Overview – The Costa Rica Real Estate Market
With beautiful beaches and stunning mountains, Costa Rica offers the best of laid back tropical living with the benefits of contemporary comforts. A stable democracy with one of the most prosperous economies in Latin America, this Central American country which is sandwiched between Panama and Nicaragua is progressive, friendly and welcoming. Education and health care is also both affordable and high quality. It’s no surprise then that Costa Rica ranked #1 in the global Happy Planet Index.
Across 4 mountain ranges, 800 miles of coastline and hundreds of national parks, Costa Rica also contains 5% of the world’s biodiversity. The alluring combination of landscape and lifestyle attracted a record 2.9 million tourists to Costa Rica in 2016, representing a 12.8% increase on the previous year. The country also attracts property buyers in droves, including a large proportion from the USA. Real estate for sale in Costa Rica includes condos and homes in beach and golf resorts, as well as magnificent luxury properties tucked away in the mountains overlooking the sea.
Search Costa Rica Real Estate Listings
As specialists in luxury Caribbean property, we can introduce you to a wide selection of the finest residential property in Costa Rica including homes for sale and condos for sale, land for sale to build your dream home, as well as commercial real estate such as hotels for sale in Costa Rica.
Discover the most sought after real estate investment opportunities and benefit from unrivaled insight into the market.
To find your perfect property in Costa Rica, search Costa Rica real estate listings.
Areas – Guanacaste
Guanacaste
Discover Guanacaste – Read our Guide to Guanacaste Real Estate.
Hacienda Pinilla
Discover Hacienda Pinilla – Read our Guide to Hacienda Pinilla Real Estate.
Las Catalinas
Discover Las Catalinas – Read our Guide to Las Catalinas Real Estate.
Papagayo
Discover Papagayo – Read our Guide to Papagayo Real Estate.
Tamarindo
Discover Tamarindo – Read our Guide to Tamarindo Real Estate.
Playa Flamingo
Discover Playa Flamingo – Read our Guide to Playa Flamingo Real Estate.
Areas – Puntarenas
Puntarenas
Discover Puntarenas – Read our Guide to Puntarenas Real Estate.
Dominical
Discover Dominical – Read our Guide to Dominical Real Estate.
Jaco
Discover Jaco – Read our Guide to Jaco Real Estate.
Manuel Antonio
Discover Manuel Antonio – Read our Guide to Manuel Antonio Real Estate.
Osa Peninsula
Discover Osa Peninsula – Read our Guide to Osa Peninsula Real Estate.
Playa Bejuco
Discover Playa Bejuco – Read our Guide to Playa Bejuco Real Estate.
Punta Leona
Discover Punta Leona – Read our Guide to Punta Leona Real Estate.
Uvita
Discover Uvita – Read our Guide to Uvita Real Estate.
Areas – San Jose
Escazu
Discover Escazu – Read our Guide to Escazu Real Estate.
San Jose
Discover San Jose – Read our Guide to San Jose Real Estate.
Santa Ana
Discover Santa Ana – Read our Guide to Santa Ana Real Estate.
Areas – Other
Alajuela
Discover Alajuela – Read our Guide to Alajuela Real Estate.
Cartago
Discover Cartago – Read our Guide to Cartago Real Estate.
Heredia
Discover Heredia – Read our Guide to Heredia Real Estate.
La Garita
Discover La Garita – Read our Guide to La Garita Real Estate.
Limon
Discover Limon – Read our Guide to Limon Real Estate.
Buying Property in Costa Rica
There are no restrictions on foreign buyers purchasing Costa Rica real estate. Property can be acquired in the name of an individual or corporation.
Once you have made an offer on a property via a Letter of Intent, and that offer has been accepted, a Sale and Purchase Agreement will be drafted. Following a period of due diligence, closing takes place before a Notary Public.
Buyers are responsible for paying a Transfer Tax of 1.5% of the purchase price, plus their own legal fees of 1-2%.
There is also an annual Property Tax of 0.25% of the property value due on a quarterly or annual basis, as well as an annual Luxury Tax of 0.1% – 0.25% (on homes valued over $200,000) depending on property size and features.
Costa Rica offers several temporary residency programmes: Pensionado (Retiree) and Rentista (Renter), which require a minimum monthly income of $1,000 and $2,500 respectively, and an Investor programme requiring a minimum business investment of $200,000. After 3 years you can apply for permanent residency.
Costa Rica – Land for Sale
Purchasing a lot of land provides you with a blank canvas and the opportunity to build your dream home in Costa Rica.
Whether you are looking for beachfront land or a centrally located lot, we’re here to help you find the perfect lot of land for sale in Costa Rica.
For larger parcels of land for commercial development, please see commercial real estate listings.
Saving on Your Purchase
You could save money when investing in Costa Rica real estate by using a foreign exchange expert to get the best rate for your property purchase. We have partnered with Halo Financial, a specialist in foreign exchange, to help you get the best exchange rates when making one-off or regular international payments for a property purchase in Costa Rica. To see how you could save money, read more: Foreign Exchange.
Getting There
There are direct international flights to Costa Rica from the USA, Canada, Mexico and various cities in Central America.
From North America fly from Houston, Miami, New York or Toronto to Aeropuerto Internacional Juan Santamaría with AA, Delta, United and US Airways.
There are also international flights to Daniel Oduber International Airport in Liberia, Guanacaste.
From Central and South America fly direct from Caracas, Guatemala City, Mexico City, Panama City or San Salvador.
Houston to Costa Rica: 3 hours 45 mins
Mexico City to Costa Rica: 2 hours 28 mins
Miami to Costa Rica: 2 hours 50 mins
New York to Costa Rica: 5 hours 10 mins
Panama City to Costa Rica: 39 mins
Toronto to Costa Rica: 5 hours 30 mins
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