Find flights
Deals
When to book
FAQs & Tips
Airlines

Find cheap flights to Costa Rica from $69

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 5/18. 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
0 bags
Tue 6/4
Tue 6/11

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

In the last 7 days travelers have searched 42,830,901 times on KAYAK, and here is why:

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

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

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

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

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$163
Liberia
Liberianonstop$272

Good to know

Low season

September

High season

December

Cheapest flight

$69
Best time to beat the crowds with an average 14% drop in price.
Most popular time to fly with an average 25% increase in price.
Flight from Miami 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 01m, covering a distance of 2116 miles. The most popular route is New York - San José with an average flight time of 5h 20m.

  • 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 $53 one-way, and $137 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 $226.

  • Which airlines fly to Costa Rica?

    United Airlines, American Airlines & Air Canada 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.
7.6
JetBlueOverall score based on 4544 reviews
7.2Food
7.5Entertainment
7.9Comfort
8.3Crew
7.8Boarding
Airline reviews

Great. Loved that there was WiFi on flight to keep in touch and excellent service of beverages and snacks.

10.0 ExcellentAdelaide, Apr 2024DTW - JFK
Read more about JetBlue reviews

Great. Loved that there was WiFi on flight to keep in touch and excellent service of beverages and snacks.

Business class is great. New airplane, very comfortable, better than some of the major airlines I am used to

Terrible. Flight was cancelled due to the weather in the east and sout east(florida). Did not get any compesation of any kind. According to them, it was not under their control so I lost all the money paid for the 2 fairs from Raleigh, NC to Orlando, Fl.

great flight. Pilot was communicative, flight attendants were excellent. Really nice experience except my tv didn’t work.

Overall, the flight was better than the flight I took to go to Florida, which had a bunch of problems. The crew is really nice and the plane was new so it had a small problem when we were on the runway, but the flight itself was great. They even made some time back up, which is always a good thing.

at the time for boarding the lady just call Group A and no other goups and everybody from A to F go inside without the right turn,and when we get in theres no more spsce for carry on , the ones that get in at not correct group from the back occupy our space !!!!! a mess !!!!

There were multiple delays but JetBlue tried to make the boarding and departure process as quick and efficient as possible. The crew was as detached from reality as could be, meaning: not very friendly and just doing things by the numbers.

I had back trouble prior to my flight and everyone was great about helping me.

Jetblue needs to improve on Onboarding as it seems to always be behind on departing. It never leaves on time. I would recommend to have an earlier Onboarding in order to leave on time and respect your customers time as well.

40 minute delay before take off after boarding flight. Bright lights throughout night flight due Issues with light panels. In flight Entertainment nonfunctional

No water for a 5 hour flight entertainment not working seats with little room for knees when person in front of me reclined kept bumping my knees.

I don't think anyone actually reads these comments, so I won't spend much time on this submission. If you want to talk, you know how to reach me. The D/FW manager of Avianca (self-identified), Juan Calderon, insisted I buy an onward ticket from San Salvador even though I have diplomatic status in El Salvador and live here. It cost me $1,393 and Mr Calderon would not let me make the ticked flexible so I could get a refund. He went out of his way to be rude to me. He gave me seat 32K -- windowless window seat in the last row and did not offer to let me upgrade even though there were plenty of seats. I have flown well over a million miles in my life and this is the worst experience I have ever had. I would like a refund on the ticket I was forced to buy. Just awful!

This is the Spirit of Latino travel. And don’t even get me started on customer service.

Awful. I checked in online and there was no option to pay for baggage, at the airport when I checked in my baggage was received and Iwas not charged. When I got to LA during the boarding process I was told I didn't pay for baggage, the crew resolved I was let in the plane. When I got to my final destination my baggage was not there. It took me two days to receive my baggage. Bad service ever!

There was no food or drink service, couldn’t even get a glass of water for free. It was a long and expensive flight to not offer food or beverage on the plane.

It is better at the jfk than my home country. It was very easy and everything was on time.

There is no food. There is no in-inflight entertainment. The seats are cardboard. The airline is a living hellscape.

My experience was amazing! They helped my elderly mother board on early through a wheelchair and were accommodating to have us sit together since our seats were in different locations. When landing at the airport in GUA they were very helpful with full of hospitality.

No complimentary snacks food, beverage (not even water), pillow and blanket on a 6 hours long flight (including economy comfort). A low form of nickeling an diming. Lost a recurring passanger over a soda. Avianca never again.

