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Flights to Costa Rica from $169 - Compare and Save

This is the cheapest round-trip 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 9/11. 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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Sat 7/27

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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 Josénonstop$152
Liberia
Liberia2 stops$287

Good to know

Low season

September

High season

December

Cheapest flight

$78
Best time to beat the crowds with an average 15% drop in price.
Most popular time to fly with an average 25% increase in price.
Flight from Orlando Airport 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 09m, covering a distance of 2148 miles. The most popular route is New York - San José with an average flight time of 5h 18m.

  • 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 $61 one-way, and $139 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 $218.

  • Which airlines fly to Costa Rica?

    American Airlines, United 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 (71% of total searches to Costa Rica). The next most popular destination is Liberia (29%).

  • 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 4213 reviews
7.8Comfort
7.5Entertainment
7.8Boarding
8.3Crew
7.1Food
Airline reviews

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.

2.0 Mediocrelidia, Jun 2024FLL - SJO
Read more about JetBlue reviews

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.

They put me on a chair in between two men, one overweight who was almost falling on top of me, and the other was even uncomfortable because I was half falling because of what the other was pushing me. I stayed with. my feet were swollen from fluid retention and from being unable to accommodate myself. it was very uncomfortable. I asked for help but they told me that the flight was full and they couldn't help me. I got off the plane almost unable to walk due to the inflammation. and then at FLL airport I asked for help because I couldn't go to my next flight, which was a connection.

The walk from baggage claim to the taxi is very difficult for older people I will never fly into JFK again. It is physically challenging

Overall fine but both ways for this trip was delayed.

Flight was delayed by almost 5 hours. Suitcase was not loaded despite the flight being near empty (my colleagues’ suitcases did reach JFK, unlike mine). Had to argue on phone to get JetBlue to deliver the case to my hotel. Never again

The flight was excellent. The crew was welcoming and attentive.

Great! I love Jet Blue. My favorite airline! Very efficient, clean and timely.

Run out of snack choices. Why are the seats not padded for your butt? Are we sitting on blocks of wood or metal for $250-300 a pop? This ain’t spirit. Let’s get it together people

We were told that our flight would be delayed for 90+ minutes because of weather, so we went to get something to eat only to have them randomly start boarding 15 minutes after the announcement, with no warning.

Entertainment... No earphones passed out. Many including me couldn't use the TV. Legroom was good. Crew was indifferent and a bit surly. Free wifi was a nice convenience. Check in desk location was unknown. Gate number on the boarding passes was wrong.

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.

Ok, but these people don’t give you nothing no snack no water

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.

Comfortable and efficient crew. But did not have my ginger ale

Horrible , we missed our flight because they were way to busy for there airport to handle. We waited in line for the over three hours to be told there’s nothing they can do. Worst experience in any airport ever ,staff member from Lufthansa made it there job to be rude and unhelpful. I’m going to be calling to see if I can change flights because a 3 hour layover in a poorly ran airport isn’t enough.

Nothing they cancelled my connection and couldn't get me on a flight for 3 more days

Was 4 1/2 hours delayed. No food options, poor entertainment and cramped seats made worse by people in front reclining while we could not as in back row.

The baggage handlers broke the handle on my bag that they put under the plane that I checked on the jetway. They traded it out for a less quality bag in Tulsa. But, they said they would try to fix it. Bologna! There was no fixing that bag handle. Someone didn’t care how they treated the bag.

Frankfurt airport is the worst. Passengers are forced to use stairs to get to the terminal or catch a shuttle. Very inconvenient for passengers who are ambulatory challenged or have physical handicaps.

The entertainment wasn’t playing in the app or online.

Lady was a bit rude during boarding and I was being nice to her.

Why does it have to be painful to fly long distances?

It is a modern tragedy that any airline expects you to travel for 14 hours in such discomfort and that the only way to add comfort is exorbitant prices. I was in pain by the time we landed. Shameful.

I was fine with everything except for the last breakfast, where I did not have an option. the only availability was what I could not enjoy eating.

Everything went on schedule so I have not much to say. I was a bit disappoint with the breakfast choice - I did not have a choice as there was only one option left by the time the trolly came to my end and I could not enjoy it.

Thankfully no connections off of this one on the day of the flight as it was delayed 90+ minutes.

The plane was freezing cold. Normally I’m fine on planes but I needed to toss a sweatshirt on this time.

