Pura vida meets fiber internet. Costa Rica's actual nomad visa (not the separate Rentista residency track) is a straightforward income-based path, and Tamarindo pairs surf-town living with one of the country's densest coworking scenes.
Photo: Unsplash, free-to-use licence
Costa Rica in short
We cover 2 cities in Costa Rica. A mid-range solo month runs from about $1,700 in Tamarindo to about $2,600 in Santa Teresa (our planning estimates, method). The visa tracker has 1 record for Costa Rica, read on official pages and last checked 29 Sept 2026.
Monthly income from outside Costa Rica; USD 4,000 if applying with dependants
Stay
Extends a 90-day tourist stay to one year, renewable for one additional year, per Costa Rica Tourism Board page
Government fee
USD 100 government fee, or colón equivalent
Insurance
Medical insurance covering the full authorised stay with coverage of at least USD 50,000, from an international or Costa Rican insurer; dependants must also be insured
Tax
Tourism board page states digital nomads are exempt from income tax (as stated; not read on immigration or statute page)
Sorted from cheapest. Monthly cost is a mid-range solo scenario in US dollars; housing is the accommodation line of the same scenario. Wifi and safety are planning figures, not measurements.
How this page is built: visa rows are read from the audited tracker, which links each figure to an official page and dates the check; city figures are editorial planning estimates (method). Rules change, so confirm with the authority before you apply. Researched from official immigration pages and the site's cost dataset.
Earlier summary of the visa route
Scheme
Digital Nomad Visa (Estancia para Trabajadores Remotos)
Maximum stay
1 year, renewable once (2 years total)
Income or savings
$3,000/month single, $4,000/month family
Difficulty
Moderate
These summary figures were carried over from the earlier site and are not individually dated. Where they differ from the official-source records above, the records win.