Flight departure late. Got late in Colombia making us take a different flight next day. Avianca airport crew messed up my ticket so when a I got in Brazil I didn’t have a ticket for my destination. Had to buy a new ticket out of my pocket.

I paid $380 for my one-way ticket from California to Minnesota. The fair did not include online check-in. I received instructions from their app to check in at a kiosk. At the kiosk, the boarding pass would not print until an actual person came to verify that I had a personal item and not a carry-on item, On the plane, the person next to me was drunk and allowed to continue to order alcohol. United is garbage I’d rather fly spirit.

The plane was dirty and the in seat air wasn't blowing as planes usually do.

Generally good but there wasn’t any staff available when my luggage didn’t appear at baggage claim in Fresno. It took about half an hour to locate a staff member to open up the locked room where it was being kept.

Do not like the feeling of being in the basic economy. Everyone should feel good no matter what.

All flights were on time and boarding was issue free

Terrible! The plane was old and you are required to connect your own device to their Wi-Fi rather than have entertainment options in the back of the seat in front of you. The Wi-Fi went out during the flight and there was only one plug for the devices every two seats. Three out of five surrounding my family did not work. The seats and spaces under them were so small I could not fit my backpack, which I’ve always brought on flights and fit before no problem. The crew were unpleasant and patronizing.

Great! The plane was decently sized and comfortable. The staff was nice and there was great in flight entertainment

Food was terrible Not many options Stewards dont care Delay

Water service would be great. The way they board is terrible. Slow passengers first😂😂 They need to smart up a bit

Our original business class flight was cancelled so we not only downgraded but we were also spread out across the plane not sitting together in separate middle seats. My poor kids were scared and couldn’t see me on the flight and the crew wasn’t sensitive to the situation and what the airlines did to us. Very dissatisfied with United airlines.

I was in business class. There was an excellent headset. But half an hour before arrival they collected them! The rest of the trip I had to use a cheap earphone. There must be a better way to protect the headphones.

All four American Airlines flights I took in last seven days were delayed. Caused me loads of problems, missed meetings, loss of time and money.

American cancelled our flight home. Zero option for hotel, alternative transportation and took 3 hours to find our bags so we could take a 3 hour UBER ride home on our dime. Never flying AA again.

They gave my seat away although it was a connecting flight with them and the flight was a bit delayed.

Flight was cancelled had to move to another gate late again no internet paid for the month and never can use it waste of money

Not being able to purchase my check in baggage online was a negative.

LATE LATE LATE!!! Plagued by late AA flights on this trip. Such a drag. This one was by far the worst.

WiFi connected but only let you go to the AA website, not even text messaging worked.

Too bad that first class seats do not recline significantly causing discomfort

I think the seats on some of their planes are uncomfortable. You can be ok on a short flight of two hours but no more than that. The delays, and also the refreshments on the plane were not enough.

The crew was not great or professional. It seemed like they didn't really want to be there. A true lack of effort for accommodating customers.

Everything was really good but the seats are not very comfortable.

I paid for WiFi, but it (WiFi) was very very slow, will never take again! Impossible open Utube 😤😤😤

I had no legroom, although I paid for extra legroom. I could barely put my bag in front of my feet and under the seat. The Wi-Fi was horrible. In fact the flight attendant said that they had to reboot it and see if it was going to work and never did.

The guy with severe body odor sat next to me. For the whole duration of the flight it was a torture. The airline should have better policy on limiting people with bad body odor to board the flight. Passengers should not be the ones to endure bad odor for the whole duration of the flight. The airline should be e the one to ensure decent air quality for ever passenger.

Overall it was a miserable experience... I will never fly spirit for more than a 3 hour flight or overnight.

The boarding attendant was slightly rude when I asked about checking our stroller. Made me feel like I was bothering her.

My wife and I are both handicapped and at boarding they upgraded us to a seat closer to the front rather than all the way towards the back. Much appreciated.

Not much seat room, but that was unexpected. But the seat headrest was very uncomfortable.

First the good, everyone was friendly and efficient. Flight was smooth and plane was very clean and new. Now the bad, seats have almost no padding on your behind. I was in exit row so I had tons of leg room for a 6' 2" bean pole with long legs. Everything was extra - water, soda, snacks everything besides oxygen. Ya get what you pay for, and my flight was cheap as you could ever want it, so no worries.

