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 you 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

You need an eSIM‑ready, unlocked phone and a Wi‑Fi connection. After purchasing an eSIM plan, they’ll provide a QR code, activation code, or installation option through their app. Your phone uses this to download the carrier profile directly onto its built‑in chip. Go to your phone’s Settings and open the SIM or Network section (often called “SIM Manager” or “Add SIM”). From there, choose “Add eSIM” to scan your QR code or enter your activation details. Once the eSIM is installed, check your roaming settings under “Mobile Network” or “SIM settings” to enable or disable data roaming as needed. Turn off roaming on your physical SIM and enable roaming only on your eSIM. This ensures your home SIM won’t generate roaming charges, while your eSIM handles all mobile data and connectivity abroad.

Roaming lets your SIM connect to a foreign network so you can still call, text, and use mobile data outside your home country. Roaming can lead to extra charges, especially for mobile data. That’s why many travelers turn roaming off on their physical SIM from home and use an eSIM travel plan instead for Costa Rica. Turning off roaming only disables mobile data on foreign networks. Your physical SIM can still connect to the foreign network for calls and SMS, unless you disable the SIM entirely. Answering calls and receiving SMS can have additional costs for using a foreign network. Check this with your provider. 

This is to give you an idea of how it works. Details may vary per personal situation. Check your own situation to avoid unwanted roaming costs when traveling abroad. eSIM brands usually also provide tutorials and explanations on how to set up their eSIM on your phone. 

Comparing eSIM

For my Costa Rica trip in 2026, I compared several eSIM options. Although in the end I did not chose an eSIM but a Costa Rica package from my provider from home I still share my comparison with you.

I need connectivity, while on the road, mainly for navigation (Waze) and communication (WhatsApp and email). For browsing and social media, I rely on WiFi at our accommodations. I figured that a bundle of 5 GB should be a good start, probably sufficient for at least two weeks. I have compared Airalo, BNESIM, Maya Mobile, Nomad, Saily, and Yesim. You can see the details of the comparison in the table below.

Important for me was that I would choose from established brands, taking into account which Costa Rican network they use to have acceptable coverage throughout the country, and the price. While Kolbi is said to have the best coverage nationwide, Claro is, for me, an acceptable second. So for me, one of those two networks was a must when traveling around the country.

• (!) Depending on the two underlying technical providers you either get the Liberty or Claro network. You know which network you get after you purchased an eSIM.
• Comparison made in April 2026. Conditions per eSIM provider are subject to regular change. Check their website for the most actual information.  You can follow the links above to get Costa Rica details of the various brands.

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. Both BNESIM and Yesim fell in the same lowest price range, where the Yesim bundle was valid for 15 days against 30 days with BNESIM. Both connect to the Claro network. Positive about Yesim is that the eSIM switches between both Liberty and Claro networks. I suppose it offers the best of two worlds, where you will have the stronger connection of Liberty where available and otherwise Claro in more remote areas. 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.

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