$124 Find Cheap Flights 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 the United States to Costa Rica departing on 9/2. 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.
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Cheap Flights to Costa Rica

Cheapest round-trip prices found by our users on KAYAK in the last 72 hours
San José
San Josénonstop$275
Liberia
Liberia2 stops$317
San José
San Josénonstop$275
Liberia
Liberia2 stops$317

Book Cheap Costa Rica Plane Tickets

 
Here are some of the best deals found on KAYAK recently from the most popular airlines for round-trip flights 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 to Costa Rica

Tue, Oct 27 - Mon, Nov 2
Volaris Costa Rica Logo
1:55 pm - 3:11 pm
MCO
-
SJO
3h 16mnonstop
Volaris Costa Rica Logo
7:00 am - 11:22 am
SJO
-
MCO
3h 22mnonstop
$275Volaris Costa Rica
Thu, Nov 12 - Sun, Nov 15
Volaris Costa Rica Logo
12:55 pm - 3:18 pm
MCO
-
SJO
3h 23mnonstop
Volaris Costa Rica Logo
7:00 am - 11:22 am
SJO
-
MCO
3h 22mnonstop
$276Volaris Costa Rica
Wed, Sep 9 - Thu, Sep 10
Avianca Logo
1:30 pm - 11:55 pm
MIA
-
SJO
12h 25m
2 stops
Avianca Logo
7:45 am - 12:40 pm
SJO
-
MIA
2h 55mnonstop
$361Avianca
Sun, Aug 2 - Sun, Aug 9
Avianca Logo
7:00 pm - 6:50 pm
FLL
-
SJO
25h 50m
1 stop
Avianca Logo
4:00 pm - 7:30 pm
SJO
-
FLL
25h 30m
1 stop
$369Avianca
Thu, Aug 20 - Mon, Aug 31
American Airlines Logo
6:38 pm - 12:26 pm
IAD
-
SJO
19h 48m
2 stops
American Airlines Logo
1:29 pm - 2:02 pm
SJO
-
IAD
22h 33m
2 stops
$373American Airlines
Mon, Oct 5 - Sun, Oct 11
American Airlines Logo
7:13 pm - 2:00 pm
IAD
-
SJO
20h 47m
1 stop
American Airlines Logo
6:00 am - 8:44 am
SJO
-
IAD
24h 44m
2 stops
$376American Airlines
Mon, Oct 19 - Fri, Oct 30
JetBlue Logo
12:00 pm - 12:55 pm
FLL
-
SJO
2h 55mnonstop
JetBlue Logo
2:05 pm - 7:05 pm
SJO
-
FLL
3h 00mnonstop
$378JetBlue
Mon, Oct 19 - Fri, Oct 30
JetBlue Logo
7:00 am - 12:55 pm
DFW
-
SJO
6h 55m
1 stop
JetBlue Logo
2:05 pm - 11:14 pm
SJO
-
DFW
8h 09m
1 stop
$390JetBlue
Tue, Sep 15 - Wed, Sep 23
United Airlines Logo
8:00 am - 7:37 pm
EWR
-
SJO
13h 37m
1 stop
United Airlines Logo
12:44 pm - 8:00 pm
SJO
-
EWR
5h 16mnonstop
$444United Airlines
Thu, Sep 24 - Sun, Oct 4
United Airlines Logo
7:00 am - 7:37 pm
EWR
-
SJO
14h 37m
1 stop
United Airlines Logo
7:55 am - 9:28 pm
SJO
-
EWR
11h 33m
1 stop
$445United Airlines
Booking Insights

KAYAK's insights & trends for flights to Costa Rica

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

What is the cheapest flight to Costa Rica?

These are the best round-trip prices found by users searching on KAYAK in the last 5 days.

The cheapest ticket to Costa Rica from the United States found in the last 5 days was to San José, at $284 round-trip. The most popular route is Atlanta (ATL) to San José (SJO) and the cheapest round-trip airline ticket found on this route in the last 5 days was $284.

How much is a flight to Costa Rica?

The average and cheapest price for all round-trip flights to Costa Rica from each origin found by users searching on KAYAK in the last month.

A flight to Costa Rica costs $513 on average. The cheapest price found on KAYAK in the last 2 weeks was $153 for the route Miami (MIA) to Liberia (LIR). The most popular routes on KAYAK are Miami to Liberia which costs $605 on average, and San Francisco to Liberia, which costs $1,037 on average.

