🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Sweet spot May, Nov. Peak Dec–Apr. Skip Sep–Oct.
When to go
Costa Rica, month by month
Updated August 2026 · How we decide →
Typical weather
What San José is usually like
What a typical day looks like, hour by hour: 8am when you get up, 2pm in the afternoon, 8pm when you are out in the evening — on Costa Rica’s own clock, at San José. Ten-year averages (2011–2020) measured at the capital, so this is San José, not the whole of Costa Rica, and a mountain or a coast a few hours away can be nothing like it. Averages, not a forecast: a typical January rather than any particular one.
| ✓January, peak season | 18.1°C | 20.4°C | 16.3°C | 102 mm | 11h 37m |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ✓February, peak season | 18.4°C | 21°C | 16.4°C | 59 mm | 11h 48m |
| ✓March, peak season | 19°C | 21.4°C | 16.8°C | 56 mm | 12h 04m |
| ✓April, peak season | 20.2°C | 22°C | 17.9°C | 115 mm | 12h 20m |
| ★May, cheap sweet spot | 20.5°C | 21.5°C | 18.2°C | 366 mm | 12h 35m |
| June, in-between | 20.5°C | 21.6°C | 18.3°C | 366 mm | 12h 42m |
| July, in-between | 19.8°C | 21.3°C | 18°C | 266 mm | 12h 39m |
| August, in-between | 20.1°C | 21.6°C | 18°C | 310 mm | 12h 27m |
| ✕September, avoid | 20.4°C | 21.1°C | 17.8°C | 354 mm | 12h 10m |
| ✕October, avoid | 20°C | 20.7°C | 17.6°C | 486 mm | 11h 55m |
| ★November, cheap sweet spot | 19.3°C | 20.6°C | 17.4°C | 299 mm | 11h 41m |
| ✓December, peak season | 18.8°C | 20.7°C | 16.9°C | 178 mm | 11h 33m |
Twelve months in order. Tap any heading to sort by it — the driest month, the longest day, the afternoon closest to the one you like.
The colour is the month, not the weather: ★ cheap sweet spot · ✓ peak season · in-between · ✕ avoid.
Temperature and rainfall are ERA5. Generated using Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026; neither the European Commission nor ECMWF is responsible for any use of this information. Daylight: MET Norway, measured on the 15th of each month — the sun does not change, so that figure is exact rather than an average. Rainfall is a monthly total; daylight is sunset minus sunrise.
Right now
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Dry season for both coasts; September is the wettest.
Getting in, and staying safe
Visas, entry rules and health — the official pages
Entry rules, visa requirements, vaccinations and safety advice for Costa Rica all live on the pages below. Each one goes straight to Costa Rica, not to a search box.
We link to official sources and stop there. We do not check, summarise, rank or verify them — always read the official page itself before you travel, and read the one for your own nationality. We are an independent site with no government connection.
At a glance
The practical bits
| Plug types | A, B |
|---|---|
| Voltage | 120V |
| Emergency numbers * | 911 |
| Currency | Costa Rican colón (CRC ₡) |
| Language | Spanish |
| Dialling code | +506 |
| Driving | On the right |
| Coastline | 1,290 km of coastline |
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See Costa Rica on Google Maps ↗
* Emergency numbers can change, and can vary by region within a country. Always confirm with your accommodation or the nearest embassy before you travel.
One way to see it
AdOrganised tours and day trips in Costa Rica, on Viator — a way to see what is bookable and what other people rated. We earn a commission if you book through that link, and you pay exactly the same either way. We do not choose, rank or check what appears there, and nothing on this page changes because of it.
Worth knowing
Five things that hold almost everywhere
- Grab (or the local equivalent) beats street taxis in most of Asia — and even where you don't use it, the app price tells you what's fair.
- ATMs: withdraw big and rarely, always in the local currency, and always decline the machine's kind offer to charge your card in pounds — that 'service' costs 3–6%.
- eSIM before you land (Airalo or similar) so you're online at arrivals; swap to a local SIM if you're staying weeks.
- Scooters anywhere: without the right licence category your travel insurance is void. That's the whole conversation.
- Save the local emergency number on day one, and know which private hospital expats use in your city — ask your host the day you arrive.
General travel habits, not advice specific to Costa Rica. Rules, prices and fees change — check anything that matters before you rely on it.