Estimate the amount you should consider, in addition to the price, when buying a property in Costa Rica.
Enter the transaction amount in the currency in which the property price is expressed.
For transactions exceeding $10,000 USD, a declaration under the Narcotics Law may be required. The cost is generally included in the notary fees and is not shown as a separate expense in this calculator.
Behind OpenZone are two people: a Costa Rican native with deep roots in the local history, and an expat who has been settled here for over two decades. Together, we combine native knowledge of the system with firsthand experience of the very process you’re going through right now.
Although the general rule in Costa Rica is to share the costs of 50/50, in the case of properties for urgent sale below the market value (where owners desperately need liquidity), they often refuse to incur any expense. The buyer must take 100% of the closing costs as a mandatory condition to ensure the reduced price.
Why do you need OpenZone? Let’s take a real case from the La Fortuna area: a plot of 5,080 m² with forest and river, which normally is worth between ₡15,000 and ₡20,000 per square meter, sold urgently in only ₡34,500,000 because the owner runs the risk of losing everything.
In this situation, even if you assume all the closing costs, the business remains extremely profitable. But at such a low price, it is vital that a local lawyer checks whether the property does not have levies/embargoes or debts that must be extinguished at the time of the transaction, directly from the money paid. We make sure that your money goes where you need it and that it takes over the property completely clean.
In Costa Rica, the first 200 meters of the high tide line are part of Maritime-terrestrial area (ZMT). The first 50 meters are public and completely inalienable (nothing can be built), and the next 150 meters are state domain and can be exploited exclusively by concession granted by the Municipality, not by title (titled property).
Why OpenZone warns customers: We refuse to engage in surface transactions in the ZMT area because it represents a time bomb for investors. The Costa Rican law clearly stipulates that a foreigner cannot own more than 49% of the shares of a company that owns a ZMT concession unless he has a residence for more than 5 years. Many use local ‘intermediaries’ or doubtful trust contracts.
If the Municipality does not renew the concession or notices an irregularity in the shareholding structure, there is a risk of confiscation of the constructions and the total loss of money, without compensation. If you want 100% security, we exclusively direct you to properties outside 200 meters, which can be directly on your behalf.