$83 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 10/9. 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

KAYAK searches hundreds of travel sites at once for deals on flights to Costa Rica

Travelers love KAYAK
41,299,237 searches in the past 7 days on KAYAK

Save 22% or moreCompare multiple travel sites with one search.

Track pricesNot ready to book? Create a price alert for when prices drop.

Bundle and saveSave money when you bundle your flight + hotel.

Filter your dealsChoose cabin class, free Wi-Fi and more.

Flights Deals
Booking Insights
Flights Deals

Best Costa Rica Flight Deals

Cheapest round-trip prices found by our users on KAYAK in the last 72 hours
San José
San José2 stops$183
Liberia
Liberia1 stop$245
San José
San José2 stops$183
Liberia
Liberia1 stop$245

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, Jan 12 - Sun, Jan 18
Avianca Logo
12:45 pm - 6:55 pmMIA-SJO
7h 10m2 stops
Avianca Logo
5:05 am - 11:20 amSJO-MIA
5h 15m1 stop
$183Avianca
Find Deal
Mon, Aug 4 - Mon, Aug 11
Volaris El Salvador Logo
2:28 pm - 3:17 pmMIA-SJO
2h 49mnonstop
Volaris El Salvador Logo
8:14 am - 12:57 pmSJO-MIA
2h 43mnonstop
$204Volaris El Salvador
Find Deal
Wed, Oct 15 - Mon, Oct 20
JetBlue Logo
9:41 am - 1:02 pmJFK-SJO
5h 21mnonstop
JetBlue Logo
2:07 pm - 9:10 pmSJO-JFK
5h 03mnonstop
$233JetBlue
Find Deal
Sun, Jul 27 - Sun, Jul 27
American Airlines Logo
10:25 am - 11:40 amMIA-SJO
3h 15mnonstop
American Airlines Logo
2:25 pm - 7:30 pmSJO-MIA
3h 05mnonstop
$235American Airlines
Find Deal
Thu, Sep 4 - Mon, Sep 8
American Airlines Logo
11:00 am - 5:57 pmLGA-SJO
8h 57m1 stop
American Airlines Logo
7:27 am - 8:00 pmSJO-LGA
10h 33m1 stop
$236American Airlines
Find Deal
Thu, Aug 14 - Mon, Aug 18
United Airlines Logo
3:45 pm - 10:39 pmLGA-SJO
8h 54m1 stop
United Airlines Logo
5:30 am - 9:58 pmSJO-LGA
14h 28m1 stop
$242United Airlines
Find Deal
Tue, Sep 9 - Wed, Sep 17
JetBlue Logo
9:41 am - 1:02 pmJFK-SJO
5h 21mnonstop
JetBlue Logo
2:07 pm - 9:10 pmSJO-JFK
5h 03mnonstop
$247JetBlue
Find Deal
Mon, Sep 29 - Sat, Oct 4
United Airlines Logo
6:00 am - 12:26 pmEWR-SJO
8h 26m1 stop
United Airlines Logo
7:55 am - 9:30 pmSJO-EWR
11h 35m1 stop
$250United Airlines
Find Deal
Tue, Jul 29 - Thu, Jul 31
Spirit Airlines Logo
7:55 pm - 11:11 amLGA-SJO
17h 16m1 stop
Spirit Airlines Logo
11:24 am - 11:11 pmSJO-LGA
9h 47m1 stop
$254Spirit Airlines
Find Deal
Tue, Jul 29 - Thu, Jul 31
Spirit Airlines Logo
7:55 pm - 11:11 amLGA-SJO
17h 16m1 stop
Spirit Airlines Logo
11:24 am - 11:11 pmSJO-LGA
9h 47m1 stop
$255Spirit Airlines
Find Deal
Booking Insights

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 $84 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 $84.

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 $371 on average. The cheapest price found on KAYAK in the last 2 weeks was $77 for the route Orlando Airport (MCO) to San José (SJO). The most popular routes on KAYAK are Miami to Liberia which costs $433 on average, and Fort Lauderdale to San José, which costs $276 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 $496 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are December and June, when the average cost of round-trip tickets is $734 and $685 respectively.

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 2 weeks before departure. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 13 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 $233.


Good to know

Low seasonSeptember
High seasonDecember
Cheapest flight$83
Best time to beat the crowds with an average 17% drop in price.
Most popular time to fly with an average 40% increase in price.
Flight from New York John F Kennedy Airport 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 
CarmelFlew with Alaska AirlinesLAX-LIRJan 2025
Know that flights are very unreliable so pad your days/plans.
LannyFlew with American AirlinesMIA-SJOJan 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 $500. On the other hand, the most expensive day to fly is Saturday, where round-trip prices are $633 on average.

