eSIMs in Costa Rica: Real Cost, Speed, and What Nobody's Testing

Your flight lands in San José on a Tuesday. You've got a client call at 10am local time. Your phone has an eSIM from one of the big brands: Airalo, Holafly, whoever showed up first in a search. It has four bars of signal but enough latency to turn your sprint review into a game of freeze‑tag. You spend the next two hours on hotel Wi‑Fi, cursing the US$15 you tossed at a promise of "4G Costa Rica coverage."

This is the actual experience described in forums like r/digitalnomad and r/costariｃa, where threads ask the same question: which eSIM actually works for remote work? We set out to answer it. We gathered every published speed test, operator roting rate, retail eSIM offering, and refund policy we could find for Costa Rica as of September 2026. What we found is not a clean verdict. It’s a cluster of contradictions, hidden traps, and a regulatory change that will surprise evne experience nomads.

This article gives you those findings exactly as they are, so you can buy a plan with your eyes open.

At a glance

• The speed number you can trust? There isn’t one. The most detailed published test of eSIM speeds in Costa Rica is internally contradictory, reporting both a 25 Mbps average and a 189 Mbps average on the same page (travelesimreviews.com). We unpack both figures later.
• The fastest real‑world performance we can confirm comes from Roami, who measured Claro’s download at 84.51 Mbps and recommends Claro for nomads (roamiapp.com). Note that Claro is a local operator, not an eSIM brand: but this is the network your travel eSIM will roam onto.
• The cheapest data you can buy right now appears to be an 8 GB / 1‑day eSIM priced at US$4.06 (US$0.51/GB) on an aggregator (esims.io). That’s steeply discounted per byte, but useless beyond a single day.
• The refund rule that can lock you in: Once you scan the QR code, most providers consider the eSIM “activated” and will not refund, even if it fails to connect (esimpass.com).

The speed test numbers that can’t both be true

Travel eSIM Reviews published a Costa Rica speed test page that says, as a bolded introduction:

Costa Rica eSIM connections deliver 25 Mbps average download on Kolbi’s 4G LTE network. Performance ranks in the developing bracket. HelloRoam delivered the best speed‑to‑value ratio across our testing.

Yet further down the same page, we read:

Our Costa Rica eSIM speed tests measured 189 Mbps average download on local carrier’s 4G LTE network and 159 Mbps on secondary carrier.

Both claims sit on the same page (travelesimreviews.com), with the data noted as collected in May 2026. The author explains the test as a median of 5 runs per provider on Kolbi’s network. That methodology doesn’t explain the 164 Mbps gap. Perhaps one figure is a single best‑case run while the other is an average across all test spots, but we cannot tell.

For a remote worker, this matters. A stable 25 Mbps down is usually enough for Zoom, Slack, and web browsing. But at 8‑10 Mbps, video calls start to degrade. If you read “25 Mbps” and assume you’ll get that everywhere, you could be disappointed when real‑world congestion knocks you down to single digits. If you read “189 Mbps” and plan your whole month around a lightning‑fast connection, you could be equally set up for a fall.

The takeaway: do not anchor your purchase on any single speed number for a Costa Rica eSIM right now. The published data is far too noisy.

Costa Rica’s actual network: what your eSIM will actually touch

Travel eSIMs in Costa Rica connect through one of two main 4G networks: Kolbi (ICE) and Claro. A third network, Telefonicade Costa Rica TC,S.A., has a 5G presence, listed in NoveSIM’s Costa Rica page (novesim.com). So from a network option standpoint, you’ve got two reliable 4G carriers and one emerging 5G network.

But there’s a regulatory catch that few eSIM comparison pages mention. Since 1 September 2025, Costa Rica has required 5G SA tests in the 3.5 GHz (n78) band for device homologation, and the testing must be carried out by a SUTEL‑accredited laboratory with operator‑specific SIM or eSIM profiles (eleoscompliance.com). In plain words: if a 5G phone or eSIM was not explicitly tested against Kolbi’s or Claro’s n78 network in a local lab, you might not see a 5G icon at all. This matters because many international eSIM brands likely haven’t passed that hurdle yet.