See prices from:

What is the cheapest month to fly from the United States to Costa Rica?

To calculate monthly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each month over the last year for flights from the United States 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 the United States to Costa Rica is September, when tickets cost $180 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are July and June, when the average cost of round-trip tickets is $305 and $286 respectively.

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

The average price for all round-trip flights from the United States 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 in the afternoon, when round-trip flights cost $459 on average. Morning departures are around 16% cheaper than evening flights, on average. The most expensive time of day to fly to Costa Rica is generally in the evening, which is peak travel time and where the average cost of a ticket is $582.

How far in advance should I book a flight from the United States 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 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 the United States to Costa Rica, you should book around 1 week before departure. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 10 weeks before departure.

Which is the cheapest airport to fly into in Costa Rica?

Prices will differ depending on the departure airport, but generally, the cheapest airport to fly to in Costa Rica is Liberia Airport (LIR), with an average flight price of $325.

Good to know

Low season

September

Cheapest flight

$124
Best time to beat the crowds with an average 14% drop in price.
Most popular time to fly with an average 13% increase in price.
Flight from Dallas to San José

Flights to Costa Rica: the best tips from KAYAK users' own experiences

Insights shared by verified travelers who flew to Costa Rica 
RonFlew with Delta
MSP
-
LIR
Jan 2026
It took us an hour to go through immigration at peak about 1:30 landing time and room was warm, so wear something for the heat and put away any jackets/overcoats/sweaters before you even deplane, you will not need them.
CarmelFlew with Alaska Airlines
LAX
-
LIR
Jan 2025
Know that flights are very unreliable so pad your days/plans.
LannyFlew with American Airlines
MIA
-
SJO
Jan 2024
Bring a book or tablet to connect to entertainment to keep you occupied. This leg of our trip met our expectations. Much better job than our first leg of our trip.

FAQs - booking Costa Rica flights

  • Which airport should I fly into for a trip to Puerto Viejo de Talamanca?

    Because Puerto Viejo de Talamanca is a popular destination, there are a handful of ways to get there. One of the simplest and most cost-effective ways to get to Puerto Viejo de Talamanca is by flying into San Jose Airport and taking the 4.5h bus that departs from the Terminal Atlantico Norte.

  • Do I need a visa to enter Costa Rica?

    US nationals do not require a visa to stay in Costa Rica for less than 90 days. What you will need is a valid passport and a ticket for your flight departing from Costa Rica (back to the US or onward to another country) within the 90-day timeframe.

  • Can I exchange USD into Colones at Costa Rica airports?

    USD is widely accepted in tourist areas of Costa Rica, but Colones are the way to go if you’re going out of heavily tourist-centric areas. USD can be exchanged for Colones at the airports in San Jose and Liberia, but you can often get a better exchange rate if you simply make purchases with USD and receive your change in Colones, which is common practice.

  • Which airline should I take for a nonstop flight to Costa Rica?

    There are a handful of different airlines that offer nonstop flights to Costa Rica from the US, and each flies out of a different hub city. There are nonstop flights to Costa Rica from Fort Lauderdale and Orlando with Spirit Airlines, from Miami with American Airlines and from Orlando with jetBlue.

  • Which airport should I fly to if I want to visit the National Park of San Jose?

    National Park of San Jose is a famous attraction in Costa Rica’s capital, San Jose. The best way to access it is by booking a flight that lands at SJO. A TUASA-operated bus provides the most convenient means of travel between these two points, covering the 12 miles (19.1 km) stretch in about 30 minutes. The coach departs every 10 minutes from the airport to its terminal in Sabana.

  • Which Costa Rican airport provides easy access to Nicaragua?

    Nicaragua borders Costa Rica to the north. If you are planning to connect to this neighboring country after your excursion in Costa Rica, consider booking a flight that departs from Juan Santamaría International Airport, and lands at Sandino International Airport (MGA) after approximately 3h 10min.

  • Which Costa Rican airport is closest to the Sacred Heart Cathedral?

    Sacred Heart Cathedral is a religious landmark found in Puerto Limón. As such, the best way to access it is to fly into Limon International Airport (LIO). Taxis provide the quickest connection between these two destinations in about 7 minutes. Still, the distance is walkable if you do not have heavy luggage.

