$145 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 12/31. 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 5 days
San José
San José1 stop$344
Liberia
Liberia2 stops$281
San José
San José1 stop$344
Liberia
Liberia2 stops$281
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 $204 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 $204.

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 $528 on average. The cheapest price found on KAYAK in the last 2 weeks was $84 for the route Orlando Airport (MCO) to San José (SJO). The most popular routes on KAYAK are Miami to Liberia which costs $595 on average, and San Francisco to Liberia, which costs $982 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 $186 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are July and June, when the average cost of round-trip tickets is $334 and $285 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 $462 on average. Morning departures are around 10% 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 $589.

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 $371.

Good to know

Low season

September

Cheapest flight

$145
Best time to beat the crowds with an average 10% drop in price.
Most popular time to fly with an average 11% increase in price.
Flight from Chicago O'Hare 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 
RonFlew with Delta-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-Jan 2025
Know that flights are very unreliable so pad your days/plans.
LannyFlew with American Airlines-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 $498. On the other hand, the most expensive day to fly is Saturday, where round-trip prices are $602 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 $395, from Boston $437, from Newark $602
  • 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 8506 reviews
8.1Boarding
7.8Comfort
7.8Entertainment
7.2Food
8.5Crew
Airline reviews

Pushing back flight and ultimately cancelling it after multiple changes and hours of delays. Comm were terrible as to what was going on and what options were available.

2.0 MediocreEugene, Aug 2026
Read more Delta reviews

Pushing back flight and ultimately cancelling it after multiple changes and hours of delays. Comm were terrible as to what was going on and what options were available.

Even though we arrived early and checked in, for some unexplained reason, our bags were removed from the plane and put on the next flight. It took over 12 hours after arriving to get our bags.

Stewardess was not accommodating when I requested a second drink.

The morning calzone was less than impressive and we ended up with heartburn

Some of the passengers are coming on board with luggage so overstuffed and/or too large that have no business going into the overhead bins.

I am in a wheelchair The gate agent knew exactly how to boarding A wheelchair first also the flight attendant knew exactly what she was doing

There is consistently no communication/updated time slots in the app on when a flight will board when its delayed, which is the most frustrating as a consumer trying to understand if they need to get food now, or if there is actually a chance for them to eat during their layover. This keeps being my experience with delta and a potential reason to change airlines.

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 :)

Staff didn't seem confident about the ingredients in my lactose intolerance meal

the seat has a problem. the back had a hole.

The back to back mechanical delays from Denver to San Diego and then on my return flight from Denver to Great Falls it added extra time both ways

Really old place. Not as clean as it should be, tray tables needed better cleaning. The items, trays and some other items need to b6 engineered. Anything task you or crew may do is incredibly load, seriously engineer for quiet smooth, easy. Just opening and closing the tray table is actually dangerous and can easily injure a finger. I'm sure it happens as it happened to me! First time I used United and likely will be the last!

Like the fact that the boarding was expedited. But the delay and chaos around the onboarding was not appreciated.

Flight was 2.5 late. Maybe not United’s fault but late none the less. We were late as well on the first leg. WiFi quit working with an hour left.

Old 757 with poor entertainment system. United no longer partners with United for free text and email. O'Hara an absolute disaster! Limited gates clauses two hour delay. Unfortunately this appears to be the norm.

The flight to America was freezing. The overnight flight back to the UK was boiling hot and the cabin stank of toilet or occasionally perfume, even though I was several rows back from either bathroom. Food was tiny portions. Two small pieces of tough and dry beef in random gravy with pretend mashed potato raking up most of it. Very little veg. Salad was ok. Wooden cutlery broke within minutes of using. Lots of old films for entertainment. Some new ones. Generally a bit rubbish.

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.

Plane was delayed for 3 hours, due to situation within aa control. Information was shared poorly. We sat on tarmac for over 40 minutes after the 3 hour delay.

Couldn't make the flight because connecting flight was canceled.

The flight could have actually taken place. Canceled flight and no option to rebook that day.

Missed connection from delays and times changing multiple times and then involuntarily booked on another airline next day

Although there was an unfortunate delay, everything with the boarding and departure process went smoothly.

Smooth flight, on time, got to DFW early, crew was great, I was on row 11 so lots of room. Snacks were OK. We were pleased.

