Moving from United States to Costa Rica
The routes United States citizens actually use to move to Costa Rica, ranked for your passport, with timelines and costs.
$13,000
Typical salary
local, in Costa Rica
48
Cost of living
100 = baseline
58/100
Job demand
for foreign talent
72/100
Liveability
quality of life
Best visa routes for United States citizens
Ranked with a standard profile, run the wizard with your own details for a personal ranking.
What year one really costs
Visa fees, the physical move and twelve months of living in San José, the number most guides never add up. Single person, indicative.
$350
Visa fee
most popular route
$8,961
The move itself
flights, freight, deposits
$17,220
A year of living
rent + essentials, main city
$26,531
Year-one total
before local income
Typical local net pay ≈ $10,400/yr after tax. Tailor these numbers in the cost-to-move estimator.