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).
Kenny says
Has anyone tried taking an Uber from Manuel Antonio to SJO? Are they easy to find? The app price is quite good compared to a shuttle company.
Sammi says
We have seen Ubers in Manuel Antonio/Quepos and you can request the rides, the drivers will probably accept it.
Sammi says
I definitely recommend renting a car, particularly for the COVID situation, renting a car is honestly the best way to go. Monteverde is best with a high car if you want to drive yourself to the reserves, adventure parks and around the area (read more details here: Monteverde road conditions.).
You can read about Costa Rica road conditions in this post.
Dorie says
Trying to decide if we should rent a car or use taxis/uber while in CR. Due to covid, we would prefer to not ride a public bus or share a ride with strangers other than a driver. We will be going to tamarindo, arenal/la fortuna, monteverde cloud forest, and san jose areas. Any suggestions?
Margaret says
Hi ! Traveling to Costa Rica in May. Need ideas for how to travel around the country without renting a car. We plan on visiting Sarchi , La Fortuna , Arenal and Manuel Antonio . Not interested in large tour groups . thanks!
Sammi says
It will be very hard to get around Sarchi without a car because it’s a tiny town, the rest of the places you can get by with shared shuttles. You can figure out the public bus from San Jose to Sarchi though and Sarchi to La Fortuna.
Peggy Ann Swanson says
Is Uber reliable in La Fortuna to get to places like La Fortuna Falls and Hanging Bridges?
Sammi says
No, there isn’t Uber in La Fortuna yet
Suzanne says
Hello! We just left La Fortuna and used Uber a few times town. And actually we used Uber to get from Liberia to La Fortuna and then from Fortuna to San Jose.
Bob Kats says
New to Costa Rica want to Uber from Paso Canoas to Jaco any comments?
Sammi says
There aren’t Ubers in Paso Canoas as it’s not there. There are Ubers in Jaco.
Nmt says
We used uber in La Fortuna to get to the Baldi springs and from La Fortuna to San Jose. The driver for our trip to San Jose wanted to pay outside the app but we told him we needed to use th app for business expense purposes and he was fine with it.
I used uber to get to the airport and it was just fine. When I arrived though I was approached by many taxis telling me uber can’t go to the airport. I see from this post though that it was incorrect. And this mornings drop off was fine no issues. I will probably use a rental car next time.
Sammi says
Thanks for your feedback! Unfortunately the taxis at the airpor can be quite aggressive and will tell you anything from Uber doesn’t work to your hotel has burned down but Uber definitely works a SJO Airpor.
Melissa says
I used Uber in San Jose last week and had a great experience. One of us did sit in the front seat as requested. I did get an opportunity to electronically pay a tip after the ride and did so. Traffic in San Jose is some of the worst I have ever seen (I live in the bay area of California), be prepared to pay extra during these times. The driver ended up taking totally different routes to try to get around traffic, but that did not change the fee agreed upon which would not be the case with a taxi.
Janet Blalock says
What is the official taxi to use at Liberia Airport? Will I have a problem getting a taxi in Playas del Coco back to the airport?
Sammi says
Hi Janet, the official taxis are red or orange and there is a taxi stand right outside the airport. You will find a lot of official taxis in Coco, a lot of them are outside the Auto Mercado supermarket.
Clyde says
Information provided was excellent, thanks! I’m flying to LIR airport, do you know if Uber operates from there to hotels in Costa Rica, 65miles away. I’m trying to decide if I should go with a private shuttle instead, please advise.
Thank you!
Sammi says
I would go with a private shuttle, Uber has opened in Guanacaste but there is not many here at all. Last time we flew into LIR Airport I looked to see if there were any Ubers (about a month ago) just to check and there were none. Better to get a private shuttle or grab the official airport taxi.
Beata says
Hi .this is a informative site and makes me want to visit Cosa rica
Terese Keene says
Hi,
Single solo traveler wondering it would be cheaper to take a shuttle to Manuel Antonio than an uber? I Arrive at 2 30pm Also On my way back from Manuel Antonio to Montverde. Not wanting to rent a car.
Sammi says
I would book shared shuttles!
Judy Thomas says
Do you know if Uber take us from our hotel in San Juan to the costal cruise port in Caldera and if so what the approximate cost would be.
Sammi says
Hi Judy, there is a possibility that your Uber driver will do the trip but there is also a chance they won’t be able to and unfortunately they can only confirm when they go to pick you up and they ask you where you’re going. On the Uber website, it looks like their fare estimate says around $55 for Uber X and then up to around $100 for Uber XL.