How does selling property work in Costa Rica?
Costa Rica has no centralized MLS, so your property sells through agent networks, marketing reach, and buyer targeting — not a shared listing feed. Who sees your property is decided almost entirely by how it is marketed.
That structural difference changes everything about choosing an agent. In the US or Canada, every agent's listing reaches the same MLS audience; here, an agent with professional video, drone content, targeted digital campaigns aimed at US and Canadian buyers, and a real referral network will simply reach more qualified buyers than one who posts photos on a listing site and waits.
Once a buyer offers, the mechanics mirror a purchase: a signed purchase and sale agreement, a deposit (usually 10 percent) into SUGEF-regulated escrow, 15 to 30 days of buyer due diligence, then closing before a notary who records the transfer in the National Registry. Most buyers here pay cash, which keeps closings fast — typically 30 to 60 days from accepted offer.
What does it cost to sell?
The main cost is the agent commission — typically 5 to 6 percent for homes and condos in Guanacaste, often higher for raw land — plus Costa Rica's 13 percent VAT charged on the commission itself.
Transfer taxes, registry stamps, and the notary's transfer work are commonly paid by the buyer in Costa Rica, though everything is negotiable in the contract. Beyond commission, seller-side costs are usually small: bringing corporation filings current, property tax receipts, HOA statements, and any minor repairs surfaced during due diligence.
Use the net proceeds calculator below to see what these numbers mean for your property.
How much is the capital gains tax?
15 percent of your profit — the sale price minus your documented cost basis (what you paid plus documented improvements). Properties acquired before July 1, 2019 can instead opt once to pay 2.25 percent of the gross sale price.
That pre-2019 option exists because Costa Rica's capital gains law took effect in mid-2019, and it is often the better deal for long-held properties with large gains — 2.25 percent of the sale price can be far less than 15 percent of a decade of appreciation. A primary residence is generally exempt from the tax entirely.
This is the single best reason to keep records: every documented improvement raises your cost basis and lowers the taxable gain. Have a Costa Rican accountant run both calculations before you list, so the tax is a known number and not a closing-week surprise.
What is the 2.5% non-resident withholding?
If you are not domiciled in Costa Rica for tax purposes, the buyer is required to withhold 2.5 percent of the sale price at closing and remit it to the tax authority as an advance on your capital gains tax.
It is a prepayment, not an additional tax: the withheld amount is credited against the 15 percent (or 2.25 percent) you actually owe, and the difference is settled when the tax is filed. Most foreign sellers on the Gold Coast fall under this rule, so build it into your cash-flow expectations for closing day — the calculator below includes it.
How should my property be priced?
To the market, from day one. Without an MLS, public comparable data is thin — real pricing comes from actual closed sales, which only an active local agent sees. Overpricing is the most expensive mistake sellers make here.
The Gold Coast is full of listings that have sat for years because they were priced on hope and anchored to what a neighbor once asked (not got). Buyers and their agents notice stale listings and discount accordingly, so overpriced properties routinely end up selling for less than they would have with an honest price at launch. Well-priced homes in Tamarindo, Flamingo, and the surrounding communities attract offers in the first months — often from buyers who have been waiting for exactly that property at a real number.
What documents should I prepare before listing?
Have the full package ready before the listing goes live — deals die in due diligence when sellers scramble for paperwork.
- Title deed (escritura) and the registered survey map (plano catastrado)
- Up-to-date property tax receipts and Luxury Home Tax filings, if applicable
- Water letter or utility statements proving active services
- HOA/condo account statements showing you are current
- If held in a corporation: legal books, shareholder registry, and current annual filings
- If selling furnished: a signed inventory list
- For rental properties: booking history and income records — they are part of your sales pitch
A buyer's attorney will request every item on this list. Producing them the same day keeps momentum; taking three weeks invites renegotiation.
My property is in a corporation — how does that sale work?
Two routes: an asset sale (the corporation deeds the property to the buyer) or a share transfer (the buyer purchases the corporation itself, and the property never changes registered owners).
Share transfers can save the buyer transfer taxes, which sometimes becomes a negotiating chip — but they require deeper due diligence, because the buyer inherits the corporation's entire history, including any liabilities. Either way, the corporation must be current on its annual corporate tax and shareholder declarations before closing. If your filings have lapsed, fix them before listing; it is cheap to cure early and expensive to cure under deadline.
How long will it take to sell?
Well-priced, well-marketed properties in demand areas can go under contract in weeks. Overpriced or under-marketed ones sit for a year or more. Once under contract, expect 30 to 60 days to close.
The two levers you control are price and marketing. The market sets the rest: demand is strongest for turnkey, rental-ready homes and condos in walkable locations, and softer for remote land and half-finished projects. If you need to sell by a date — a 1031 exchange window, a move, a partnership dissolving — tell your agent at the start so the pricing strategy matches the deadline.
How do I receive the money — and get it out of Costa Rica?
The escrow company disburses your proceeds at closing and can wire directly to your US, Canadian, or other foreign account. Your money does not need to sit in Costa Rica at all.
Because escrow companies are regulated by SUGEF, the outbound wire involves the same compliance documentation as inbound funds — routine, but faster when planned. Decide the receiving account in advance, ask escrow for their outbound requirements early, and loop in a cross-border tax professional on the reporting side at home (the sale is reportable to the IRS or CRA even though Costa Rica taxed it).
Should I sell furnished?
On the Gold Coast, usually yes. Furnished, turnkey, rental-ready properties are worth more to the typical North American buyer — many are buying precisely so they can rent immediately.
For vacation-rental properties, the furniture, the listing's ratings, and future bookings are genuinely part of the asset. Include a signed inventory list in the contract, exclude personal items explicitly, and hand over the rental operation cleanly — reviews, calendars, and guest pipeline included. It is one of the easiest ways to defend a premium price.