This is the question that comes up first in almost every family conversation, and it is usually answered badly in both directions — either dismissed as fearmongering or inflated by a single alarming headline. The data supports a more specific answer than either.
Quick answer: Costa Rica homicide rate rose sharply through the early 2020s and is now falling. The first half of 2026 recorded 378 homicides against 440 in the same period of 2025, with the OIJ projecting a full-year total between roughly 693 and 765. Violent crime against tourists and residents remains rare; the dominant risk is property crime, and it concentrates in identifiable places.
What the numbers show
Costa Rica recorded its highest-ever homicide rate in 2023 at around 17.2 per 100,000, easing to roughly 16.8 per 100,000 in 2025. That is high by regional-best standards and low by the standards of much of Latin America. The 2026 trend is downward — a 14% year-on-year reduction in the first half.
Critically, this violence is not evenly distributed and is not random. It is overwhelmingly concentrated in specific areas and connected to drug trafficking networks. Limón province, parts of Puntarenas and particular San José neighbourhoods account for the majority of incidents.
What is the actual risk to a resident or visitor?
The US State Department rates Costa Rica at Level 2 — the same category as France, Italy and Germany. That is worth sitting with, because most people who worry about Costa Rica would not hesitate to spend a month in Rome.
The realistic risk profile is property crime: rental car break-ins, theft from beaches, opportunistic burglary of unoccupied homes. Established expat and tourism areas — Manuel Antonio, Tamarindo, Monteverde, La Fortuna, the Central Valley suburbs — record low incident rates. This is unglamorous, manageable risk of the kind that responds well to ordinary precautions.
What actually reduces risk
- Never leave anything visible in a parked car. Rental car break-ins are the single most common incident affecting foreigners, and are almost entirely opportunistic.
- Choose the community carefully, not just the region. Risk varies more between neighbourhoods than between provinces. Talk to people who live there.
- Occupancy matters. Homes that sit empty for months attract attention. A caretaker or property manager is standard practice for a reason.
- Behave as you would in any city. Avoid unfamiliar areas after dark, do not display expensive items, use registered transport.
The risk people underestimate
Not crime — roads and water. Costa Rican road conditions, mountain driving and rainy-season hazards present a materially higher practical risk to residents than criminal activity does, and rip currents on Pacific beaches account for a significant share of visitor fatalities. If you are budgeting worry, this is where more of it belongs.
Why the national rate is the wrong number
National homicide rates are the statistic everyone reaches for and among the least useful for an individual decision, because they average across populations with radically different exposure.
Costa Rica violence is concentrated — geographically in specific neighbourhoods of San José, parts of Limón and areas of Puntarenas, and demographically among young men involved in trafficking networks. A retired couple in Atenas and a young man in a contested Limón neighbourhood share a national statistic and essentially nothing else about their actual risk.
The same is true in reverse for comparisons. Costa Rica national rate is higher than the US national rate and lower than that of many individual US cities. Anyone using either comparison to settle the question is choosing the framing that supports the conclusion they already had.
What the trend actually looks like
The recent trajectory is worth stating plainly because both the alarm and the dismissal tend to ignore it. Costa Rica recorded its highest-ever homicide rate in 2023 at around 17.2 per 100,000, easing to roughly 16.8 per 100,000 in 2025. The first half of 2026 recorded 378 homicides against 440 in the same period of 2025 — a reduction of roughly 14% — with OIJ projecting a full-year total between about 693 and 765.
So: a real deterioration through the early 2020s, driven substantially by trafficking dynamics rather than by general lawlessness, now improving. Whether the improvement holds is not something anyone can promise, and it would be dishonest to present a single favourable half-year as a settled trend.
Practical security for a home
Property crime is the risk that actually affects residents, and it responds well to ordinary measures.
Occupancy is the single largest factor — homes that sit empty for months attract attention, which is why a caretaker or property manager is standard practice rather than an indulgence. Gated communities and condominium developments with controlled access are common in expat areas and price accordingly. Basic hardware matters: solid doors, window security, exterior lighting and a monitored alarm. And neighbours who know you are away, and know who is supposed to be there, are worth more than most technology.
The corresponding advice for vehicles is simpler and more important, because rental car break-ins are the most common incident affecting foreigners: never leave anything visible in a parked car, anywhere, ever.
The risks that actually injure people
Worth repeating because it is so consistently mis-weighted. Road conditions, mountain driving and rainy-season hazards present a materially higher practical risk to residents than crime does, and rip currents on Pacific beaches account for a significant share of visitor fatalities. If you are allocating caution, most of it belongs to driving at night in the rain and to swimming at unpatrolled beaches.
Frequently asked
Is Costa Rica safer than the United States?
Depends entirely on which part of each you compare. Costa Rica national homicide rate is higher than the US national rate but lower than many US cities. Comparing national averages to a specific neighbourhood is not a meaningful exercise in either direction.
Are expats targeted?
Not systematically. Foreigners are perceived as having valuables, which raises exposure to opportunistic property crime, but they are not disproportionately affected by violent crime.
Which areas should I avoid?
Incident concentration is in specific neighbourhoods of San José, parts of Limón and areas of Puntarenas. This is neighbourhood-level rather than province-level, and local knowledge is worth more than a map.
Is it getting better or worse?
Currently better. Homicides in the first half of 2026 were down 14% year on year, following a peak in 2023. Whether that holds is not something anyone can promise.
Are gated communities necessary?
Not necessary, and plenty of expats live in ordinary neighbourhoods without incident. They do offer controlled access and shared security costs, which many people find worth the condominium fees, particularly if the property will sit empty for parts of the year.
Is it safe to drive at night?
The concern is road conditions rather than crime — unlit roads, variable surfaces, pedestrians and livestock, and heavy rain. Most residents simply avoid long night drives on rural routes as a matter of habit.
How do I assess a specific neighbourhood?
Local knowledge outperforms any published dataset at this resolution. Spend time there at different hours, talk to residents, and ask a local attorney or property manager directly — they will generally tell you plainly.
Where to go from here
If any of this is landing close to home, the useful next step is not a brochure — it is a conversation about your actual numbers, your timeline and your family situation. Our team at Golden Visa Costa Rica walks through residency routes, property options and the practical sequencing with people in exactly this position every week. Book a private consultation and we will tell you honestly whether Costa Rica fits — or whether it does not.
This article is for general information only and is not legal, immigration, tax or investment advice. Rules change and individual circumstances differ; consult a qualified Costa Rican attorney and your own tax adviser before acting.