Americas
Prices checked Oct 7, 2026
Nomad Costa Rica eSIM Plans & Prices (2026)
Nomad's complete Costa Rica lineup — 7 plans, benchmarked against all 10 providers and 170 plans we track for this country.
Prices shown are Nomad's own list prices as checked on Oct 7, 2026 and can change at any time — confirm the current figure on Nomad's website before you buy.
Nomad promo code
20% off selected plans (autumn campaign) — code
BEYOND20
No expiry published. Applies at Nomad checkout on top of the prices below.
The verdict, computed
Is Nomad the right eSIM for Costa Rica
Nomad's best rate in Costa Rica is $1.55/GB; the country benchmark is $1.06/GB among the 10 providers we track. Entry price is $8.00 against the country floor of $3.00. The full ranking context lives in the all-provider Costa Rica comparison.
Nomad in Costa Rica
All 7 Nomad Costa Rica plans
7 plans · 4 trip lengths · 5 to 30 days
| Plan | Data | Validity | Price | $/day | $/GB | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Local Costa Rica - 30 Days - 20 GB | 20GB | 30 days | $31.00 | $1.03 | $1.55 | View plan |
| Local Costa Rica - 30 Days - 10 GB | 10GB | 30 days | $25.00 | $0.83 | $2.50 | View plan |
| Local Costa Rica - 30 Days - 5 GB | 5GB | 30 days | $19.00 | $0.63 | $3.80 | View plan |
| Local Costa Rica - 30 Days - 3 GB | 3GB | 30 days | $16.00 | $0.53 | $5.33 | View plan |
| Local Costa Rica - 7 Days - 1 GB | 1GB | 7 days | $8.00 | $1.14 | $8.00 | View plan |
| Local Costa Rica - 5 Days - unlimited | Unlimited | 5 days | $21.00 | $4.20 | — | View plan |
| Local Costa Rica - 10 Days - unlimited | Unlimited | 10 days | $35.00 | $3.50 | — | View plan |
Prices in USD as listed by Nomad, excluding promo codes and taxes. Badges compare against all 170 Costa Rica eSIM plans we track — see our methodology. Last checked Oct 7, 2026.
Beyond the price tag
Nomad Costa Rica eSIM hotspot 5G and fair-use rules
Quoted from Nomad's own published policy rather than paraphrased — these are the terms that decide whether a plan for Costa Rica survives a real trip.
Hotspot and tethering
AllowedShared with your plan data
Nomad advertises sharing your data across multiple devices rather than a separate tethering allowance, so hotspot traffic comes out of the same plan data.
Speed and 5G
5G available10–150 Mbps
Typical real-world download on the fastest host network, Movistar. Actual speed depends on which mast your phone picks and how busy it is.
Fair-use threshold
2 GB/day on unlimited plans
Drops to 1 Mbps
Every one of the 150 Nomad unlimited plans we track states the same threshold: 2 GB at full speed per day, then unlimited at 1 Mbps. Nomad publishes no brand-wide fair-use figure - its destination pages point you at the individual plan's details, and that is where this number comes from.
Top-ups
AvailableExtra data is sold as an add-on and activates automatically on the existing eSIM when the original plan expires, so there is no new QR code to install.
Fine print decoded
Is Nomad unlimited data in Costa Rica really unlimited
| Plan | Price | $/day | Fair-use policy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local Costa Rica - 5 Days - unlimited | $21.00 | $4.20 | 2 GB per day at full speed, then ∞ at 1Mbps |
| Local Costa Rica - 10 Days - unlimited | $35.00 | $3.50 | 2 GB per day at full speed, then ∞ at 1Mbps |
The masts behind the plan
Which network does Nomad ride in Costa Rica
Nomad owns no towers in Costa Rica. This plan connects to the local host carriers Claro, Kolbi, Movistar — so coverage, speed and rural reach follow those masts rather than the brand on the voucher.
Kolbi
5G10–150 Mbps
The state carrier with the widest reach — the pick for beaches and rainforest lodges.
The destination-by-destination breakdown of every host carrier lives on the eSIM network map.
Typical speeds are our editors' reads of each operator's own coverage data. The independent national benchmark is Ookla's Speedtest Global Index for Costa Rica.
Before you buy
Things to know about Costa Rica before you pick a plan
Country-level facts, not brand claims — they apply to any eSIM you buy for Costa Rica, Nomad's included.
