$103 Find Cheap Flights from Washington, D.C. 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 Washington, D.C. to Costa Rica departing on 1/21. Fares are subject to change and may not be available on all flights or dates of travel. Click the price to replicate the search for this deal.
1 adult
1 adult, Economy, 0 bags

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

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

Save 23% or moreCompare multiple travel sites with one search.

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

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

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

Flight Deals
Booking Insights
Flight Deals

Cheap Flights from Washington, D.C. to Costa Rica

Cheapest round-trip prices found by our users on KAYAK in the last 72 hours
San José
San José1 stop$237
Liberia
Liberia1 stop$266
San José
San José1 stop$237
Liberia
Liberia1 stop$266

Book Cheap Washington, D.C. to Costa Rica Plane Tickets

 
Here are some of the best deals found on KAYAK recently from the most popular airlines for round-trip flights from Washington, D.C. to Costa Rica that are departing in the next months. While these flights were available on KAYAK in the last 72 hours, prices and availability are subject to change and deals may expire.
Discover the best prices for you by selecting your travel dates on KAYAK.

Recent round-trip flight deals from Washington, D.C. to Costa Rica

Wed, Jan 21 - Wed, Jan 28
United Airlines Logo
12:25 pm - 8:39 pm
BWI
-
SJO
9h 14m1 stop
United Airlines Logo
8:45 am - 10:25 pm
SJO
-
BWI
12h 40m1 stop
$237United Airlines
Wed, Mar 4 - Tue, Mar 10
United Airlines Logo
6:00 am - 12:42 pm
DCA
-
SJO
7h 42m1 stop
United Airlines Logo
1:05 pm - 11:59 pm
SJO
-
DCA
8h 54m1 stop
$237United Airlines
Wed, Mar 4 - Tue, Mar 10
United Airlines Logo
6:00 am - 12:42 pm
IAD
-
SJO
7h 42m1 stop
United Airlines Logo
5:30 am - 10:36 pm
SJO
-
IAD
15h 06m1 stop
$237United Airlines
Sat, Jan 24 - Sat, Jan 31
Avianca Logo
11:55 pm - 3:50 am
IAD
-
SJO
4h 55mnonstop
Avianca Logo
5:10 pm - 10:35 pm
SJO
-
IAD
4h 25mnonstop
$240Avianca
Sat, Feb 21 - Wed, Feb 25
Spirit Airlines Logo
6:20 am - 12:22 pm
BWI
-
SJO
7h 02m1 stop
Spirit Airlines Logo
12:35 pm - 10:53 pm
SJO
-
BWI
9h 18m1 stop
$240Spirit Airlines
Mon, Mar 2 - Wed, Mar 4
American Airlines Logo
6:00 am - 2:53 pm
IAD
-
SJO
9h 53m1 stop
American Airlines Logo
12:35 am - 8:30 pm
SJO
-
IAD
18h 55m2 stops
$242American Airlines
Thu, Jan 22 - Thu, Jan 29
Avianca Logo
11:55 pm - 3:50 am
IAD
-
SJO
4h 55mnonstop
Avianca Logo
4:15 pm - 12:10 am
SJO
-
IAD
6h 55m1 stop
$244Avianca
Wed, Jan 21 - Thu, Jan 29
American Airlines Logo
6:00 am - 10:30 pm
BWI
-
SJO
17h 30m1 stop
American Airlines Logo
6:38 am - 11:10 pm
SJO
-
BWI
15h 32m1 stop
$244American Airlines
Fri, Jan 30 - Tue, Feb 3
JetBlue Logo
9:50 am - 4:23 pm
DCA
-
SJO
7h 33m1 stop
JetBlue Logo
2:05 pm - 10:31 pm
SJO
-
DCA
7h 26m1 stop
$259JetBlue
Sat, Feb 28 - Sat, Mar 14
JetBlue Logo
7:25 am - 1:00 pm
DCA
-
SJO
6h 35m1 stop
JetBlue Logo
8:59 am - 7:03 pm
SJO
-
DCA
8h 04m1 stop
$270JetBlue
Booking Insights

KAYAK's insights & trends for Washington, D.C. to Costa Rica flights

Get data-powered insights and trends into flights from Washington, D.C. to Costa Rica to help you find the cheapest flights, the best time to fly and much more.

