Best places to buy property in Costa Rica (2026)
A computed ranking - not an opinion piece: every canton is scored from live data across 104,276 active listings on market depth, affordability and rental liquidity. Updated 2026-10-13.
See also: the best real estate agencies by area → · The guide to selling your property →
Montes de Oca, San José
Median asking $290,000 · $1,387/m² · 1,542 for sale · 669 for rent
Santo Domingo, Heredia
Median asking $329,168 · $1,416/m² · 1,685 for sale · 598 for rent
Perez Zeledon, San José
Median asking $275,000 · $1,617/m² · 1,962 for sale · 75 for rent
Methodology
Every canton with at least 12 active listings gets a 0–100 score from three factors measured across all 104,276 live listings in Costa Rica: market depth (40% - active listing count, log-scaled), affordability (35% - the canton's median asking price against the national median) and rental liquidity (25% - the share of rental listings, a proxy for demand and rentability). Prices are asking prices, not closed sales. Figures reflect the 2026-10-13 snapshot.
Source: CostaRicaRealtor.com Price Index · Free to cite with a link - see press & data.