$123 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 3/23. 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

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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 José1 stop$287
Liberia
Liberia2 stops$301
San José
San José1 stop$287
Liberia
Liberia2 stops$301

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

Tue, Apr 7 - Sun, Apr 12
Volaris El Salvador Logo
2:55 am - 1:57 pm
IAD
-
SJO
13h 02m
1 stop
Volaris El Salvador Logo
4:17 pm - 1:26 pm
SJO
-
IAD
19h 09m
1 stop
$287Volaris El Salvador
Sun, May 3 - Fri, May 8
Avianca Logo
4:10 am - 11:30 am
IAD
-
SJO
9h 20m
1 stop
Avianca Logo
7:45 pm - 4:20 am
SJO
-
IAD
6h 35m
1 stop
$293Avianca
Sat, May 9 - Sat, May 16
American Airlines Logo
6:00 am - 1:22 pm
DCA
-
SJO
9h 22m
1 stop
American Airlines Logo
6:30 am - 11:28 pm
SJO
-
DCA
14h 58m
1 stop
$300American Airlines
Mon, May 4 - Sat, May 9
American Airlines Logo
8:14 pm - 1:40 pm
BWI
-
LIR
19h 26m
2 stops
American Airlines Logo
2:10 pm - 11:11 am
LIR
-
BWI
19h 01m
2 stops
$301American Airlines
Thu, May 14 - Sun, May 17
Copa Airlines Logo
4:38 pm - 8:21 am
IAD
-
SJO
17h 43m
1 stop
Copa Airlines Logo
5:57 pm - 4:21 am
SJO
-
IAD
8h 24m
1 stop
$306Copa Airlines
Mon, May 18 - Thu, May 28
Delta Logo
6:00 am - 12:00 pm
BWI
-
LIR
8h 00m
1 stop
Delta Logo
1:25 pm - 10:49 pm
LIR
-
BWI
7h 24m
1 stop
$313Delta
Sat, May 9 - Sat, May 16
Delta Logo
6:08 am - 1:15 pm
IAD
-
LIR
9h 07m
1 stop
Delta Logo
2:40 pm - 12:51 am
LIR
-
IAD
8h 11m
1 stop
$316Delta
Fri, Apr 17 - Fri, Apr 24
Copa Airlines Logo
4:49 pm - 9:46 pm
BWI
-
SJO
6h 57m
1 stop
Copa Airlines Logo
4:09 am - 3:17 pm
SJO
-
BWI
9h 08m
1 stop
$319Copa Airlines
Sat, May 9 - Sat, May 16
United Airlines Logo
6:00 am - 2:25 pm
DCA
-
LIR
10h 25m
1 stop
United Airlines Logo
1:03 pm - 9:59 am
LIR
-
DCA
18h 56m
1 stop
$336United Airlines
Wed, Jun 17 - Thu, Jun 25
United Airlines Logo
7:28 pm - 10:00 am
DCA
-
LIR
16h 32m
1 stop
United Airlines Logo
11:10 am - 10:15 pm
LIR
-
DCA
9h 05m
1 stop
$344United Airlines
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 $263 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 $263.

What is the cheapest time of day to fly to Costa Rica?

The average price for all round-trip flights from Washington, D.C. to Costa Rica depending on the time of departure, clicked by users on KAYAK in the last 2 weeks.

The cheapest time of day to fly to Costa Rica is generally at night, when round-trip flights cost $384 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 $718.

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 $384, 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 March, when the average cost of round-trip tickets is $569 and $457 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$123
Best time to beat the crowds with an average 29% drop in price.
Most popular time to fly with an average 30% 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.

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 8284 reviews
8.5Crew
8.1Boarding
7.8Entertainment
7.9Comfort
7.2Food
Airline reviews

Another late night flight and MORE men belligerently drinking and yelling. I had to move from first to economy because they were so obnoxious and disruptive. Crazy to go from a cozy chair to cardboard when you were supposed to be in first. Delta allows was too much drinking which leads to belligerent behavior.

2.0 MediocreIsabella, Mar 2026
SLC - AUS
Read more Delta reviews

Another late night flight and MORE men belligerently drinking and yelling. I had to move from first to economy because they were so obnoxious and disruptive. Crazy to go from a cozy chair to cardboard when you were supposed to be in first. Delta allows was too much drinking which leads to belligerent behavior.

I was in first class and literally the men behind me were so aggressively loud I moved myself to economy. This has become so common on Delta - people using audio without headphones, and men on 12am / late night flights drinking and yelling to talk to each other which prevents anyone around them from resting. Pretty crazy to have to move from first to economy (poorer service, less comfort...). Wild wild. Looking into other airlines.