What is the cheapest Washington, D.C. to Costa Rica flight route?

Data is based on round-trip flight searches on KAYAK over the past month.

The cheapest ticket to Costa Rica from Washington, D.C. found in the last 72 hours was to San José, at $252 round-trip. The most popular route is from Washington, D.C. Dulles Intl Airport (IAD) to San José (SJO), and the cheapest round-trip airline ticket found on this route in the last 72 hours was $252.

Can I save money by flying with a layover from Washington, D.C. to Costa Rica?

The average round-trip price for all non-stop flights, flights with one layover, and flights with two layovers for the route found by users searching on KAYAK in the last 2 weeks.

No, with an average price for the route of $400, prices are generally cheapest when you fly direct.

What is the cheapest month to fly from Washington, D.C. to Costa Rica?

To calculate monthly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each month over the last year for round-trip flights from Washington, D.C. 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 Washington, D.C. to Costa Rica is October, when tickets cost $277 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are December and April, when the average cost of round-trip tickets is $577 and $498 respectively.

What’s the cheapest day of the week to fly from Washington, D.C. to Costa Rica?

The average price of all round-trip flights from Washington, D.C. to Costa Rica clicked on KAYAK for each day over the last 12 months.

Your flight ticket price will generally be cheaper if you fly to Costa Rica on a Tuesday and more expensive on a Saturday. On your return trip to Washington, D.C., you should consider flying back on a Friday, and avoid Sundays for better deals.

How far in advance should I book a flight from Washington, D.C. 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 from Washington, D.C. 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 Washington, D.C. to Costa Rica, you should book around 1 week before departure. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 3 weeks before departure.

Good to know

Low seasonSeptember
Cheapest flight$103
Best time to beat the crowds with an average 30% drop in price.
Most popular time to fly with an average 25% increase in price.
Flight from Baltimore to San José

FAQs - booking Costa Rica flights

  • Can I rent a car at the Liberia International Airport (LIR)?

    You can make a rental car reservation with several companies that service LIR, including Budget, Enterprise, Avis, and Hertz, among others. All rental car companies that serve LIR have free shuttles to their nearby offices. Keep in mind that you need to purchase Costa Rican car insurance, which you can do at these rental car counters.

  • Can I find a non-stop flight from the Washington, D.C. area to San Jose, Costa Rica?

    From Washington Dulles International Airport, Avianca operates non-stop flights to San Jose. However, you are unlikely to find a non-stop flight that departs from Baltimore Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport. However, Spirit flies from BWI to SJO with one stop in Orlando, Delta with one stop in Atlanta, and American Airlines with one stop in Miami.

  • How much baggage can I take on a flight from Washington, D.C. to Liberia, Costa Rica?

    You should be able to find a cheap flight from Washington, D.C. to Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport that allows one carry-on for the cheapest fares available. Some examples are a Delta flight with one stop in Atlanta or an American Airlines flight that connects in Dallas or Charlotte.

  • Do I need a visa in order to fly from Washington, D.C. to Costa Rica?

    Americans traveling from Washington, D.C. to Costa Rica for purposes of tourism do not need a visa for a visit that lasts less than 180 days. However, when you enter Costa Rica, you need to show proof of return or onward travel. Your passport needs to be valid for the length of your stay in Costa Rica.

  • How does KAYAK find such low prices on flights from Washington, D.C. 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 Washington, D.C. to Costa Rica.

  • How does KAYAK's flight Price Forecast tool help me choose the right time to buy my flight ticket from Washington, D.C. to Costa Rica?

