Costa Rica eSIM for Canadians: Guanacaste and Beyond (2026)
Costa Rica eSIM guide for Canadians: roaming costs from Bell, Rogers and Telus, the Claro 4G network, coverage in Guanacaste and Liberia, and easy setup.
ArriGo team 11 min read Updated
A Costa Rica eSIM gives you local mobile data from the moment you land in Liberia or San José, for far less than the $16 to $18 a day that Bell, Rogers and Telus charge for roaming. Our Costa Rica plans run on Claro’s 4G network, which covers the main towns, highways and beach areas, including Guanacaste.
Many Costa Rica trips mix beach days on the Pacific with a drive to a volcano or cloud forest. This guide covers what roaming in Costa Rica really costs, how the three local networks compare, what to expect from coverage in Guanacaste and the mountains, how much data you need and how to set up an eSIM from Canada before you fly.
Key takeaways
- Canadian carriers bill Costa Rica at their international rate: $16 a day with Bell and $18 a day with Rogers or Telus, per phone.
- Costa Rica has three national mobile operators: Claro, Kölbi and Liberty. Our Costa Rica plans use Claro on 4G.
- Claro had the fastest average 4G download speed in the regulator’s 2025 drive tests, at 55.1 Mbps.
- Expect weaker signal on remote dirt roads and in national parks, so download offline maps before you go.
- Install the eSIM at home on Wi-Fi. Its validity only starts when it first connects in Costa Rica.
How much does roaming in Costa Rica cost with Bell, Rogers and Telus?
Every big Canadian carrier treats Costa Rica as an international destination, which costs more than roaming in the United States. You pay the daily rate on each day your Canadian line uses data, calls or texts abroad, even if the only thing that happened was an app refreshing in the background.
| Carrier and plan | Daily rate in Costa Rica | 7 days | 10 days | 14 days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bell Roam Better | $16 | $112 | $160 | $224 |
| Rogers (daily roaming) | $18 | $126 | $180 | $252 |
| Telus Easy Roam | $18 | $126 | $180 | $252 |
Canadian dollars before tax, October 2026 rates, per phone. Bell caps charges at 20 days per line per billing period, according to its travel page. Rogers also sells International Travel Passes ($45 for 3 days, $75 for 7, $100 for 14 and $120 for 30) that can beat its daily rate on a longer trip; check the destination list on Rogers’ roaming page before you count on one.
A couple on a 10-day trip to Tamarindo pays roughly $320 to $360 in roaming, and a family of four pays double. The Government of Canada’s advice on using your phone outside Canada warns that phones keep using data in the background, which is how many travellers trigger a daily charge without opening a single app. Our Bell, Rogers and Telus roaming vs eSIM guide has a calculator for your exact dates.
Which network is best in Costa Rica?
Costa Rica has three national mobile operators: Claro, Kölbi and Liberty. All three run 3G and 4G networks across the country, and each has its strengths depending on how you measure.
The national telecom regulator, SUTEL, tests the networks every year with probes mounted in vehicles that drive the country’s main routes. Its 2025 results, reported by Teletica in December 2025, showed this:
| Operator | Average 4G download speed (SUTEL 2025) | 4G coverage accuracy (SUTEL 2025) |
|---|---|---|
| Claro | 55.1 Mbps | 84.8% |
| Kölbi | 36.1 Mbps | 71.8% |
| Liberty | 21.4 Mbps | 93.8% |
“Coverage accuracy” measures how closely each operator’s published coverage map matched what the probes found on the road. It is not the size of the network. Liberty’s map was the most reliable, while Claro was clearly the fastest where it had signal.
For a traveller, speed and a strong signal in the places tourists go matter most. Claro’s lead in 4G speed means maps load quickly, photos upload fast and video calls home stay sharp in the towns and beach areas where most visitors spend their days.
What network does our Costa Rica eSIM use?
Our Costa Rica plans connect to Claro on 4G. We say that plainly because some travel eSIMs advertise 5G everywhere. Claro does sell 5G to its own local customers, according to Claro Costa Rica, but our plans use its 4G network.
For a holiday that is not a drawback. Maps, WhatsApp, Instagram, email and video calls all run well on a good 4G signal. Our guide to 5G vs 4G when travelling explains why the “G” matters much less than signal strength once you leave home. You can see every network our plans use, country by country, on our networks page.
