Getting a prepaid SIM card in Costa Rica is very easy and not that expensive. We recommend getting a Costa Rica SIM card so you can have a local phone number and data which is very useful in case of emergencies.
In this article you will learn all about getting prepaid SIM cards in Costa Rica.
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Where Can I Get a prepaid SIM Card in Costa Rica?
You can buy a prepaid SIM card at any phone store, supermarket or computer store in Costa Rica.
At the San Jose International Airport, there is a Claro (name of the phone company) stand left of baggage claim 5 where you can purchase a SIM card.
It is open from 6 AM to 9 PM and sometimes to 11 PM on weekends. They’ll help you insert the SIM card and set up your phone to use it.
Claro offers a couple plans. 15 days for $60 USD and $30 USD for 7 days. They have a vending machine that you can just buy the card from and then you can ask the agent for assistance to insert it into your phone.
In the Country
You can go to any of the phone companies’ offices in Costa Rica. Additionally, you can get a prepaid SIM card at most cell phone or computer stores in Costa Rica.
Some supermarkets sell prepaid SIM cards that come with a prepaid plan (already have a set amount of credit on them).
Which SIM card to get in Costa Rica?
For tourists going to popular tourist destinations in Costa Rica, we recommend to get a Kolbi SIM card. Kolbi is the government cell phone network company and has the widest coverage in Costa Rica. You can buy prepaid SIM cards at any of their branches.
There are Kolbi offices throughout the country and close to the airports. Search for the closest one to you in Google Maps or Waze. Just look for the office with a big green frog on it that says Kolbi.
Do keep in mind that most offices close from 5-7 PM. If you fly into Guanacaste Airport, there is a Kolbi office in Liberia 15 minutes away by car where you can get a SIM card.
Car Rentals and SIM Cards
Our partnership with Adobe Rent a Car includes a free Costa Rican SIM card with 1000 CRC preloaded that you can put in your unlocked phone for the duration of your car rental booking.
This way, you can have a Costa Rica number in case of emergencies and you can recharge it if you need to. 1000 CRC gives you about 30 minutes of local minutes.
Requirement to get a SIM card in Costa Rica
To buy your own prepaid SIM card in Costa Rica, you must have your original passport or photo ID (passport works best) and cash.
You have to fill out a short form and present your photo ID to purchase a prepaid SIM card in Costa Rica which costs around 2000 colones or (~$3.50 USD).
It is also best to pay in Costa Rican colones, not USD or credit card. When you purchase your SIM card, you can then load as much credit on there as you want.
Additionally, your smartphone must be quad band, it must use a physical SIM card and it has to be unlocked.
The type of phone doesn’t matter. It can be an iPhone or Android, Samsung, HTC, Blackberry, whichever, as long as it fits those three requirements.
Make sure you call your home provider to see if your phone it unlocked and can accept international SIM cards before you leave.
Once you purchase a SIM card in Costa Rica, you can’t return it if you find out your phone is still locked.
Prepaid SIM cards typically expire after 90 days of no use.
Costa Rica Cell Phone Companies
The 3 major phone companies in Costa Rica are: Kolbi, Liberty and Claro. With these companies you can buy the SIM card for 1-2000 colones (around $2-4 USD) and they will give you the same amount for phone credit on the SIM card itself.
Some prepaid SIM cards already have a plan and credit loaded. You will see signs like this at the supermarket for them:
This is an option if you’re not sure how much credit you want to put. However, most people like to do the pay as you go and then recharge when needed.
Our Recommendations for Costa Rica Prepaid SIM Cards
Kolbi is best for nationwide use, especially if you plan to stay in the city and main destinations. However, Claro also has good coverage nationwide, but more for rural areas.
For example, Kolbi does not have as good coverage down in the Osa Peninsula. Instead, Claro worked well there.
When we visited Pavones, Kolbi had 0 service but Claro had 3g. In Guanacaste, Liberty tends to have a teeny bit more coverage than Kolbi.
Using T-Mobile in Costa Rica
Samantha used to use her US phone with T-Mobile in Costa Rica. T-Mobile offers plans with free international data and calling/text included.
No set up required so you don’t need to switch your SIM card or take it out. Just keep your T-Mobile SIM card in your phone.
On their Go5g plan, they don’t charge roaming fees and offer high speed data abroad in over 200 countries, including Costa Rica. Depending on which Go5g plan you have, it’ll be either 5gb of high speed data or 256 kbps on the basic plan.
If you plan to use your T-Mobile plan in Costa Rica, when you land in Costa Rica, take your phone off airplane mode and turn on data, T-Mobile will send you a text message.
It’ll say something like “Welcome to Costa Rica!” and then detail what exactly is included in your plan (how fast your internet is, costs of calls, etc.) They will also include a link in case you want their International Pass for $5 USD a day.
TMobile Plans
The T-Mobile Go5g Next, Go5g Plus and Magenta MAX and Plus gives up to 5GB of high speed data, unlimited texts and calls at $.25/min. The T-Mobile Go5G, Magenta & ONE plans only gives 256Kbps.