It was a tiny plane. There was a very heavy, very sweaty man in my seat. When he got up, sweat was dripping down the back of f the seat from the headrest. I couldn’t lean back the whole flight. It was very hot in the plane until we took off. Then as we flew low hoping to land, but were delayed for over 30 minutes, the plane got very hot again. On takeoff, the pilot started accelerating hard around the corner, something I’ve never experienced in a plane. Landing was fairly rough as well and we had to brake hard.

WiFi was down so no entertainment and I could not work either. The flight was Very turbulent at the end (the last 20 min felt like an eternity) I appreciated the pilot for getting us there safely. The flight attending in first class was kind and attentive to everyone.

When the first leg of my American Airlines flight from Atlanta to Miami to Sao Paulo to Brasilia was cancelled because of a tropical storm in Miami, American Airlines put me on Delta Atlanta to Sao Paulo where I caught my original Sao Paulo to Brasilia flight. American Airlines could have put me on a flight the next day or even 2 or 3 days later. But, the agent went above and beyond and made sure I got to Brasilia on time.

American Airlines actually put me on a Delta flight. They didn't have to do that. They could have offered me a flight the next day or even two days later. But, American Airlines agents put me on a Delta airplane from Atlanta to Sao Paulo, instead of going through Miami when my flight to Miami was cancelled. American Airlines made sure that I got to my destination on time. I appreciate that.

Unfriendly gate staff and significant delay once we were on the plane.

The gate crew did try to help, however they lacked the information as to whether the flight will operate or not. Being delayed 6 hours and in a limbo on whether the flight will operate or not is not fun. The airline having staffing issues is not encouraging at all.

It was on time, no issues, everyone was courteous and of course, affordable.

Overall, poor. Boarding was extremely slow, which caused flight delays.

My flight was canceled, resulting in not being able to make my daughters graduation in time.

Flight kept being delayed on airport board without any announcement. We were delayed almost 2 hours. Finally boarded and we had no pilots so we sat on a hot plane with screaming kids and no pilots for 40 minutes. Finally he came aboard and did paperwork for 10 minutes before we took off. No apologies or any explanations or even excuses from ANY staff in the entire process. Worst experience ever on the ground and the air I have had.

I recently flew with Spirit Airlines and had an incredibly disappointing experience. I brought a book bag, which should have easily fit in the overhead compartment, but there was no space left. Instead of offering any assistance or a reasonable solution, the airline made me pay $70 for my book bag. This fee was extremely unreasonable and added unnecessary stress to my travel. To make matters worse, the flight attendant was extremely rude, further souring the entire experience. I had a terrible time and will not be flying with Spirit Airlines again.

Delays delays and more delays in both LAX and San Jose. And then I said something else flight was supposed to arrive in Portland at 12:04 but didn't land until 2:30 PM which made me late for my appointment.

We never made it, see previous reviews. Spirit Airlines employees lack compassion and empathy. No one showed any concern or care for us as customers. When we missed our connecting flight due to Spirit scheduling issues, no one batted an eye or tried to help. The response was to book us on another flight a full 24 hours later. We arrived to our gate and the plane was still there and boarding had not yet been completed. We easily could have been allowed to board had the two flight crews communicated that there were passengers coming off a delayed flight. I understand delays happen and are unpredictable, what I'm disappointed in is the way my partner and I were treated during that whole process. Spirit should be ashamed to treat their customers this way. There's a reason the reputation with this airline is what it is and they aren't doing anything to prove otherwise.

Three out of four legs of my trip were delayed. The last leg of my trip was delayed due to passengers and crew not being ready to take off. The boarding process started way late with no explanation as to why. The flight attendants did not have the passengers in check for takeoff - folks were walking around, trying to change seats, and causing a general disturbance preventing us from departing and the crew did nothing about it. All of this caused us to miss my connection home due to the first flight landing at the same time the second one was due to take off. The entire Spirit crew (except for one flight attendant) was unapologetic and unpleasant about this. No one apologized, no one showed any inkling of empathy whatsoever. The response was basically, "we booked you on the next available flight". That next flight was a full 24 hours later, we would have been stranded in the airport and no one even cared or acknowledged us as customers. I'm disappointed in the lack of compassion shown by Spirit agents and customer service reps as a whole. It felt like we were a burden due to airline scheduling issues. The one flight attendant (did not catch her name, but from (ORD to FLL) was wonderful and empathetic.

I thought people that were clearly intoxicated were not allowed to board flights. But of course they let them and of course they sat directly behind us. Kicking seats being so loud you couldn’t hear yourself think. Cussing loudly telling a woman “she was going to punch her in the fucken face” for accidentally mixing her seat assignment up. These people should have been asked to get off the plane but no flight attendant cared. I don’t think I’ll be using spirit again. Better judgment needs to be used when letting people fly drunk.