Does a Costa Rica eSIM work in Guanacaste and Liberia?
Yes. Guanacaste, the northwestern province that holds Liberia and the beach towns of Tamarindo, Playa del Coco, Playa Flamingo, Playa Conchal and Nosara, is where many trips start. Your eSIM works wherever Claro has signal, and the towns and main roads are where operators concentrate their networks.
Two things are worth knowing:
- The airport has free Wi-Fi. Guanacaste Airport (LIR) lists free Wi-Fi among its services, which is handy if you still need to finish setting up your eSIM. If you install at home, as we recommend, you will not need it.
- Signal fades on back roads. Some of the best beaches in Guanacaste and on the Nicoya Peninsula sit at the end of dirt roads. Expect weaker signal between towns, and download offline maps before you drive.
You can check Claro’s own coverage map for a specific beach or lodge before you book. If your accommodation is remote, ask the host about Wi-Fi as well.
Coverage in Arenal, Monteverde and the national parks
Most itineraries leave the coast for at least a few days. The Arenal area around La Fortuna, the cloud forests of Monteverde and the Caribbean coast are all popular, and each is different for mobile signal.
| Area | Type of terrain | Before you go |
|---|---|---|
| San José and the Central Valley | Cities and suburbs | Nothing special needed |
| Liberia and Guanacaste beach towns | Towns linked by highways and dirt roads | Download offline maps for the back roads |
| La Fortuna and Arenal | Small town below a volcano, trails in the forest | Download the area in Google Maps |
| Monteverde | Mountain village and cloud-forest reserves | Save your tour meeting point offline |
| Remote parks and peninsula roads | Forest, rivers and long unpaved stretches | Tell someone your route and carry a paper map |
This table is a planning guide, not a coverage map. Mobile signal depends on terrain, weather and how far you are from the nearest town, so check Claro’s coverage map for the places on your route and treat forest trails as offline until your phone shows otherwise.
Tip: In Google Maps, search for La Fortuna or Monteverde while you still have Wi-Fi and download the whole area. Driving directions then work offline as long as your route stays inside the saved map.
Costa Rica eSIM plans
When you compare plans for Costa Rica, focus on four things: the network, the data allowance, how long the plan is valid and whether it allows hotspot. Validity matters most, because a plan that starts the day you buy it wastes days before you even leave Canada.
- Network: our plans list Claro, on 4G.
- Validity that starts on arrival: the days begin when the eSIM first connects in Costa Rica, so you can install it weeks ahead.
- Hotspot: most plans allow it, which helps if you travel with a tablet or laptop. The plan page shows it under “Coverage & networks”.
- Data-only: your Canadian number stays on your phone for calls and texts.
Travelling as a family or a group of friends? You can buy up to 10 eSIMs in one order and send every QR code to your own email or each to its own address. Each eSIM installs on one phone only. Our guide to sharing mobile data with family abroad compares one plan per phone with sharing a hotspot.
How much data do you need in Costa Rica?
Most Canadians in Costa Rica spend their days outside and their evenings at a hotel or rental with Wi-Fi. That keeps mobile data needs modest. What uses data on the road is navigation, messages with tour operators, photos sent home and the occasional video call.
| Trip style | Typical use | Suggested plan |
|---|---|---|
| One week at an all-inclusive in Guanacaste | Messages, a few photos, maps on day trips | 3 to 5 GB |
| 10 days with a rental car | Navigation every day, WhatsApp, social media | 5 to 10 GB |
| Two weeks, coast and mountains | Navigation, social media, video calls, some hotspot | 10 to 20 GB |
| Remote work from a beach town | Video meetings and laptop hotspot | 20 GB or more |
These are our suggestions based on a typical mix of apps, not measured figures. Video is what moves you up a row: streaming and video calls use far more than maps or messaging. Our detailed guide to how much data you need when travelling explains the figures the app makers publish and how to cut your usage.
How to set up a Costa Rica eSIM before you fly
The setup takes about five minutes, and the best place to do it is at home on your own Wi-Fi. Validity only starts when the eSIM first connects to a network in Costa Rica, so installing it a week early costs you nothing.
- Check your phone. It must support eSIM and be unlocked. Our compatibility checker confirms it by model.
