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.
Kasatka says
Hi there!
So, I want to confirm that we can buy a sim card in Costa Rica at the airport with US passports?
Sammi says
H Kasatka, yes you can.
Chartini616 says
2 Questions: I was visiting CR approximately 5 years ago and purchased a sim card. I still have it. #1) Will this SIM still work and #2) if yes, can I add “recharge” my phone online before I return to CR again in Jan?
Sammi says
Hi Chartini, no the sim card won’t work. They deactivate if the card hasn’t been used within I believe 30 days. You will need to buy a new one.
dotty says
I think I understand about purchasing a SIM card while at the SJO airport to use for data. I also know that when prompted/asked if I want to move my contacts, etc over to the new number associated with the SIM card I should say “no” so as not to lose my whattsapp, imessage, etc contacts.
However, I am curious about what folks have done to make international phone calls to land-line numbers. We need to keep in touch with our parents back home .Does kolbi have a plan and if so has anyone used it recently? Thanks
Sammi says
Hi Dotty, with the prepaid sim card, you can call international numbers like normal (make sure to type in the international country code) and your credit will be charged for each minute. International phone calls are a bit $ so just make sure to have plenty of credit.
Juan Pablo says
Hi! My wife and I are going to Costa Rica in November and have thought about purchasing a Sim Card or paying for international roaming. We are leaving our toddlera back home and need to stay in constant contact in case something happens. When you buy the sim card, does the number for your whatsapp change? Or is it the same as our local number in Colombia?
Sammi says
I believe if you don’t delete the app off your phone, it’ll keep working as normal as long as you have data/Wi-Fi. (I’m not 100% sure since I never tested it but I think so) Whatsapp does go by phone number but I think as long as you don’t delete the app or clear the cache it’ll keep all the information stored.
Steven says
Unless you go into your WhatsApp and change your number it will stay the same. You can change your Sim and the number of your phone as often as you like and your WhatsApp will still work. I had no issues swapping Sim cards in Hong Kong, or in Mexico this year, and my WhatsApp still connected and sent messages just like back home.
Sammi says
Hi Emma, these are prepaid packages, the bottom part tells you how to activate and the section above tells you what each package has.
Laura Polaski says
Hello all!
I just noticed that this page says that Verizon phones will not work because they do not use a SIM card. I am really confused because my phone DOES have a SIM card and a Verizon agent told me to buy a SIM card in CR. I do not have a strictly Verizon phone. Is that the difference? It is an unlocked iPhone 6 that has been used with various carriers.
Thanks!
Sammi says
Hi Laura! So if you purchase a phone from Verizon, they don’t use SIM cards but you have an unlocked phone that you didn’t get from Verizon, something probably like my old Google Nexus (Verizon uses a code I believe to register phones). As long as your phone can use a sim card, then you can purchase one from Costa Rican and use it.
Christian says
This isn’t correct. All Verizon 4glte devices come unlocked with quad band. I work for them and travel to CR quarterly
Sammi says
Thanks for the update, last time we were with Verizon they didn’t have sim cards which is the reason why we switched to TMobile. Is it because of the phones or is it with all Verizon?
Zee says
Update for future viewers – All Verizon 4G LTE phones have a SIM card slot, and I believe almost all of them are factory unlocked.
sassette says
FYI
Did a bit of research online and found that if you are still paying monthly installments on your phone with AT&T, they will not unlock you phone.
This sucks because it’s almost the only way to get a phone these days – through monthly installments. The system really does blow.
Yiqi Jin says
you can pay off the installment plan, wait 48 hours, then submit another unlock request online.
Vivian says
When I bought my SIM card from Kolbi in Coco, I received a text when the woman activated it with my balance. The text was in English. Is there a way to check your account with English as the language?
Sammi says
Hi Vivian, you should be able to check your balance by dialing *1150# and it will send you a text. Balance is “Saldo” in Spanish, the lady who set it up for you probably set it up in English since they have that option but even if it’s in Spanish, just look for the word “Saldo” and right after it should be the amount you have in credit.
Sasha says
Just a warning- I got a Movistar SIM card this week with 650 KB of data right away, cost me about $6. I went into a restaurant nearby and connected to their WiFi, called over WhatsApp while eating, checked my emails, etc.. Then 30 minutes later I get a text message saying I have no more mobile data left! I went back to the Movistar store and they told me that you use phone data even while connected to a WiFi network unless you explicitly turn off mobile data at that time.. I was super mad! I tried buying another recarga for 2000 colones a few days later, and the whole lot was gone after a few hours of GPS navigation.
So I strongly discourage people to buy Movistar cards!
Sammi says
Hi Sasha! Wow I had no idea, that is super weird! If you have strong Wi-Fi your WiFi should take over on your phone, I have noticed there have been some times when I’m connected to Wi-Fi that is suuuuuper slow and stopped working and my phone data takes over but that is a huge bummer! And Movistar data goes by quickly. They have been promoting free Whatsapp on Movistar too so that’s not good. Good to know and that is annoying. For GPS, I always recommend to download the maps offline beforehand on Wi-Fi cause it goes up fast on data.
Lee says
I’m going to CR next week and have an android phone. How do I download the maps before I go for GPS?
Sammi says
You need to open Google Maps, go to COsta Rica and it’ll give you an option to download and save offline.
Valori Heitkamp says
Hi we are arriving in Lib on feb 22nd at 1:30pm. We will have carry ons and are hoping to fly through immigration/customs and will get rental car and will need to get to Monteverde before dark! We shouldnt need calling but I’d love to be able to get Waze for GPS. Does it take much time to get sim card at kolbi at airport? Or should we just get the gps adobe offers and use that? I know we r cutting it close esp if delays but our goal is to get to Monteverde before dark! Do I also need to unlock my phone before getting there if we get the sim card? thx
Sammi says
Hi Valori, you need an unlocked cell phone (you can read in the post the requirement for an unlocked phone but you need to be able to put a sim card in and it has to be unlocked). There is a Kolbi office right outside of customs and it shouldn’t take too long, it’s a pretty quick process. I also recommend downloading Waze beforehand and downloading all the languages and updates before you open it in Costa Rica because it takes up a lot of data if it needs to download updates so do it somewhere you have Wi-Fi. If you can get out by 2:30, 3 PM the very latest, you can get to Monteverde right when it’s dark but please don’t try too fast when you go up the mountain on the bad road because it is very curvy and narrow.