Costa Rica real estate market — prices, rental yield and trend

• Average price: $2,446 / m²
• Gross rental yield: 8.11%
• 12-month price change (USD): 17.9%
• Net rental yield: 7.08%
• Transaction cost: 7.5%
• Bubble-risk band: moderate
• Price basis: national average

Costa Rica is one of the faster-moving markets Glopra tracks: the average residential square metre now costs $2,446, +17.9% in dollar terms over the last twelve months. That makes it the 205th most expensive of the 264 markets in the set.

What a buyer pays in Costa Rica

The $2,446 figure is a national average across all residential property types, which flattens a wide spread — the capital typically runs far above it and small towns far below. Buying costs — transfer tax or stamp duty, notary, registration and agency — come to about 7.5% of the price here. On a 100 m² apartment at the average price that is roughly $18,346 on top of the $244,620 purchase price. That is below the 9.5% median across the set, which shortens the time it takes for a purchase to break even. Inside Costa Rica we also track San José separately, where the average is $2,279 — 6.9% below the national figure.

What it earns

A square metre lets for about $16.5 a month. Against a purchase price of $2,446 per square metre that is 8.1% gross, before tax. Both figures come from the same source and the same period, so you can check the arithmetic yourself. It ranks 26th of 311 markets by gross yield. Rental income is taxed at 12.8–30% — the rate is not a single number here. That is the difference between 5.7% and 7.1% net on the same property. The 7.1% net figure we publish uses 12.8%.

How the tax works. 12.75% of the gross rent: the 15% rate of LISR art. 31 ter after the single 15% deduction of art. 30 (0.85 × 15%). Confidence is low: no tax-authority ruling confirms that this real-estate schedule applies to non-domiciled owners, and on a strict reading the residual 30% remittance rate of art. 59 could apply instead, which is the upper end of the band. Local confirmation is advisable. Source: hacienda.go.cr.

How stretched the price looks in Costa Rica

Glopra’s bubble-risk score for Costa Rica is 46 out of 100 — moderate risk. Of the 65 markets scored, 47 read higher. This is a simplified reading: fewer than three index components are available for this market, so treat it as indicative rather than comparable with fully scored markets.

Who can buy in Costa Rica

Freehold; concession only in the coastal strip. That is the rule a foreign buyer meets first, not legal advice — check the current position locally before you commit.

How this figure is built

The price figure for Costa Rica is built from asking prices from listings. It was last refreshed on 2026-09-13. We rate our confidence in this market’s data low — treat the figures as indicative and check them before acting. We recompute every market the same way; a figure that fails our checks is suppressed, not guessed.

Sources: globalpropertyguide.com · numbeo.com. Snapshot: 2026-09-13.