🇨🇷 Costa Rica

Moving to Costa Rica
(2026 Guide)

Pacific beaches and green jungle. Pura vida.

Visa

Permanent Residency (Residencia Permanente)

Income req

Varies

Duration

5 years, renewable

Tax

May trigger tax-resident status if domiciled

TL;DR

The Permanent Residency (Residencia Permanente) gets you 5 years in Costa Rica, renewable. Filing to approval runs about 24 weeks. May trigger tax-resident status if domiciled. Surf, Jungle, Wellness.

What it's like

SurfJungleWellnessSpanish immersion

Moving from

United States to Costa Rica: the money facts

Treaty coverage, double-tax exposure, and what setup actually costs, so you know the financial shape of the move before you commit.

Tax treaty

Totalization

Double-tax risk

Medium

Setup cost

$8,000 to $25,000

How you can legally move to Costa Rica

7 visa routes, live from the Nomad knowledge graph.

Permanent Residency (Residencia Permanente)

5 years~24 wks processing$250 fee$3,000 all-inRenewableRemote work okFamily ok

Tax: May trigger tax-resident status if domiciled. Foreign-source income still exempt under territorial system. Local-source income subject to local tax.

Documents: US Passport (6-Month Validity), FBI Background Check, Hague Apostille (US), Cedula Residencia Temporary Renewal Receipts, CCSS Caja Good Standing Letter, Application Form Migracion PR, +1 more

Official source

Inversionista

2 years~14 wks processing$250 fee$5,000 all-inRenewableRemote work okFamily ok

Tax: Investment income from Costa Rican sources subject to local tax (15% capital gains on real estate). Foreign-source income exempt under territorial system.

Documents: US Passport (6-Month Validity), FBI Background Check, Hague Apostille (US), Birth Certificate (Apostilled), Marriage Certificate (Apostilled), Investment Certification Letter, +4 more

Official source

Pensionado

2 years$1,000/mo~12 wks processing$250 fee$3,000 all-inRenewableRemote work okFamily ok

Tax: Pension income from foreign source exempt under territorial system. Social Security distributions to non-US-source country qualify.

Documents: US Passport (6-Month Validity), FBI Background Check, Hague Apostille (US), Birth Certificate (Apostilled), Marriage Certificate (Apostilled), SSA Benefit Verification / Award Letter (Apostilled), +3 more

Official source

Rentista

2 years$2,500/mo~12 wks processing$250 fee$3,500 all-inRenewableRemote work okFamily ok

Tax: Territorial system. Foreign-source income exempt. The $2,500/mo declared for Rentista is generally treated as remittance, not Costa Rican-source income.

Documents: US Passport (6-Month Validity), FBI Background Check, Hague Apostille (US), Birth Certificate (Apostilled), Bank Certification Letter, Marriage Certificate (Apostilled), +3 more

Official source

Digital Nomad Visa (Estancia)

1 year$3,000/mo~4 wks processing$100 fee$800 all-inRenewableRemote work okFamily ok

Tax: 0% Costa Rican income tax on foreign-source income earned during permit. Imported personal computer/work equipment exempt from import duties. Vehicle import exemption available once during stay.

Documents: US Passport (6-Month Validity), FBI Background Check, Hague Apostille (US), Bank Statements 12mo, Employer Letter Notarized, Health Insurance Proof (Costa Rica-valid), +2 more

Official source

Naturalization (Carta de Naturalización)

Varies~78 wks processing$250 fee$3,500 all-in

Tax: Naturalized citizens treated identically to natural-born citizens for tax purposes

Documents: US Passport (6-Month Validity), Cedula Residencia Permanente, FBI Background Check Final, Hague Apostille (US), CR Poder Judicial Antecedentes, Birth Certificate (Apostilled), +6 more

Official source

Tourist Entry (Visa-Free)

6 months$29 all-inFamily ok

Tax: No CR tax liability under 183-day threshold; no DIMEX issued; cannot enroll in Caja

Documents: US Passport (6-Month Validity), Onward Return Ticket, Yellow Fever Vaccine Conditional

Official source

Cover yourself the day you land

Coverage that crosses borders with you, so a hospital visit abroad never becomes the reason you go home.

Get expat health insurance

via SafetyWing

SafetyWing covers you in 175+ countries for ~$45/mo.

See a quote

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Where to land in Costa Rica

Tamarindo

$2.5-4K/mo

Expat surf town, soft landing

Nosara

$3-5K/mo

Yoga + surf, quieter, founder-friendly

Santa Teresa

$3-5K/mo

Beautiful, harder to access

Atenas

$1.5-3K/mo

Cooler climate, near SJO airport

Book the flight out

Compare the real fares across airlines so the move out costs you less than the indecision did.

Find the flight out

via Aviasales

Aviasales compares 1200+ airlines and agencies, so the one-way fare you book is the cheapest one going.

Search flights

Book the one-way flight out

via Kiwi.com

Kiwi.com builds one-way and multi-leg routes across 750+ airlines, including the legs other engines skip.

Search flights

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Land with data already on your phone

Activate before takeoff and step off the plane already online, no scrambling for a kiosk or a local SIM.

Land with data already working

via Airalo

Install an Airalo eSIM before you fly. It covers 200+ countries and switches on the moment you land.

Get your eSIM

Unlimited data for the landing weeks

via Yesim

Yesim runs unlimited plans in 150+ countries, so apartment hunting, maps, and bank calls never hit a cap.

See unlimited plans

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Deep dives by topic

The part of the move that is keeping you up at night, taken one piece at a time. Each one pulls the real Costa Rica specifics, live from the Nomad knowledge graph.