Costa Rica
The right apps, plus the official and offline backups Costa Rica still requires
Costa Rica rewards a mixed digital and offline plan.
The essentials
What to know before you go to Costa Rica
Uber and DiDi operate, but Costa Rica's transport regulator still treats private cars working through unauthorized platforms as unregulated transport. Licensed red taxis, authorized orange airport taxis, buses and permitted shuttles are the regulated alternatives. Public transport has no complete national journey planner or ticketing app: routes are divided among operators, contactless payment is still being expanded and some buses still require colones. Cards work widely in tourist areas, but SINPE Móvil is not a visitor wallet.
It is a transfer service inside participating Costa Rican banks and depends on a linked local account and phone number. Keep a modest amount of colones, choose CRC when a card terminal offers a currency choice and retain a second payment method. WhatsApp is genuinely useful for accommodation, tours, shuttles and restaurants, but confirm payment requests through a contact you obtained independently. Download offline maps, save exact entrances and landmarks, and verify rural driving routes with your accommodation or rental company.
Reserve applicable national parks only through SINAC, check entry requirements before departure, and save 9-1-1 plus your insurer and accommodation contacts offline.
Ride Hailing
Food Delivery
PedidosYaEssential
A major regional food, grocery and retail delivery alternative that remains active in Costa Rica.
Uber EatsEssential
A convenient first delivery check for travelers with an existing Uber account, especially in San José and Liberia.
DiDi Food
A useful third restaurant-delivery search where DiDi Food shows service at the traveler's exact address.
Messaging
WhatsAppEssential
The practical contact channel for many Costa Rican stays, tours, shuttles, guides and restaurants.
Navigation
Google MapsEssential
The best general map for Costa Rican places, walking, saved pins and downloadable offline areas.
Waze
The better live-driving cross-check for Costa Rican traffic and user-reported road conditions.
Transit
MoovitEssential
The most useful general planner for many Costa Rican bus stops and routes, with important data gaps.
Language
Google TranslateEssential
The best single Spanish backup for offline text, camera translation and supported conversations.
Intercity Transport
Passer
A ticket app used by participating Costa Rican operators, most usefully Tracopa on Pacific routes.
Utilities
Emergencias 9-1-1 CR
Costa Rica's official emergency app, adding geolocated calls, chat and a panic button to the 9-1-1 service.
Also covered
Internet in Costa Rica
Mobile internet eSIM Best option when traveling
Guac
RecommendedReliable mobile internet at better prices than most travel eSIMs, with polished iOS and Android apps and support for making and receiving phone calls.
Airalo
One of the biggest travel eSIM brands, with a very large destination catalog.
Holafly
Known for unlimited-data plans in many destinations, at a higher price per gigabyte.
Buying a local SIM card ID registration required
- All prepaid SIMs must be registered with SUTEL, the national telecoms regulator, so bring your passport: your name and passport number are tied to the SIM, and up to five SIMs may be registered per passport. Allow time, as the process can take anywhere from a couple of minutes to around 20, and the SIM may then take some hours to activate, so do not assume it works the moment you leave the counter.
- SIM cards themselves are cheap, around 500 to 1,500 CRC (roughly $1 to $3). Kolbi tourist packages of 3 to 10 GB over 7 to 30 days run about 5,000 to 12,500 CRC (roughly $10 to $25), while Claro plans span roughly 400 CRC for 300 MB up to around 10,000 CRC for unlimited data, with validity from eight hours to 30 days.
- At San Jose's Juan Santamaria airport (SJO) there is a blue Kolbi/ICE kiosk opposite the baggage carousels (colones cash only, so hit the ATM first) and a Claro stand at baggage claim 5 with a vending machine and an agent on hand. City Mall in Alajuela, five minutes from SJO, has Kolbi, Claro and Liberty storefronts. Liberia airport (LIR) is thinner: downtown Liberia has all three carriers about 10 to 15 minutes away. ICE also has offices in most larger towns.
- Modest for the standard products, larger for tourist-branded bundles: the Claro airport stand's roughly $30 for 7 days or $60 for 15 days of unlimited data sits well above the ordinary 5,000 to 12,500 CRC (roughly $10 to $25) tourist packages, so compare before buying.
- Costa Rican stores now sell eSIMs alongside physical SIMs, and in a Liberty store you can opt for either; the SUTEL passport registration applies either way. Local prepaid is generally cheaper than travel eSIMs here, but the hassle of finding an open carrier store is the main reason to prefer a travel eSIM anyway.
The free social media bundled with prepaid plans on all three carriers excludes TikTok, Snapchat and YouTube, an easy catch to miss. Data allowances are small by regional standards and Costa Rica is not the bargain its neighbours are. Prepaid SIMs typically expire after 90 days of no use, carrier stores have limited opening hours, and once you buy you cannot return the SIM if your phone turns out to be locked, so check that first.
Local carriers
Kolbi
The state-owned network with the most customers and the best coverage by far, thanks to a much higher tower count. The default pick for anyone leaving the main towns.
Liberty
Second on coverage and the cheapest SIMs, at roughly $1.25 to $4. It took over Movistar's Costa Rican operation, so older guides and airport signs may still say Movistar.
Claro
The newest entrant, with solid 4G, early 5G in major cities and plans often cheaper than Kolbi's, but weaker off the beaten path.
Frequently asked questions
What are the must-have apps for traveling in Costa Rica?
The essential apps for Costa Rica are Uber, PedidosYa, Uber Eats, WhatsApp, Google Maps.
How many travel apps does Costa Rica have?
We've curated 12 apps across 9 categories for traveling in Costa Rica, including 7 essential apps.
What is the best ride hailing app in Costa Rica?
Uber. The broadest useful ride-app starting point across San José and many Costa Rican tourist destinations.
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