$77 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 9/8. 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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1 adult, Economy

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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 José2 stops$225
Liberia
Liberia1 stop$245
San José
San José2 stops$225
Liberia
Liberia1 stop$245

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

Fri, Sep 5 - Mon, Sep 8
Spirit Airlines Logo
8:52 pm - 11:14 amBWI-SJO
16h 22m2 stops
Spirit Airlines Logo
12:19 pm - 11:25 pmSJO-BWI
9h 06m1 stop
$225Spirit Airlines
Find Deal
Mon, Oct 27 - Fri, Oct 31
Spirit Airlines Logo
6:45 am - 11:30 amBWI-SJO
6h 45m1 stop
Spirit Airlines Logo
12:35 pm - 11:32 pmSJO-BWI
8h 57m1 stop
$235Spirit Airlines
Find Deal
Sat, Sep 13 - Sat, Sep 20
Copa Airlines Logo
4:49 pm - 8:19 amBWI-SJO
17h 30m1 stop
Copa Airlines Logo
5:57 am - 3:08 pmSJO-BWI
7h 11m1 stop
$244Copa Airlines
Find Deal
Mon, Sep 15 - Wed, Oct 15
Copa Airlines Logo
4:49 pm - 8:19 amBWI-SJO
17h 30m1 stop
Copa Airlines Logo
4:11 am - 3:08 pmSJO-BWI
8h 57m1 stop
$245Copa Airlines
Find Deal
Wed, Nov 5 - Wed, Nov 12
American Airlines Logo
7:59 pm - 12:18 pmDCA-LIR
17h 19m1 stop
American Airlines Logo
1:21 pm - 12:24 amLIR-DCA
10h 03m1 stop
$245American Airlines
Find Deal
Sat, Sep 20 - Sat, Sep 27
United Airlines Logo
6:00 am - 12:10 pmBWI-LIR
8h 10m1 stop
United Airlines Logo
1:03 pm - 9:55 amLIR-BWI
18h 52m1 stop
$245United Airlines
Find Deal
Sat, Sep 20 - Sat, Sep 27
United Airlines Logo
10:05 pm - 12:10 pmIAD-LIR
16h 05m1 stop
United Airlines Logo
1:20 pm - 11:51 pmLIR-IAD
8h 31m1 stop
$245United Airlines
Find Deal
Wed, Nov 5 - Wed, Nov 12
American Airlines Logo
7:59 pm - 12:18 pmDCA-LIR
17h 19m1 stop
American Airlines Logo
1:21 pm - 11:34 pmLIR-DCA
9h 13m2 stops
$249American Airlines
Find Deal
Tue, Dec 2 - Tue, Dec 16
Avianca Logo
11:55 pm - 3:35 amIAD-SJO
4h 40mnonstop
Avianca Logo
5:10 pm - 10:35 pmSJO-IAD
4h 25mnonstop
$257Avianca
Find Deal
Sat, Oct 18 - Sun, Oct 26
Avianca Logo
2:35 am - 7:40 amIAD-SJO
7h 05m1 stop
Avianca Logo
7:50 pm - 4:10 amSJO-IAD
6h 20m1 stop
$258Avianca
Find Deal
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 $243 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 $243.

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 $371, 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 $321 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are December and April, when the average cost of round-trip tickets is $677 and $523 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 Monday, 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 3 weeks before departure, which saves you about 18% compared to booking last minute. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 3 weeks before departure.

Good to know

Low seasonSeptember
Cheapest flight$77
Best time to beat the crowds with an average 23% drop in price.
Most popular time to fly with an average 53% 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 in the afternoon, when round-trip flights cost $335 on average. Morning departures are around 100% more expensive than evening flights, 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 $775.

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.
8.0
SouthwestOverall score based on 4242 reviews
7.0Food
8.6Crew
7.5Entertainment
8.1Boarding
8.0Comfort
Airline reviews

AC sub par. WiFi not working correctly. Ac sucked. Seats very narrow.

