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Costa Rica's economy is based on tourism, exports of electronical and medical components, and IT services. In the late 2010’s, Costa Rica faced problems in paying its debt obligations and in attracting foreign investments. This resulted in many Costa Ricans becoming interested in digital assets.

These days, Costa Rica is one of the more attractive countries regarding cryptocurrencies. Part of that is due to the favorable legal environment. For instance, if you are interested in paying your employees in Bitcoin, Article 166 of Costa Rica’s Labor Code provides for the possibility of paying employees with other forms of compensations, like cryptocurrencies.

San José - the capital of Costa Rica

If you aren't getting paid in crypto (most of you) but you want to have some exposure to Bitcoin, one of the easiest ways to buy in Costa Rica is through the cryptocurrency exchanges outlined above. There are several exchanges offering Bitcoin in Costa Rica, and you can easily select one based on your requirements and preferences using our guide. Different exchanges have different transaction fees, withdrawal limits, payment modes, and verification processes that need to be considered before selecting one.

Additionally, certain exchanges might require buyers to purchase a wallet for use with their exchange. Even if an exchange does not require a wallet it is recommended that you purchase one of your own for security reasons (and preferably a hardware wallet). If you don’t have a wallet, refer to our guide on the Best Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency Wallets to choose one.

Another way to buy Bitcoins in Costa Rica is through automated teller machines (ATMs). These ATMs allow users to instantly purchase cryptocurrency using cash, and most of them only require a telephone number for verification, so long as you aren’t buying a large amount. You can locate Bitcoin ATMs in Costa Rica using our Bitcoin ATM Map.

LocalBitcoins is another popular, semi-private way to buy Bitcoin. The platform matches you with other buyers and sellers – both in Costa Rica and abroad – facilitating peer to peer transactions on the blockchain without identity verification.

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There are three main types of Bitcoin wallet and all of them are supported in Costa Rica:

• Software (desktop or mobile - iOS and Android wallets
• Hardware wallet
• Cold-storage (paper or steel wallets, the latter of which are used to backup your main wallet.

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Ethereum (ETH) has established itself as the second most popular digital currency, after Bitcoin. Its smart contract features allow unique apps to be built on top of its platform. Below you will find exchanges in Costa Rica that allow you to buy ethereum. Once you buy, you should withdrawal your ETH directly to your own crypto wallet.

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Thanks to Tesla founder Elon Musk, Dogecoin (DOGE)—a coin that started as a meme about the shiba inu dog—has recently become a popular digital currency. Below you can find crypto exchanges in Canada that allow you purchase Dogecoin.

About Dogecoin: Dogecoin has become one of the most famous altcoin blockchains. Dogecoin was founded by Jackson Palmer and Billy Markus on December 6, 2013. Thanks to its popularity on Robinhood, it hit an all time high of $0.42 on April 20. Doge started the year at under $0.01 USD. It is an open source blockchain, meaning its code is publicly available for anyone to see.

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Litecoin (LTC) is one of largest cryptocurrencies by market cap. Below you can find a list of brokerages in Costa Rica that allow you to buy litecoin and other crypto assets for good exchange rates.

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As of January of 2021, we could find no exchange hacks or significant scams affecting Costa Rica or its citizens. We will update this page if/when any news of scams or exchange hacks occur in Costa Rica.

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Being one of the leading factors in Bitcoin mining profitability, it's important to keep electricity costs as low as possible.

Central America has modest electricity prices, on average totaling $0.13 per kWh. For comparison, the United States' average electricity price is $0.12.

However, Costa Rica's average electricity cost is well above the average, coming in at $0.18 per kWh. The ordinary mining operation pays less than $0.05 per kWh to remain profitable, a price only found in some regions of the world.

Costa Rica's electricity cost isn't high compared to other nations around the world, especially in Europe and the Caribbean. But, it's still far too high for profitable Bitcoin mining.

In fact, according to our Bitcoin mining profitability calculator, you'd probably lose several thousand dollars per year, per miner, on top of your initial investment (a few thousand dollars minimum).

If you want to acquire Bitcoin, buying it directly from an exchange, Bitcoin ATM or another peer on the network via LocalBitcoins is the best and fastest way. Mining is hard, usually not profitable, and time-consuming.

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Does Coinbase work in Costa Rica?

Coinbase does NOT support customers in Costa Rica as of September of 2020.

Where Can I Find a Bitcoin ATM in Costa Rica?

Costa Rica offers only two ATMs and both are located in the capital, San Jose.

You can use our Bitcoin ATM finder tool to find one near you.

What is the price of Bitcoin in Costa Rica?

Bitcoin prices are changing every second.

The best way to find the most up-to-date price of Bitcoin is to check out our Bitcoin price page.

How do I cash out of Bitcoin in Costa Rica?

Any exchange with a Costa Rican colón trading pair will allow you to sell your Bitcoin for fiat currency. Bitpanda has CRC trading pairs for many popular coins.

Another way to sell Bitcoins in Costa Rica is through automated teller machines (ATMs). These ATMs allow users to instantly purchase and sell cryptocurrency using cash, however most of them require at least a phone number, so they aren't totally private. You can locate Bitcoin ATMs in Costa Rica using our Bitcoin ATM Map.

LocalBitcoins is another option. Here, you can buy and sell Bitcoin for a wide range of payment methods, from gift cards to bank transfers. LocalBitcoins is a peer-to-peer (P2P) exchange, where you buy and sell with another individual. This does introduce a degree of risk, though by ensuring that you conduct all business on the platform, make use of its escrow services, and only trade with users who have a good reputation, you'll minimize any potential problems.

You could also use a service like eGifter to sell your Bitcoin for gift cards.