55 am
SFO
-
SJO
12h 16m
1 stop
JetBlue Logo
1:05 pm - 11:59 pm
SJO
-
SFO
11h 54m
1 stop
$363JetBlue
Sat, May 2 - Sat, May 9
Alaska Airlines Logo
8:43 am - 3:59 pm
SFO
-
LIR
6h 16mnonstop
Alaska Airlines Logo
5:09 pm - 11:02 pm
LIR
-
SFO
6h 53mnonstop
$364Alaska Airlines
Fri, May 1 - Sat, May 9
Alaska Airlines Logo
9:10 pm - 5:29 pm
SFO
-
LIR
19h 19m
1 stop
Alaska Airlines Logo
5:09 pm - 11:02 pm
LIR
-
SFO
6h 53mnonstop
$368Alaska Airlines
Fri, Feb 20 - Thu, Feb 26
Multiple Airlines Logo
10:34 pm - 1:15 pm
SFO
-
SJO
12h 41m
1 stop
Multiple Airlines Logo
2:05 pm - 11:59 pm
SJO
-
SFO
11h 54m
1 stop
$372Multiple Airlines
Mon, May 4 - Fri, May 8
JetBlue Logo
11:05 pm - 11:55 am
SFO
-
LIR
11h 50m
1 stop
JetBlue Logo
1:00 pm - 11:56 pm
LIR
-
SFO
11h 56m
1 stop
$374JetBlue
Thu, Feb 26 - Mon, Mar 2
American Airlines Logo
11:35 pm - 12:32 pm
SFO
-
LIR
10h 57m
1 stop
American Airlines Logo
3:29 pm - 9:11 am
LIR
-
SFO
19h 42m
1 stop
$378American Airlines
Thu, Feb 26 - Tue, Mar 3
American Airlines Logo
6:16 pm - 12:32 pm
SFO
-
LIR
16h 16m
1 stop
American Airlines Logo
3:29 pm - 12:30 pm
LIR
-
SFO
23h 01m
2 stops
$383American 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 72 hours was to Liberia, at $317 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 $593.

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 $571, 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 September, when tickets cost $526 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are December and November, when the average cost of round-trip tickets is $885 and $721 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 Monday 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 4 weeks before departure.

Good to know

Low seasonSeptember
Cheapest flight$133
Best time to beat the crowds with an average 21% drop in price.
Most popular time to fly with an average 21% 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.

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

    The cheapest time of day to fly to Costa Rica is generally at night, when round-trip flights cost $769 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 $769.

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.
8.0
Alaska AirlinesOverall score based on 11845 reviews
7.8Comfort
7.0Entertainment
7.1Food
8.1Boarding
8.5Crew
Airline reviews

The he whole flight was very smooth on every aspects.

10.0 ExcellentPhilip, Feb 2026
SFO - SAN
Read more Alaska Airlines reviews

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

The stewardess are very nice and pleasant, Someone onboard had a medical attention, and they attended that person non-stop all throughout the flight, and yet, did not forget to serve and help other passengers.

The Alaska Airlines app made it very difficult to find my boarding pass. It was very frustrating to use! The flight itself was flawless.

The flight was excellent and very friendly and helpful staff. Will travel again and recommend to friends. Thank you

Did not have In flight service on my round trip due to turbulence. I did not partake in In flight entertainment. Flight descending into LAX was very turbulent. It would have been nice if the pilot communicated with us during that rough descent into LAX to ease the minds of some of us more nervous flyers.

They canceled my flight with only a couple hours before checking in at the airport and offered no alternatives to get home.

I had entered my TSA pre number when I bought the ticket but TSA pre was not on my boarding pass. I went to find an agent at check in and there was only one agent one duty for first class and a line of people waiting for check in/baggage with no agent manning that area.

Comfort level was below par. Food selection was non-existent. Paying $35 for 1st bag is never appreciated. I will not fly them again. I am actually trying to change my return flight.

The flight attendants were excellent and I was in the back of the plane. Much much better than recent JetBlue experiences on that route and better than Delta on that route.

The flight crew where really good. Better then the crew from BNE to SFO

Food should be changed in menu Many muslims travels in this airlime they need to add one Halal meal

left on time, reasonable boarding process arrived early luggage came out quickly

Some flight attendants were great others were cranky. Seats were very tight and sitting on an aisle was very hard as the carts and people walking constantly bumped shoulder and arm.

Pushed back only to get deplaned due to a tire damaged by ground crew. They did at least go pretty fast. The bathrooms should be banned under the Geneva convention. No room to even sit straight on the toilet. The under-seat entertainment units block what little leg room there is.

United airlines has the best customer experience from booking to arrival. I always fly United airlines. The mileage program is excellent

from SFO-> FRA flight, AVML meal was significantly less compared to regular meal, especially no Desert, no Bread, no sides.

This was an older airplane. The cabin was constantly warm to hot throughout the 10 hour flight and there were no vents to personalize air flow. Also since it was an older plane, the material and comfort of the chairs were very uncomfortable. I left my flight with major soreness on my tailbone.

