The best eSIM for Americans in Costa Rica in 2026.

Roam with your carrier, or buy an eSIM

AT&T's International Day Pass is $12 a day in Costa Rica, $168 for two weeks and $360 for a month, read 1 November 2026. Verizon TravelPass lists Costa Rica at the same $12 a day. Ringo Light sells 2 weeks at $44.99 and 30 days at $56.99, unlimited data at full speed, paid once. Against either day pass, Ringo Light saves $123.01 on two weeks and $303.01 on a month.

Among the travel eSIMs, Ubigi asks $45 for 15 days with 30 GB at full speed, Airalo $49 and Holafly $51.50. For a month, Saily's Global plan is $59.99 for a fixed amount, Ubigi $69, Airalo $89 and Holafly $99.90. Ringo Light has no 3-day plan here. For three days Airalo asks $19.50 and Holafly $19.90, which is under the $36 a carrier pass bills.

What the carrier wins is plain. Your own number rings, calls and texts are included, and there is nothing to install. Both bill only for days the phone is used in Costa Rica. For one day, $12 is the lowest bill on this page, so I would roam. A second day costs $24, more than Airalo's 3 days, and by the fourth day the pass has passed the $44.99 Ringo Light fortnight.

AT&T charges $6 a day for each additional line used on the same day. Two phones on one account run $18 a day on the pass, $252 over a fortnight, while two Ringo Light eSIMs cost $89.98 for the same two weeks.

Networks in Costa Rica, and what changes for a visitor from the United States

Costa Rica has three networks: Kölbi, run by the state utility ICE, Claro, and Liberty, which took over Movistar's network. All three cover San José, the Central Valley, La Fortuna and the big beach towns. In the table most travel eSIMs ride Liberty, Holafly adds Claro, and Nomad is the one brand that names Kölbi. Ringo Light rides a local partner network.

Signal thins out where people go to look at nature: the Osa Peninsula and Corcovado, the Tortuguero canals and parts of the Monteverde cloud forest. Holafly says so on its own page. Whichever plan you hold, I would save offline maps before a long drive or a boat.

For a visitor the difference is the billing. AT&T and Verizon charge per day of use, on the line you already pay for. Verizon gives 5 GB of high-speed data a day, then unlimited data at 3G speeds for the rest of the session. AT&T describes unlimited data with the pass on an eligible unlimited plan, with speed varying by destination, and states no daily limit. The eSIMs run for a set number of days.

Neither carrier's pages show a monthly plan for Costa Rica, so I read a month as thirty days at $12. If you are on a smaller plan, I would read its roaming terms before the flight.

If you want a data bucket: Ubigi or Nomad

• Ubigi, $19 for 10 GB. The cheapest 10 GB, and 25 GB for 30 days at $29, $3 over Nomad's 20 GB. On Liberty, installed by QR code.
• Nomad, $21 for 10 GB. 20 GB for $26, on Kölbi ICE and Liberty.
• Airalo, $34 for 10 GB. Its Hot Telecom plan has 20 GB for $40.50, with buckets from $7 for 1 GB.
• Saily, $36.99 for 10 GB. 20 GB comes to $47.99. The listing is dated 5 October, because saily.com would not load when I tried.
• ✓Ringo Light, no buckets. Its 2 weeks is unlimited at $44.99 and its 30 days at $56.99. For a fixed amount of data the four brands above are all cheaper in Costa Rica, Ubigi by more than half. I would buy Ringo Light for unlimited, not for a bucket.

What Ringo Light is

Ringo Light is the data eSIM Ringo sells, and I write for Ringo, so weigh what I say. It funds the full Ringo, one plan that works everywhere with your own number ported onto it. For Costa Rica it sells three trips, all unlimited data at full speed: 7 days at $26.99, 2 weeks at $44.99 and 30 days at $56.99. Nothing renews. The eSIM arrives by email and installs in one scan, with no app.

Put it in beside your own SIM and the number you already use still takes calls and texts when roaming is on for those, which both carriers include. The data goes through the eSIM.

I put the card to buy it above, just after the table.