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State-run Kolbi covers the jungles; Claro-based tourist eSIMs lose Osa Peninsula signal.
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Tourist SIM counters at SJO close by 22:00 - eSIMs activate on landing regardless.
Price by trip length
What Nomad costs by trip length in Costa Rica
The same trip priced two ways — Nomad's own cheapest plan that stays valid for the whole stay, against the cheapest rival plan covering the same days in Costa Rica.
| Trip length | Nomad cheapest | Cheapest rival in Costa Rica | cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 days | $8.00 7 days · 1GB | $3.00 7 days · 1GB · Roamic | Roamic cheaper |
| 5 days | $8.00 7 days · 1GB | $3.00 7 days · 1GB · Roamic | Roamic cheaper |
| 7 days | $8.00 7 days · 1GB | $3.00 7 days · 1GB · Roamic | Roamic cheaper |
| 10 days | $16.00 30 days · 3GB | $4.88 30 days · 1GB · Yesim | Yesim cheaper |
| 15 days | $16.00 30 days · 3GB | $4.88 30 days · 1GB · Yesim | Yesim cheaper |
| 30 days | $16.00 30 days · 3GB | $4.88 30 days · 1GB · Yesim | Yesim cheaper |
Pick your trip length and this re-reads the plan table above on the spot — the cheapest plan whose validity still covers the whole trip, against the cheapest rival in the same country.
Price it for your own dates
Nomad cheapest plan that covers the trip
—
Cheapest rival —
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Only plans whose validity covers the whole trip are counted here, so a 30-day trip is priced with a 30-day plan rather than a 5-day one stacked up. Each pick shows its data allowance next to the price — a 500MB trial pack undercuts a 5GB plan for a reason.
One column per brand, cheapest plan that covers the whole trip. Rivals are the other providers we track in Costa Rica.
Need an exact number for your own dates? Run the trip cost calculator.
Who it fits
Should you buy Nomad for Costa Rica
Buy it if
- +You would rather size your own data — 7 plans here, from $8.00.
- +You are travelling for 30 days or more — Local Costa Rica - 30 Days - 3 GB covers it for $16.00.
- +You are on a short break — Local Costa Rica - 7 Days - 1 GB runs 7 days for $8.00.
Look elsewhere if
- –You are going for fewer than 5 days — its shortest plan runs 5 days
- –You need a local phone number — these are data-only plans.
- –Cheapest headline price is all that matters — Roamic's smallest plan in Costa Rica starts at $3.00, and that buys 1GB.
Honest trade-offs
Where Nomad wins and loses in Costa Rica
Strengths
- +Unlimited data from $3.50 a day
- +Its daily rate falls from $4.20 on the 5-day plan to $0.53 on the 30-day plan
- +5G on all 3 host networks in Costa Rica
- +One purchase covers trips from 5 to 30 days
- +Hotspot and tethering allowed — Shared with your plan data
Watch out for
- –On a 10-day trip Roamic's 3GB plan costs $6.00 against $16.00 here — $10.00 less
- –A 15-day trip has no matching tier — its cheapest cover is the 30-day / 3GB plan at $16.00
- –Its shortest plan runs 5 days, so a shorter trip still pays for 5
- –Nomad sells 4 trip lengths here while Roamic sells 30
- –Fair-use throttling starts at about 2 GB a day, then speeds drop to 1 Mbps
- –Data-only plans with no local phone number
Brand history and track record — Nomad
The other side by side
Nomad vs the other providers in Costa Rica
Airalo
from $7.50
Airalo ranks 6 of 10 on Costa Rica cost per gigabyte — its cheapest plan is 1GB.
Cheaper entry by $0.50
See all Airalo plans →
aloSIM
from $9.50
On cost per gigabyte, aloSIM sits 7 of 10 in Costa Rica, entering with 1GB.
Pricier entry by $1.50
See all aloSIM plans →
Holafly
from $19.90
Holafly sells unlimited Costa Rica plans only — there is no $/GB figure to rank it on.
Pricier entry by $11.90
See all Holafly plans →
Jetpac
from $7.00
Jetpac ranks 9 of 10 on Costa Rica cost per gigabyte — its cheapest plan is 1GB.
Cheaper entry by $1.00
See all Jetpac plans →
Roami
from $9.99
Roami's Costa Rica entry plan is 1GB, which puts it 3 of 10 on cost per gigabyte.
