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$86 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 11/13. 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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Best Costa Rica Flight Deals

Cheapest round-trip prices found by our users on KAYAK in the last 72 hours

San José
San José1 stop$215
Liberia
Liberia2 stops$302

Good to know

Low season

September

High season

December

Cheapest flight

$86
Best time to beat the crowds with an average 14% drop in price.
Most popular time to fly with an average 27% increase in price.
Flight from Los Angeles to San José

FAQs - booking Costa Rica flights

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • How long is the flight to Costa Rica?

    An average nonstop flight from the United States to Costa Rica takes 6h 13m, covering a distance of 2182 miles. The most popular route is New York - San José with an average flight time of 5h 15m.

  • What is the cheapest flight to Costa Rica?

    The cheapest ticket to Costa Rica from the United States found in the last 72 hours was $69 one-way, and $162 round-trip. The most popular route is New York John F Kennedy Intl to San José Juan Santamaria Intl and the cheapest round-trip airline ticket found on this route in the last 72 hours was $267.

  • Which airlines fly to Costa Rica?

    United Airlines, American Airlines & JetBlue fly the most frequently from the United States to Costa Rica.

  • What are the most popular destinations in Costa Rica?

    Based on KAYAK flight searches, the most popular destination is San José (70% of total searches to Costa Rica). The next most popular destination is Liberia (30%).

  • How does KAYAK’s flight Price Forecast tool help me choose the right time to buy?

    KAYAK’s flight Price Forecast tool uses historical data to determine whether the price for a given destination and date is likely to change within 7 days, so travelers know whether to wait or book now.

See more FAQs

Top tips for finding cheap flights to Costa Rica

  • Enter your preferred departure airport and travel dates into the search form above to unlock the latest Costa Rica flight deals.
  • 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.
  • 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.
See more tips

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.
7.5
JetBlueOverall score based on 3556 reviews
7.4Entertainment
7.7Boarding
7.8Comfort
7.0Food
8.2Crew
Airline reviews

Smooth boarding and friendly crew. Unfortunately as soon as we boarded the unit that provides air circulation failed. The pilot informed us and requested maintenance technicians to check it out. The plane became uncomfortably warm without any fresh air coming in. Plus the repair delayed our departure. I am glad the maintenance crew were able to fix the problem. I also was without use of my tv monitor for the first 1/3rd of the trip.

6.0 GoodSteve, Oct 2024DEN - BOS
Read more JetBlue reviews

Smooth boarding and friendly crew. Unfortunately as soon as we boarded the unit that provides air circulation failed. The pilot informed us and requested maintenance technicians to check it out. The plane became uncomfortably warm without any fresh air coming in. Plus the repair delayed our departure. I am glad the maintenance crew were able to fix the problem. I also was without use of my tv monitor for the first 1/3rd of the trip.

Flight was on time arrived at the destination 10min early they kept in touch via email

Communication with the customer and stay is important. Staff off with a minor inconvenience but it worked out of course. Also this was a very old Mint Class plane. They snuck this one in on us. The updated aircraft are much better.

The flight itself was fine, but the boarding process was extremely frustrating. There is no one scanning boarding passes - passengers just scan themselves and enter the jetway. By the time my husband and I got on the plane and were halfway to our seats they determined there were too many bags on the plane and everything at that point needed to be checked. This created a lot of unnecessary chaos. They should have alerted people before getting on the plane that they would need to start checking bags instead of waiting until people were already on the plane.

The best flight I’ve had in a while. The plane was like 25% capacity, if that. Smoothest boarding and deplaning process I’ve ever experienced. Wish all flights were this smooth.

Did not enjoy this flight at all. All of my coworkers flew delta and I chose JetBlue because I really value how simple the WiFi and entertainment is and this flight I didn’t get either. Crew staff was unsympathetic to my system not working, everyone I asked for help with was extremely bothered by my request for help.

In flight on demand didn't work at our seats. Only a single beverage/snack run.

Little snafu at boarding. Staff communicated with gate poorly. Flight attendant was rude making disembark early. This was an older mint class. Needs an overhaul for sure. Food was good. The male flight attendant was really nice.