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

    The cheapest time of day to fly to Costa Rica is generally in the afternoon, when round-trip flights cost $465 on average. Morning departures are around 3% more expensive than evening flights, on average. The most expensive time of day to fly to Costa Rica is generally in the morning, which is peak travel time and where the average cost of a ticket is $557.

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 $169, from New York John F Kennedy Intl $240, from Newark $689
  • 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.
8.0
DeltaOverall score based on 7959 reviews
7.3Food
7.9Comfort
8.2Boarding
7.9Entertainment
8.5Crew
Airline reviews

There was no problems, just a little uncomfortable with seats that do not lay back a little

8.0 ExcellentWillie, Jul 2025PHX - DTW
Read more Delta reviews

There was no problems, just a little uncomfortable with seats that do not lay back a little

Always good but we must do something about people in rows ahead of you that don't put their seats back up when they are suppose to. And It's rough to not be able to even lean over to get something out of my purse.

Flight was delayed, 30+ bags had to be gate checked. Crew were very friendly!

Everything was good until we were boarding our connection flight in Atlanta, we were told to gate check our carry-on, but when we got inside the plane, there was plenty of room in the overhead.

Did not know my son and I had different seating arrangements. He was fine, but it was disappointing.

Flight was canceled, and no effort was made to help with rebooking, no hotel vouchers, no car transportation and minimal food voucher and most places for food were closed by the time the voucher was given. Waited for 3 hours for bags. Simply the worst travel experience I have ever had

Food was surprisingly good but the WiFi was not great

this crew didn't care much. bumping carts into seats more times than i care to remember

Very late arrival at PWM. Late jet getting to ATL. Equipment problem with aircraft - could not get enough water onto plane., Another delay getting FAA approval for flight with bottled H2O. Not the crew’s problem.

Everything was fine except the entertainment was not working for half of the flight.

I learned that seating towards the end of plane that a line forms for the restroom and people use your chair as a hand railing, bumping your seat consistently. I was seated in the aisle. I think that next time if I am towards the back row I would want to sit in the middle or window seat.

The best airline I have ever travel , really good customer service, attention and service !!

United could have one single once of customer service. No human United employee would help me with the invalid mileage plus number, they said I had to speak with the computer.

United sent me a mileage plus number last year but that number is invalid so I can’t use it to check into flights or collect mileage. There is human to speak about the problem, only computers who keep asking me if I am using the correct email. It’s so frustrating and I cannot resolve it.

It was delayed instead of departing at 9:20pm, we departed at 11pm… putting us in Columbus after 2am! It was awful. Had I known about the delay, I could have spent some time in the United Lounge… I was starving because I started my journey in Budapest… so I was exhausted and hungry. Plus I had to make new arrangements to be picked up at the airport in Columbus, instead of midnight it was 2:30 am after getting luggage and out of airport. Not feasible. I would have just stayed in Chicago for the night and gotten a morning flight.

Not a great experience. We paid for the upgrade for premium economy seats and seated ourselves in very comfortable seats. Someone came along with the same seat on their boarding pass. The aircraft had been changed and as a result we were booted out and sent further back to small uncomfortable seats. After complaining we were moved to emergency row seats, which gave us more leg room but the seats don’t recline. For people in our 70’s we found having to sit upright from California to NJ very uncomfortable. Not sure why they chose to move senior citizens instead of the two people that were allowed to take the more comfortable seats. Not happy.

I liked the choice of lemon ginger tea. I think stewardesses can be more considerate of older people needs.

The food should improve! And The flight should leave on time and not make the traveler wait.

It was great, I’m very grateful for the pilots and crew flight attendants for everything.

Everything was great. Only thing that could’ve made it better was buy on board options for hot food, but the snacks were decent. The flight attendants were great. I had no complaints. I was able to make it to my destination safely

My JetBlue experience was nice. The flights ran on time, the aircraft was clean and comfortable, and the flight attendants were attentive. My only issue, which is isolated to the low-cost (budget) option at JetBlue, is that the check in process makes the user feel that they have to buy their seats. The seats offered for purchase are upgrades from the budget seats you get (which are essentially the last seats remaining). The interface should not make it feel like you must purchase a seat.

The plane was late to leave.. Internet was lousy. TV was not working. when we arrived, We stayed on the plane for a long time before we got to the gate. It took us a long time to retrieve our luggage because they didn’t know what carousel to send them to. It was a bad experience.

I especially liked the lead crew officer. His boarding and safety announcements were made with a bit of novelty and humor. The flight also left the gate 10 minutes early and we landed about 20 minutes early… It was a delightful flight…

There were mutliple delays. There was inconsistent, delayed, and poor communication regarding the delays.

flight was delayed for hours with no explanation. The plane was a very old aircraft.

