Relokato is not a law firm and does not provide legal services. This platform is not a substitute for the advice of an attorney, in the terms of Texas Government Code §81.101(c). Terms & Conditions
San José, Costa Rica
Public transport, airport and rail connections, healthcare access and car ownership — each figure linked to the official publication it came from.
6 of 6 fields sourced from official publications. Every figure links to the body that published it and the period it describes. Where we don't have something, we say so rather than estimating.
✈️ Getting out
How far this place is from everywhere else — the thing most cost-of-living comparisons leave out.
Aeropuerto Internacional Juan Santamaría · SJO
🏥 Healthcare access
Region: San José
CCSS (the Caja) for residents who contribute — but not on the digital nomad route
Who the public system covers
The CCSS is the contributory public system. Holders of the digital nomad stay (Ley 10008) cannot enrol in it and rely entirely on private cover for the whole authorised stay; residency categories such as Rentista and Pensionado do enrol and contribute.Official statistic
This is the practical difference between the nomad route and a residency route in Costa Rica: one gives you access to the Caja, the other does not.
DGME — Nómadas Digitales · August 2026 · national figure
Private cover required
The digital nomad category requires medical cover of at least USD 50,000 for the full authorised stay, either from an insurer regulated in Costa Rica or an international insurer with equivalent coverage. Travel insurance is not accepted.Official statistic
Reported as the requirement that fails more applications than proof of income.
DGME — Nómadas Digitales · August 2026 · national figure
🚇 Getting around
Operators: INCOFER (commuter rail) · Private bus concessionaires regulated by ARESEP
Metro or rapid transit
No metro — commuter rail and busesOfficial statistic
INCOFER operates the Tren Urbano commuter service across the Greater Metropolitan Area. There is no metro.
INCOFER · August 2026 · city figure
🚗 Living without a car
Reported behaviour from official statistics — not a walkability score.
How the national count was produced
Costa Rica's XI Censo Nacional de Población y VII de Vivienda 2022 achieved only partial coverage. INEC extended fieldwork from June to 30 September 2022, and ultimately published the results as an Estimación de Población y Vivienda 2022 rather than as a census, using three separate estimation methodologies including administrative registers and a statistical model.Official statistic
This matters for anything sourced to the 2022 census: it is an estimation, and INEC says so itself. Where an annual survey figure exists, prefer ENAHO.
INEC — Estimación de Población y Vivienda 2022, Resultados Generales · July 2023 · national figure
📍 Neighbourhoods
Official statistics at the level each figure is actually reported. No verdicts on what an area is like.
Carmendistrito figure
Population
2,759 residentsOfficial statistic
Model-based distribution of canton-level 2022 estimates, not raw census counts; district distribution published November 2023; no newer district-level series exists.
INEC — Estimaciones de Población y Vivienda 2022, distribución distrital · 30 June 2022 · distrito figure
Merceddistrito figure
Population
15,804 residentsOfficial statistic
Model-based distribution of canton-level 2022 estimates, not raw census counts; district distribution published November 2023; no newer district-level series exists.
INEC — Estimaciones de Población y Vivienda 2022, distribución distrital · 30 June 2022 · distrito figure
Hospitaldistrito figure
Population
25,619 residentsOfficial statistic
Model-based distribution of canton-level 2022 estimates, not raw census counts; district distribution published November 2023; no newer district-level series exists.
INEC — Estimaciones de Población y Vivienda 2022, distribución distrital · 30 June 2022 · distrito figure
Catedraldistrito figure
Population
14,355 residentsOfficial statistic
Model-based distribution of canton-level 2022 estimates, not raw census counts; district distribution published November 2023; no newer district-level series exists.
INEC — Estimaciones de Población y Vivienda 2022, distribución distrital · 30 June 2022 · distrito figure
Mata Redondadistrito figure
Population
11,491 residentsOfficial statistic
Model-based distribution of canton-level 2022 estimates, not raw census counts; district distribution published November 2023; no newer district-level series exists.
INEC — Estimaciones de Población y Vivienda 2022, distribución distrital · 30 June 2022 · distrito figure
Where these figures come from. Every number on this page is reproduced from a government body, a public transport operator, an airport authority or a national statistics office, and links back to the exact publication and the period it describes. We don't use cost-of-living aggregators. Where an official source doesn't publish something, the page says so rather than estimating.