    KAYAK’s flight Price Forecast tool uses historical data to determine whether the price for a flight from Washington, D.C. 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 Washington, D.C. 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 Washington, D.C. 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 Washington, D.C. 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 Washington, D.C. 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 time of day to fly to Costa Rica?

    The cheapest time of day to fly to Costa Rica is generally at night, when round-trip flights cost $386 on average. The most expensive time of day to fly to Costa Rica is generally in the morning, which is peak travel time and where the average cost of a ticket is $785.

Top tips for finding cheap flights to Costa Rica

  • When you fly from the Washington, D.C. greater metropolitan area to Costa Rica, you might depart from either Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) or Baltimore Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI). Washington Dulles International Airport is located on the northwestern outskirts of Washington, D.C., while Baltimore Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport is on the southern outskirts of Baltimore, towards Washington, D.C.
  • Washington Dulles International Airport serves as a hub for United airlines and SkyWest airlines, among others. Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport is a hub for Southwest Airlines, AirTran Airways, and others.
  • San Jose, the capital of Costa Rica, tends to be the most popular Costa Rica destination for travelers from the Washington, D.C. area. When you fly into San Jose, you'll be landing at the Juan Santamaria International Airport (SJO). This airport is a hub for Sansa Airlines, Volaris Costa Rica, and Avianca Costa Rica.
  • When you book your airline ticket to the capital city of Costa Rica, make sure you are going to the correct San Jose. The airport in San Jose, Costa Rica has the airport code SJO. The airport in San Jose, California, which is named San Jose Mineta International Airport, has the airport code SJC. Be careful not to mix them up.
  • If you want to fly into the north of Costa Rica, closer to the beaches on the west coast, Liberia in the Guanacaste Province makes an ideal destination. You will be landing at the Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport (LIR). Also called the Liberia International Airport, which is situated about 7 miles west of Downtown Liberia.

Reviews of the top 5 airlines serving from Washington, D.C. to Costa Rica

 
Need help choosing which airline to fly with from Washington, D.C. 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.
7.9
DeltaOverall score based on 8034 reviews
7.8Entertainment
8.1Boarding
7.9Comfort
8.5Crew
7.2Food
Airline reviews

It was Delta, but the flight attendants were stressful and disrespectful. I am a diamond member a travel weekly. I have not had a negative thing to share in quite some time. But this was noticeable.

2.0 MediocreWilliam, Jan 2026
LGA - BOS
Read more Delta reviews

It was Delta, but the flight attendants were stressful and disrespectful. I am a diamond member a travel weekly. I have not had a negative thing to share in quite some time. But this was noticeable.

Comfort Plus seat 11E seemed smaller than prior flights. The movie selection is good. Watched most of the most recent Tron movie. I'll watch the remaining part later as my movie is saved in the Delta Seatback Experience.

Flight was late from Newark to Atlanta, I asked flight attendant to please let my family of 3 out first when we landed to Atlanta because we were late for our connecting flight to Quito. She didn't and we were late for 5 minutes we couldn't board the plane and spend hours trying to get another flight with customer service for the next day.

I really liked the legroom. I am 6’4”.a at For some reason our seats were not together and using the app to fix it didn’t work. Passengers were nice enough to move for us but you should absolutely ensure a parent sits with their child.

Late delayed flight delays boarding and delays leaving and delays on arrival too. Cramped plane no room no food.

DTW line is too long. The flights from DTW to BWI are always delayed for unknown reasons.

Delta canceled our flight and we had to scramble to find another airline to get home. Phoenix is not a delta hub so they didn’t have another plane. It would have been a red eye though Salt Lake City. Getting in at 5am. No bueno.

This flight was no comparison to our prior flight. I'm thinking it all has to do with the age of the aircraft.

This flight was a first class choice and left much to be desired. Seat backs on seats were falling apart and torn. Seats actually didn't come to a "full & upright position". Pull out table was sprung. Not any significant leg room. All in all we were on an obviously older plane and felt overcharged for what we received as first class.

