Safety in Costa Rica 2026: What the Numbers Say and What Foreigners Actually Face
COSTA RICA · EXPAT GUIDE
Key Facts
- —The trend 520 killings to 24 August, against 570 in the same period of 2025. A fall of 8.8 percent.
- —The cause Around two thirds of killings are score-settling between local drug groups.
- —The foreigners 136 foreign nationals were killed in 2025. Ninety-two were Nicaraguan migrants.
- —The real risk Burglary. There was one house robbery or theft complaint roughly every 90 minutes.
- —The water The Red Cross counted 128 deaths in water in 2025, after a record 143 the year before.
- —The catch Three provinces are getting worse this year: Cartago, Puntarenas and Limon.
Six American citizens were murdered here in the whole of 2025. Dozens drown every year in the surf. The gap between those two numbers is the most useful thing in this guide.
Costa Rica ended 2025 with 873 killings, the third worst year on record. The rate was 16.7 for every 100,000 people.
The record year was 2023, with 907. The following year was revised down to 876.
This year the count is falling. To 24 August there had been 520 killings against 570 in the same period of 2025.
That is a drop of 8.8 percent. Note the date, because the gap has been narrowing since July.
Through the spring the fall was running at 13 percent. August alone brought 65 killings against 49 a year earlier.
Who Is Being Killed, and Why
The judicial police attribute around two thirds of killings to score-settling between drug groups. Almost a fifth of this year’s cases still have no established motive.
Strip those out and the share rises to about three quarters of classified cases. This is a fight over neighbourhood-level distribution, not international trafficking.
In 2025, 78 percent of victims were shot. Ninety percent were male and 60 percent were aged between twelve and thirty-five.
Eighty-five people were killed as bystanders, nearly one in ten of the total. Investigators blame inexperienced young gunmen missing their targets.
Where It Happens
Three provinces carried 68 percent of the 2025 total. San Jose had 293 killings, Limon 172 and Puntarenas 130.
This year the map is splitting. Four provinces are down, but Cartago is up by twelve, Puntarenas by eight and Limon by two.
Cartago used to be among the calmest provinces. It now has a territorial war between two local groups.
Police recovered 92 rifle indicators at one double killing there in August. That is a measure of the firepower involved.
Police attribute the coastal increases to groups reorganising after leadership arrests. An operation in June removed the heads of one Caribbean organisation.
What This Means for Foreigners
Foreign nationals made up 136 of the 2025 victims. Ninety-two of them were Nicaraguan, six were American and thirty-eight were other nationalities.
That over-representation is about poverty and geography, not nationality. Nicaraguan migrants live in the same marginal neighbourhoods where the drug conflict is fought.
Six American deaths in a year, against well over a million American visitors, is a very small number. The surf kills far more of them.
But foreigners are deliberately targeted for a different set of crimes. The United States embassy said so plainly in a country-wide alert in November 2025.
It reported gangs targeting foreign-owned homes and businesses for robbery, break-ins and extortion. It also reported foreigners being forced to withdraw large sums from cash machines or to make bank transfers.
Short-term rentals were named specifically. Break-ins and armed robberies at holiday lets have been reported repeatedly.
The Crime You Will Probably Meet
Between January 2025 and late May 2026 there were 7,543 complaints of house robbery or theft. That is roughly one every 90 minutes.
The judicial police say most are opportunistic rather than organised. Unlocked doors, forced latches and misplaced trust in household help account for a large share.
The timing has shifted. Burglaries used to cluster late on Friday nights and now cluster on Thursday mornings.
Property crime overall runs at about 78 complaints a day. Snatch theft and street robbery together are more than half of it.
Roughly a quarter of property-crime victims are foreign nationals. Car break-ins are very common, and rental and luxury vehicles are the preferred target.
Two specific tricks are worth knowing. One is a signal jammer that stops your key fob locking the car, so always check the door by hand.
The other is the staged problem: a slashed tyre, a helpful stranger, or a deliberate minor collision. The advice from three governments is the same, which is to drive on to a police station.
Which Places Are Riskier
By rate of property crime, the worst cantons are Garabito, San Jose and Quepos. Six of the top ten are coastal.
Canada names the Coca-Cola terminal district and inner downtown of the capital for theft. On the Pacific it names Dominical, Jaco, Manuel Antonio, Quepos and the Cobano area.
On the Caribbean side it names Cahuita, Puerto Limon and Puerto Viejo. Those three come up repeatedly in every advisory.
For violent assaults on travellers it names Puerto Limon and Puerto Viejo in particular. Britain warns that gang shootings have reached places popular with visitors.
Escazu, Santa Ana, Atenas, Grecia and Playa del Coco appear on no official risk list. That reflects the absence of drug-conflict killings, not an absence of burglary risk.
Be careful with beach statistics. Tamarindo and Nosara show high killing rates per head because their permanent populations are tiny.
The actual counts in those districts are low single figures. A rate built on a small denominator is not comparable to a city.
Roads, Water and Volcanoes
Roads killed 572 people in 2025 and 425 in the first eight months of this year. Motorcyclists were 58 percent of those deaths.
Excess speed caused 146 of them and crossing into the oncoming lane another 81. Riding a motorcycle here is many times riskier per kilometre than driving.
The Red Cross counted 128 deaths in water last year, after a record 143 in 2024. Rip currents are common on any beach and lifeguards are often absent.
Crocodiles are a genuine hazard on the central Pacific shore, with attacks in recent years. Britain also warns about methanol in cheap local spirits, which cannot be tasted or smelled.
Rincon de la Vieja volcano has been erupting repeatedly since July. A green alert was declared on 2 September for five districts in Upala and Liberia.
Practical Rules
Report crimes to the judicial police, not the uniformed force. Many foreigners report to the wrong body and never get a case number.
Emergencies go through 911. Verify anyone presenting themselves as an official and ask to see identification.
Check what your insurance excludes before you need it. Surfing, zip-lining, quad biking and rock climbing are commonly outside standard travel cover.
One change you will notice on the ground: from September police are being rotated between provinces every few months. The stated aim is to stop officers putting down roots that criminal groups can exploit.
More: Latin America news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Costa Rica getting safer in 2026?
Nationally yes. Killings fell 8.8 percent to 24 August, though Cartago, Puntarenas and Limon all recorded increases.
Are foreigners targeted?
Rarely for murder, often for property. The United States embassy warned in November 2025 that gangs target foreign-owned homes and force victims to withdraw cash.
What is the biggest real risk?
Drowning and the roads. Dozens of American visitors die in the surf each year, against six murdered in the whole of 2025.
Which areas should I avoid?
Canada names inner downtown of the capital, Dominical, Jaco, Manuel Antonio, Quepos, Cahuita, Puerto Limon and Puerto Viejo for theft.
Where do I report a crime?
To the judicial police, which investigates, rather than to the uniformed force. Emergencies go through 911.
Sources: Organismo de Investigacion Judicial, Observatorio de la Violencia, COSEVI, Cruz Roja Costarricense, US Embassy San Jose, US State Department, Global Affairs Canada, UK Foreign Office, OVSICORI.
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