Power & Connectivity (SIM)

Costa Rica uses 120V / 60Hz with Type A and Type B sockets (North American flat pins). If you come from North America you usually need no adapter; travellers from 220–240V countries need a Type A/B adapter and a converter for devices that are not dual-voltage.

The main operators are Kölbi (ICE, the largest with the best coverage), Movistar and Claro. Prepaid SIMs are sold at the airport and in town, and you must show your passport to register. 4G is good in cities and tourist areas but can be patchy in remote regions and national parks.

eSIM travel plans are a convenient option: buy one online before arrival from providers such as Airalo and install it in minutes, with no physical SIM or shop visit. Kölbi also supports eSIM on some plans. Check your phone is eSIM-capable and carrier-unlocked before buying.

Wi-Fi is widespread in hotels, cafés and restaurants, and generally reliable in cities and popular tourist areas. In rural areas, remote lodges and inside national parks it can be slow or unreliable, so a SIM/eSIM helps. Use a VPN on public networks for sensitive tasks like banking.

Costa Rica has an open internet with no significant restrictions. All standard apps and services — messaging, social media, maps and streaming — work normally.

Handy apps include WhatsApp (the main way locals communicate), Waze and Google Maps for driving and navigation, and ride-hailing such as Uber and DiDi in the main cities. A translation app is useful, and keeping offline maps helps in areas with weak signal.

Costa Rica's country code is +506, and the general emergency number is 911. App-based calls (WhatsApp, FaceTime and similar) are very common. Save numbers in full +506 format so they work from any network, and note that local numbers have eight digits.