A 12 hour flight during the day with one real meal service - are you kidding? Also the breakfast was one of the worst and not what was listed

There should be a warning regarding the quality of the aircraft on the website as we reserve the tickets. There was no TV or any type of screen onboard. The wifi they offer is good for nothing. Traveling 9 hours straight with kids and no type of entetainment was horrible. I wish I had been informed prior so I could buy a ticket with another airline. The food was a joke too. A very tiny portion per passenger. They also charged $100 per checked bag. With United I used to pay $60. So, fair to say that I wont be flying Copa anymore. Their aircraft was super old, outdated, no entertainment, with nearly no onboard food.

Very strict carry on rules meant most of the plane had to gate check their luggage. As is often the case had things that were broken because of this, but I appreciated not being charged to gate check. Otherwise good flight and great crew once on the plane

Some of the Air hostesses are not that friendly. Need improvement

I liked the meatloaf the chicken was awful but the plane was on time and got there and the staff was nice.

They were super friendly bumped me up to exit row free of charge, All flight legs were on time

Boarding was quick & efficient; they gave boarding groups due priority; staff & air crew were very cordial and helpful, pleasant flight.

Very happy with my flight. I would definitely recommend it.

Did upgrade, travel in business it was great (more room I could sleep)

Placed us in the last rear row of the plane so could not recline seats because of the rear wall, and also made it more of a tight space when the passenger in front reclined their seat. While understand seat assignments, every passenger should be afforded a reclining seat. The odor control scent from the restrooms was overwhelming strong. My wife and I could not deal with it, and she suffered a terrible headache as a result. I kept getting hit by the crew since I was on the ilse seat. No apologies, nothing. They made me feel like I was supposed to take the beating for a 3 hr flight.

There was no individual at the front check in when I arrived. I waited for at least 15 minutes and walked around asking security/janitors if they could help and they did not have a solution. So I had to take my checked bag through security and they threw away some of my items. I ended up making it to the gate only a few minutes before it closed due to my waiting for an agent at check in.

Sat next to a one year old. She crawled all over the place and made me laugh.

The Crew and the food was the worst I ever had in Business Class. First they told us there were no space for carry on. It was plenty of space over our 2 row seats, we had to ask to let us travel with it which was accepted. They were aware that we had to run for the connection due to the previous flight delay. Have us one hour waiting for more customers and not even offer a glass of water. Then started the service and they started to serve other passengers drinks in business and did not offer any drinks until they serve our pre ordered meal and I ask for something to drink. I had to wait until they finished to serve all passengers until Inget something. The crew was the worts I ever had for Business Class in my life.

Not great experience - we were super late boarding due to issues with aircraft. Then when we finally all got onboard and seated and they started taxiing out to the runway they just stopped then turned around and went back to the airport. Apparently the crew “ran out of time” to legally fly us. They mentioned that they were about 2 minutes away from taking off. I understand the rules and safety but kinda wonder why they would have bothered boarding us in the first place? Had to go all the way back and de plane and then wait in a HUGE line to get a hotel (this is somewhere around 2:30am) finally got to hotel by Uber (no shuttle after 20min so gave up) and they ended up putting us all back on the same aircraft at 10am next morning so got about 2.5 hours sleep. They did give us. $250 credit, but it was a São Paulo Brazil flight out of Dulles. The flight and everything was fine.

Starlink wifi on the Embraer E175 is an excellent experience. I was able to connect and work from IAD all the way to approach into BTV.

7 hours delayed due to operational issues on United’s end. Basically laziness.

Short flight but an "eager to help" crew made the journey more enjoyable!