Older aircraft, no meal, only food was for purchase. Not impressed United.

Not pleasant trip cross country when the entertainment and WiFi system not working. No entertainment for entirety of route. Staff was rather nonchalant in that they dismissed the problem due to age of plane. It would have been nice to know this up front so I could have come prepared to read or download movies before boarding Coincidentally or not, there was a similar issue with the entertainment system on my previous flight I took on my fist leg of the trip. There are no seat TVs, so you must rely on the app when it works. United can do better. Also, what use it it to pay for boarding group 2 when half of the passengers are in the same line as you?

We flew in first class. The crew did not offer drinks before the flight took off, but they treated us well during the flight. The food was excellent. There was actually too much food served, but it was nice to have all the options.

For a 5 1/2 hour flite i considered the "business class" to be subpar. The seats were just ok, no amenities, really nothing more than a long domestic flight. Frankly disappointed.

It would be nice to have some low carb options in the snacks.

The entertainment options were at best, fair. It was exactly the same as my outbound flight. It would have been more entertaining if there were some series from Apple TV, HBO, Showtime or other carriers for me to catch up with.

The flight was on time and arrived early. The crew were friendly and helpful.

While I didn’t watch much tv I would have liked a few more options of TV series from Apple TV or hbo max ..

Overall experience was great. Flights were almost on time in departing and we arrived at our destination as scheduled. No issues with amenities or flight crew. Everything went well as as expected. Will fly again with American Airlines in the future!

The flight was very smooth and the meal in business class was great.

I requested a low sodium meal. Reason being, I take medicine for high blood pressure and I wear compression socks on long flights to help with leg swelling. Having less sodium in meals really helps me feel better on long flights. I received my initial low sodium meal after takeoff. Just before landing, the crew came through with the meal cart and offered me what was being served. I said no thank you and then noticed my low sodium meal in the meal cart, with my name and seat assignment on it. I motioned to the crew member, but he grabbed the meal cart and proceeded to move to the rear of the aircraft. He didn’t see me or other passengers who had attempted to get this attention. He was more concerned about completing meal service since we were due to land in under 45 minutes. I pressed the call light five times from my seat to receive help, but no crew member responded to me. So, I didn’t receive a second meal, one that I requested (the low sodium option). This led me to have a migraine from only eating one meal on an 11-hour flight. This is why I’m not a fan of flying US-based airlines overseas. The crew members continue to show the absolute worst customer service experience. I would not recommend flying American for overseas flights.

Not great. Booked Extra seats and got nothing extra at all. It’s basically a big budget airline.

No included food for a 5 hour flight and the entertainment was only accessible if you had wired headphones (not provided). Otherwise though, great and smooth flying and customer service.

Crew were fantastic and so catering and wonderful! Full score for the entire crew!

Because of weather and mechanical issues our flight was 4 hours late. The only compensation offered to us was a meal voucher to be used only at Boston Airport and only on the day issued. But by the time it was offered to us all the restaurants were closed, so there was no way to use that offer.

Friendly crew, efficient boarding and flight arrived early. Couldn’t ask for a better experience

Terrible. They canceled our early morning flight after midnight on the day of and had no available flights to rebook my family on for the next 72 hours. Yet they still had other flights that were not cancelled from JFK so it couldn’t be based on the weather. It felt like they canceled the flight based on it not being profitable enough for them. I am not interested in traveling with the again. The absolute worse customer service and lack of accountability.

Horribly rude check in at airport, worst in 25 years of flying. All over a simple issue they could have googled to resolve.

First time flying with JetBlue and never again. I went to the counter to request meet and assist because I'm 74 and my wife is 79. I walk with a cane and my wife is handicapped and has her own wheel chair. I told the agent that my wife and luggage was at the entrance door. The ticketing agent said to me that they don't offer meet and assist. I need to bring them our luggage and then go back and get my wife in order to get my boarding pass. As I went back to get my luggage a Southwest agent along with a TSA agent recognized the situation and came over and took my wife and luggage to the JetBlue ticketing counter alongside the line and told the JetBlue agent to issue to take our luggage as soon as they could.

Flight was fine, price was good but food onboard was abysmal. I was on there for breakfast and lunch and dinner 845am EST to 845pm GMT and all I got was a yoghurt parfait, fruit and a piece of cake. Later snacks included an ice-cream brownie and a pizza twist. I was hungry by the time I landed and the airport amenities were closed. Not happy.

1) No pilot available for 1 hour 2) no room for most passengers careyon in overhead—-> stowed below 3) when we landed we had to wait 45 min. Before docking at gate as gate was not ready

Good. No issues except a slight delay. Crew came in late.

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.

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

Last seat of Bussines Class it does recline but passenger seating behind kept pushing since they did not have space once my seat was reclined

No free snacks nor drinks on very short 30min flight. Entertainment system is over wifi to your own phone or tablet, which is good but often a show or movie just stops and refuses to continue

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

Information on your arrival and departure airports