Costa Rica Travel Risk Overview
Is Costa Rica safe to visit right now?
Moderate risk. Mostly safe with normal precautions. Costa Rica has a few categories that warrant planning — read the breakdown below and check the live US State Department advisory.
Costa Rica has a Travel Risk Calculator baseline composite score of 34 out of 100 (moderate risk tier); city-level files are available for 1 cities. This page covers the country-level baseline across nine weighted safety categories (crime, disease & health, government advisory, political & civil unrest, natural disaster & weather, transport & route, environmental, digital security, money safety), the current US State Department advisory, GDACS disaster alerts, CDC health notices for Costa Rica, recent news headlines, plus links to every city we have an editorial file for.
Run a personalized Costa Rica assessmentAI safety snapshot · refreshed Sep 8, 2026
Costa Rica currently carries a moderate overall safety risk, with a baseline composite score of 34 out of 100. The U.S. State Department has issued a level 2 travel advisory, and the country is experiencing an ongoing drought. The CDC notes a Level 1 global dengue alert affecting the area.
AI-summarized strictly from the live public-source data below (US State Dept advisory, GDACS, CDC, Google News). Auto-refreshed at most once per day on the first visit. Not official advice.
Live conditions last refreshed: Sep 8, 2026 03:32 UTC
How safe is Costa Rica to visit in 2026?
Costa Rica currently sits at 34/100 on Travel Risk Calculator's nine-category baseline composite, which puts it in the moderate-risk tier. Most travelers will be fine in Costa Rica with normal preparation, but a few risk categories warrant attention. The full live US State Department advisory text for Costa Rica, current GDACS disaster alerts, CDC health notices, and recent news headlines are shown in the Live conditions section below. For city-specific files (San José), see the City Risk Files section below — they include neighborhood-level scam patterns, transport notes, and medical-access details where available.
Country baseline composite
Data file
| Confidence | 70 |
|---|---|
| Source note | calibrated 2026-05-09 v1.0 (knowledge-based; State Dept advisory tiers, GPI, OSAC patterns) |
| Last reviewed | 2026-05-09 11:01:52 |
| City files | 1 |
Assessment memory
Anonymous assessments help Travel Risk Calculator identify which country and city files deserve deeper review.
| Saved assessments | 0 |
|---|---|
| Average composite | No saved signal yet |
Threat Vector Baseline
City Risk Files in Costa Rica
Showing 1 of 1 reviewed cities in Costa Rica, ranked by population.
Live conditions in Costa Rica
Country-scoped real-time data — official advisory from the US State Department, disaster alerts from GDACS, health notices from the CDC, news from Google News. For city-specific weather and air quality, open any city page below.
Official travel advisory
Level 2 · Exercise Increased Caution
Costa Rica - Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution
Read full advisory → · US Department of State
Track Costa Rica’s advisory
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Disaster alerts
Active Disaster Alerts
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Drought is on going in Colombia, Costa Rica, , Nicaragua, Panama, Venezuela GREEN · country-wide · 2026-07-03
The Drought notification level is Green.
“~N km away” = event centroid within ~500 km of this location; “country-wide” = a national/regional alert that may not be near this specific city. Source: GDACS · fetched 2026-09-08 03:32:36 UTC
Health notices
Health Notices for this Destination
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Level 1 - Global Dengue WATCH · 2026-09-02
Dengue is a year-round risk in many parts of the world, with outbreaks commonly occurring every 2–5 years. Travelers to risk areas should prevent mosquito bites. Country List : Colombia, Vietnam, Maldives, Bolivia, Cambodia, Kenya, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Costa Rica, Mar
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Level 2 - Chikungunya in Costa Rica ALERT · 2026-07-30
There is an outbreak of chikungunya in northwest Costa Rica. You can protect yourself by preventing mosquito bites.
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Level 2 - Global Polio ALERT · 2026-03-09
Some international destinations have circulating poliovirus. Before any international travel, make sure you are up to date on your polio vaccines. Country List : Afghanistan, Algeria, Benin, Cameroon, Chad, Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast), Democratic Republic of the Congo, Niger, Nig
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Level 1 - Global Measles WATCH · 2025-05-28
Measles cases are rising in many countries around the world. All international travelers should be fully vaccinated against measles with the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine, according to CDC's measles vaccination recommendations for international travel. Country List : Afghan
Source: CDC Travelers’ Health · fetched 2026-09-08 03:16:15 UTC
Recent headlines
No recent national headlines were returned for Costa Rica. This is not evidence that conditions are quiet; check local and official sources.