Spend hours delayed with no food, water anything sitting on the aieplane with no ability to eat or use the restroom. My entire experience was the absolute worst. I will never fly jet Blue again.

It would have been nice if they had offered more than one set of snacks

Seats were not too comfortable; it was impossible to locate the underseat power outlet.

You get what you pay for with JetBlue. Every little thing costs more, you are nickel and dimed until the end. Entertainment doesn’t function. Flight attendants do the bare minimum.

The check in and boarding process was a bit of a cluster. Two people at the counter to check in, three random lines that nobody knew which was for what, and people kept getting shuffled from one line to another for no apparent reason because then they’d get shuffled back and end up getting out further back in the line than they were originally. I only had to hand my already checked bag over and it took 45 minutes. I was never assigned a seat so when I tried to board I was pulled out of line again while someone had to try to manually assign me a seat. During the flight I got up to go to the bathroom, and there was an attendant in the aisle offering pillows etc and it was a 30 min wait unbuckled standing by the bathrooms because she said I couldn’t go past her. First and last time flying jet blue to be honest.

Delayed flight, so I switched fights to SFO to Phoenix , Phoenix to DSM. Excellent service through American Airlines

I didn't like that my paid for seat was changed 2 hours before my flight.

The flight had a delay that made me being in a real rush to take the second flight. The delay was almost for 2 hours. They moved us from gate to gate in 4 times. Once I arrived to Philadelphia, I got to run thorough all the airport, as the train was already closed by that time. So I got sick with asthma for all the running I had to do. And I was the last one to board, when it was almost closed. So irresponsable with the people

Flight was delayed and after being in the airport for like seven hours, it was canceled.

Overall fine, but the delay was annoying and the reasons for the delay were not communicated. The crew on board were phenomenal!

Flight delays numerous times. Everytime we would get close to boarding it would be delayed again. Strung along the entire time.

After a two hour delay, my flight was CANCELLED! No pilot available. Such BS.

Overall very good, only complaint I have is the crew from CLT to SAT could have collected trash sooner.

The AA app really sucks ... Every flight & connecting flights were delayed over 30 mins. One connecting flight on American Eagle said it was delayed in its arrival ... when it was actually parked across from the gate for over 1 hr before they pulled it to the gate. Seats in the economy/ main cabin are packed together like sardines ... no leg room.

Initial flight was cancelled at the time of arrival to the airport, flight alternative requires switching from direct to flight with a layover, and the plane felt like it would split apart, it was so rattle-y.

Although our flight had delays due to three different reasons, it was good. Staff continued to update us which made every one comfortable. We felt the captain and crew had our safety in mind the entire time and no one seemed to lose their patience.

It was a good an early bird pleasant and quiet

I've flown Spirit many times. However, they seem to be getting worse. I don't understand how the contracts with the gates at the airport works, but Spirit never seems to have a gate ready when we land. This happened again on this flight. And once again, baggage took forever to arrive at the baggage claim belt. This time it was about 45 minutes to an hour, late at night, when the airport was not crowded. On a previous trip, they lost the luggage cart and we were all waiting for about 3 hours for our luggage. Plus, I did get a deal through Kayak on a flight that was shown sold out on Spirit's site. However, by the time I added all the luggage, and didn't even pick seats, I could have taken any direct flight I wanted through Delta. I'm about done with Spirit.

I enjoyed my flight, it was pretty smooth and we landed earlier than eta.

Booked through kayak, everything seemed normal but when it came time to go, my flight ticket didn’t exist, so I had to purchase another set of tickets at the airport the day of the flight, for about double. When I reached kayaks customer service, they claimed no responsibility, and pushed me onto another 3rd party booking service, airfare assist, where I have had no luck getting any kind of help or refund. I’ve used kayak many times, but I’ll never again after I’ve been burned by this.

The flight was delayed four and half hours for paperwork on a maintenance issue. Very frustrating.

It was okay delay was long but I made it

Flight was cancelled. No reason given. No apologies. Next available flight is two days later. Ruined our 4th of July plans.

The air fares are good, Charging me for every single thing 😩

It was very bad it got delayed by 2 hours.Never going to travel with spirit airlines in future.

Everything you need to know for your flight to Costa Rica

Cabin class types available on flights to Costa Rica

Cabin classes available on flights to Costa Rica. Prices are the lowest found on KAYAK over the last 7 days. Price and availability is not guaranteed.

Not what you’re looking for? Find thousands of other hotels, flights, car rentals and package deals with KAYAK.