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Depending on where you want to live in the Central Valley of Costa Rica, traffic jams and infrastructure might very well be a problem for you. Of course, there are still plenty of easy-going places to live, depending on the services you need. In the Central Valley, road maintenance and infrastructure are ongoing problems in our beautiful country. Former governments didn’t plan ahead or build new infrastructure, so we’re now 30 years behind. The rainy season damages roads and bridges, and they’re costly to maintain.
Carlos Alvarado’s PAC government (2018 – 2022) started some of the most necessary, but most were abandoned due to COVID. A good example of traffic growth is the ring road around San Jose. I remember that in the 90’s, a Cessna pilot made an emergency landing on the ring road near the turn-off to Desamparados. Now, there are 40,000 – 60,000 vehicles on the ring road every day.
To understand the problem a bit: Costa Rica had about 164,000 passenger vehicles, and it is estimated that we’ll have 1.3 million passenger vehicles and a total of 2.0 million vehicles in circulation by the end of 2026. This article is not meant as a complaint, quite the contrary. I still love Costa Rica and Escazu, after living here for 45 years. It is meant to explain the traffic situation and give you, the expat looking to move to this small piece of paradise, a better view of your options, depending on your lifestyle.
The image below best captures what the locals think about the congested infrastructure in the Central Valley.
The biggest structural problems
1) Reactive instead of preventive
Roads are often fixed only after damage appears
Pothole patching is more common than full reconstruction
2) Weak planning & oversight
Studies have found a lack of a coherent long-term maintenance strategy
3) Institutional fragmentation
Overlapping responsibilities between:
- CONAVI
- MOPT
- Municipalities
This leads to:
- Delays
- Finger-pointing
- Inefficiency
4) Budget inequality
- National roads get more funding per km
- Local roads (where most people drive daily) are underfunded
What this means in real life
If you live in Costa Rica, expect:
- Traffic jams in the most populated area
- Potholes, especially after the rainy season
- Big differences between neighboring cantons
- Good highways, but inconsistent secondary roads
Traffic jams and congested roads
So let me do a breakdown for you to show which road conditions best suit your future lifestyle. If you will be working once you’ve moved to Costa Rica and need to drive to the office, you want to live as close to it as possible. But if you don’t, you work from home, or you’re retired, you can set your own hours to do your shopping, unless you have a medical emergency. If you have heart trouble, you don’t want to live more than a 20-30 minute drive in an ambulance from a hospital during peak hour.
Where are they?
Try to make your medical and other appointments during non-peak hours. I, for example, will only show property or make appointments between 9:00 am and 2:30 pm.
Highway 1, between San Jose and San Ramon, is one of the most congested highways in the country. Bumper-to-bumper traffic starts at 6:00 am and opens up after 9:00 pm.
Highway 27, between San Jose and La Guacima, has severe traffic jams from 7:00 to 10:00 am and from 3:00 pm to 8:00 pm. The most serious traffic jams are around the Escazu and San Rafael de Alajuela tolls.
Route 32, between San Jose and San Luis, Heredia, has severe congestion between 6:00 and 10:00 am and 3:00 pm and 8:00 pm.
Highway 2, between San Jose and El Tejar, is terrible from 6:00 am to 8:00 pm. That’s mostly because they’ve been working on the La Lima part forever, which connects Cartago and Taras. On the San Jose side, at the end of the Florencia del Castillo highway, is another daily traffic jam.
Circumvalacion Sur, the southern ring road, still has some congestion here and there, mostly during peak hours. That’s because they’re still working to eliminate the old roundabouts and replace them with overpasses. The ring road between the 27 (Escazu) and Highway 1 (Irazu Hotel) is the worst at any time of the day, with bumper-to-bumper congestion.
Circumvalacion Norte, the northern ring road, usually has very little congestion, except for those coming from the north looking to connect to the airport via Highway 1.
Take into account that if you take the ring road, or any road inside the ring, you are not allowed to drive on certain days of the week, depending on your tag.
Most secondary roads, which you might take when the highways mentioned above are jammed up, are also going to be bumper-to-bumper during those same peak hours when there is a traffic accident somewhere on the highway. Usually, you’re better off staying on the highway with the toll.
Looking at property?
Many expats, who arrive at San Jose airport on a Friday at 6:00 pm, wish they had planned their arrival better. What’s normally a 3-minute drive can take two hours. Compare a drive from San Jose airport to Escazu at 6:00 pm on any day, with a drive from Miami airport to Fort Lauderdale at the same time.
