Your Free Buyer’s Guide
Costa Rica
Buyer’s Guide
Explore the places and the path to ownership. Start with coastal land, purchase costs and a practical buyer’s checklist.
The Buyer’s Guide
What's inside
your guide.
A starting point for your next conversation, with 12 source-linked buyer questions and an ownership checklist.
Start with the setting.
Country orientation and the practical questions to bring to your location search.
Page 3Three lenses. Better questions.
Three source-linked location perspectives, with comparison prompts.
Page 5A clear route forward.
Prepare your shortlist, project walkthrough, independent review and purchase questions.
Page 10Plan the whole purchase.
Purchase and ongoing-cost worksheets, plus rental-management planning.
Page 11Compare the same things.
Fillable comparison and due-diligence tools for the properties you are considering.
Page 14Make your visit count.
A practical checklist for an in-person visit or a Zoom walkthrough.
Page 18Start with the legal interest.
Eight destination questions and four home-country questions per edition, with references and qualified-adviser prompts.
Page 19
Questions Inside The Guide
The guide introduces these buyer questions and links to its references.
- Can a foreign buyer treat every Costa Rican property the same way?
- What do the coastal-zone measurements mean for a buyer?
- Can a foreign buyer freely obtain a coastal concession?
- What should my lawyer and notary verify about title?
- Does owning a parcel mean I can build or use it as planned?
- What belongs in a closing-cost review?
- Which recurring ownership charges should I investigate?
- What changes when comparing a condominium, lot or unfinished home?
About This EditionCanadian Edition: 33 pages · U.S. Edition: 32 pages · October 2026 PDF
October 2026 buyer guide and planning pack, with separate Canadian and U.S. editions. Educational information and adviser questions do not replace individual legal or tax advice. Any project examples are dated snapshots, not current prices, availability or offers. Confirm current documents and transaction-specific details with qualified professionals.
Choose the Canadian or U.S. edition for the relevant home-country questions. Your citizenship or tax residence, ownership structure and use of the property can affect which rules apply; confirm your circumstances with a qualified adviser.
Know the place.
Understand ownership.
Answers from primary sources, with the questions to take to your local professional.
Is a coastal property the same as titled land?
Costa Rica’s maritime terrestrial zone has a special legal regime under Law 6043. Confirm whether the parcel is registered private land or a concession, and whether the proposed ownership arrangement meets the applicable conditions.
Costa Rican Tourism Institute · Global Affairs Canada. Confirm with a licensed local professional before making a commitment.
What transfer tax should I discuss in Costa Rica?
Costa Rica’s Ministry of Finance publishes a 1.5% real property transfer-tax rate. This is one component of a closing budget; the taxable base, any exception and the other transaction charges require a written local estimate.
Costa Rica Ministry of Finance. Confirm with a licensed local professional before making a commitment.
What is the setting at Playas del Coco?
Playas del Coco is a bay destination in Guanacaste on Costa Rica’s Pacific coast. The tourism institute describes boating, diving, sport fishing and other visitor activities in the area.
Does a Canadian owner need to report a foreign vacation property?
CRA’s T1135 rules depend on the type and use of the property and the aggregate cost of specified foreign property. Personal-use exceptions and rental cases differ, so have a Canadian tax adviser assess your intended use and reporting obligations.
Canada Revenue Agency. Confirm with a licensed local professional before making a commitment.
Will foreign tax automatically eliminate Canadian tax?
CRA says a foreign tax credit may be available when qualifying foreign income or profit taxes relate to income reported in Canada. Eligibility and the credit calculation depend on the taxpayer’s circumstances.
Canada Revenue Agency. Confirm with a licensed local professional before making a commitment.
Where can I check flights from Toronto?
Air Canada publishes a Toronto to Liberia, Costa Rica route search. Check your actual travel dates, connections and seasonal schedule directly with the airline. No flight frequency or fare is assumed here.