My encounter with the entertainment services provided on board was moderate; the functionality of the Wi-Fi connection was either sluggish or nonoperational, while the display screens were antiquated and suffered from poor visibility. On the positive side, the cabin exuded a sense of expansiveness, and the crew exhibited amiable and accommodating behavior throughout the journey.

Everything was great except for some reason crew and ground crew could not figure out how to deal with an electric wheelchair and it delayed us 20-30mins. Was pretty frustrating for passengers and the captain.

late departure due to some unspecified issue with ventilating the cabin. They got it running but it was FREEZING for the whole flight. I asked for a blanket but they didn't provide one. They could not turn up the heat. it was quite miserable.

Booked a united Air flight with option to pick seat , then found out was on an Air Canada flight with assigned seat , then they wanted a several dollar charge for some 25 cent value entertainment listening ear device

Poor and identical to the first two legs, except for the crew who were patient, professional and of pleasant and jovial disposition!

This was a 5 hour flight with no entertainment and with a snack being provided (pretzels and fruit bar), which are both high in carbs and sugar. Nuts would have been a better choice.

Late out of the gate, late to takeoff. No screens on plane. Uncomfortable window seat.

We were delayed because of ground crew, not because the plane wasn’t ready to go. The food was better than usual!

The plane was so gross and dirty. Literally saw dust layering and flowing out the grey vents. Dust was all over the air vent knobs to the point where I took my sani wipe and cleaned them down so at least it wasn't blowing my my face. Also, I upgraded and paid for Wifi and it's always so spotty. I get we are in the air, but don't charge for it if it's not going to work. I expect so much more from United. They really are giving up.

Liked that we left on time for each flight. Snacks not the best, but we're okay.

Never nice, United Express partners always do an amazing job.

It was fine. The flight attendant appeared to be in a bad mood but everything was fine.

horrible our connectig flight was late and we had to rush thru DFW to the next gate with 15 minutes time. Get to gate and its changed. no one knows whats going on . finally get a new gate and the plane has been sent back to the hanger . Boarded 4 hours after our original flight time and then sat at the gate for over an hour as the captian said the cargo doors were open and no one was in the airprot or on the ground to find out what was happening. this caused us to miss the first day of the tour as we missed our transfer and hotel meetup no apologies or accomodations offered to assist

They could have done a better job announcing the boarding groups and asked for more drinks (water) if needed.

No explanation of why there was no snack and drink service (unless requested) when there was service in the other direction.

It was exactly what I expected, actually arriving sooner than scheduled.

One of the reasons I fly American is because the seating is more comfortable than most airlines. Even in the back of the plane.

Everything was ok except that we had to de-ice the plane which took about 20 mins. I realize this is a safety issue, but it caused us to miss a connection in Charlotte by 15 mins which meant a four hour layover. I think the thing that bothered me was American Airlines knew we were only 15 mins late, so couldn’t they have waited for us? There were about 10 of us that had to take alternate planes. I remember recently waiting 15 to 20 mins for passengers connecting with flights we were on. Just wondering why they couldn’t do the same for ours.

Crazy seating issues. We got seated far apart. Offered middle seats at a premium rate. Why is a middle seat now the expensive seat? Baffling.

3hour delay In the last 3 months i had 3 flights and 2 of these had a more than 2:40 hrs delayed

Overall boarding and debarking is a joke. I dont even bring luggage anymore on trips because you can never allow them to be place then in the overhead bin or you have to pay or you check them which is even worse having to wait for your luggage on the tarmac.

RE Food: Wish there was a choice for No Rating. Flew from Honolulu to Los Angeles on a Red-Eye flight (11:00 pm to 7:30 am). Other than a package of cookies with a beverage choice offered soon after take-off, and a beverage choice shortly before landing, no other food choices were offered. Everyone slept or rested for most of the trip. Nothing to rate. RE Entertainment: Everyone was sleeping most of the flight. Only saw one passenger watch about 30 minutes of entertainment on his iPad. I never attempted to access any entertainment options.

I enjoyed it! In that case, I should have been offered this choice. On my first trip to Miami, I was asked to pay $320 for my luggage just for getting it totally broken. I cannot accept this situation at all!!!!

The connection time is too short to pass through customs and once you do clear customs the connecting flight is in another terminal that is not close.

