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Costa Rica: visas, tax & cost of living

Costa Rica digital nomad visa needs ~$3,000/mo income, foreign earnings stay tax-free, and a mid cost of living. Honest 2026 guide.

Costa Rica: visas, tax & cost of living
Your passport

United KingdomCosta Rica

Your move to Costa Rica on a United Kingdom passport

  • VisitEasyVisa-free entry
  • NomadEasyNomad visa, likely eligible
  • RelocateFairly easyClear residence route

Visiting

Visa-free for up to 180 days. Travel on a passport valid for your whole stay, with a return or onward ticket and proof you can support yourself.

Passport validity: Costa Rican law requires the passport valid for the length of stay (one day beyond planned departure), but most airlines enforce their own six-month validity rule.

Heads-up: The DGME entry and stay guidelines published in Alcance 148 to La Gaceta 216 on 17 November 2025 raised the maximum stay for visa-exempt Group 1 visitors from 90 to up to 180 days per visit. The length actually granted is the border officer's call, and the 180 days are generally not extendable.

At the border: Officers may ask for an onward or return ticket, proof of funds (about USD 100 per month of stay), and cash or securities of USD 10,000 or more must be declared.

Working remotely

Estancia para Trabajadores Remotos.

Income needed: ~$3,000/mo foreign income solo (~$4,000 with your family group), Estancia para Trabajadores Remotos / digital nomad visa under Law 10008 (estimate)

Duration: 12 months

Fee: ~100 USD (estimate)

Who qualifies: The Estancia para Trabajadores Remotos (Law 10008) is open to those working remotely for clients or employers abroad, with stable foreign income of about USD 3,000 a month (USD 4,000 if you include your family group) and medical cover for the whole stay, the minimum set by the DGME and commonly quoted at USD 50,000. It is a non-resident category, so the time does not count toward permanent residency, and taking any paid work inside Costa Rica cancels the permit and every benefit attached to it.

Tax and residency

Territorial system, so foreign income is generally untaxed here. Ordinary visitors become domiciled for tax after more than 183 days in a fiscal period, but Law 10008 exempts nomad-visa beneficiaries from the profits tax and never treats them as habitual tax residents. That exemption covers the beneficiary alone: family members have to qualify in their own right. (estimate)

The UK decides residence with its Statutory Residence Test (days in the UK plus your ties). As a non-resident you are usually taxed only on UK income; where one exists, a double-tax treaty with the destination decides who taxes what.

Double-tax treaty: none

Practical

Currency: CRC. Cost of living: mid.

Healthcare: Costa Rica has no reciprocal healthcare agreement with foreign visitors, so comprehensive travel or international health insurance is needed and is required for the digital-nomad visa.

Driving: You can drive on a valid foreign licence for the length of your authorised stay, and carrying an International Driving Permit alongside it is recommended.

Sources: Costa Rica, DGME (Nómadas Digitales) · Ley 10008 of 11 August 2021, "Ley para atraer trabajadores y prestadores remotos de servicios de carácter internacional (nómadas digitales)", as amended by Ley 10208. Consolidated text in SINALEVI, Procuraduría General de la República · Reglamento a la Ley del Impuesto sobre la Renta (Decreto Ejecutivo 43198-H), art. 10 on tax domicile. Consolidated text in SINALEVI · GOV.UK: tax on foreign income · HMRC: double-taxation treaties

Estimates, not advice. Confirm with the official sources before you act.

Should you move to Costa Rica?

Jungle, beaches, and a “pura vida” pace while you keep the remote job: Costa Rica is one of the easier soft landings in the Americas. Most nomads settle around San Jose and the central valley, where the internet is fast and rent is kinder, or chase the surf and the coworking scene in beach towns like Tamarindo, Santa Teresa, and Nosara. Costs land in the mid band. Cheaper than the US or Western Europe, pricier than much of Central America. And beach-town life has a way of draining your budget faster than you planned.

Costa Rica digital nomad visa and entry

Yes, there’s a real one. Costa Rica’s digital nomad visa, the “Estancia para Trabajadores Remotos” under Law 10008, gives you a one-year stay that you can renew once for a second year, and that renewal expects you to have spent at least 180 days in the country during the first year. Plan to show roughly $3,000 a month in foreign income on your own, or about $4,000 if you’re bringing your family group, plus health insurance and a tidy application. Two conditions matter more than they look. It’s a non-resident category, so the time never builds toward permanent residency on its own. And taking any paid work inside Costa Rica cancels the permit and every benefit attached to it, leaving you to pay back the tax you were spared, with interest and penalties on top.

Plenty of people land as tourists first and apply once they’ve decided to stay. Since the immigration rules published in November 2025, most visa-exempt visitors can be admitted for up to 180 days per visit rather than the old 90, though the exact length is the officer’s call at the border. The formal visa is still the cleaner path once you actually want to settle in and work.

Tax residency and what to check

Costa Rica taxes territorially, so money you earn outside the country generally isn’t taxed here. The usual residency trigger to watch is spending more than 183 days in a fiscal year. Here’s the part that makes Costa Rica stand out: the law exempts nomad-visa holders from the tax on profits and says they’re never treated as habitual tax residents, whatever the day count says. One catch is worth knowing before you move a household, though. That exemption covers the named beneficiary alone, so a partner who wants it has to qualify in their own right. Treat all of this as an estimate and check your own situation, because your home country may still want its share.

Figures are estimates. Always check the official source linked below.

At a glance

Currency
CRC
Cost of living
Moderate
Digital-nomad visa
Yes

Frequently asked questions

Costa Rica: is there a digital nomad visa?
Estancia para Trabajadores Remotos. The Estancia para Trabajadores Remotos (Law 10008) is open to those working remotely for clients or employers abroad, with stable foreign income of about USD 3,000 a month (USD 4,000 if you include your family group) and medical cover for the whole stay, the minimum set by the DGME and commonly quoted at USD 50,000. It is a non-resident category, so the time does not count toward permanent residency, and taking any paid work inside Costa Rica cancels the permit and every benefit attached to it.
Costa Rica: when do you become a tax resident?
Territorial system, so foreign income is generally untaxed here. Ordinary visitors become domiciled for tax after more than 183 days in a fiscal period, but Law 10008 exempts nomad-visa beneficiaries from the profits tax and never treats them as habitual tax residents. That exemption covers the beneficiary alone: family members have to qualify in their own right.
Costa Rica: what is the cost of living?
The cost of living is moderate and the local currency is the CRC. Treat any figures as estimates.
Costa Rica: do you need health insurance?
Costa Rica has no reciprocal healthcare agreement with foreign visitors, so comprehensive travel or international health insurance is needed and is required for the digital-nomad visa.
Costa Rica: can you drive on a foreign licence?
You can drive on a valid foreign licence for the length of your authorised stay, and carrying an International Driving Permit alongside it is recommended.

Guides for this country

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Put it to work

Last verified: 2026-09-04

Sources: Costa Rica, DGME (Nómadas Digitales)

Voymo gives general information to help you organise your move. It is not legal, tax, or immigration advice, always confirm with an official source or a qualified professional before you act.

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