Pricier entry by $1.99
See all Roami plans →
Roamic
from $3.00
Roamic ranks 1 of 10 on Costa Rica cost per gigabyte — its cheapest plan is 1GB.
Cheaper entry by $5.00
See all Roamic plans →
Saily
from $7.99
On cost per gigabyte, Saily sits 8 of 10 in Costa Rica, entering with 1GB.
Cheaper entry by $0.01
See all Saily plans →
Ubigi
from $4.00
Ubigi's Costa Rica entry plan is 1GB, which puts it 2 of 10 on cost per gigabyte.
Cheaper entry by $4.00
See all Ubigi plans →
Yesim
from $4.88
Yesim ranks 5 of 10 on Costa Rica cost per gigabyte — its cheapest plan is 1GB.
Cheaper entry by $3.12
See all Yesim plans →
FAQ
Nomad Costa Rica eSIM questions
How much does Nomad charge for Costa Rica?
Nomad sells 7 plans for Costa Rica, from $8.00. Its best rate is $1.55/GB, drawn from the 10 provider price sheets we track for this destination. All prices are in USD as listed by Nomad and exclude promo codes.
Is Nomad unlimited data in Costa Rica really unlimited?
Uncapped, but not unthrottled: Nomad's Costa Rica unlimited plans run on a published fair-use rule, and what we recorded from Nomad's own documentation is 2 GB/day on unlimited plans. Past that point the connection slows instead of stopping, so the promise is about data volume rather than speed — see the fair-use table above for which tiers carry the rule and the policy cards for the quoted source. Maps, chat and some video rarely reach the threshold; a laptop on hotspot usually does.
Can I share my Nomad Costa Rica eSIM with a laptop?
Tethering is governed by Nomad's own rule rather than by the country. What we recorded from Nomad's documentation for Costa Rica plans is Shared with your plan data. That is the publisher's wording, not our paraphrase — the full quote sits in the policy cards above. If you work from a laptop for hours a day, treat this line as the deciding factor between Nomad and a metered alternative, because hotspot traffic drains the same allowance as the phone itself.
Which network does Nomad use in Costa Rica?
Nomad owns no towers in Costa Rica, so your data rides the local host carriers — Claro, Kolbi, Movistar. The fastest of those sustains roughly 150 Mbps, and every one of the 170 Costa Rica plans we track connects to the same local networks.
Is Nomad or Roamic the better Costa Rica eSIM?
Nomad's cheapest plan here is $8.00; Roamic's is $3.00, though that entry price buys 1GB. The full ranking with every plan — allowance and $/GB side by side — sits in the Costa Rica eSIM comparison.
Does Nomad have good reviews for Costa Rica?
We publish no star rating, and that is deliberate: Trustpilot runs separate regional storefronts, so the same brand holds several scores at once, and quoting one of them as the rating would mislead. The reviews themselves are at <a href="https://www.trustpilot.com/review/www.nomadesim.com" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Nomad on Trustpilot</a>. What we verify instead is measured on this page — 7 Nomad plans for Costa Rica starting at $8.00.
Does Nomad work in Costa Rica?
Yes. Nomad owns no towers in Costa Rica, so your plan rides the local host networks — Claro, Kolbi, Movistar — and every one of the 170 Costa Rica plans we track connects to that same set. Installs that fail are almost never a coverage problem. They come down to three causes: the handset is still carrier-locked, the eSIM line's data roaming is switched off, or the phone stays on the old line for mobile data after the profile installs. All three are fixable at home, which is why installing on your own Wi-Fi beats doing it at the airport. Nomad sells 7 packages here from $8.00, so the host network is not what separates it from its rivals.
How do I activate my Nomad eSIM for Costa Rica?
Install it while you still have home Wi-Fi: Nomad issues either a QR code or an in-app profile, and the install itself takes minutes. Leave the line switched off until you land if you want the validity window to start on arrival, and turn data roaming on for that line. On this page Nomad sells 7 separate Costa Rica packages, from $8.00 each, so match one to your trip length rather than planning to top up abroad. The generic walkthrough is in our eSIM installation guide.
See the whole Costa Rica picture
Nomad's best $/GB in Costa Rica next to the other 10 providers we track — the full table with all 170 plans, badges and fair-use notes lives on the Costa Rica eSIM comparison. Prices verified Oct 7, 2026.