They charged me $120 to check one bag and then charged me another $120 for a carryon. Ridiculous!

Boarding, crew and food. Seats are too small Love Avianca

I was surprised that they didn’t offer drinks at least even though it was an international flight.

$120 for a carry on bag !!!!!! Insane. Back-breaking seats. Do not recline. Food service is a disgrace. They give only water and a salty snack. Everything else has a price.

Our flight from BOS - BOG was delayed 10 hours because they were waiting for a Flight attendant to fly from Miami. They lied and said they would give us food and hotel. That was a straight Lie! It never came! We were in the airport for 13 hours with Two babies. We were on the plane 7 more Hours. When we asked to get diapers from our checked luggage, Jorge in Boston told my wife she should have planned better. Meanwhile, the 10 Avianca Employees Sat there and did nothing for 13 hours. Yes, we planned for 10 hours with the wait and the flight, not 20 hours JORGE! If this was an American company we would have got a refund! But they are not up to American standards. The kicker is they apparently needed the 3rd stewardess to serve the food. Guess what? It was 4AM when they tried to serve the FOOD! Everybody was asleep by then! Ridiculous! Never Again!

My fly was cancelled so i run to the airport and fight for my fly Thank god at the end was good

Terrible. Flight was delayed without explanation, airplane was in poor condition (old, dirty) and crew was not in a good mood.

Definitely my worst experience. We booked a flight JFK - Cartagena with a layover at Bogota. My partner and I were on time for the boarding at 10:55pm. We were about to enter in the plane, literally, when one of the officer from the airline Avianca, took the passport of my partner to apparently « looked at his luggage reservation ». It made no sense, first the luggage was under my name, and then we went through all the controls at the airport. The person went back to the gate inside the airport, I followed my partner. The employees from the airline were rude and disrespectful. They were not explaining us what’s was going on. After 5 minutes of silence treatment. They told us that my partner was intoxicated (it was absolutely not true, they never conducted tests btw) and he couldn’t board in the plane and he will take the next one. They didn’t late us coordinated the trip, and not even let us say goodbye to each other. I was forced to take the plane to bogota and my partner to stay in NYC. It was traumatic. My partner had to wait 6h in the airport (night time) and he had to pay an additional ticket even tho the employees mentioned he was going to take the next flight. We are going to file a complain. It’s unbelievable. First and last time I will ever use this airline. I do not recommend.

Not acceptable having both flights delayed and not real reason for .. plus paid for luggage and getting my bag ripped out .. very disappointed.

the seats are the hardest I've ever felt; narrower and less leg space and I am small. I could have bid on a comfier seat but the price would have ended up closer to an economy plus seat on a more reliable airline. Only used this airline because of the timing and non-stop. I was afraid from the get-go I wouldn't get there. Apparently, I was lucky

Seamless boarding process, flight was early, crew and passengers nice. Crew was professional as well. Seats are super thing but reasonably comfortable for a 2-3 hrs flight. No on board entertainment, except maybe for paid internet. No water, no snacks. I feel all airlines should offer free water. I didn’t care paying for it, however water is free everywhere in the US and it almost like a basic human right in a civilized society.

Fantastic. Had handicapped traveler and they helped us through security, helped with boarding, helped put wheelchair together, and were all very patient. A pleasant change from previous spirit flights I’ve taken. Highly recommend.

Really nice, flight attendants were so helpful with me and my kids. Extremely grateful, keep up the good work and spirit :)

They lost my luggage on a direct non-stop flight.

I liked the low price. I did not like the cramped passenger seats. As a below average size person I was cramped in the seat; I can only imagine how uncomfortable an average or large size person would be. I guess that is part of the deal with low cost airlines.

Very clean and new airplane. The internet purchase was not worth the money requested

LA to Seattle was a smooth process. Seattle to LA was delayed more Than 6hrs

Spirit's seating does not work for an overnight flight and my back is killing me. This airline does not meet the minimum standards for being an airline.