  • Are there hotels near major airports in Costa Rica?

    Most of the airports in Costa Rica are located close to a wide range of accommodation options, leaving no cause to worry if you are planning to arrive late. Normally, such facilities offer courtesy shuttles to and from the airport, an essential service if you have heavy luggage.

  • How does KAYAK find such low prices on flights from the United States 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 the United States to Costa Rica.

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

    KAYAK’s flight Price Forecast tool uses historical data to determine whether the price for a flight from the United States 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 the United States 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 the United States 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 the United States 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 the United States 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 day to fly to Costa Rica?

    Based on KAYAK data, the cheapest day to fly to Costa Rica is Tuesday where round-trip tickets can be as cheap as $492. On the other hand, the most expensive day to fly is Saturday, where round-trip prices are $596 on average.

Top tips for finding cheap flights to Costa Rica

  • Looking for cheap airfare to Costa Rica? 25% of our users found round-trip tickets to Costa Rica for the following prices or less: From Fort Lauderdale $358, from Denver $474, from Newark $589
  • Enter your preferred departure airport and travel dates into the search form above to unlock the latest Costa Rica flight deals.
  • For most destinations throughout Costa Rica, flying into San Jose (SJO) is going to be quicker and more affordable than other airports. However, if you happen to be flying into Costa Rica specifically to go to the beaches in Guanacaste and the surrounding areas, it will be more convenient to fly into Costa Rica’s other international airport: Liberia Airport (LIR).
  • If you’re only traveling to Costa Rica, a flight into one of the major airports is the best option. However, if you’re looking to experience multiple cities, including the beaches in northern Costa Rica, it can be a good idea to fly into Managua, Nicaragua, and take the inexpensive bus to Liberia.
  • For travelers heading to the forest preserves in Monteverde, it can be confusing on whether to fly into San Jose or Liberia. Since Monteverde lies nearly an equal distance from both, it would be more convenient to fly into whichever city is closest to the other attractions on your Costa Rica itinerary.
  • There are many festivals that last several days in Costa Rica, and flight prices can skyrocket during these festivals. One of the most popular festivals is the Limón festival, which takes place over 2 weekends from October 11th through the 22nd. Unless you’re traveling specifically for the festival, you can save money by avoiding flights to Costa Rica during these weekends.
  • If you’re heading to Tamarindo, Costa Rica, you may be tempted to book a connecting flight from San Jose or Liberia Airport to the regional Tamarindo airstrip. A less expensive alternative to getting to the Tamarindo area from Liberia Airport is to take one of the shuttle buses that goes directly from LIR to Tamarindo.
  • The choice of your arrival airport when booking your flight to Costa Rica depends on which part of the country you’re intending to tour, whether it’s military museums in the capital city or the pacific beaches in the west-southwest of the city of Liberia. Nevertheless, Costa Rica has two main international airports located in San Jose (SJO) and Liberia (LIR).
  • If you’re planning to visit multiple cities in Costa Rica, consider reserving a flight that arrives at Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO), which serves the country’s capital, San Jose. As the main getaway and the busiest airport in Costa Rica, it offers numerous connections to other destinations, and you are thus sure of getting a flight that fits your itinerary.
  • Are you planning to spend your time in Costa Rica touring east-central Costa Rica? In that case, it might be convenient to book flights that arrive at Cartago, which is one of the popular cities in this region. The town hosts Tobías Bolaños International Airport (SYQ).
  • Travelers looking to explore the north-central part of the country might have Heredia as a possible destination. To this end, consider reserving a flight that lands at an airport that serves this region. Juan Santamaria International Airport is one such facility, as it lies about six miles away.
  • Flights with one-stop layovers from New York to San Jose usually make layovers in their respective capitals. For instance, Copa Airlines makes a stopover at Tocumen International Airport Panama (PTY) in Panama City, while Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport (FLL) is a major focus port for Spirit Airlines.

Reviews of the top 5 airlines flying to Costa Rica

 
Need help choosing which airline to fly with from the United States 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.
7.8
DeltaOverall score based on 8477 reviews
7.8Comfort
7.2Food
8.5Crew
7.8Entertainment
8.1Boarding
Airline reviews

Weather in Atlanta necessitated an hour's hold on the tarmac before we could leave Detroit. The plane was packed, and I expected some surliness. But no! The crew was fantastic (jovial even!), responsive to people's needs, and kept us informed. Consequently, the passengers took the delay in stride, and what could have been an ugly situation turned out to be no more than a minor inconvenience. The crew were the stars here.

