$109 Find Cheap Flights 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 the United States to Costa Rica departing on 5/4. 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$253
Liberia
Liberia1 stop$333
San José
San Josénonstop$253
Liberia
Liberia1 stop$333

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

Mon, Apr 20 - Thu, Apr 23
Spirit Airlines Logo
5:10 am - 11:33 am
ATL
-
SJO
8h 23m
1 stop
Spirit Airlines Logo
12:38 pm - 11:59 pm
SJO
-
ATL
9h 21m
1 stop
$277Spirit Airlines
Fri, May 1 - Sun, May 10
Spirit Airlines Logo
5:10 am - 11:33 am
ATL
-
SJO
8h 23m
1 stop
Spirit Airlines Logo
1:00 pm - 10:57 pm
SJO
-
ATL
7h 57m
1 stop
$278Spirit Airlines
Thu, May 14 - Sun, May 17
Spirit Airlines Logo
9:21 pm - 11:45 am
ATL
-
SJO
16h 24m
1 stop
Spirit Airlines Logo
1:00 pm - 8:59 am
SJO
-
ATL
17h 59m
1 stop
$279Spirit Airlines
Tue, Apr 28 - Mon, May 4
Avianca Logo
3:35 am - 11:30 am
JFK
-
SJO
9h 55m
1 stop
Avianca Logo
3:10 pm - 1:15 am
SJO
-
JFK
8h 05m
1 stop
$297Avianca
Tue, May 5 - Tue, May 12
JetBlue Logo
6:45 pm - 10:14 pm
JFK
-
SJO
5h 29mnonstop
JetBlue Logo
11:59 pm - 7:00 am
SJO
-
JFK
5h 01mnonstop
$298JetBlue
Sat, Apr 25 - Mon, May 4
Avianca Logo
3:40 am - 8:30 am
IAD
-
SJO
6h 50m
1 stop
Avianca Logo
5:05 am - 3:55 pm
SJO
-
IAD
8h 50m
1 stop
$298Avianca
Thu, May 7 - Sat, May 16
JetBlue Logo
6:45 pm - 10:20 pm
JFK
-
SJO
5h 35mnonstop
JetBlue Logo
11:59 pm - 7:00 am
SJO
-
JFK
5h 01mnonstop
$300JetBlue
Sat, May 9 - Thu, May 14
American Airlines Logo
5:30 am - 11:21 am
JFK
-
LIR
7h 51m
1 stop
American Airlines Logo
2:40 pm - 12:57 am
LIR
-
JFK
8h 17m
1 stop
$356American Airlines
Sat, May 9 - Thu, May 14
American Airlines Logo
9:00 pm - 11:24 am
JFK
-
LIR
16h 24m
2 stops
American Airlines Logo
12:30 pm - 12:57 am
LIR
-
JFK
10h 27m
1 stop
$361American Airlines
Tue, May 5 - Tue, May 12
United Airlines Logo
5:35 am - 12:21 pm
EWR
-
SJO
8h 46m
1 stop
United Airlines Logo
7:55 am - 10:59 pm
SJO
-
EWR
13h 04m
1 stop
$366United 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 72 hours.

The cheapest ticket to Costa Rica from the United States found in the last 72 hours was to San José, at $244 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 72 hours was $244.

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 $463 on average. The cheapest price found on KAYAK in the last 2 weeks was $56 for the route Orlando Airport (MCO) to San José (SJO). The most popular routes on KAYAK are Orlando to San José which costs $351 on average, and Fort Lauderdale to Liberia, which costs $416 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 January, when tickets cost $478 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are July and June, when the average cost of round-trip tickets is $660 and $653 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 $352 on average. Morning departures are around 17% 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 $524.

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 7 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 San José Juan Santamaria Intl Airport (SJO), with an average flight price of $265.

Good to know

Low seasonSeptember
Cheapest flight$109
Best time to beat the crowds with an average 17% drop in price.
Most popular time to fly with an average 22% increase in price.
Flight from Atlanta 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 $451. On the other hand, the most expensive day to fly is Saturday, where round-trip prices are $547 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 New York John F Kennedy Intl $310, from Denver $464, from Newark $619
  • 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.
7.4
United AirlinesOverall score based on 9562 reviews
7.7Boarding
7.1Entertainment
6.6Food
8.1Crew
7.3Comfort
Airline reviews

It's a long flight and I would have liked better snacks between lunch and the arrival meal. It's fine to have fruit and nuts but I really don't like ramen because it's salty junk soup. I'd suggest sandwiches. They're not expensive nor are they hard to store for a long flight. The FA's had a couple of big services and they were super busy preparing, executing and then cleaning up. Then they disappeared.

8.0 ExcellentJesse, Apr 2026
IAH - NRT
Read more United Airlines reviews

It's a long flight and I would have liked better snacks between lunch and the arrival meal. It's fine to have fruit and nuts but I really don't like ramen because it's salty junk soup. I'd suggest sandwiches. They're not expensive nor are they hard to store for a long flight. The FA's had a couple of big services and they were super busy preparing, executing and then cleaning up. Then they disappeared.

