Uber officially made its way to Costa Rica in 2015 and has made getting around Costa Rica much easier. Though technically not 100% legal, Uber has now become one of the normal transportation options for both locals and tourists.
Uber in Costa Rica is exactly the same as other countries but there are a few things to know. In this post, you will read our tips for taking Uber in Costa Rica.
In this guide, you’ll find out everything you need to know about using Uber in Costa Rica. (Lyft does not exist in Costa Rica).
Uber Costa Rica Information
Despite a rocky start in Costa Rica with protests from taxi drivers, Uber in Costa Rica is up and running and has expanded to several other place besides San Jose.
You can still take taxis in Costa Rica but for us, Uber is quick, cheaper and more comfortable. Taxi drivers in Costa Rica have an unfortunate bad reputation for overcharging and being pushy, especially to tourists.
In San Jose
Uber readily exists in the San Jose metropolitan area covering San Jose, Alajuela, Heredia and Cartago. There are also some Ubers in Jaco, Quepos, Liberia (city, not airport), Tamarindo, La Fortuna, Grecia and Manuel Antonio.
The number of Uber drivers in different places in Costa Rica has increased greatly. We see more Uber drivers in Tamarindo, Manuel Antonio, Quepos, La Fortuna and Playas del Coco. However, we don’t recommend to count on them as your ONLY method to get around Costa Rica as not all destinations have Ubers and if they do have Ubers, it may take a long time to get a ride due to limited availability (or they may not have any early mornings/late nights).
Cost of Uber in Costa Rica
How much does Uber cost in Costa Rica? You can estimate a fare from San Jose to another destination on the Uber website if you’re curious as to how much your ride will cost. This is a very handy tool. You can also use it to get an idea of how much a taxi or shuttle would cost (add a little bit more as Ubers tend to be cheaper).
You Can Use Uber at San Jose International Airport
Airport taxis are known to be expensive so to have Uber as an alternative option is awesome. You can call an Uber to drop you off and pick you up at San Jose International Airport. Here is what you need to know about using Uber at San Jose Airport.
Liberia International Airport (Guanacaste Airport)
We do not recommend to use Uber at the Liberia International Airport (Guanacaste Airport) airport code LIR. This is because the police are very diligently watching for Ubers and they will pull over drivers, give them a ticket and remove their license plates.
You should book a private shuttle or take one of the official airport taxis.
Pick up at San Airport
When you have arrived at San Jose Airport, finished immigration and customs and exited the airport, open the app. You do need Internet to use the app in the moment, there is free Wi-Fi in the departures area of San Jose Airport. You can also purchase a Costa Rican SIM card at baggage claim at San Jose Airport and have data on your phone with the card.
Put your pick up location at San Jose Airport at the arrivals. In the Uber app, you have the option to call your driver so I would let them know you are at the arrivals area. San Jose Airport doesn’t have a designated ride share area unfortunately. This is because Uber drivers and taxi drivers are at odds and Uber is still technically not “legal” in Costa Rica.
Therefore, it’s best to avoid any crossing of paths as much as possible. So the moment you walk outside the airport and leave customs, you will see a huge crowd of people waiting, most of them taxi drivers. Ignore them!
Likewise, if anyone asks you if you need a ride, do not say you’re going to call an Uber. Just say that you already have a ride.
The Uber app will tell you to go to the bus stop at the west end on the main road outside the airport, so head right when you exit the airport and walk down that way. (Sometimes this meeting point changes so check the app as it will tell you where to go. Usually the meeting point is the bus stop). When you get in your Uber, your driver will most likely ask you to sit up front to make it less obvious that they are an Uber.
You can also use it at the Pavas International Airport and the San Jose Domestic Terminal. I used it when I landed at the San Jose Domestic Terminal and from my hotel Adventure Inn to the terminal. Very easy and they pick you up and drop you off right in front of the terminal. In the app, look for San Jose Domestic Terminal or Domestic Terminal San Jose. Get 10% off using the promo code “mytanfeet” on their booking page!
Departures
The Uber driver can drop you off directly at departures.
Requirements to Use Uber
A registered account, a payment method and Internet on your phone to use Uber. Uber does allow you to schedule rides up to 30 days in advance in the app. We have never used this tool so I can’t say how reliable it is but you can see if it works.