Book Cheap Costa Rica Plane Tickets

Recent round-trip flight deals

6/5Wed
1 stopSpirit Airlines
5h 14mMCO-SJO
6/10Mon
nonstopSpirit Airlines
3h 23mSJO-MCO
$163
6/5Wed
1 stopSpirit Airlines
5h 14mMCO-SJO
6/13Thu
nonstopSpirit Airlines
3h 23mSJO-MCO
$164
6/5Wed
2 stopsAvianca
9h 25mJFK-SJO
6/12Wed
1 stopAvianca
9h 15mSJO-JFK
$205
9/3Tue
1 stopAvianca
9h 55mJFK-SJO
10/8Tue
1 stopAvianca
7h 50mSJO-JFK
$207
6/7Fri
nonstopUnited Airlines
5h 18mEWR-SJO
6/9Sun
nonstopUnited Airlines
5h 21mSJO-EWR
$218
5/12Sun
1 stopUnited Airlines
7h 56mMIA-SJO
5/14Tue
1 stopUnited Airlines
19h 20mSJO-MIA
$238
5/21Tue
2 stopsAmerican Airlines
15h 53mIAD-SJO
5/28Tue
2 stopsAmerican Airlines
18h 45mSJO-IAD
$268
10/16Wed
nonstopJetBlue
5h 20mJFK-SJO
10/22Tue
nonstopJetBlue
5h 03mSJO-JFK
$268
6/3Mon
2 stopsAmerican Airlines
15h 53mIAD-SJO
6/11Tue
1 stopAmerican Airlines
24h 58mSJO-IAD
$273
5/18Sat
nonstopJetBlue
5h 37mLAX-LIR
5/22Wed
nonstopJetBlue
6h 03mLIR-LAX
$273

Search by stops

Search by airline

Search by price

Recent one-way flight deals

5/18Sat
1 stopSpirit Airlines
13h 30mMIA-SJO
$69
5/18Sat
nonstopSpirit Airlines
3h 11mMCO-SJO
$70
5/13Mon
2 stopsAvianca
8h 45mMIA-SJO
$85
5/13Mon
1 stopAvianca
8h 45mMIA-SJO
$86
5/8Wed
1 stopUnited Airlines
13h 37mLGA-SJO
$128
5/11Sat
nonstopUnited Airlines
4h 56mIAD-SJO
$130
5/8Wed
2 stopsAmerican Airlines
13h 40mEWR-SJO
$136
5/10Fri
1 stopAmerican Airlines
9h 31mJFK-SJO
$136
5/8Wed
nonstopJetBlue
5h 35mLAX-LIR
$144
5/18Sat
nonstopJetBlue
5h 37mLAX-LIR
$164

Search by stops

Search by airline

Search by price

Last minute flights to Costa Rica

Last minute flight, train and bus deals

5/10Fri
nonstopSpirit Airlines
3h 22mMCO-SJO
5/20Mon
nonstopSpirit Airlines
3h 23mSJO-MCO
$227
5/8Wed
nonstopSpirit Airlines
3h 22mMCO-SJO
5/21Tue
nonstopSpirit Airlines
3h 23mSJO-MCO
$229
5/7Tue
multi-stopAmerican Airlines
8h 32mLGA-SJO
5/9Thu
multi-stopAmerican Airlines
7h 44mSJO-LGA
$229
5/10Fri
multi-stopAmerican Airlines
9h 30mLGA-SJO
5/13Mon
multi-stopAmerican Airlines
17h 28mSJO-LGA
$231
5/8Wed
multi-stopAvianca
9h 55mMIA-SJO
5/16Thu
multi-stopAvianca
17h 20mSJO-MIA
$244
5/8Wed
multi-stopAvianca
7h 45mMIA-SJO
5/12Sun
multi-stopAvianca
7h 55mSJO-MIA
$262
5/8Wed
multi-stopUnited Airlines
8h 26mLGA-SJO
5/11Sat
multi-stopUnited Airlines
7h 52mSJO-LGA
$263
5/7Tue
multi-stopUnited Airlines
9h 38mEWR-SJO
5/14Tue
multi-stopUnited Airlines
8h 57mSJO-EWR
$270
5/8Wed
nonstopJetBlue
5h 35mLAX-LIR
5/18Sat
nonstopJetBlue
6h 01mLIR-LAX
$286
5/8Wed
nonstopJetBlue
5h 35mLAX-LIR
5/15Wed
nonstopJetBlue
6h 03mLIR-LAX
$314

Search by stops

Search by airline

Search by price

Flights to Costa Rica

Return flight deals:

Costa Rica - United States

Cabin classes:

$893
$551
$1,159
$110

Browse origins:

View more