Kolbi, Claro, and Liberty are the leading SIM providers in Costa Rica. Kolbi, run by the state, consistently offers the most reliable nationwide coverage and performs best in rural regions, national parks, and mountainous areas where other networks often weaken. Claro is said to be second best, also making it a reliable choice for travelers. Liberty delivers the fastest urban performance, especially in San José, though its rural coverage is less robust. Overall, for the widest and most dependable coverage across Costa Rica, Kolbi should be the top pick, with Claro as a close second, but that does not mean they provide good coverage everywhere in the country.

Physical SIM

If you want to stay connected while traveling in Costa Rica, you are able to buy a Kolbi or Clara SIM card upon arrival. There are booths at the airport and personel that will help you instal the SIM card. When you purchase a physical SIM card you will need to present your passport. This has to do with the Costa Rican eKIY registration legislation.

Be aware of scams where people try to sell you a prepaid SIM card that actually contains less data than they say. Always buy your Kolbi or Clara SIM at an official booth, an official store (usually found in large malls, or supermarket like Pali, MaxiPali or Mas x Menos. Even local neighborhood grocery stores, called pulperías, often carry them. To recharge your prepaid SIM card, visit any supermarket, pharmacy, or other store with the provider's logo and tell the cashier that you want a recarga. You will need to provide your Costa Rican phone number.

Provider from Home

Have you checked with your provider from home? They might offer good connectivity plans for Costa Rica. In my case my own provider offered a lucrative package for Costa Rica using the Kolbi network. A bit more expensive compared to some of the eSIM options described below, but without the hashle of having to set up a different SIM card and changing the settings of the existing one. Taking the Kolbi network into account this makes up for the price difference and was the best option for me compared to a Costa Rican SIM card or eSIM.

eSIM

An eSIM does the same job as a physical SIM, but it’s built directly into your device instead of being a removable plastic card. Most modern phones support eSIM, but before diving into the world of eSIM, you should check if your phone does. An eSIM allows you to store mobile carrier profiles digitally, letting you activate or switch carriers without inserting a physical SIM. There are a lot of brands offering eSIM options that allow you to purchase a data plan through their mobile app. These data plans are usually a bit more expensive than buying a regular prepaid SIM card and usually only contain data options without minutes for phone calls. But they have some advantages, like being able to set up your connectivity before arrival, and you do not have to switch physical SIM cards.

How Does it Work

To set up an eSIM for Costa Rica, ensure your phone is unlocked, eSIM-ready, and connected to Wi-Fi. After buying a plan, go to your phone's settings under "SIM Manager," "Network," or "Add SIM," and select "Add eSIM" to scan the provided QR code, enter the activation code, or install it directly via the provider's app to download the carrier profile. To avoid high home-carrier fees while traveling, disable data roaming on your physical SIM and enable it exclusively on your eSIM. Keep in mind that turning off data roaming on your physical SIM still allows incoming calls and SMS, which your primary provider may charge for. Check their rates beforehand or disable the physical SIM entirely. Specific setup steps vary by device and carrier, so review your brand’s tutorial and double-check your settings before departure.

Comparing eSIM

For my Costa Rica trip in 2026, I compared several established providers. Although in the end I choose a Costa Rica package deal from my provider at home (Odido). I still share my comparison with you. Note that the networks that eSIM providers use are at the time I made this comparison. I have compared Airalo, Saily, and Yesim.

Airalo is a brand I like due to their user-friendly app, clear information, and useful help topics. Unfortunately for Costa Rica, they currently only offer plans with the Liberty network in a higher price range. Despite the Liberty network, many Costa Rica travelers are positive about Airalo and Saily. A higher price range might also indicate that they have premium contracts with Costa Rican providers which gives them higher data priority and more stable speeds compared to cheaper eSIM providers that might disapoint in terms of connectivity. Positive about Yesim is that the eSIM switches between both Liberty and Claro networks. Unfortunately, the Yesim app was not available for me in the Google Play Store due to regional limitations.

eSIM Activation

Make sure you check when your eSIM validity period will be activated after you make a purchase. Conditions vary between brands. For example, with Airalo, the eSIM should be automatically activated as soon as your phone connects with the network. For BNESIM, you can set an activation date during your purchase (which you can change afterward). If you do not set an activation date, the validity is said to start directly after the purchase. Something to take into account because you probably buy an eSIM in advance before your trip starts.

ID Identification

I noted that Airalo requests ID identification when making an e-SIM purchase for Costa Rica. It might be that these eSIM providers ask for an ID identification when you purchase an eSIM plan for Costa Rica. This has to do with the Costa Rican eKIY registration legislation. This is similar to when you buy a regular prepaid SIM card in Costa Rica. Whether this is required by the eSIM provider depends on if they provide a local eSIM directly or if they use a roaming construction with, for example, international SIM cards.

Airalo, Saily, Yesim

If you found the information on this page useful and after doing your own research to see which brand fits you best you decide to go with Airalo, Saily or Yesim, please use the affiliate widget or buttons. If you click through and make a purchase, I may earn a commission at no additional cost to you and this way you support this website. The following promo codes are available for these brands:

• For Airalo, use NEWTOAIRALO15 to get 15% discount to new users and AIRALOESIM10 to get 10% discount for existing users.
• For Yesim, use FALLY20 on your first purchase to get a 20% discount.

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