For now, plan on 4G, and be glad if you happen to catch 5G.

The operator price anchor: what Kolbi charges, and why it matters

To know whether a travel eSIM is a good or bad deal, you need a baseline. Kolbi’s own prepaid roting rates, published on its site, show mobile internet at ₡0.012 per kilobyte, outgoing calls at ₡52 per minute (kolbi.cr). Let’s do the math:

• 1 MB = about ₡12.29
• 100 MB = ₡1,229
• 1 GB = roughly ₡12,582, which is just under US$20 at current exchange rates.

That’s for domestic prepaid roting, not a data pack. No local user pays that way; they buy bundled data packs. But it sets a refernce: if your travel eSIM costs you more than about US$2 per GB, it’s underperforming what a local prepaid pack likely costs. The difficulty, as we’ll see, is that most eSIM plans only achieve US$3‑$4 per GB for multi‑day stays.

The eSIM pricing shelf: what you can actually buy

We combed aggregators and vendor sites for concrete eSIM prices specific to Costa Rica that were live in September 2026. What follows is not a tidy 5‑brand comparison because the market does not provide one. Instead, you get a view of the spectrum and the hidden costs.

A few immediate observations:

• The ultra‑cheap 8 GB plan is real but restricted to a single day. For a remote worker, that’s impractical.
• A multi‑day usable plan (sim.do 10 GB/30 days) costs about US$3.60 per GB, a long way from the anchor price of a local data pack.
• Holafly’s “unlimited” from €7 is a mystery box without a visible duration. You could end up paying the same €7 every day or every 3 days if it’s short‑validity.
• Holafly’s monthly global unlimited at US$49.90 might be a decent pick for long stays if you’re a heavy user, but we can’t confirm it includes Costa Rica without throttling.

What you give up with each option

Every plan type we found forces a trade‑off:

• Ultra‑short, ultra‑cheap (esims.io 8 GB/$4.06)

Pros: absurdly low cost per byte. Cons: dead after 24 hours; no use for even a full workweek. Carrier unknown.

• Short‑trip no‑fuss (eSIMX 2 GB/$6.80)

Pros: fast setup, immediate activation. Cons: costly per GB; 2 GB isn’t enough for a day of video calls, making you stack multiple plans at US$6.80 each.

• Workable week or month (sim.do 10 GB/30 days)

Pros: realistic multi‑day use; price per GB becomes acceptable for the convenience of not having to renew daily. Cons: you’re paying for 30 days even if you stay only a week; no 5G support visible.

• The unlimited gamble (Holafly Costa Rica from €7)

Pros: no data cap. Cons: duration hidden; if the plan is a 1‑day product, you could be spending €49–70 over a week, far exceeding the sim.do 30‑day cost.

The refund two‑step: scan equals goodbye money

Before you experiment with any plan, understand how most eSIM sellers define activation. eSIMPass is explicit:

“La ‘Activación’ se define como el momento en que se escanea el código QR de la eSIM y se importa/instala el perfil de la eSIM en tu dispositivo. Una vez escaneada e instalada, la eSIM se considera activada y no se puede reembolsar, independentemente de si te has conectado a una red móvil o has utilizado algún dato.” (esimpass.com)

That policy was last updated on 9 February 2026. In practice, once you scan, you own it: even if the eSIM never finds a signal. Another provider, Gigago, offers a 100% refund if the eSIM was not installed (QR not scanned) and the request is made within 30 days (gigago.com). However, Gigago’s policy lists dozens of non‑eligible situations, including installing in the wrong country, device incompatibility, and user configuration errors.

One important exception: Kolbi has a co‑branded eSIM with Airalo, advertising a 20% discount (kolbi.cr). But Kölbi’s terms disclaim all liability: the purchase, installation, support, and refunds are all Airalo’s responsibility. That partnership may give you a slightly cheaper access to Airalo’s Costa Rica network, but you’re still bound by Airalo’s terms.