2.0 MediocreMike, Aug 2025AUS - BWI
Read more Southwest reviews

AC sub par. WiFi not working correctly. Ac sucked. Seats very narrow.

Near 4 hour flight with only 1 service. Had to use call button to request water. Internet and power not working until into flight. Internet would stop working during flight.

Southwest's seats are the least comfortable I have ever sat in.

The cabin was quiet for the redeye flight. The area was clean. The staff was great. The 787 Max was in good condition. Drawbacks were that the seat widths were tight for some passengers. The seat padding was at best average and for a long flight uncomfortable.

Southwest like most American domestic airlines, is a mediocre airline. But it is among the cheapest. Oh well.

My flight was delayed 50 minutes and we were rushed to board to then sit for 15 minutes until the pilot arrived. Unacceptable since we could have waited to board. Also the delayed flight was updated AFTER we boarded to more than the 10 minutes as originally stated.

Other than a bit of a delay, everything was good. Again, the boarding process and picking seats is the only thing I don't enjoy.

If we are going to have to pay for luggage, make it easier to do. Put something on the app during check-in so I don't need to do it at the kiosk. I've done it twice recently and I ended up having to pay at the desk because something went wrong at the kiosk in Tampa.

Better and more food and drinks. Put msnbc and free speech tv on the news channel selection list.

southwest just starting charging for luggage. hadnt realized it until it was too late. now out $70 when i couldve bought a carry on if i wouldve known. free bags was one of the only reasons i chose southwest over another airline (the other being no assigned seats, which is apparently also being changed). stupid business decision. wont be flying southwest anymore.

Cops Airlines is fantastic! The level of care and professionalism provided by the entire crew was top rate.

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

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

We paid extra with copa for seats near one another The plane was changed and we lost our seats We were all Separated. We have not received a refund for our seats despite emailing and calling.

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.

We were in transit from Lima (flight at 1.10am) and we were in stand by in our flight from Panama to Washington. We wait from 4.30 am to 18.30pm in the Airport. The company give us 2 x 15 dollars for eat during the day and a personnal travel voucher of 400 dollars each. Do they buy food one time something in the Airport ??? And one of us live in France so the voucher is not usable. More than 24 hours travel !! And our place were near the toilets, with 8 children around us. The boy behind my seat stamped his feet on my back all the flight. Really Wonder full ! So we are totally unhappy with our travel. Thanks Copa Airlines....

My flight delayed and i misss the connection they send me to orlando no to tampa i have to pay a uber to my house

It would have been better if they don't separate families in seating. We were seated in the aile row in the middle of a family of four. It would have been better if they they seat the family of four together than separated.

I upgraded myself to Business Class at the last minute so I had a DREAMS window seat. Seeing as I've never flown Business before everything was novel and fun for me and it made the 7 hour flight much more enjoyable for sure.

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

Flight was delayed 3 hours. No food and drink vouchers was provided. They offered a mini pretzel bag and water .

Staff was rude. Didn’t give water for 2 hours. Worst service

Was on time until within 1 hour of flight-how does that happen? Staff very friendly.

I liked the choice of lemon ginger tea. I think stewardesses can be more considerate of older people needs.

We were given vouchers we couldn’t use with a 5.5 hour delay

I fly UAL 7-8 times per year. This flight was not up to snuff because it boarded very late "due to unexpected delays in restocking the plane" and yet Flight Aware showed the plane had landed some 10 hours earlier--so I think they could have planned accordingly. The FA's were nice but harried. The video system had to be rebooted 3-4 times. The food service was rather abrupt; they forgot my row and when I asked for my meal, they brought it with some impatience. Overall, the flight was fine, but the little details made it feel somewhat mundane and hurried.

I didn’t get on plane. Passport being processed by consulate with visa application. Tried to cancel through underpricer after purchasing cacelling for any reason. No dice, they are thieves.

When I booked it on Kayak it aaid that I wasn't allowed hamd luggage. I called United Airlines and it took them 6 minutes to figure out if I was allowed free hand luggage. Surely something that simple they should be able to tell me instantly.