Book Cheap Costa Rica Plane Tickets

Recent round-trip flight deals

1/12Sun
1 stopVolaris El Salvador
8h 30mLAX-SJO
2/2Sun
1 stopVolaris El Salvador
13h 02mSJO-LAX
$215
2/18Tue
1 stopVolaris El Salvador
10h 34mLAX-SJO
2/26Wed
1 stopVolaris El Salvador
11h 11mSJO-LAX
$216
1/25Sat
2 stopsAmerican Airlines
19h 10mIAD-SJO
2/1Sat
2 stopsAmerican Airlines
21h 09mSJO-IAD
$237
11/12Tue
2 stopsAmerican Airlines
21h 41mIAD-SJO
11/19Tue
2 stopsAmerican Airlines
18h 05mSJO-IAD
$241
3/3Mon
1 stopAvianca
6h 45mMIA-SJO
3/6Thu
1 stopAvianca
5h 15mSJO-MIA
$255
1/26Sun
2 stopsAvianca
10h 00mMIA-SJO
2/7Fri
1 stopAvianca
5h 15mSJO-MIA
$256
11/17Sun
1 stopUnited Airlines
13h 55mIAD-SJO
11/24Sun
1 stopUnited Airlines
8h 39mSJO-IAD
$270
11/12Tue
nonstopJetBlue
5h 31mJFK-SJO
11/21Thu
nonstopJetBlue
5h 12mSJO-JFK
$301
12/4Wed
1 stopJetBlue
8h 01mJFK-SJO
12/17Tue
1 stopJetBlue
13h 43mSJO-JFK
$309
2/2Sun
1 stopUnited Airlines
8h 42mEWR-SJO
2/14Fri
nonstopUnited Airlines
5h 12mSJO-EWR
$318

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Recent one-way flight deals

11/13Wed
2 stopsSpirit Airlines
26h 38mLAX-SJO
$86
2/3Mon
2 stopsAmerican Airlines
14h 20mIAD-SJO
$97
2/4Tue
2 stopsAvianca
10h 00mMIA-SJO
$109
1/22Wed
1 stopAvianca
6h 45mMIA-SJO
$111
11/1Fri
1 stopJetBlue
15h 07mJFK-LIR
$139
11/16Sat
1 stopUnited Airlines
15h 40mIAD-SJO
$142
11/19Tue
1 stopJetBlue
7h 07mJFK-SJO
$145
2/28Fri
nonstopUnited Airlines
5h 28mEWR-SJO
$156
10/28Mon
1 stopDelta
7h 48mJFK-SJO
$156
11/18Mon
1 stopDelta
7h 43mJFK-LIR
$166

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Last minute flights to Costa Rica

Last minute flight, train and bus deals

10/26Sat
multi-stopUnited Airlines
14h 17mIAD-SJO
11/2Sat
multi-stopUnited Airlines
10h 18mSJO-IAD
$232
10/26Sat
multi-stopAmerican Airlines
8h 47mIAD-SJO
11/2Sat
multi-stopAmerican Airlines
20h 12mSJO-IAD
$239
10/26Sat
multi-stopAmerican Airlines
22h 22mIAD-SJO
10/30Wed
multi-stopAmerican Airlines
20h 18mSJO-IAD
$241
10/26Sat
multi-stopUnited Airlines
15h 46mIAD-SJO
10/28Mon
multi-stopUnited Airlines
8h 39mSJO-IAD
$255
10/25Fri
multi-stopAvianca
7h 45mMIA-SJO
11/16Sat
multi-stopAvianca
8h 55mSJO-MIA
$321
10/26Sat
multi-stopAvianca
7h 50mMIA-SJO
10/29Tue
multi-stopAvianca
5h 15mSJO-MIA
$328
10/26Sat
nonstopJetBlue
5h 33mJFK-SJO
10/30Wed
nonstopJetBlue
5h 14mSJO-JFK
$373
10/26Sat
nonstopJetBlue
5h 33mJFK-SJO
1/28Tue
multi-stopJetBlue
9h 07mSJO-JFK
$397
10/27Sun
multi-stopSpirit Airlines
30h 26mEWR-SJO
11/3Sun
multi-stopSpirit Airlines
18h 30mSJO-EWR
$419
10/27Sun
multi-stopSpirit Airlines
27h 43mLGA-SJO
10/31Thu
multi-stopSpirit Airlines
7h 35mSJO-LGA
$456

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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.