The Ultimate Guide to Dating Costa Rican Women (December 2019)

This post about Costa Rican women comes courtesy from contributor “Dating Dominican”.

Many consider Costa Rican women to be the best looking in all of Central America (see for yourself). While I wasn’t sold on this during my stay, I can see where they’re coming from. El Salvador and Honduras can compete, but there’s no denying the talent levels in San Jose.

If there’s one city in Central America that combines attractive women, a solid population, and safety it’s San Jose, Costa Rica. The capital is filled with stunning women and bumping nightlife throughout.

You won’t have to worry about getting shot here, either. That’s a major plus in Central America. There are some downsides, like the amount of foreigners that have come through Costa Rica over the years.

These negatives can be negated as long as you don’t come off like a backpacker or a sex tourist. Learn a little Spanish and bring some nice clothing. If you can do these two things, you should have your pick of the litter in San Jose. It’s time to live a little pura vida.

What Are Costa Rican Women Like?

Costa Rican women, also known as Ticas, are quite different than their counterparts throughout Central America. You’ll find girls here look more European than anywhere else in the region. The women here also have better education levels and many speak English fairly well.

Furthermore, the women in Costa Rica are far more relationship-oriented than most other Latinas. The girls here value having a boyfriend more than anywhere I’ve ever been. It was common to see women making out with their boyfriends all over college campuses, at restaurants, and bars.

Ticas don’t value foreigners like other Central American girls, either. They’ve seen millions of backpackers and sex tourists go through their country throughout the years. As such, you won’t be too exotic here.

The Costa Rican girls are still Latinas, though. They’re exceptionally sweet, like to cook for their man, and make great girlfriends. If you’re looking for an attractive, loyal girlfriend, then this is the ideal country for you.

San Jose, Costa Rica: The Only City to Meet Costa Rican Women?

No city in Costa Rica has more than 100,000 people outside the San Jose metro area. The capital is the only place to stay if you want to sleep with Ticas. I found the rest of the country just doesn’t have the population you need to make things work.

In San Jose, you have a number of areas to stay. The city is large and sprawling. The best areas include:

Downtown
San Pedro
Escazú

Staying in one of these three areas should offer ideal logistics for meeting and sleeping with a bevy of Ticas. Downtown is a little rough, but you’ll find some of the best discos close to here, including Vertigo. There’s also great high-rise buildings with swimming pools around here for cheap prices.

San Pedro is the student area. There’s two large universities near here and tons of students at all hours. You’ll also find a number of solid nightlife spots and everything is cheap. If you’re under 28, this could be the ideal place to stay.

Escazú is a chic, upscale area filled with upper-class Costa Ricans and a number of expats. The views are amazing here and there’s a number of bars and lounges. Stay here if you want a high quality of life, plan to stay for awhile, and use a lot of online dating.

Outside the capital, there’s places to meet women, but the population numbers are so small. Here are a few ideas for meeting Ticas outside the capital:

Tamarindo
Puntarenas
San Isidro

Tamarindo is a beach town filled with backpackers and a few Ticas. If you want to get laid in Costa Rica, this is a good choice. Just know that the Ticas here won’t be impressed with a gringo and most who are will be hookers.

Puntarenas has some attractive women in person and online. The providence is home to amazing beaches and the nature is second to none here. If you want to sleep with a girl or two while enjoying the beaches, surfing, and nature then this could be a good spot off the radar. I had a great time here, but only for a few days.

San Isidro is said to be home to some attractive Costa Rican girls. I never went, but a few Tico buddies highly recommended the city to me. If you’re living in San Jose, this may be a decent city to check out for a weekend.

I don’t recommend going to Jaco or the Caribbean coast beaches. These places are overrun with foreigners, hookers, and just suck. You’re far better off meeting girls in San Jose and then bringing them to the beach with you.

The Ultimate Guide to Meeting Ticas

It’s not hard to meet Costa Rican girls in San Jose. You just need to seperate yourself from the hordes of exchange students, backpackers, and sex tourists.