Before you waste any of your valuable time, and a real estate agent’s, do ask to see the property in the Central Valley before you’ve read my descriptions below. Believe me, I have wasted way too many hours showing properties to future expats for days, and then, after getting stuck in a traffic jam, hearing: “Costa Rica is not for us.” I have had 26 of several days of showing property wasted in 2025. So do your homework first, and if you like what you see, ask an agent for showings. I wrote a blog post a while ago comparing the lifestyles in Escazu and Atenas. Now, read on, please:
Urban Living – Escazú / Santa Ana
Compare living in many parts of the Central Valley with living in a downtown area in North America, Canada, or Europe. You’ll have all the necessary services within a short walk or drive from your home.
Living in these areas typically means:
- Houses in gated communities and apartments/condos
- Smaller lots, closer to neighbors
- High-density housing
- Wining & dining everywhere
- First world services
Many future expats on their first trip think they want to live in Escazu because they read that they’ll have easy access to all the services. Let me give you the advantages of living in Escazu and Santa Ana
Advantages
- Best infrastructure in Costa Rica
- These western suburbs offer modern roads, private hospitals, malls, and services that are more common than in most of the country.
- Easy access to Route 27, the airport, and the Pacific coast.
- This is the most “first-world” urban living in Costa Rica.
- Shopping centers, restaurants, gyms, hospitals, and international schools.
- There is a large expat community, and English is widely spoken.
- Considered among the safest Central Valley areas with gated communities.
- Strong property values
- High demand from expats and professionals.
- Escazú: more urban lifestyle, dense, cosmopolitan
- Santa Ana: more space, quieter, family-oriented
- People are more businesslike and therefore more punctual
Disadvantages (Urban living realities)
- Lots of traffic jams — the biggest downside
- Roads get congested, especially during rush hour in Escazú. Santa Ana also experiences heavy commuter traffic to San José.
- Land values are higher than anywhere else
- Therefore, condos and houses are more expensive than elsewhere
- Urban sprawl/car or Uber dependency
- Public transport is not very extensive → a car is almost necessary.
- Spread-out shopping, schools, and neighborhoods.
- This is suburban urban living, not walkable city life.
- Less “Costa Rica feel.”
- Some people feel less authentic
- Crime (still an urban reality) is generally safe, but petty theft and burglaries occur.
- Need gated communities/security.
Rural Living – Atenas & Puriscal
Compare living outside the Greater Metropolitan area to living in rural North America, Canada, or Europe. You’ll have all the necessary services within a short walk or drive from your home. I’m only including Atenas and Puriscal because those are the best expat communities in the valley, and, more importantly, we have agents in those two locations.
Living in these areas typically means:
- mountain properties
- fincas
- low-density housing, sometimes in “gated communities”.
- limited services
- more nature
Advantages of rural living
- Quiet, peaceful lifestyle
- Life here is described as relaxed, peaceful, and slower-paced, with less stress and fewer cars.
- Many residents report better health, fresh air, and more outdoor living.
- More land and privacy: larger lots, no close neighbors, mountain and valley views
- Homes often include gardens, pools, fruit trees, and space for expansion. This is hard to find in Escazú/Santa Ana.
- Lower property cost (especially in Puriscal)
- Rural areas generally have cheaper housing, land, and fruits and vegetables.
- Atenas is still more affordable than the urban Central Valley.
- Puriscal is usually much cheaper than Atenas (due to lower expat demand) but has less inventory.
- More “Costa Rica” lifestyle
- Small-town charm, friendly locals, and community feel are common in Atenas.
- Rural towns maintain authentic Costa Rican culture.
- Local ferias
- Quiet roads
- Less commercial feel
- Less traffic
- Very few cars compared to the Central Valley metropolitan area
- Easy local driving
- No rush-hour stress
- Better climate (especially Atenas)
- Atenas is known for warm days and cooler nights, considered one of the best climates.
- Puriscal has cooler temperatures, more rain, and therefore greener
- Easier to socialize with fellow expats
- More of the mañana, mañana culture
Disadvantages of Rural Living
- Limited infrastructure
- Some rougher or unpaved roads
- More potholes
- No sidewalks (except for downtown areas)
- Limited lighting
- Slower development.
- Longer drive times to hospitals, shopping, and services.
- Example: Atenas → 30–45 min to major hospitals – Puriscal → 45–75 min.
- Car required (no walkability)
- Limited Uber availability, or use of pirate taxis
- Can have power outages, water interruptions with fluctuating water pressure, and weaker internet
- Some areas need Starlink for the internet.
- Limited nightlife and quiet evenings, mostly rice & beans restaurants or local pizza
This blog is another service from the best Costa Rica real estate companies, GoDutch Realty, designed to help you understand the Tico way of life before you move to Costa Rica. Feel free to comment on this blog and share this article on your social media. Would you like to learn more about buying property in Costa Rica? Then request a Zoom meeting with me now.