If you don’t already have an Uber account and you plan to use it in Costa Rica, I would create your account when you are at home so you have everything ready when you arrive.
Select a Nearby Landmark for Your Destination
Since addresses don’t exactly exist in Costa Rica, but you can enter the name of your hotel or place you are going as your destination. For houses, Airbnbs or vacation rentals, it is best to use a landmark or business. When we stayed at our Airbnb in San Jose, we set it to the Universal store across the street. Our Airbnb didn’t have a name or was on the map so it was easier to find the closest business.
Pretty much everyone uses Waze in Costa Rica so once you get in the car, you can tell the driver the closest landmark to your destination and have them drop you off where you need to go.
Useful Spanish Phrases
It will be extremely helpful to know some Spanish phrases. A lot of city Costa Ricans know a degree of English but not all. Here are some useful phrases and words:
Voy a X: I’m going to X (hotel, restaurant, etc.).
Donde esta?: Where are you?
Aqui esta bien: Here is fine.
Gracias: Thank you.
Mi hotel es cerca de X: My hotel is close to X.
There are Uber Drivers in the Wee Hours of the Morning
We’ve needed to call Uber for early morning flights and had no problem getting one at 4 AM in San Jose. So don’t worry too much if it’s late in the night or super early in the morning, we’ve never had a problem calling an Uber at 11 PM or 4 AM.
Surge Pricing During Rush Hour
Surge pricing is annoying and unfortunately it is also in Costa Rica. San Jose, notorious for horrible traffic, impatient drivers and long ignored pot holes, is a mess during rush hour and surge pricing may be necessary to get a ride.
However, if you’re not in a rush, you can wait 10 minutes and see if other drivers are nearby. You can also select the carpool option for a cheaper ride.
Wait Times Aren’t That Accurate
Because of San Jose’s traffic, you should give or take at least 10 minutes. We’ve had to cancel Uber requests a few times even though the driver was just a couple blocks away but they were stuck in traffic. Instead we picked a different driver that was coming from the side of no traffic.
Estimate Your Fare Online
The Uber website has a fare estimate which is helpful to know around how much you’ll pay for both UberX and UberXL. We were surprised at how much cheaper it was. Normally, we pay around $15 USD for a 15 kilometer taxi ride from Heredia to the San Jose airport. With Uber, we paid a little less than $10.
Don’t Need to Tip
When it comes to tipping in Costa Rica, it is not mandatory to tip Uber drivers in Costa Rica but they have the option now. Rather than tipping in the app, you can also give your driver some cash if you want (local Costa Rica currency is best).
Sue says
Hi! Thanks so much for this post. I’ll be going to Costa Rica for the first time and by myself.. I had a silly question- apologize in advance.. I’m booked at the San Jose Exe hotel and was interested in ubering. I believe my flight lands around 4pm. I looked up the fare, and it comes to $4,979.46 – is this in colones?
Sammi says
Hi Sue, yes they give the price in CRC.
Sue says
Thank you, Sammi!
Larry Sy says
The pickup point is now further than the Malinche restaurant. Too many taxi drivers near the Malinche.
The pickup options show up on the uber app – it says bus stop at the west end.
So. go to the Malinche restaurant, then walk further until you see the sky pedestrian bridge just before the bus stops.
If you arrive in the afternoon rush hour, there will be traffic and the price of Uber to Escazu is about USD$30. So, if you have another alternative pickup at the same price, that would be more convenient since somebody will be waiting for you with your name. If not rush hour, the fare will be about half.
BTW, it’s my second time in San Jose so I’m able to compare the prices.
Sammi says
Thanks for the feedback!
Sammi says
Thanks for the update David! I’ll update the post. It has been a few months since we got Uber from the SJO Airport and they’re always changing it.
David D says
FWIW, when I recently got an Uber at SJO on July 31, 2019, I followed the instructions in this article (as of the April 2019 update) and went to the Malinche restaurant, and sent a message to the driver indicating where I was. He messaged back and requested that I meet him at the arrivals area (one level up), which is also the area that the Uber app said I should go to, so maybe the process had changed since this blog post was last updated. There were so many people trying to hawk cabs that I was just repeating, “no, gracias” over and over while trying to figure out to get to the second level, when one finally just asked me, “where are you trying to go,” and he showed me how to get there – I thought it was pretty cool that he recognized the situation and helped me out, even though he knew he would not get a fare out of it.