We were delayed in Toronto on the tarmac for THREE hours with no clear indication as to why except that it was not a safety hazard. Pilot did apologize more than once but even he was unable to explain why exactly we were delayed. I overheard the stewards saying that the captain was very frustrated with the situation as well because he was not able to explain why except it had something to do with water supply or system on the aircraft and now we needed to wait for an engineer to approve the aircraft for flight. It was very frustrating and distressing as a passenger and we should have been given complimentary meals at the very least.

We arrived 4 hours early and still almost missed the flight because they weren’t able to access one of the boarding tickets. They then sent hour bags late and we were all of our without clothing and eventually had to take an expensive cab back and forth to the airport as they wouldn’t deliver the bag which arrived late at night that day and we would have to wait until noon the began day (messing up a second day of plans). Also, all the food has dairy or pork. No vegan or even vegetarian option in the flight—even for purchase.

The flight was canceled 3 hours after original take off time

My flight was delayed for several hours. Sitting at gate 16 for several hours, I got a text from Kayak the gate changed to 9 before it was announced. Very bad communication at each gate from American Airlines employees. I received 10 notifications of delay from Kayak. My vacation started off horrible! I will write to American Airlines corporate office also.

The AA staff person who checked our bags was curt and almost rude. The FA also seemed unhappy doing her job. Overall it was like riding the school bus back in grade school.

Internet was a bit expensive and did not work ask that week otherwise a good flight

Ring in first class for an overnight flight, there was no blankets nor pillows for first class customers.

My Internet did not work for Outlook email or basically anything. I paid for one hour of in-flight usage and it was terrible. I spent a lot of time on different sites and browsers with no luck and a lot of frustration. Other than that, the flight was on time, crew was nice, service was fine. Seat was OK even though I paid for the extra 6 inches. I cannot imagine how tight the seats in the back must be.

Delayed flight that lead to a missed connection and a 5-hour trip became a 12-hour flight 🙄

They are still charging me after taking 466 and 833 for round trip from AR to to Bradley airport from 19 to 21. Then poor experience. Am hurt and I will say it on social media. Please stay away from this airline. I see in my bank account they are still taking 644. Am trying to stop it. I used to fly United airlines and I suggest that if you don't want extra charges and good service you go back there. American airlines delayed my flight again and I was late for my meeting, no recompensation but charging me over and over.

They changed our Gate 5 times, and concourse twice. Changed our seats twice.

The seats were uncomfortable and barely reclined at all. Very little leg room despite being business class. The crew was friendly and the food was good. Had to use my own phone for in-flight entertainment.

The check in is the only positive thing in Avianca. The seat is the most uncomfortable I have traveled, the distance is minimal.

why did we have to go through security mid flight

Boarding was excessively slow. They do it by groups in a way that it doesn’t make sense. After business class , ppl that need assistance and any other priority group they should have ppl board from the back to the front. First rows 20+. Then 15+. Then 10, etc. having ppl sitting in the back board last makes no sense. The libe backame long as soon as ppl on rows 10 or so where told to board. The line went all the way up the ramp and tunnel for 25 mins.

Seats are very tight even in Plus, no complimentary snacks or beverage

Flight to Bogotá delayed by 3 h Missed connection from Bogotá to Guayaquil. Avianca unable to bring us to Baltra on time Overall delay 36h. We missed boat departure from galagos. Overall 10 day trip needed to be cancelled. Avianca was completely un-professional.

I receive a service for what I pay, so it is fair.

Business class seats did not lie flat. There was only powdered milk for your coffee....in Business Class!! Food was good.

Excellent flight and one of the smoothest landing I’ve ever experienced

The seats were very uncomfortable. I would have upgrade or got different flight if I knew. I usually sleep in the plane but I couldn’t sleep at all. Very uncomfortable. Also no food or drink everything was to purchase, and that’s u usual for international flight.

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.

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