I used to have the Go5g Next plan that has up to 5gb of high speed data. The high data works decently in the cities, but in more rural areas, it’s sometimes OK, sometimes only 3g and slow.
It worked well enough for simple emails, Whatsapp texts and Google Maps/Waze but anything more like downloading/uploading or streaming on Youtube, opening heavy websites (surfing the web) or watching videos on Instagram, it was pretty slow.
If you need high speed Internet throughout your whole trip, I recommend to get their International Pass or rent a wifi hot spot.
ur partnership with Adobe Rent a Car gives an extra benefit for wifi hot spots, get more details here about our Costa Rica car rental discount and benefits.
How to Recharge Your prepaid SIM Card in Costa Rica
You can recharge your prepaid SIM card at the supermarket, convenience store, cell phone stores or the phone company’s office.
Business will have a sign with the phone company’s logo to indicate they can recharge SIM cards.
To add more credit, you must pay in cash in local currency (Costa Rican colones). Just tell the cashier Me puedo recargar mi X (Kolbi/Libery/Claro/etc.) and tell them how much or give them the cash.
Or just hold out your phone and say the name of the company.
You will also need to give them your phone number. Your phone number will be on your original receipt. There’s a good chance you’ll throw it away so I recommend taking a photo of your phone number.
How Much Credit Should I Put On My SIM Card in Costa Rica?
This depends on what you plan to use it for and how long you’re in Costa Rica. For one week in Costa Rica, we recommend to put 5000 colones on your prepaid SIM card (~$10 USD) at first and then you can recharge it later if need be.
This is usually a good amount to start with for those just using it for email and occasionally surfing the web.
Remember that uploading and watching videos will suck up your data on your SIM card fast so do that on Wi-Fi only.
If you plan to be uploading and using Instagram and Youtube a lot, I recommend to add more than 5000 colones to begin with because those apps suck up a lot of data.
With Kolbi, if your SIM card has not been used, recharged or have any activity, the card will expire after 90 days.
How to Check Your Balance (Kolbi)
For Kolbi customers, type *888# and then select option 1 to check your balance. You can also send a text to 888 with the word SALDO.
eSIM
Many of the latest phones have eSIM which you can use in Costa Rica. eSIMs are actually very practical and convenient as you do not have to have a physical SIM card anymore.
The app will present you options of various international packages that you can choose from. Once you choose the package you want and purchase it, they’ll show you the steps on how to activate the eSIM which is fairly simple.
Then you can upgrade your package, purchase another one or modify it right within the app. There is no need to purchase any physical SIM card for eSIMs.
Our iPhone 14s uses eSIMS. We have used two different eSIM providers when we travel abroad. Both of them have plans in Costa Rica: Airalo and Holafly.
Get 10% off your Airalo eSIM package with our promo code “mytanfeet” and use our promo code MYTANFEET to get 5% off Holafly. Holafly has plans with calls, text and data. Airalo is mostly data only.
Get ready for Costa Rica with these other posts!
Guide to finding accommodation in Costa Rica
Immigration and customs in SJO and LIR Airport
Costa Rica Vacation Checklist
- First time to Costa Rica? Read our First Time in Costa Rica guide.
- Not sure how to move around Costa Rica? Read our How to Get Around Costa Rica guide to find the best transportation method for you.
- Click the link to get our detailed Costa Rica Packing List so you know what essential items to bring.
- Check our Costa Rica destinations map and Costa Rica restaurant map
- Do not forget to purchase Travel Insurance for your trip to Costa Rica.
- Save money with Mytanfeet Deals for tours and hotels and our Costa Rica Car Rental Discount.
LVernon says
I will be traveling to San Jose, Costa Rica on the 17 of January. I currently use a ‘prepaid go phone’ from AT&T and have been told I will need to purchase a SIM card in San Jose as AT&T does not service Costa Rica. Is it more economical to purchase this at the airport or elsewhere? Also, will I need to have my card trimmed? Based on the readings above it sounds like Kolbi is the best option. I will be on a mission trip traveling through the forests and rural areas, will I still have access in such areas? Also, what will be my cost, per international call, in dollars. It was referenced in colones and I don’t know the conversion rate. Any advice is helpful, as I’m not technically challenged. Thank you for making yourself available for us.
yeison says
Hi !
Vernon I hope you have great time in CR, I think that Kolbi is the best option for you the cover the whole country. In regards to but the card It cost the same every where (Just make sure to ask for data so you can use any app like viber, Tango, skype or anything similar to talk to family back home). Make sure to ask if you “put money in your sim card” in the areas you will be I will say 99% of the places have places where you can put credit but I dont know how where you will be.
I dont know the cost per international cost it right now, and for conversion exchange Google can give you the exact exchange rate it changes every day. usually 515 colones to one USD.
Have fun in Costa Rica
Robert Tournay says
Hello Sammi,
Great post – thanks for the great information. I travel to Costa Rica several times per year with student groups from the US. I would like to buy a SIM card for use while down here, paying as I go. However, I would also like to keep the same phone number. Do they ever expire? Sometimes it might be several months (as many as six) between visits.