1991–2020 climate normals
Seasonal risk & best time to visit Costa Rica
The most weather-stable two-month window for Costa Rica is January–February, when typical daily temperatures run from about 17°C to 25°C and monthly rain averages 101 mm.
Seasonal planning flags include heavy rain season in May–December; hurricane season in June–November. These are climate patterns, not forecasts.
Climate normals are planning context, not a short-range forecast. Source: Open-Meteo Climate API. Refreshed Sep 5, 2026.
Calculate risk for these travel dates Compare seasonal windows →
Emergency Numbers
| Police | 911 |
|---|---|
| Ambulance | 911 |
| Fire | 911 |
| General emergency | 911 |
No live AI briefing for Costa Rica yet
This country’s baseline scores are above, but no recent user has run a personalized assessment that activated the live AI layer. The live layer adds current public-source intelligence (advisories, news, disasters, health alerts) on top of the baseline.
Run a live Costa Rica assessment →
Powered by Ollama Cloud web search (with SearXNG as fallback) and AI synthesis. Every claim cites the snippet it was drawn from.
Frequently asked questions
Is Costa Rica safe to visit right now?
Mostly safe with normal precautions. Costa Rica has a few categories that warrant planning — read the breakdown below and check the live US State Department advisory. Composite baseline: 34/100 (Moderate risk). Always cross-check with your home country's foreign-ministry advisory within 7 days of departure; the live US State Department advisory is shown above. Last refreshed September 2026.
What is the current travel advisory for Costa Rica?
The current US State Department advisory level for Costa Rica is shown in the Live conditions section above and is re-fetched every 6 hours from the official RSS feed. UK FCDO, Canada GAC, and Australia DFAT also publish advisories — for high-stakes trips, cross-check at least one foreign-ministry advisory in addition to your home country's. See our travel advisory guide for how to read each tier system.
Is it safe to visit Costa Rica in September 2026?
For September 2026, the baseline composite for Costa Rica is 34/100 (Moderate risk). Live data — advisories every 6 hours, disaster alerts every 30 minutes, health notices every 12 hours, news every hour — is shown in the Live conditions section above. For a personalized risk briefing for your specific trip and traveler profile, use the Travel Risk Calculator linked above.
How are these country-level travel risk scores calculated?
Each category is scored 0-100 from government advisories (US State Dept), crime indices, Global Peace Index data, WHO/CDC health context, and curated regional editorial knowledge. The composite is a weighted sum across nine categories — see /methodology for the full weight breakdown. Live data (advisories, news, disaster alerts, health notices) is layered on top of the baseline at request time.
Where can I find city-specific safety information for Costa Rica?
City-specific files for Costa Rica are listed in the City Risk Files section above. Each city page covers the same nine categories at city scope, plus city-specific scam patterns, transport-hub safety notes, medical-access detail, and (where available) neighborhood-level guidance. Use the header search to find a specific city directly.
When was this page last reviewed?
The baseline scores for Costa Rica were last reviewed on May 9, 2026. Live intelligence (advisory, disaster alerts, health notices, news) refreshes automatically on the cadences described above.
Is this a substitute for an official travel advisory?
No. Travel Risk Calculator provides estimated risk information for planning purposes only. Always check your home country's official travel advisory and any health notices from your national health authority before traveling.
When is the best time to visit Costa Rica?
January–February is the most weather-stable two-month window in the stored 1991-2020 normals. The most weather-stable two-month window for Costa Rica is January–February, when typical daily temperatures run from about 17°C to 25°C and monthly rain averages 101 mm.
What is the rainy, hurricane, or severe-weather season in Costa Rica?
heavy rain season: May–December; hurricane season: June–November.
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Disclaimer
Travel Risk Calculator provides estimated travel-threat information for preparation purposes only. It does not replace official government advisories, medical advice, emergency alerts, immigration rules, insurance advice, police guidance, embassy information, or professional security consultation.