If you can do that, the quality of women you meet in Costa Rica will be impressive.

Below you’ll find the best ways to do just that.

#1: Nightlife

The nightlife in San Jose is bumping all the time. It’s probably the best way to meet women in the country, as online dating can be hit or miss, especially if you look extra foreign.

Bring solid game here or you’ll strike out. The girls in these clubs are used to foreigners. If you don’t look good or speak solid Spanish, it’s going to be rough to get attention here. This is not a country for old men to meet women at night. Some of the best clubs in San Jose include:

La Concha de la Lora
Vertigo
Asylum

La Concha de la Lora is a bar that gets going on Thursdays. The crowd here is younger, but you’re sure to have a good time here. Lots of reggae music and a stoner vibe. Not a place for older guys.

Vertigo is one of the nicer clubs in downtown San Jose. They play electronic music and drinks aren’t cheap here. When this place gets packed, you won’t find better looking women in all of San Jose. I never could figure out when that would be on a consistent basis.

Asylum is a newer club that’s a solid second option to Vertigo when you’re downtown. Lots of good looking girls go here.

There’s lots of bars in San Pedro, as that’s the university area. Sadly, the best one is now closed. You’ll have to find out where the hot spot is now if you’re in that neighborhood.

#2: Online Dating

You have more online dating options in Costa Rica than you do in other Central American countries. You’ll find ample women on four different sites in San Jose.

To start, swipe Tinder. You’ll meet a number of women using the app in the capital. The problem is the competition is high. If you don’t speak Spanish, then you’ll be lumped in with all the other foreigners and forced to feed off gringo hunters. Not ideal. You’ll get laid with Tinder in Costa Rica, but I wasn’t thrilled with the quality.

Latin American Cupid can be amazing if you’re looking for girls outside university age. Many of the Ticas on LAC look great in San Jose and they’re pretty responsive. Again, the better Spanish you speak, the better you’ll do here.

Surprisingly, you’ll find an ok amount of women on OkCupid in Costa Rica. If you have a profile, it’s worth it to look around and see if you find anything here. I got lucky and met a great Costa Rican women on OkCupid while I was in the capital.

You can also use Badoo in San Jose. I absolutely despise Badoo, but there’s an ok amount of Costa Rican girls on the site. Badoo is also ideal when you go to the small towns and cities in Costa Rica, as there’s always girls using the app.

#3: Day Game

Day game is ideal in Costa Rica, as you’ll be able to separate yourself from other foreigners and the sex tourists.

Mall San Pedro is an amazing day game spot. You just have to time things when students are getting out of class. I was never short on prospects during the early evening here. The mall is ok sized, too.

The Multiplaza Escazu is a massive mall in an upper-class area. If you have solid day game, you’ll find some dateable women walking around here during the early evenings. Just be prepared for blowouts, as the girls who shop here won’t be impressed by a foreigner.

City Mall and Lincoln Plaza are also decent options, but Mall San Pedro and Multiplaza Escazu will be easier to get to for most travelers.

Hanging around the university area in San Pedro will offer some good opportunities, too. Just come up with an excuse while you’re walking around and you should be fine.

I wouldn’t day game much downtown, as the area is somewhat rough and the quality of girls isn’t that high.

Dating Costa Rican Girls

Since Costa Rica is somewhat Americanized, you’ll get some one night stands from nightlife and Tinder. These girls will often be pretty attractive, too. The best Ticas won’t put out that quickly in most cases.

Quality Costa Rican women will take 2-3 dates in San Jose. She’ll make you wait to see that you’re not a sex tourist leaving the next day. Many of these girls are far more interested in a boyfriend than a one week romance.

With a nice apartment and good Spanish, you should close girls on the second date. Without Spanish, you’re looking at either one night stands from the club or three dates before a Costa Rican girl sleeps with you.

I asked a few exchange students about this and their experiences tended to be similar to mine here.