Great flight. Got to watch a movie. Smooth flight and early arrival at ORD.

This was the first flight in the morning. We boarded fine. The cabin door was closed and we were ready to go. We were notified by the Captain that ATC issued and ground stop for 40 minutes. So, without even pushing back from the gate, we were already 40 minutes late. We actually were released to push-back and taxi at 30 minutes. But, some passengers had tight connections and were not going to make their connections. Some passengers asked about the delay and the effect on the connections and were told by the cabin attendant that all flights will be delayed and so they should be OK. However, that was not true. My connecting flight was on time and I arrived at IAH with 21 minutes to make my connection. I did and I'm happy about that, but the flight crew should not have given assurances to the passengers who might have missed their connections.

Poor communication, flight was delayed for preventable reasons. I missed my connection.

It was better than excellent. The staff in Mason City were great. The young woman that pushed my wheelchair did more than could be expected of her. She came from India 17 years ago. I don't remember her name.

After arriving in Chicago, we were taxiing for 1.5 hours with infrequent and untruthful updates about the amount of time it would take to arrive at the gate. Minimally, the team could have provided timing expectations that were more truthful, especially one their original expectations were not met.

All good flight was 35 minutes early when arriving in Edinburgh

Flights were on time actually early service was good and crew cheerful

Every staff member was professional, friendly and courteous. The pizza twist was ok. It was warm but too much dough.

The boarding timing needs to be improved. The flight was delayed again because it took way too long to board. I was already exhausted from sleeping at the airport and spending all day there due to delay from my previous flight that connected in Chicago.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

THe flight was an hour late. You got us on the plan and we sat on the ground for 45 minutes with no information from the pilot whatsoever. Worst flight this year.

Boarding was quick and efficient. We arrived at our destination early.

I'm not sure American is capable of on-time arrivals and departures. When you land at ORD, you almost always get held on the tarmac because your gate is still occupied. I may have missed my connection, but that ended up up being significantly delayed as well. Once again, I finally got home well after midnight.

Same plane as RDU to LGA — internet not working. Pilot issue of some sort at end of prior flight - I was on same plane for my connection. Late/delayed —

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

Message about flight cancelation was received late due to being in the air. No explanation, just canceled and booked on morning flight. We had to stay in the airport overnight because there was no transportation offered to get to the hotel that AA had available. Actual inflight was fine.

I didn't go from Reno to Phoenix I ended up going from Reno to Dallas to Tucson because my flight rebooked because my Amtrak was late I tried notifying you guys I also don't know what you ask me about my flight because you guys didn't book my flight

Delays experienced in boarding/take off due to incoming plane delayed. However, the boarding time/depart time in the app was significantly delayed in providing these updates. Usually not updated until an hour after we should have already boarded. Poorly managed.

Bag drop was very disorganized in Miami. All main cabin passengers were shunted to just a few lanes and they had an equal number of lanes for first class passengers but there was nobody on those lines. They did nothing to bring the main cab and passengers over to the open lines and they just had employees standing there and doing nothing

there are no options s for snack besides cookies would ve nice to have a salty option n

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

Boarding was late due to the company’s that cleaned the aircraft (very poorly done) and the catering company. The entertainment system was not working for this six hour flight, uncomfortable seats in business (barely any cushion or recline). The airline staff is very good but the planes are horrible and not well maintained.

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.

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

The attendant at the gate was not helpful at all and she was rude when we asked why the flight was delayed.

Great just wish they always had WiFi on every flight couldn’t even purchase it

They cancelled my flight with no reason affecting my travel plans and delaying it 24 hours.

a weekend long saga that ultimately led to a canceled trip. totally unreliable.

Everything was horrible. They delayed my flight so I missed my connection flight and I lost my bags. I had to go to the same workers multiple times asking the same questions because everyone kept giving me different answers. One person closed down customer service because he wanted to go on lunch so there was like 30 people just waiting for hours because no one would relieve him.

Landing was technically perfect. What I didn't like is the pricey internet. Both flights with excellent crews. I'm 6 feet 210 pounds and could easily fit in the chair.

Paid for WiFi and the connection was basically nonexistent. Was pleasantly surprised with everything else. Staff was great. Boarding was easy. Plane was clean. Overall, a very pleasant experience

Long long delay, no AC while delayed, gate changes, just for the most uncomfortable flight of your life.

Everything was smooth sailing. Great crew, easy flight and was surprised with an upgraded seat. Thank you all!

My first time experience with Spirit Air was not good at all.The reason i did not know to cancel 24Hrs before flight depature you do charge cancellation fee. It's ridiculous policy.Actually you should provide full voucher instead of charging cancellation fee. Confirmation Code# ZNVPHG Thanks Much , Rita S

Everything you need to know for your flight to Costa Rica