Living in Costa Rica
Personal tax, cities and drawbacks for living in Costa Rica.
The essentials · live · July 2026
For comparing where to live: personal tax, cities, drawbacks.
6.3/10
Liberty
Equal weights, higher is better
0–25%
Income tax
0%
Inheritance
Grey area
Homeschool
Mid
Cost of living
San José
No sea
Sea access
San José
Cities
- San José · 340,000 pop. · Favourable weather · No sea · Mid
- Puntarenas · 110,000 pop. · Favourable weather · Sea · Low
Tax and rules
- Income tax : 0–25%
- Inheritance : 0%
- Homeschool : Grey area. Conflicting sources (attendance duty vs practice) — verify locally.
Living here
Main cities
San José
340,000 pop.
- Favourable weather
- No sea access
- Mid cost
- Car useful
Puntarenas
110,000 pop.
- Favourable weather
- Sea access
- Low cost
- Car useful
Liberty scores
Overall score (equal weights) : 6.3/10
See the numbers
| Criterion | Costa Rica |
|---|---|
| Tax | 7.5 |
| Money | 4.5 |
| Economy | 6.0 |
| Property | 4.5 |
| Self | 7.0 |
| Space | 8.5 |
| Infra | 6.0 |
Ranking Liberty-mode scores 0–10. Higher is more favourable for that criterion.
Personal taxation
| Income tax | 0–25% |
| Inheritance | 0% |
Indicative Ranking labels: verify local law.
Homeschooling
Grey area
Conflicting sources (attendance duty vs practice) — verify locally.
Indicative status (self axis): verify local law.
Real estate
| Gross rental yield | 7 % |
| Entry ticket (30 m² studio) | 60,000 € |
| Rental income tax | 15% |
| Property capital gains | 15% (pas d'exonération durée) |
| 5-year price trend | +25 % |
| Listings | Encuentra24 |
Compare in Liberty mode Living-here page