Taxis in Costa Rica are a common transportation option for locals and tourists. There almost 14,000 units in the country and you’ll see taxis almost everywhere you go in Costa Rica.
If you don’t want to take public transportation which at times can be slow and there aren’t routes to everywhere, a taxi can be a good option. It’s especially practical if you don’t need to go far, if it’s raining or if you’re feeling a little lazy to walk in the heat.
If you are visiting Costa Rica for the first time, here are our tips for taking taxis in Costa Rica from a local.
Always Take an Official Taxi
Official taxis in Costa Rica are red with the yellow triangle and light like the one shown below. You will immediately be able to tell the difference between a pirate and real taxi. Official taxis have newer cars, plates and the badge to signify they are official taxis. More on that below.
Official taxis will have a plate on the side of their door signifying which province they can operate in. Taxis cannot operate across province lines so for example, a San Jose licensed taxi cannot operate in Guanacaste.
If you are in San Jose, you will see something like TSJ001 (TSJ stands for Taxi San Jose and the numbers tells you the taxi number), in Heredia you will see plates TH, in Limon TL, etc.
Orange Taxis
When you land in the San Jose airport, you might see orange taxis, instead of red. These group of taxis are exclusive for the airport. They charge more than the RED ones but they are just right there outside the arrivals door. Both San Jose and Liberia Airports now have an official taxi stand which is right outside the exit. Go there to call an official taxi.
Security Tip: If you are in San Jose and the taxi has a Puntarenas plate, do not take it. Official taxis in Costa Rica can only pick up passengers within their own province.
If you don’t need to, don’t take a pirate taxi
I am Costa Rican and I always try to avoid non-official taxis. Wherever you go in Costa Rica you can find a line of cabs next to the bus stations, parks, restaurants and they will come to you saying, “taxi, need a taxi?” These are drivers who are not official taxis and they do not have the taxi medallion license to offer these services. They are just simply normal people with their own personal cars.
The popular way to call them are “Taxis Piratas” which mean pirate cab drivers. The main reasons why I don’t use them are that they can charge whatever they want, they don’t have the same insurance as the legal ones and they aren’t as safe. Many times they have a super old car in bad shape without insurance so it’s a risk if you take one of those.
Unfortunately, there are some destinations where only pirate taxis exist. These are places outside the city in more remote areas such as Tamarindo and Montezuma. If you have to take a taxi and the pirate drivers are your only option, then negotiate a price beforehand, do not go alone especially if you are female and take a photo of their license plate and get their name just in case anything happens.
Turn the meter on
Like in any part of the world, some cab drivers will try to take advantage of tourists or people that they normally don’t work with by charging more or denying to use the meter. According to Costa Rican law, every cab driver must use the meter (Costa Rica name for the meter is”MARIA”). If you find a cab driver that doesn’t want to use it even if you ask, you can get their plate number and report the cab driver to the government. They have to turn it on by law (more on taxi scams below).
As for rates, the rates are regulated by the government. Rates change depending on the area (rural or city) and the automobile capacity.
Tip: Another way to get a rough estimate of how much your taxi would be is to check the fare estimate on the Uber website. Whatever they charge, add a bit more for Costa Rican taxis.
Ask a Local Before
If you have the opportunity, ask a local before you take a taxi. Ask them about prices and transportation options because Costa Rica has a good public transportation system that might take you for less money where you want to go.
Like any public transportation however, it might take longer and you might have to walk a little bit. Don’t know Spanish? Learn some important Spanish phrases here!
Most of the Costa Ricans will help you and you will have a good experience, but always keep your eyes open and use common sense. Avoid these 10 mistakes when traveling in Costa Rica and read our Costa Rica safety tips to stay safe.
More Tips for Taxis in Costa Rica
- Costa Rican drivers take great care of their car as cars, so please don’t slam the door when you close it. Do it softly and your driver will be happy.
- For solo female travelers, it’s better if you sit in the backseat.
- Always have change with you and small bills in local currency. We do not recommend to pay in USD because 99.99% of the time, the driver will tell you he does not have change and will use an incorrect exchange rate.
- Costa Rica does not really have addresses so drivers will not know where you are going if your address is Calle 2, Segunda Ave 10. Find a hotel or business close by and use that as your destination.
- It is not absolutely mandatory to tip your driver but you may if you want to (10% is standard and we recommend to give local currency). Read more about tipping in Costa Rica here.
Scams to Watch Out For
Unfortunately there are some taxi drivers that will try to scam tourists. Look out for these.
- The driver tells you that your hotel is not in business anymore and will try to reroute you to a hotel they get commission for and try to charge you a lot more for the extra driving.
- If you’re taking a taxi to the bus station, the driver may say your bus already left, the route doesn’t exist, bus station moved, etc. Do NOT believe them. Tell them to take you to the station and verify the information directly at the station.
- Don’t take up their offer to go to a “cheaper/better” restaurant/souvenir store/business/whatever. Continue straight to your destination.
- Get a prepaid Costa Rica SIM card so you have Internet on your phone and open the route on Google Maps or Waze so you can make sure he’s not taking you in the long way around.
Read more about common tourist scams in Costa Rica.