Flying on this airline is nothing short of a full blown circus clown show. It is so mismanaged it should not be in business as there is no way it can be safe as badly as it is managed. It is 100% about money and customers be damned. On a recent return from my mother’s funeral, my only available choice from IND to PWM was American, which I hesitantly booked as I rarely fly them for many of the following reasons and never will again. I was booked IND-PHL-PWM totaling about six hours. The flight was cancelled due to NE weather. They rebooked me on a two stop flight IND-DFW (Yes DALLAS)-PHL-PWM, still all on the same day. After arriving in DFW, they continually delayed the DFW-PHL flight due to maintenance issues on the arriving flight. Finally it was delayed to the point that my PHL-PWM connection was no longer possible. They then rebooked me thru LGA with the short flight the NEXT DAY to PWM and offered to put me up for the night in NYC (or so I assumed). The flight DFW-LGA was then delayed so much that I asked to be put in an earlier flight with a lessor delay. Throughout this day chats with their AI assistant were useless as were subsequent chats supposedly with a real person(?). Only one customer service agent in DFW was actually helpful and appeared to care. Upon arrival at LGA post midnight, they issued me car and hotel vouchers in Trenton NEW JERSEY at a very old Howard Johnsons ONE HALF HOUR from LGA. The hotel was an $85, 1.5 rated hotel in a very sketchy area of NJ that I would have never voluntarily booked. As I prepared to catch the car back to LGA the next morning I received a text that my flight was cancelled. TWICE IN TWO DAYS. I went to LGA hoping to have AA book me on an earlier Delta flight. The full service line was at least 200 people deep, so I tried to reach a real person agent by phone. After 1/2 hours on hold I gave up and waited for my later LGA-PWM flight. It actually started boarding on-time, but only shortly after announced a maintenance hold. We were told it was nothing serious, just an adjustment to the Captains seat. Only one update was given while we waited 1.5+ hours for a “SEAT ADJUSTMENT”. During that time at least three others flights in my area announced that they were overbooked and were taking volunteers before bumping people. Another flight to ORD announced a gate change and less than five minutes after announced that they were really not changing and announced for everyone to return to that gate. Can’t forget to mention that on all of these planes the WiFi only worked on two.🤡🤡

My wife has a scooter and they where supposed to send from departure to destination and had it go to connecting flight,not good.Nobody has knowledge of the scooters or the battery's.

Our experience with American Airlines was extremely disappointing and honestly made an already exhausting international journey much worse. After flying all the way from Melbourne and dealing with significant jet lag, the American Airlines experience at LAX was the last thing we needed. The terminal and boarding area felt very old and uncomfortable, with little to no air conditioning and only old fans running in the area. Boarding was also through outdoor stairs rather than a jet bridge, which felt especially inconvenient after such a long journey. Even though we were traveling First Class, the onboard experience was surprisingly poor. There were no meaningful snack options, no decent coffee available to order, and the aircraft was so small that there was barely enough overhead space for carry-on luggage. The staff experience was also disappointing and lacked the warmth or attentiveness we had experienced on our international flights. To make matters worse, the flight departed late, extending an already very long travel day. Overall, the combination of the outdated terminal, uncomfortable boarding process, limited First Class service, small aircraft, poor staff experience, and delay made this an extremely unpleasant final leg of our journey. It significantly worsened our exhaustion and jet lag rather than making the connection home easier. Unfortunately, this experience was bad enough that I do not plan to travel with American Airlines again in the future.

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.

JetBlue cancelled the flight along with hundreds of others, for no apparent reason. no recourse, no rebooking options. never booking with them again

Jet Blue cancelled my flight after I had boarded. They attempted to rebook me for a new flight two days later. I was able to rebook with a different airline, but not until the next morning. As such, I was forced to get an expensive hotel and missed important work meetings Monday morning. I am very disappointed with the customer service and will be pursuing full reimbursement for my hotel cost.

You did a great job rescheduling my cancelled flight. However, you made me pay for two seats for $118 even though the seats on the original flight were free. I think that was a very unfair thing to do.

They cancelled the flight after 5 hours at the airport and the only flight they offered was for the next day with a 7.5 layover in fll. This was not going to work for me as this was only a weekend trip and getting into providence at 10 pm a day later caused me to lose Mo ey on hotels money on airport parking a dog sitter etc. they wouldn’t offer any type of a voucher or anything else. All they did was refund the flight which didn’t help me with all the money in time I lost. I was going to see my very sick father

The flight was on time the crew was courteous that makes for a good flight.

A more comfortable seat. Padding would be really helpful but I've read the airlines don't want customers to be satisfied with economy seats.

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