Another thing to note is that the Uber driver had one of us sit in the front, I’m assuming because it made it less obvious that he was driving people for hire.
eric says
Hola! I know this post concerns San Juan but how about Liberia? I’m arriving at Liberia Airport (LIR) this coming Saturday around midday. Does anyone have experience taking Uber to the nearby resorts?
Muchas Gracia!
Sammi says
Uber has “officially” opened in Liberia but there are only a few Ubers drivers around, it’s not super common especially now in low season. You can definitely try to see if there are any around, but it won’t be as many as San Jose.
Emma says
First, fantastic article! It was relieving to see that I can actually use Uber to get from SJO to Jaco beach. I wonder why so many past tourist have been telling me it is illegal in CR to Uber to/from the airport? Even if I have to catch a bus to downtown San Jose that’s so much better than having to pay $140 for a private ride to Jaco for just lil ol me. Thank you!
Sammi says
Hi Emma! It’s because technically Uber is not legal in Costa Rica but everyone uses it.
Richard D says
We are arriving at SJO at 8:47 PM August 2/ 19 Our destination is by Tarcoles .
I know you have drivers in Jaco so thats not an issue . At that time of day (evening)
are there Uber drivers that want to drive that distance without much hope of getting a return
fare? and what do you think the price would be?
Also i have a dental appointment in San Jose Monday morning (8:30). So we would have to leave at about 6;30 Am from Tarcoles area. Is this a little much to ask of a driver? Or should i just go ahead with a rental car and go both ways?
Sammi says
Hi Richard, Tarcoles is about a 20-30 minute drive from Jaco and the Uber app will only show you drivers around you and there most likely aren’t any in Tarcoles proper. I don’t have any personal experience with getting an Uber from San Jose to Jaco but I know people who have.
I would personally recommend renting a car because first, there really isn’t anything in the Tarcoles area so you’d need to car to go to places. It’d be much more convenient.
Karen says
Hi Sammi! I am planning on visiting Costa Rica in September. Would you know if uber would be available from SJO to La Fortuna and to La Palma?
Sammi says
Hi Karen, you can use Uber to La Fortuna, not sure about La Palma. Uber is supposed to be expanding their service in La Fortuna too although I’m not really sure how many there will be.
Pat says
Try not to take a cab. I was charged 9,500 colones …the equivalent of about $17 for a ride we paid $2000 colones ..or the equiv of $350
But dont let Uber fool you, if you pay in cash Uber drivers will try to rip you off as well. I tied my credit card to uber after an Uber driver demanded he be paid more than twice what the actual charge was.
Sammi says
Oh dang! Sorry to hear that and I’m surprised about the Uber because the payment is always done through the app, never pay in cash for Uber.
Clayton says
Is there ubers in Turrialla, and can you uber from san jose to turrialla and back and also can you uber from turrialla to the closed beach on the carribean side
yeison says
Hello Clayton, right now there are not based UBER drivers in Turrialba, you can take an Uber from San Jose to Turrialba but it will be very hard to find one to the caribbean side (there is a public public bus that leaves from San Jose stops in Turrialba and goes to Limon)
The only part of the country where you will find Ubers all the time is in the capital area and cities closed by.
Marie says
Hola everyone, will be visiting CR on May 23 – May 30. I would like to spend the weeknd in Jaco Beach May 23-May 26. Can we take Uber from Airport to Jaco and back? I’m nervous about driving. Gracias
Sammi says
Hi Marie, yes you can take Uber to Jaco and there are now some ubers in Jaco!
Jon Claerbout says
I’m going to Monteverde for a couple of weeks. From the San Jose airport, can I get there by Uber?
Sammi says
Hi Jon, I don’t think so because Monteverde is quite far away and it requires a high car due to the bad roads so most drivers won’t do this or if they do it’ll be really expensive. In my opinion it’ll be better to book a shuttle.