Uber
Uber in Costa Rica is honestly so much better than taxis. Don’t get me wrong, taxis are necessary but like anyone else, we hate the constant taxi badgering when we leave the airport or are walking down the street. Not to mention, Uber is much better for pricing because you can see how much it will be in the app and unlike a taxi driver, it is very difficult for them to try to charge you a higher or ridiculous price.
We always use Uber when we’re in San Jose even if we have a car because it’s cheap, pricing is automatically in the app and we don’t have to drive. Read our tips for using Uber in Costa Rica.
Another app for ride share is Didi which is growing in San Jose.
torrey says
Hey I will arriving in Costa Rica on Tuesday January 12 is it cheaper to take an cab the than the airport shuttle because they are trying to charge me 34 for my and my wife .
Sammi says
Not necessarily, the orange airport cabs charge more. It depends on how far you are going from the airport.
Chris says
What is approximate cost from San Jose airport to La Fortuna in red taxi? Is it worth going by taxi or is there another way? We could skip going to airport hotel and then take shuttle from there to La Fortuna.
Sammi says
A shuttle costs around $200 from SJO to La Fortuna, and a red taxi could charge you way more depending on the kind of driver he is. I’d book a shuttle, it’ll be more comfortable and you will have no chances of getting ripped off like you would with a taxi driver. If you need recommendations, we always go with Jacamar, they operate out of La Fortuna and do these transfers all the time, and their shuttles are super comfy.
Chris says
Two questions.
Do official be available dec 25 around 2:00 am to go to Hampton inn airport hotel?
If not, is it safe to walk that half mile at that time?
Sammi says
Yes, there are always taxis. And no, I would not walk at 2AM at that time. The Airport isn’t in the city, you have to drive on a highway to get to San Jose (The airport is actually in Alajuela not San JOse)
Pat hogan says
What is then approx. cost of a official taxi from downtown San Jose to Airport?
Sammi says
Depends where in downtown, but about $30-40 on average.
Michael says
Thanks for this advice! Seems pretty straight forward in San Jose, etc. I’ll be in Guanacaste staying in a resort (after staying well off the beaten path for almost a week! 🙂 and want to know if taxis are easy to find/call around dinner time outside of cites. I want to travel from Playa Conchal to Playa Hermosa (an hour drive, more or less) but would rather not drive at night.
Sammi says
Hi Michael! Yep no worries, you can find taxis pretty much anywhere! And you can always ask your hotel to call them for you too if you’re outside the city or kind of “in the middle of nowhere” Enjoy your time in Guanacaste!
Jean says
That’s really helpful. We’re going to Costa Rica on honeymoon next month so great to have info!
yeison says
Congratulations for your weeding !
Enjoy Costa Rica 🙂
Sue says
Very helpful, thank you. Sounds like the red taxis are the ones to use, but are they right outside San Jose airport, or do you need to walk somewhere?
Sammi says
There are usually a mix of some red and orange taxis in there, there are usually a huge crowd of them right outside the airport so try to get a red one first. You can’t really walk anywhere outside SJO airport since it’s not near the city so those ones are pretty much your only taxi options.
Mia says
How much more do “airport taxis” charge in comparison to the red taxis?
Sammi says
Usually 10-20%, depending on your driver… just make sure to ask him to turn on the Maria.
Angelica says
Taxi piratas – good name and so true! They exist in many places but this is very helpful to know the legit taxis are red. Thanks for the tips, will be very helpful as I may go to Costa Rica solo. Even if with another person, I will know what to look out for.
yeison says
You Welcome Brooklyn Chick, have a safe trip and please let us know if you need any help.
Jack says
I recommend using the new mobile app they published. Specially in the rural areas where many times the cars don’t use a meter.
Sammi says
The creator actually contacted us about that app – great idea!
Jon Patrick says
Thanks for this advice. I’d never been in a taxi until we took our first cruise several years ago. The wide variety of cars advertising themselves as ‘taxi’, with selections ranging from nice cars to beat up old Hyundai’s was honestly intimidating.
Not to be dramatic, but we found ourselves wondering if the one we would chose would be safe or run by a psycho.
It all worked out okay. In Grand Cayman, the car was junky, but the driver safe and respectful. In Bermuda, it was a van that you could see the floor through the rusted floor, it was filthy, it rattled like a can of screws – and the driver was the most outgoing, angry, and funny driver I’ve ever seen. Dropping us off at a hotel, there was a lot of traffic. She stopped in the middle of the driveway and got out, yelling and bossing other people out of her way.
Got back in, looked in the rear-view mirror and said “Don’t nobody listen.”
That silly phrase is part of our family lexicon now!
Sammi says
It’s really amazing how some people just pass their car off as “taxi” here. I was walking on the road to a friends house and some random car stopped next to me and the man inside asked if I needed a taxi. One quick look and I knew that was a HUGE no.
I learned the hard way to use a taxi in Orlando Florida when the guy ripped me and my friends off big time and was being very very creepy. Never again!
That is a hilarious story! She sure got spunk but if I was a taxi driver stuck in traffic all day I’d probably work up some attitude too! Always makes for a good story 🙂