Nothing to like about Spirit Airlines when you get to your layover up to for hours late.

Book Cheap Costa Rica Plane Tickets

Recent round-trip flight deals

9/11Wed
1 stopSpirit Airlines
7h 53mMCO-SJO
9/18Wed
1 stopSpirit Airlines
8h 26mSJO-MCO
$169
8/20Tue
1 stopSpirit Airlines
6h 25mMCO-SJO
8/25Sun
1 stopSpirit Airlines
6h 55mSJO-MCO
$184
9/5Thu
1 stopAvianca
6h 30mMIA-SJO
9/9Mon
2 stopsAvianca
8h 55mSJO-MIA
$204
9/20Fri
1 stopAvianca
8h 45mMIA-SJO
9/24Tue
1 stopAvianca
5h 05mSJO-MIA
$205
8/14Wed
1 stopAmerican Airlines
17h 16mIAD-SJO
8/24Sat
2 stopsAmerican Airlines
20h 37mSJO-IAD
$221
8/19Mon
1 stopAmerican Airlines
21h 56mIAD-SJO
8/24Sat
2 stopsAmerican Airlines
24h 24mSJO-IAD
$227
6/25Tue
nonstopJetBlue
5h 21mJFK-SJO
7/16Tue
1 stopJetBlue
10h 21mSJO-JFK
$260
6/25Tue
nonstopJetBlue
5h 21mJFK-SJO
7/19Fri
nonstopJetBlue
5h 11mSJO-JFK
$268
10/26Sat
nonstopUnited Airlines
5h 03mEWR-LIR
10/29Tue
nonstopUnited Airlines
5h 00mLIR-EWR
$288
10/29Tue
1 stopUnited Airlines
8h 23mEWR-LIR
11/14Thu
nonstopUnited Airlines
5h 00mLIR-EWR
$293

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Recent one-way flight deals

8/20Tue
nonstopSpirit Airlines
3h 15mMCO-SJO
$78
8/20Tue
1 stopSpirit Airlines
6h 25mMCO-SJO
$79
8/17Sat
1 stopAvianca
4h 55mMIA-SJO
$85
9/17Tue
2 stopsAvianca
8h 45mMIA-SJO
$90
8/15Thu
nonstopJetBlue
5h 18mJFK-SJO
$93
8/19Mon
1 stopUnited Airlines
13h 37mLGA-SJO
$97
8/18Sun
1 stopAmerican Airlines
15h 55mMCO-SJO
$120
11/17Sun
nonstopJetBlue
5h 35mJFK-LIR
$131
9/9Mon
1 stopAmerican Airlines
7h 46mJFK-LIR
$136
8/27Tue
nonstopUnited Airlines
5h 16mEWR-SJO
$138

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Last minute flights to Costa Rica

Last minute flight, train and bus deals

6/20Thu
nonstopJetBlue
5h 21mJFK-SJO
7/16Tue
nonstopJetBlue
5h 11mSJO-JFK
$268
6/20Thu
multi-stopAmerican Airlines
19h 35mEWR-SJO
6/26Wed
multi-stopAmerican Airlines
20h 13mSJO-EWR
$277
6/24Mon
multi-stopUnited Airlines
17h 16mEWR-SJO
7/17Wed
nonstopUnited Airlines
5h 21mSJO-EWR
$312
6/24Mon
nonstopAvianca
4h 30mIAD-SJO
8/6Tue
multi-stopAvianca
6h 50mSJO-IAD
$319
6/23Sun
multi-stopAvianca
8h 45mMIA-SJO
6/26Wed
multi-stopAvianca
7h 55mSJO-MIA
$321
6/24Mon
multi-stopSpirit Airlines
15h 07mATL-SJO
7/4Thu
multi-stopSpirit Airlines
9h 25mSJO-ATL
$328
6/24Mon
multi-stopSpirit Airlines
15h 07mATL-SJO
7/2Tue
multi-stopSpirit Airlines
7h 49mSJO-ATL
$331
6/21Fri
multi-stopUnited Airlines
10h 14mEWR-SJO
6/25Tue
nonstopUnited Airlines
5h 21mSJO-EWR
$343
6/24Mon
nonstopDelta
4h 02mATL-SJO
6/27Thu
nonstopDelta
4h 03mSJO-ATL
$442
6/21Fri
multi-stopDelta
14h 28mLGA-SJO
6/25Tue
multi-stopDelta
14h 23mSJO-LGA
$469

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Flights to Costa Rica

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Costa Rica - United States

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