Love delta smaller commuter plane so no entertainment and paid wifi on MKE-LGA leg was extremely unreliable and slow

Stop changing gates. Stop cancelling flights Stop moving my seat.

Extremely disappointed with Delta. They canceled flight last minute and then I rebooked the other flights and with which were delayed as well

Could not get my connecting flight boarding pass until four hrs before departure! Ver annoying especially since the staff could not explain why!

The flight was flying with 30% capacity. The flight my seat from preferred seating to back of the seat. Even though i can understand that this was to balance the flight weight. The flight attendance decided to do the serving near my seat and in the middle , their noices woke me up from sleep , when i realized that the service has ended and when they were going back asked for a coffee, for which they answered they have completed teh service in my location. That really upset me as they woke me up and also rejected the coffee i asked. I ended up landing with a headache, thanks to the crew that screwed up my travel

Delayed. Hot. Passenger next to me was so large I couldn’t move.

Same experience as the flight from Norfolk to Atlanta where people are boarded in zones that don't make sense. People behind you on the plane will get on before you and they take the luggage space on your row.

The boarding process doesn't make sense since some people that will sit behind your rows are boarded before you and then they take up the luggage space above your head. I then have to wait for people to get off the plane before I can go back to get my luggage.

Seats were awful. Media should have been included for such a long flight.

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.

The flight was delayed so we were dead tired, and after that the turbulence was horrible. I was very scared.

Wonderful. Quick boarding. Early departure and we arrived 30 minutes early at our destination. Unfortunately, when you arrive early, there is still a departing aircraft at our gate. We had to park for 30 minutes until the gate was clear. So our early arrival was not really early at the gate. Otherwise it was a quick and smooth flight. Appreciated the efficiency.

Wifi took a while to kick in and we had a maintenance issue that took over 40 mins at the gate in Washington before pulling back

Very good. Because of the delays with my previous flight, I missed my connection, but I was able to book another flight through the United app easily.

Was happy we finally got upgraded in 1st class. The seat getting old. The cushiness need some improvement.

Ineffective communication with United resulted in lost baggage. Their Baggage Tracing counter at MUC was shut down from 11:00-14:15 on my arrival. Undertrained, underinformed staff had me Running all over MUC to find someone to help me to no avail. Staff was rude, unhelpful, and unable to effectively use the systems they did have operational. They refused to contact United in any way or provide any accommodation or other resources while I waited for my luggage. This has destroyed my downstream itinerary. If they had even the slightest visibility I may have been able to reschedule/plan, but again, their staff provided nothing, and did nothing more than their website, which doesn’t even work on a standard phone browser. Miserable failure at all levels that weren’t associated with the operation of the aircraft.

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.

There was no inflight service. Once we landed we were delayed to find a gate for an hour and a half which was 1/2 the total time in the air.

The gate got changed several times and the flight was delayed over an hour. Awful experience

Flight delay for mechanical. Inbound arrived on time. No one said why mechanical delay.

Flight boarded, departed and landed on time. Excellent service from flight attendant in FIRST

This was one of the most frustrating travel experiences I've had to date. I had changed my flight day of to this one as it was slated to depart on time. It ended up being so delayed that my original flight took off before this one did. The boarding process began but eventually stopped and everyone had to get off the plane as a problem was identified. The person at the front desk just tried to laugh it off as if this wasn't already a huge inconvenience. From there, we eventually got to board only to sit at the gate for an additional hour because of some additional issue. This was extremely frustrating and caused a lot of stress.

It was a little concerning to hear the ground crew arguing with the flight crew over baggage space. Instead of taking them and checking them, they started checking for space in the first class cabin moving items around like the flight crew didn't know what they were doing. I was embarrassed for them.

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

We were told the flight was delayed 5 times, then it was moved to the next day.

Flight delay was communicated before leaving for airport which caused it to be a non-event. Great flight and crew!

It was delayed and I lost my connection flight to Cali and I missed my Mom's funeral

I actually upgraded to the medium level of seats from basic and even doing that it may have been physically the most uncomfortable flight I have ever had. They packed everyone like is a train to death camp. It was a red eye so I hoped to get some sleep but it was physically impossible to find a comfortable way to rest. I met other folks on the same flight and they said the same thing. It was an utterly miserable flight and if I have any other options I will never fly with them again

Deplaning was a mess, I sat in business (seats are horrible) and the front door had a problem so we had to deplane from the rear exit. The stairs were not tall enough to reach so there was a large step down from the plane to the top of the stairs.

Staff are the rudest in the industry … awful customer service … will never fly Avianca again

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

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.

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.