Your safest path is to buy a cheap test plan first, install it while on Wi‑Fi, confirm data flows, and only then buy a longer plan. Do not assume you can get your money back.

Why your eSIM might not work (and how to fix it)

Even when a plan is theoretically active, many failures stem from simple device settings. NoveSIM’s troubleshooting guide for Costa Rica calls out the common culprits: a disabled line, wrong SIM selected for mobile data, Data Roaming off, or incomplete network registration (novesim.com).

Here’s an ordered checklist to run, connected to Wi‑Fi where possible:

1. Turn on Data Roaming for the eSIM line.
2. Ensure the eSIM line is enabled and set as the default for mobile data.
3. Disable your primary line’s data temporarily to avoid conflict.
4. Manually select the network: go to Settings > Mobile Networks and pick Claro or Kolbi (ICE) if automatic selection fails.
5. Check the APN: some eSIM providers require a specific string. Look it up in the eSIM’s instructions.

The 5G regulatory twist you won’t see in ads

We touched on this earlier, but it deserves its own call‑out because the usual travel eSIM sellers ignore it. From 1 September 2025, new devices supporting the n78 band (3.5 GHz) must pass 5G SA tests in a SUTEL‑accredited lab using operator‑specific SIM/eSIM profiles before they can be approved for sale in Costa Rica (eleoscompliance.com). This rule is aimed at device manufacturers, but the requirement to test with operator‑specific eSIM profiles means that an eSIM from a reseller who hasn’t run these tests may never attach to 5G on Kolbi or Claro.

If your remote work involves huge file transfers that justify the 5G premium, you’ll want to verify explicitly with the eSIM provider whether they have passed Costa Rica’s n78 certification. In all likelihood, you’ll be running on 4G, and that’s okay for most tasks.

Decision tree: pick your plan type

Given everything above, the best strategy is not picking a brand; it’s picking a type of plan that matches your actual stomp.

• If you’ll be in Costa Rica for more than 30 days

→ Skip travel eSIMs altogether and buy a local Kolbi or Claro prepaid SIM, ideally an eSIM if you can get one at the shop. Their monthly data packs will almost certainly undercut any travel reseller. (We couldn’t retrieve current monthly rates, but the per‑kilobyte roting rate strongly suggests that local packs are cheaper per GB.) As a backup, Holafly’s US$49.90/month unlimited global plan is worth considering if you use massive data.

• If you’re staying 7–30 days and need steady connectivity

→ Start with the cheapest short‑validity plan you can find (the esims.io 8 GB/$4.06 is fine for a single‑day test) to confirm the eSIM connects and speed is acceptable at your location. Then buy a 30‑day plan such as sim.do’s 10 GB for €32.99. Use your test day’s data usage to estimate whether 10 GB is enough. If it is, lock it in.

• If your trip is shorter than a week

→ Accept a higehr per‑day cost. The eSIMX 2 GB/day plan at $6.80 is usable for email and light browsing, but you’ll need to stack them. A better path is to buy the sim.do 30‑day plan and call the unused days a sunk cost: US$36 for a week is not unreasonable.

• If you absolutely need “unlimited”

→ Confront the duration question with the provider before buying. Ask: “How long does the unlimited data last?” If it’s a day, you’re not saving money versus a multi‑day plan unless you routinely burn through 10 GB in 24 hours. Also, ask what “unlimited” means in practice: does speed drop after a certain usage?

Rule of thumb: Always test with a small, refund‑safe plan first. There is no reliable way to predict speeds from a spec sheet.

Worked example: one week as a remote worker in Costa Rica

You fly into San José on a Monday and need solid data until Sunday. You estimate 5 GB will be enough for Zoom, Slack, and some project management. Let’s run three paths using only the plans we confirmed.

Path 1: The ultra‑cheap route Buy the esims.io 8 GB / 1 day plan for US$4.06 and plan to do all your heavy‑download work on Monday. That works brilliantly for one day, but you have six more days to cover. To get through the week, you could buy six further 1‑day plans of different types; the cheapest we found beyond the single $4.06 deal is eSIMX’s 2 GB at $6.80/day. That’s 6 × $6.80 = $40.80, plus the $4.06 = $44.86 total. And you’d have to manage activation each day. Not practical.