Robt
yeison says
Hi Robert,
According to Kolbi website a Sim Card without any use or “recharge” in 120 days will be Inactive, it can be inactive for that period and in order to be reactivated you just need to put some money in the number, but if it is more than 150 days without any activity the service will be eliminated.
If you want to keep the number you need to have an active line, I think you have two options get a prepaid card and every 119 days make a $1 “recharge” as far as I know you can do it on some sites online without having a Costa Rica bank account (they will charge you a fee), the second option is to get normal line the ones that you pay at the end and add an automatic payment with your credit card, this option is more expensive (at least $6 a month) but will have to remember to recharge your prepaid line.
Pura vida
Ed Lyon says
Robert, thanks for posting this information. I tired to find the requirements on the Kolbi web site but wasn’t successful. Can you please provide me with the link you referenced? Thanks.
Jonathan says
I am traveling to Costa Rica and I have an iPhone 5/5c how can I tether the data so I don’t have to pay roaming for data usage. Thanks.
Sammi says
Hi Jonathan,
Your iphone should come with the ability to tether internet already. I think it is somewhere in the wi-fi settings, I do not have an iphone so I don’t know but I’m sure you can find it on the Apple manual.
Doug says
Don’t lose the slip of paper with you Kolbi number or you can’t recharge the phone. Even with a prepaid card, you need the PIN, the password, plus the number. No one can help you except a Kobli dealer, and they aren’t in remote places like Montezuma.
The agent selling me the SIM told me I’d get 150 MB if data, plus some calls, plus some text. The data stopped when my phone showed 113 MB used and the phone and text stopped simultaneously. Couldn’t call anyone to find number.
Sammi says
Oh yes if you don’t have a Costa Rican bank account, you have to keep the paper with the pin. I just recharge mine through Yeison’s account but most tourists/foreigners won’t have a CR account so to recharge you have to keep all the information. Great tip!
They don’t give warnings when your account credit is low so you have to check it once in awhile to make sure you don’t just end up getting cut off. That’s happened to me a few times !
Patrick says
I purchased 2 Kolbi cards in July 2014. One from a cellphone accessories reseller for C2000 (colones), another from an ICE store for C1000. Both had C1000 of credit on them. The registration process is a clerical in that it takes 5-8 minutes of staring at a person keying in info into a screen and each time they got my name got mangled. There is no manual provided with the SIM therefore to get MOBILE INTERNET you will need to change the APN on your cellphone to “kolbi3g” and not expect one of those that appears (kolbinternet/MMS/whatnot) to work.
Jeffrey Roth says
Hi Sammi
This is very helpful. Will be at Liberia Airport and going to Guanacaste on Saturday for the week. Own a Samsung Galaxy S4. Do SIM Cards need to be cut for these? I understand from Verizon that these come unlocked.
Sammi says
Hey Jeffrey! I am not sure about Verizon since I have AT&T but I didn’t have to cut my sim card and I have a Samsung Galaxy 2. I’m not sure about the difference between Verizon and AT&T Samsung phones but I *think* you do not need to cut it. If it turns out you do, the people at the booth can cut it for you. Hope this helps!
Julie D says
Thanks so much. We are leaving soon for three weeks and this was very helpful! At the airport kiosque, is there someone to cut the card or is it only an automated booth? Thank you.
Sammi says
Hi Julie! There will be someone there manning the booth and they should be able to cut the card for you – they will probably charge you however so just keep that in mind but it’s worth it if you don’t have access to a nail file or a pair of small scissors. Hope you have a wonderful trip and feel free to ask us if you have any more questions ! 🙂
Jim Tilton says
just got back from Costa Rica. Purchased $5 sim card from Kolbi ICE to put in my iphone 5s. It worked great. Not sure how much data I got for $5 but in a week I used over 65 MB and it was still going. I had to pay $2 for them to cut the card down to Nano size.
Sammi says
Hi Jim! Yes if you have an iphone 5 or 5s you have to cut the card. Yeison normally cuts it himself but if you can’t do it the phone store should be able to do it for you. It’s so cheap to have a sim card here, 65 mb for $5 in a week is great! I usually put about 5000 colones on mine (Kolbi card) and it lasts me about a month including texts, minutes and around 5mb of data since I’m usually using Wi-Fi.
Karin says
Thank you for such clear explanations. I am not “techie” and I just want to my husband and my two children to be able to use our iphones during our trip to Costa Rica. Yours is the only site that I have found that explains phone use, SIM cards etc. in clear, comprehensible language…. I finally understand! Much appreciated!
Sammi says
Hi Karin! You are very welcome and I’m so glad to hear that the article was helpful. It can be kinda confusing sorting out what is a sim card and how it works. Luckily it is fairly easy to get one here in Costa Rica. Thanks for stopping by and hope you and your family have a great trip here! 🙂
Linda Bibb says
Roaming charges can be ridiculously expensive. Prepaid SIM cards are definitely the way to go. And if you have data included, it quickly pays for itself just by using the phone as a hotspot instead of paying for hotel internet.
Sammi says
Exactly! We always tether our internet in places that don’t have Wi-Fi and we don’t have to pay for hotel internet. I’ve had friends who came back from abroad and accidentally used roaming and their bill was something like $300! Insane.