Costa Rica Airbnb & Short-Term Rental Regulations 2026
LawfulStay tracks short-term rental (STR / Airbnb / Vrbo / holiday let / vacation rental) regulations for 4 cities and regions in Costa Rica. Select a location below for current permit requirements, tax obligations, and compliance details.
Costa Rica at a glance
- Places tracked
- 4 places: 2 active, 2 conditional
- Licence or registration
- Required in all 3 places
- Tax on stays
- Applies in all 3 places
- National law
- Allowed. The only duty is a notice or registration that nobody has to approve. National rules ›
Costa Rica short-term rental questions
Are short-term rentals legal in Costa Rica?
In all 4 places we track in Costa Rica, short-term rentals are allowed, 2 of them with permit conditions or limits.
Do I need a licence for a short-term rental in Costa Rica?
All 3 places we track in Costa Rica require a licence, permit or registration. Check your city's page for its rules.
Costa Rica Airbnb & Vacation Rental Regulation Overview
The short-term rental regulatory landscape in Costa Rica encompasses 4 tracked jurisdictions: 2 with active regulations, 2 where rentals are allowed with conditions. Hosts operating on platforms like Airbnb, VRBO, and Booking.com should verify local requirements before listing, as rules vary significantly between cities and regions.
All 4 tracked jurisdictions in Costa Rica require some form of permit, license, or registration for short-term rental operations. Requirements range from simple online registration to comprehensive permit applications with inspections.
Tax obligations apply in 4 of 4 jurisdictions. Common taxes include occupancy taxes, tourist levies, and sales taxes. Many jurisdictions require hosts to register for tax collection, and some platforms like Airbnb collect and remit taxes automatically in select locations.
LawfulStay monitors Costa Rica STR regulations daily and updates this page as rules change. Each city page includes detailed permit requirements, fee schedules, tax rates, zoning rules, and penalty information sourced from official government websites.