Internet
Yes
Calls
No
SMS
No
4G
Yes
Works only on unlocked eSIM-supported devices — check your phone compatibility before purchase
Most packages do not include calls or SMS
Choose one of three methods:
Scan QR code
Install via 'Quick Install' button
Manual setup through phone settings
Use the package within 3 months from purchase
Local (one country), Regional (multiple countries), Global (many countries)
Not available for Sicily
Costa Rica is a country of rental cars, boats and small planes, where a single route easily combines volcanoes, beaches and nature reserves. You need maps, tour bookings and contact with your lodge almost every day, while in the forest and on mountain roads the signal can be weak. An eSIM is installed at home in advance, so after landing in San José or Liberia you only switch data on and open your navigation app.
You can buy an eSIM for Costa Rica online right on this page from 6 500 ₸: choose a data plan, pay by card and get the QR code within minutes. An eSIM is a digital SIM card — it installs on your phone with no plastic card and no visit to a phone shop.
The eSIM connects to local mobile networks, so you have data wherever they have coverage — San José and the rest of the country.
Roaming in Costa Rica with a Kazakh carrier is usually far more expensive, and roaming data runs out fast. With a Funsim eSIM you pay a fixed price for a data package and keep your home SIM in the phone for calls and bank SMS — roaming on it can stay off.
If your phone does not support eSIM, you can buy a regular physical SIM card with data for Costa Rica at a Funsim point of sale: at Almaty and Shymkent airports, or at our offices in Almaty — 130/1 Abay St and 1 Pozharsky St. Handy if you remember about the internet right before departure.
A trip around Costa Rica rarely stays in one place: in a week you can see the Pacific and the Caribbean, the mountains and the national parks. You do not need a separate package for each region, one profile covers the whole country. See the plans above, and if your route continues to Panama or other countries in the region, look at the regional plans too.
Keep your main SIM in the phone for calls and bank SMS, and route mobile data through the eSIM. Most plans have no voice calls or SMS, but lodges, guides, transfer companies and car rental firms in Costa Rica happily chat on WhatsApp, so that is enough for bookings and arranging a meeting point.
| Criterion | eSIM Funsim | Roaming | Local SIM |
|---|---|---|---|
| When to set up | At home, before the flight | Usually on arrival | After landing, in an operator shop |
| What you do in Costa Rica | Switch data on for the eSIM | Check your operator's terms | Find a point of sale and spend time |
| Cost of data | Fixed package, see plans above | Usually much more expensive | Depends on the operator's tariff |
| Your home number | Stays for calls and banking | Stays active | Usually a second SIM or a swap |
| Route across several regions | One profile for the whole trip | Depends on operator terms | Yes, but buying takes time after the flight |
Coverage is best in the cities and along the main highways, and less predictable in nature reserves, on mountain roads and where there are no roads at all. These are the places and stretches of a route where you will use the internet most.
The country's second international airport in the north-west, where many trips to the beaches of Papagayo, Playa del Coco and Playa Hermosa begin. The resort areas are well covered, so you can get your bearings at once: confirm a transfer, check the hotel booking, pick up a rental car. The dry season here is noticeably longer than in the centre of the country.
Surf towns at the southern end of the peninsula, with dirt roads and a scatter of small hotels. Many people arrive by ferry from Puntarenas. Sailing times change, so check them online on the day of travel, and signal can drop on the way. Save your accommodation address and the map in advance, as turn-offs to the beaches are not always signed.
A village on the Caribbean side that has no road access: you arrive by boat along the canals or by small plane. People come to watch birds and sea turtles, and boats and lodges usually come as part of package tours. Coverage is uneven, so save booking confirmations, the meeting time and your lodge's contacts before leaving the last big town.
The Osa Peninsula in the south is one of the most remote regions of the country. Corcovado National Park is usually entered only with a guide and a booking made in advance. Many people base themselves in Drake Bay, reached by boat or small plane. Outside the villages the signal is weak, and inside the park you should not count on it at all.
The Costa Ballena coast, with beaches, waterfalls and boat tours to Marino Ballena National Park. Towns along the highway are reasonably covered, while trails and waterfalls inland are weaker. Boat tours depend on weather and tides, so changes to the meeting time usually arrive as a WhatsApp message and your phone needs to be connected.
The highest peak in the country, a climb that takes a couple of days or one very long one. A booking is required in advance, and nights at altitude are cold. There is practically no signal on the trail, so save your confirmation, route and contacts offline while you are still in San Gerardo de Rivas, where there is a network.
A national park with a river of an unusual blue colour and a waterfall in humid forest. The trail is slippery after rain, and in the wet season its condition can change overnight. Ask the park office or your hotel in the morning whether the route is open. Signal inside the park is unstable, so download your ticket and map in advance.
Most familiar services work as at home, but on a trip around Costa Rica these apps come in especially handy.
Very popular with local drivers: it shows traffic, roadworks and incidents reported by drivers themselves. Handy in a rental car on the highways between San José and the coasts, but it needs internet.
Good for finding hotels, cafes and beaches, with reviews and opening hours. Before heading into a remote area, download an offline map: signal is unstable on dirt roads and in the forest, and a fallback is always useful.
The main way to reach lodges, guides, rental companies and tour organisers. Confirmations, meeting points and schedule changes most often arrive here, so check your messages regularly.
English is spoken in tourist places, but outside them Spanish helps. Download the language for offline use to read signs, menus and notices when the signal is weak, and use the camera to translate signs on the spot.
A large choice of hotels and lodges across the country. Save confirmations and addresses offline, especially for places away from the highway where the turn-off is hard to find, and the host may send check-in details on WhatsApp.
Check that your phone supports eSIM and is not locked to a carrier. You can see this in the settings or on the manufacturer's website.
Choose a Costa Rica plan above and pay by card on the site, no passport is needed. If you go on to Panama or other countries in the region, look at the regional plans.
Install the eSIM at home by QR code, the Quick install button or manually while you still have Wi-Fi. That way you will not have to look for internet at the airport after a long flight.
After landing in San José or Liberia, choose the eSIM as your mobile data line and switch data roaming on for that line. Keep your main SIM for calls and bank SMS, and turn data off on it.
If the package runs out, buy extra data on the site. Hotspot mode is available on most plans, check the plan page for the terms.
Before leaving town for a lodge or a park, download an offline map of the area and screenshot your booking confirmations: in forest and mountain stretches the signal can drop.
