Costa Rica's cities at a glance
Dots sized by population · San José in orange
Costa Rica has 1 with more than 100,000 (city-proper figures). The largest is San José with 335,007 people, followed by Limón (63,081) and Alajuela (47,494). The three largest cities together hold about 8.6% of the country's 5.2 million people.
The capital, San José, is also the largest city.
By region, the most large cities are in Guanacaste Province (3), Cartago Province (3), San José (2).
Country-level figures — live population, births and deaths, growth, density and history — are on the Costa Rica population page; provinces, terrain, rivers and society maps are in the Costa Rica atlas.
Costa Rica cities by population
| # | City | Region | Population | Share of Costa Rica |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San JoséCapital | San José | 335,007 | 6.4% |
| 2 | Limón | Limón Province | 63,081 | 1.2% |
| 3 | Alajuela | Alajuela Province | 47,494 | 0.9% |
| 4 | Liberia | Guanacaste Province | 45,380 | 0.9% |
| 5 | Paraíso | Cartago Province | 39,702 | 0.8% |
| 6 | Puntarenas | Puntarenas Province | 35,650 | 0.7% |
| 7 | San Isidro | San José | 34,877 | 0.7% |
| 8 | San José | Alajuela Province | 31,430 | 0.6% |
| 9 | Turrialba | Cartago Province | 28,955 | 0.6% |
| 10 | Cartago | Cartago Province | 26,594 | 0.5% |
| 11 | Heredia | Heredia Province | 21,947 | 0.4% |
| 12 | Cañas | Guanacaste Province | 20,306 | 0.4% |
| 13 | Guápiles | Limón Province | 19,092 | 0.4% |
| 14 | Nicoya | Guanacaste Province | 15,313 | 0.3% |
Cities with 300,000 or more people link to their own page. The list keeps every city of 100,000+ and at least the 30 largest places of the country.
Frequently asked questions
What is the largest city in Costa Rica?
San José, with about 335,007 inhabitants (city proper).
What is the capital of Costa Rica?
San José — population 335,007, the largest city in the country.
How many cities in Costa Rica have over one million people?
None — the largest, San José, has 335,007 people.
Are these metropolitan-area populations?
No. They are city-proper figures (the administrative city) from GeoNames, based on the latest census or official estimate. Metropolitan areas, which include suburbs and satellite towns, are larger — often several times larger for the biggest cities.
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CubaCite or link to this page
Glostats. (2026). Largest Cities in Costa Rica 2026: Population Ranking. Retrieved October 20, 2026, from https://glostats.com/cities/costa-rica/<a href="https://glostats.com/cities/costa-rica/">Largest Cities in Costa Rica 2026: Population Ranking</a> — GlostatsFigures on this page may be quoted, charted or republished as long as the page is credited with a link. Terms · Download the data as CSV · Embed a live counter.
City populations are GeoNames figures (CC BY 4.0): the latest official census or estimate for the city proper — the municipality, not the wider metropolitan area — so they can differ from "metro area" numbers you see elsewhere. Country populations are live Glostats estimates from the UN World Population Prospects. Page generated 2026-10-20. More about our data.