10.0 ExcellentAnonymous, Jul 2026
DTW - ATL
Read more Delta reviews

Weather in Atlanta necessitated an hour's hold on the tarmac before we could leave Detroit. The plane was packed, and I expected some surliness. But no! The crew was fantastic (jovial even!), responsive to people's needs, and kept us informed. Consequently, the passengers took the delay in stride, and what could have been an ugly situation turned out to be no more than a minor inconvenience. The crew were the stars here.

We were skipped when the snack cart passed and then the attendant said we weren’t . I am disabled and was in a row toward the back of the plane which was very difficult for me to navigate. Disabled people should not be forced to walk the plank.

My flight was delayed and I got back around 3.5 hours later than expected. I had to get a new connecting flight

Seat was too small for someone as tall as I am. I was behind an exit row making my leg room even less. There flights were delayed by multiple hours. Some weather related and others staff related. The plane was hot. Horrible experience.

The Atlanta airport had thunderstorms, which caused our flight to be delayed by multiple hours. Once we were able to board.the gate agent was rude and was trying to rush us onto the plane because the team in the plane was about to run out of hours once we were all aboard the plane they ran into an issue where the catering truck was filling up the back of the plane and they left and had to come back because they didn’t fill it up all the way, causing even more of a delay. My seat was very tight. I didn’t have a lot of legroom overall this was a miserable experience.

Flight delayed due to ground hold. Republic airways did a great job.

I missed the flight because the Minneapolis flight was 49 minutes LATE, and the Boise flight LEFT 24 minutes EARLY!

Easiest airport experience ever in my life at MSP with Delta check-in and flight attendant gave us a bottle of champagne in celebration of our 10-year wedding anniversary, so overall amazing!

Great. Seamless. Check in agent at kiosk international was amazing and extremely helpful.

Delta planes have the WORST seat comfort of any plane in history. It's the opposite of ergonomic, in every sense. They also recline minimally, are covered in a vinyl and have no feet rests. Then the disembarking process is chaotic and time consuming (because of the way they load the plane and deal with luggage). Overall, somewhat frustrating but we arrived safely :)

I would have preferred a flight voucher and to hop on a different flight. Delayed over 6 hours.

Our flight gor canceled and there was no one to help us but told us to scan the qr code and fill the forms on-line. Very poor service especially we are tourists traveling to Washington DC for the 1st time.

1. Everything was satisfactory concerning the flight. 2. Can't think of what could be better right now.

Onboard staff was courteous, helpful, responsive and friendly. The boarding process was disorganized, poorly communicated, and disheveled. Gate agents were yelling instead of using the PA system, didn’t communicate the timing delay of our flight, and created an atmosphere of chaos rather than order and communication. As far as I know, there was no reason for their. I would hate to see how it operated under extreme conditions. I’ve never seen United Airlines operations in such a state.

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

I almost missed my connection in Chicago due to having to wait on a gate to be open I am assuming. Having to run from E terminal to C terminal and I barely made it there before they closed the door. This may not be the actual airline's fault it's crazy how there is so little time between flight especially when they are placed so far apart in the airport.

Unbelievably smooth boarding at IAH and the flight attendants were top notch.

We flew business fares. Was amazing. However, the check in didn't offer business fares preboarding which is less hectic. 8/10 due to this. Staff compared to Canadian carriers go above and beyond. Would gladly fly United again.

My experience on this United Airlines flight was highly uncomfortable, primarily due to two issues: Cabin Temperature: The temperature on the Boeing 737 MAX 8 was unacceptably high, feeling consistently around 80 degrees throughout the flight. This made sleeping impossible and significantly detracted from the experience. Seating Arrangement: Being stuck in a middle seat for a six-and-a-half-hour overnight flight compounded the discomfort. Moving forward, I will always purchase a seat assignment to avoid this situation.

I had very little time to change planes originally in Denver after my flight from Omaha. I had an hour and a half layover in Denver originally and my flight leaving Omaha was delayed an hour because they had to change a tire, which I can understand. When I reached Denver my other flight was late, fortunately, but I still had only 10 minutes to run about a mile through the airport to get to my flight. Again, fortunately, I am a healthy 71-year-old and was able to accomplish this feat. However, the stress was more than necessary to bear.

