What does emigrating to Costa Rica cost?
Answer a few short questions and you have an honest range for your situation. Every item shows whether it's a checked rate or an estimate. On the application side you pay few fees, but a lot of lawyer. The change of category of 200 dollars is in the law. The rest of the application costs sits in the file, which almost everyone has lodged by a Costa Rican lawyer. The money sits in three other items. The move across the ocean pays duties and VAT since 14 July 2026. The car you don't take along. And two premiums return every month: your own policy and the Caja. That is why they aren't in this one-off count, but they are in the step-by-step plan.
Looking for the whole route to Costa Rica, not just the costs? See the steps, the order and the paperwork →
A rough indication for your situation
A few short questions, and you get a range instead of an amount. That's deliberate: an exact figure would suggest a precision nobody has.
Count on a total of
€ 4.800 – € 11.600
Where does that difference come from?
- The first months€ 2.800 – € 6.500
- The lawyer, the DGME fees and the DIMEX€ 1.100 – € 2.800
Below you'll find per item where the upper and the lower limit come from.
- Aanvraag en papieren
- € 1.400 – € 3.600
- De verhuizing
- € 500 – € 1.200
- De eerste maanden
- € 2.900 – € 6.900
Every item, one by onePer item the amount, the source and whether it's a rate or an estimate
Aanvraag en papieren
- The change of category from tourist to resident€ 150 – € 250
- The lawyer, the DGME fees and the DIMEX(estimate)€ 1.100 – € 2.800
Almost everyone has the file lodged and followed by a Costa Rican lawyer. Market prices are 1,000 to 2,500 dollars per file; a couple usually has one file with a surcharge. On top come the deposit at the DGME, the immigration service, on lodging, and the post. After the approval you pay the fees for the DIMEX, the residence card for foreigners; those fees differ per category. Family members ride along on the same file, but each count for their own fees and card.
- Apostilles, police certificate and official translations(estimate)€ 150 – € 500
The amount depends on the number of documents. The pension statement, the birth certificate and the police certificate each get an apostille from the court (€ 27 per document, 2026 rate). A couple adds the marriage certificate. The translation is done in Costa Rica, by an official translator of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, at dollar rates per page. Certificate and police certificate may be at most six months old, so the top counts on doing it over once.
De verhuizing
- Flights(estimate)€ 500 – € 1.200
One way from Amsterdam to San José: direct in a good eleven hours, or with a connection in Madrid or the United States. The amount depends on the season and the luggage. Whoever travels with extra suitcases because the container comes later pays the top.
De eerste maanden
- The first months(estimate)€ 2.800 – € 6.500
This covers the deposit and rent paid in advance, furnishing what didn't come along, and the months in which you still run double. In Costa Rica the deposit is usually one month, in dollars. On top come the waiting months for the DGME. In that time you live without a Costa Rican bank account and on your Dutch policy. The rents vary: the Central Valley is affordable, Escazú and the coast of Guanacaste charge the American rate.
- Bank, phone and the first counters(estimate)€ 60 – € 250
- Homologating the driving licence(estimate)€ 40 – € 150
And if you buy a house?
This calculation assumes renting: the first months include deposit and rent in advance.
If you buy, count on 3 to 6% of the purchase price on top of this amount. On a home of € 250,000 that's € 7.500 to € 15.000.
The transfer tax is 1.5 percent on the higher of purchase price and fiscal value. On top come the registry stamps and the notary, who drafts the deed and has it registered. The twenty percent discount on the transfer tax from the law of 2021 closed with that law on 14 July 2026.
Note: buying isn't simply allowed here
The first two hundred metres from the high-water line belong to the state. The first fifty metres are public and cannot be owned. The next hundred and fifty you only get in concession from the municipality: a right of use for a fixed term. A foreigner who hasn't lived there five years yet doesn't get that concession, and neither does a company that is more than half foreign. Outside that you buy anywhere in your own name.
An order of magnitude based on averages, not a quote. The real amounts depend on your occupation, your route, the season and dozens of choices you still have to make.
Rates checked on 11 September 2026.
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One thing you can sort out today
Closing down the Netherlands is the same work for everyone, wherever you're going. With the letter pack you enter your details once, and every cancellation and notification letter is ready: health insurance, rent, employer, bank, pension fund. Each comes with the date by which it has to go out. € 49 one-off, and it's also included in every plan.
In Vertrekklaar you get the complete picture of your own costs, with your route, your documents and your deadlines.
From range to your own budget
The calculator above works with a few questions, but the journey itself knows more. In Vertrekklaar the same model calculates with your real situation: who's coming, and whether the household contents and the pet come along. It also watches the clocks: the 180 days of your tourist stay, the six months' validity of certificate and certificate of conduct, and the renewal before your card expires. A one-off € 399, no subscription.
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Every step on one list, free
Not ready to start yet? Then you get the departure checklist for Costa Rica: every step in order, to print and tick off. With it, five mails in a week and a half about the pitfalls and the real costs. If the rules for Costa Rica change, you'll hear about it. After that we ask once where your plans stand, send one offer, and now and then one thing that fits your moment. No newsletter, and you can switch it off at any time.
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