Path 2: The mid‑range workhorse Buy sim.do’s 10 GB / 30 days for US$36. You get the whole 10 GB upfront. Over 7 days, your effective cost is US$5.14/day. If you use 5 GB, you’re paying about $7.20 per used GB, but you have 5 GB left for the next trip or as a buffer. This path is the simplest and provides consistent connectivity without daily hassle.

Path3: “Unlimited” blackbox Choose Holafly’s Costa Rica unlimited from €7. If by chance this plan lasts a week, you pay about US$7.60 and call it a win. If it lasts only a day, the weekly bill becomes roughly US$53—sharply worse than Path 2. Without disclosed validity, you’re gambling.

Path4: Kolbi + Airalo (unproven) Kolbi’s co‑branded Airalo eSIM comes with a 20% discount, but Airalo’s standard Costa Rica eSIM pricing isn’t published in our sources. If you can find it and the 20% delivers a <US$3/GB price over a week, that’s worth trying, but you’ll have to research the exact Airalo tariff yourself.

In all cases, you lose the ability to predict performance. None of these plans specify a minimum speed; all rely on Kolbi’s or Claro’s 4G infrastructure, which can fluctuate. A Zoom call might hold at 10 Mbps, or it might drop. If your work depends on contiguous 10‑15 Mbps, have a backup plan, a local SIM purchased at the airport, even if that falls outside the pure eSIM scope.

What the data still can’t answer

This article would not exist if the information were clean. Here’s what we set out to find and could not:

• A per‑brand speed test (Airalo, Nomad, Holafly, etc.) for Costa Rica anywhere public.
• A consistent average download speed. The most‑cited test contradicts itself.
• Actual 5G performance for any eSIM.
• Any Zoom or video‑call reliability measurement (jitter, packet loss) for Costa Rica plans.
• Official prepaid eSIM data packs from Kolbi or Claro: we retrieved only per‑kilobyte roting tariffs.
• Holafly’s “unlimited” duration: still a black box.

Until someone runs a controlled, independent speed test in multiple nomad spots (Tamarindo, San José, Puerto Viejo) across the major eSIM brands, the advice above is the best you can operate on.

Frequently asked questions

Can I trust the “25 Mbps average” figure? No, because the same source throws out 189 Mbps. Treat both as noise, not a planning figure.

Is 5G available on Costa Rica eSIMs? A network exists, but due to Costa Rica’s n78 testing rule, many 5G devices and eSIMs haven’t been certified locally. Assume 4G.

What’s the cheapest eSIM for a one‑day trip? The esims.io 8 GB / $4.06 listing, if you can actually purchase it (the aggregator may link to a reseller that still carries the plan).

If I buy an eSIM and it doesn’t work, can I get a refund? Almost certainly not once you’ve scanned the QR. Gigago is the rare exception that offers full refunds for uninstalled eSIMs within 30 days.

Should I use an eSIM at all if I’ll be in Costa Rica a month? Local prepaid SIMs will likely be far cheaper. Get a Kolbi or Claro eSIM directly from the operator store if your phone supports it.

Can I run a VPN over these eSIMs? Yes. We’ve tested VPN latencies with travel eSIMs in other countries; see our Airalo vs Saily VPN‑friendly comparison for methodology that applies here too.

The bottom line

You can get connected from Costa Rica with a travel eSIM. But you cannot do it with the kind of certainty that a proper head‑to‑head test would give. The numbers are contradictory, the pricing requires unpacking, and the refund policies are rigged against the buyer.

The move that costs you the least in money and time is to start with the smallest, cheapest plan you can find, test it exactly where you’ll work, and only then buy in bulk. And if you’re also planning work from Tbilisi or other nomad hubs, the same test‑first approach we used there holds true, check out our eSIM data plan guide for Tbilisi remote work.