My flight was delayed by 8 hours I arrived at airport 4hrs earlier but to see if they can reroute me to get my connecting flt to Hong Kong. They auto rebooked my flt. With no chance. Which I missed this entire reservation through kayak. My next flt they got me on was at 6 am. Misses an entire day of my trip abroad all my accommodations seat assignments were missed and missed adding my TSA precheck to my ticket as well as my vegan meal request so I didnt have meals on any of the flight....so not a comfortable experience. Please help me with accommodations upon my return.

The boarding crew was very helpful with a little special problem I had. The inflight crew - so-so.

They cancelled our flight two times after rebooking us for a later flight. We never got on the plane. We found another solution by driving.

Quick flight. No time to stress over it. Over before it begins.

Very good, boarded and took off on time and landed early

It was good overall but when I book my flight and seat through Kayak, AA will at times change those seats during check-in time which I don’t understand why. I always book aisle seats and had to sit at window for my flight to Austin this trip.

Mostly great. Only issue was with the WiFi. Halfway through the flight it was spotty and I was unable to work as I planned. This impacted my work products as I am traveling for business and it was an unexpected hindrance which was inconvenient. Flight here was amazing. For a 5 hour flight something more than a Biscoff would be nice but I’m just swinging at windmills I guess…

- flight was delayed several hours due to weather (understandable) - flight delayed further and we were told by attendants "we are not sure where the pilots are but they are on their way" as we have to find different pilots for the flight - announcements over the PA were somewhat unprofessional by the attendants, seems they need more training and were not reading off the script. They showed their young age and immaturity in their communications with the passengers. They were not clear and lacked professional communication language. - going from a hub to hub we were also parked at the tarmac at ohare for an additional hour and kept being told "few more minutes". Please just let the passengers know the real wait time instead of hiding the truth. We understand there is traffic and weather delays, but we just want transparency. There are several logistics of our lives that revolve around what the attendants and pilots are sharing with us but they are not being transparant.

Not good. Flight crew, was not friendly and just shoved stuff at us. Not the way I like to travel.

A much better flight than our previous. The flight attendant took care of us and regularly checked in to see if we needed anything. Brought us drinks prior to the departure and then a couple more times. Totally makes the difference in how you travel when the crew is checking on their passengers. Great job on this leg of our trip.

The seats were roomier than other airplanes I’ve been on.

The crew and the pilots. The pilots were amazing. The landing in Cancun was excellent.

The security line at JFK was one of the longest I’ve ever experienced - probably 45 minutes. I don’t know if JetBlue has control over it, but it detracted from the overall experience. Entertainment had good options, but the volume control was a bit small to tap on and the screen had a fair amount of interference blips. Clearer picture would have been better.

I liked the entertainment on JetBlue, the service from JFK to JAX was terrible at best

I usually dont fly JeTBlue and I dont think I will ever do it again. The flight was delayed fee time, nobody was giving us any info at at the airport, gate changing, the slowest and poorly organized boarding ever, rude staff.. huh

The flight was delayed. I upgraded to more room. I can't imagine how small the regular seats are I haven't upgraded for my return flight yet.

see my previous response about being kicked off the flight and having to fly the next day, ruining a planned vacation tour.

The flight departed more than 1 hour late. Leg room is bigger than most airlines

terrible. Because I felt very unwell during the flight. How do they leave a woman alone in the middle of 2 men? an obese man who was falling on top of me.

I booked this flight using JetBlue points and I was just so happy. The plane was so clean, I had every need met. Thank you!!

We booked seats next to each other. When we got the boarding passes, they were for different rows. The crew were reluctant to help us, so we ended up sitting separately. 1. What’s the point of reserving by seat number if you’re not going to honor that reservation? 2. Even if it gets messed up between reservation and boarding, how is the crew going to deny us the opportunity to arrange to sit together. There were plenty of people flying alone. It could’ve been easily accommodated. Not very customer-friendly at all.

The seats were the worst I have ever flown Too narrow, did not recline and the actual seat was hard as a rock. I will tell all travelers to stay away from Avianca flights.

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.

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

Voo longo nem mesmo água ou gelo é servido, se quiser tem que pagar. Embarque é péssimo, mau atendimento.

Everything you need to know for your flight to Costa Rica