Car hire · Costa Rica
Car hire Costa Rica: San José Airport (SJO)
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In our sample from 29 Oct 2026, DiscoverCars had 550 offers from 24 rental companies at San José Airport. The cheapest car cost €107 for 7 days — €15 a day. Search live for your dates here:
- We compare offers from our partners for you.
- Free to use
- No account needed
- Booked with the provider
- How we sort results
- €107
- cheapest car, 7 days
- €401
- median price of all offers
- 550
- offers from 24 rental companies
- 19%
- available right at the airport
We compare offers from these rental companies, among others
Bookings are made through our partner portals, not directly with the rental company. We have no contract with the rental companies shown; names and logos belong to their respective owners.
Price sample
What car hire costs in Costa Rica
Pick-up on 26 November, drop-off on 3 December, both at 10:00 at the airport. The cheapest was a Hyundai Grand i10 (Small car) from MEX RENT A CAR. Half of all offers were under €401.
| Class | 7 days | per day | Offers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Typical pricemiddle of all offers | €401 | €57 | |
| Small car | from€107 | from€15 | 66 |
| Compact | from€107 | from€15 | 74 |
| Mid-size | from€107 | from€15 | 84 |
| SUV | from€108 | from€15 | 236 |
| Van | from€298 | from€43 | 64 |
| Premium | from€266 | from€38 | 26 |
Source and time
Rental companies
Rental companies at San José Airport
The 16 rental companies with the most offers in the sample, each with its cheapest price for the week. The ratings come from the portals, based on their bookings; we don't check them.
- Enterprise77 offers · rating 8.8from€255
- Avanti Rent a Car54 offers · rating 9from€218
- Alamo42 offers · rating 8.8from€231
- Europcar35 offers · rating 7.2from€289
- EC Rent a Car24 offers · rating 7.2from€209
- Avis24 offers · rating 6from€271
- AmiGO Rent a Car22 offers · rating 8from€166
- NUCarrentals20 offers · rating 7.7from€374
- Autounion19 offers · rating 7.5from€380
- EasyCar18 offers · rating 9.4from€530
- Adobe Rent a Car18 offers · rating 9.5from€585
- MEX RENT A CAR16 offers · rating 7.8from€107
- Routes Car Rental16 offers · rating 6.6from€159
- Flexways15 offers · rating 7.8from€212
- Jumbo Car15 offers · rating 9.1from€319
- Street Rent a Car15 offers · rating 8.1from€325
- 19% of cars are right at the airport
- 81% with a shuttle to the rental desk
- 100% with free cancellation
- 99% with unlimited mileage
- 68% automatic
No credit card
Car hire without a credit card in Costa Rica
We found 36 offers for you at San José Airport where, per the provider, no credit card is needed for the deposit. The cheapest cost €203 for 7 days.
Sample of 29 Oct 2026, pick-up in 4 weeks
Open the search with “No credit card”All airports with figures
What this means and which rental companies
According to the provider, the rental company accepts a debit card for the deposit (Visa or Mastercard debit) or asks for no card. Prepaid cards usually don't work. With a debit card the deposit is usually taken from your account rather than just blocked. Some rental companies only accept a debit card if you buy their own extra cover (often full cover) at the counter, which costs extra. Even where no card is needed for the deposit, a cash or fuel deposit may be due at pick-up. Whether and how this applies at your station and for your rate is set out in the rental company's terms; please check them before you book. Not counted are offers that need a credit card or where the portal says nothing clear. For QEEQ the statement only counts if DiscoverCars confirms it for the same rental company.
Rental companies with the most offers with a debit card deposit (depending on the rate) in our sample from 29 Oct 2026: Avanti Rent a Car (18), AmiGO Rent a Car (11), Costa Car (7). Based on information from DiscoverCars. Whether your rate accepts a debit card is set out in the rental company's terms and conditions.
When to travel
When most people fly to Costa Rica
In 2025, 87,000 passengers flew from Germany to San José Airport — number 211 of 2,120 destination airports abroad. The busiest months were January and February, with 21% of the year's passengers. In the busiest month there were 2 times as many as in June, the quietest. From January to July 2026 there were 2.5% more than in the previous year.
| Month | Passengers |
|---|---|
| January | 9,223 |
| February | 9,194 |
| March | 8,967 |
| April | 7,084 |
| May | 4,881 |
| June | 4,611 |
| July | 6,669 |
| August | 6,680 |
| September | 5,343 |
| October | 6,806 |
| November | 9,148 |
| December | 8,394 |