SIM cards and eSIM in Costa Rica

Which carriers matter, what buying a SIM involves, and when an eSIM is the smarter move.

Mobile internet eSIM Best option when traveling

Guac

Recommended

Reliable mobile internet at better prices than most travel eSIMs, with polished iOS and Android apps and support for making and receiving phone calls.

App Store Play Store See plans

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

Registration: 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.
Tourist plans and prices: 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.
Where to buy: 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.
Airport prices: 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.
Local eSIM: 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.

Good to know

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.

eSIM and SIM cards by country→

Sources and how current this is

Data checked July 2026

Source dates: Traveltomtom: 8 Jun 2026, source of the SUTEL requirement, the five-SIMs-per-passport limit and the excluded-social-media catch | Toomanyadapters: 29 Mar 2026 (FIRST-HAND Kolbi purchase) | Two Weeks in Costa Rica (Costa Rica-based): 30 Oct 2025 | Costa Rica Guide: undated | MyTanFeet (Costa Rica-based): 8 Feb 2026 | Holafly: 9 Jun 2026 (eSIM seller) | Yesim: 25 Nov 2025 (eSIM seller) | CostaRicaESIM: 18 Jul 2025 (eSIM seller)

Sources disagree: Sources disagree on the best carrier because they rank different things (Claro on plan value, Kolbi on network reach), so both are presented as a trade-off. Registration time estimates differ, price ranges span several product types, no official carrier tariff page was retrieved, and remote eSIM provisioning to non-residents is unconfirmed.

Sources

Frequently asked questions

Do I need my passport to buy a SIM card in Costa Rica?

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.

Should I buy a SIM card at the airport in Costa Rica?

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.

What is the best eSIM for Costa Rica?

Guac eSIM covers Costa Rica with data plans starting from $1.50 per GB and instant activation, so your phone is online the moment you land. Airalo and Holafly are popular alternatives.

← All essential apps for Costa Rica

Mobile internet eSIM Best option when traveling

Guac

Recommended

Reliable mobile internet at better prices than most travel eSIMs, with polished iOS and Android apps and support for making and receiving phone calls.

App Store Play Store See plans

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

Registration

Tourist plans and prices

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.

Where to buy

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.

Airport prices

Local eSIM

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.

Good to know

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.