During booking, I kept trying submitting my payment from the Mexican website and it didn't work. After I had the idea to change it to the Canadian website, it worked but I had to be charged the equivalent of 50 CAD more. I received the clear instruction that I would only be able to check-in at the airport and that it was impossible to select a seat 24 hours before departure, that I had to pay 144 CAD to do so, although not only was I able to check-in 24 hours before departure, but I could have selected my seats for free then. All in all, I almost threw $200 out the window due to misleading information. Besides, the app kept crashing, the information to get to the gate on the app was inaccurate, my gate was switched and I was only informed once in the air (luckily I had noticed the departure pannel), I was not addressed in my language beforehand and even if I tried I was immediately answered in English (which meant the crew understood but didn't want to answer accordingly), there was only one snack & beverage service on my medium haul flight and no beverage service on my short haul flight. To be fair, the planes were comfortable, the crew apart from the language issue was helpful, dynamic and engaging, the plane was clean and the directions were clear and direct. United has a lot of potential to be one of my favourite airlines, but the devil is in the details and a lot of them missed the target.

Better WiFi. I cannot understand that in 2025, United is so behind on a technology that is now a necessity and still painfully unreliable, slow and keeps disconnecting.

Great service on board. Boarding a bit slow due to process. Food was pretty average.

Very small cramped plane for an international flight. Everything else was good, but it was maybe the smallest comfort-wise I've ever been on for longer than 3-4 hours and the trip was 7.5

So excited very proud first of all I wanna thank kayak all updates very professional and fast alart And amazing cabin crew so nice to me they deserve big salute

UGH I HAD TO MISS MY FIRST FLIGHT TO TAMPA CAUSE OF THE 10 MINUTE DELAY OF THE ORLANDO TO MIAMI ONE SO THEY HAD ME GET ANOTHER TICKET. I AM NOT HAPPY AT ALL BECAUSE IT MADE ME MISS MY CONNECTING FLIGHT FROM TAMPA TO LONDON AND FORCED ME TO MISS A DAY AT MY ROOM IN THE UK.

Wish they didnt delay off-boarding for 10 minutes so i could connect to my flight from miami to tampa

We experienced gate changes and a long delay. My seat was dirty when I boarded and I had to use wipes to clean it myself. There was an unpleasant and overpowering cleaning product scent on the plane as well that lingered through the flight.

Seats were much more cramped then on the 737. Narrower and rows closer together. Flight was absolutely packed and the plugs under the seats didn't work. Was forced to check my bag even though previous flight had no issue with it.

Good food & refreshment. The seats and entrainment screens are modern compared to others. The staff though pleasant serve and attend to passengers based on nationality. Some get served first others last regardless of their seating positions.

It was fine. My connection in Charlotte to go to WPB was too late and I had to spend the night in the Charlotte Airport in the mini suites.

The flight was on time and arrived early. The crew were friendly and helpful.

delayed due to weather. Could not communicate with family since the wifi was broken

I got sick nothing contagious but distressing and the care I received by Kayla? Keighly the flight attendant will be memorable for ever. Thank You

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

Pros: we leave and arrive on time Cons: the most uncomfortable seats ever. You cant recline at all your seats. No entertainment No TVs flight attendants didn't provide even a glass of water. You have to go to back of the airplane and ask for one. I am Colombian and I remember seeing the flight attendants very neat, elegants which is or was a staple of Avianca.it was one with tennis shoes, no male up, the hair was messy... that was really odd.

Here we have another airline flying to Guatemala but doesn't have a plus or a less, just in the middle. Why? Well, first we don't have even free water Movie selection is poor Seats don't recline in some places Food selection is carb based Forgot to mention, customer service on the web is the worst. Good things; Very reliable on schedule Kind crew

Last seat of Bussines Class it does recline but passenger seating behind kept pushing since they did not have space once my seat was reclined

We waited for one hour to deboard the plane after landing. That could be better

No free snacks nor drinks on very short 30min flight. Entertainment system is over wifi to your own phone or tablet, which is good but often a show or movie just stops and refuses to continue

I like the crew they're very friendly. I don't like. on five hour flight they not offered snacks. Any drink. Not even coffee

Not even water is offered on the flight. You cannot lean back on the seats and the seats are so narrow you can’t avoid rubbing elbows with the person next to you.

I couldnt recline the seat. Other than that crew was very attentive and helpful. Thsnk you

Everything you need to know for your flight from Washington, D.C. 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.