- Buy your Costa Rica plan. The QR code arrives by email, usually within about a minute.
- Install it on Wi-Fi. On iPhone, follow Apple’s eSIM setup guide. On Android, open Settings, find SIM manager or Network and internet, and add an eSIM by scanning the code.
- Label your lines. Name the new line “Costa Rica” and the old one “Canada” so you can tell them apart.
- When you land, turn on the Costa Rica line, switch on data roaming for that line and choose it for mobile data.
- Turn data roaming off on your Canadian line so your carrier cannot start a daily charge.
Apple’s guide to using Dual SIM with an eSIM explains that both lines can stay on while only one carries data. That is how you keep receiving bank codes by text on your Canadian number while all your data runs through the eSIM. Our guide to keeping your Canadian number with a dual SIM setup covers the details.
For model-by-model steps, see how to install an eSIM before you fly. If something goes wrong on arrival, our help centre and our guide to fixing an eSIM that is not working abroad walk through the usual causes.
Travel tips for Costa Rica with your phone
A working phone does more than post sunset photos. These points come from the Government of Canada’s travel advice for Costa Rica, which is worth reading in full before you go:
- Never leave your phone in the car. Break-ins are very common at beaches, parks, restaurants and hotel lots, and rental cars are frequent targets. Take your phone and passport with you, even for a short stop.
- Plan drives for daylight. Roads are often unpaved or in poor condition, the rainy season can make them impassable, and the advice is to avoid travelling at night. Check your route and timing on maps before you leave.
- Know the rainy season. Heavy rain from mid-May to late November can cause flooding and landslides. A data connection lets you check road conditions and weather on the day.
- Swim with care. Riptides are common, and very few beaches have lifeguards or warning signs.
- Carry US dollars or a card, not Canadian cash. The advice notes that Canadian dollars are extremely difficult to exchange, while credit cards are generally accepted.
Save these numbers in your phone: 911 for local emergencies, and the Government of Canada’s emergency line from Costa Rica, 0-800-015-1161, which is toll-free.
Tip: Save your tour, shuttle and rental confirmations as screenshots or PDFs before you leave the hotel Wi-Fi. If you end up somewhere without signal, you still have the meeting point and booking number.
Combining Costa Rica with another country?
A Costa Rica plan covers Costa Rica only. If you are adding Panama, Nicaragua or a stopover in the United States, you need data there too. Pick a plan for each stop from our destinations list, or look at a plan that lists every country on your route, such as our global plans. Heading to Mexico on another trip this winter? Our Mexico eSIM guide for Canadians covers it.
Your next step
Check your phone with our compatibility checker, then compare every Costa Rica eSIM plan by data and validity. Install it at home on Wi-Fi, switch it on when you land in Liberia or San José, and keep data roaming off on your Canadian line for the whole trip. New to eSIMs? Start with how an eSIM works.
Frequently asked questions
Which network does a Costa Rica eSIM use?
Our Costa Rica plans connect to Claro on its 4G network. Claro is one of the country's three national operators, alongside Kölbi and Liberty, and recorded the fastest average 4G download speed in the regulator's 2025 drive tests.
Does a Costa Rica eSIM work in Guanacaste and Liberia?
Yes, it works wherever Claro has signal, and you can check a specific town or beach on Claro's coverage map before you book. Expect weaker signal on remote dirt roads and in national parks, so download offline maps before you head out.
Is there 5G in Costa Rica?
Claro has started offering 5G to its own customers in Costa Rica, but our Costa Rica plans run on Claro's 4G network. For maps, messaging, social media and video calls, 4G is more than enough.
How much does it cost to use my Canadian phone in Costa Rica?
Costa Rica is billed at the international roaming rate: $16 a day with Bell and $18 a day with Rogers or Telus, per phone, in October 2026. A 10-day trip comes to $160 to $180 per phone before tax.
Do I get a Costa Rican phone number with a travel eSIM?
No. Our plans are data-only, so your Canadian number stays on your phone for calls and texts. Apps such as WhatsApp, iMessage and FaceTime work normally over the eSIM data.
Can I install my Costa Rica eSIM before leaving Canada?
Yes, and that is the best way to do it. Install it at home on Wi-Fi; the plan's days only start counting when the eSIM first connects to a network in Costa Rica.
