Is Costa Rica more expensive than Mexico or Colombia?

Generally yes on salary and total cost. Buyers choose Costa Rica for institutional stability, bilingual consistency and a mature shared-services labor market rather than lowest cost.

What is cesantía and why does it matter?

It is an accrued severance entitlement. Reserving for it monthly rather than recognizing it at termination keeps your cost per head accurate and avoids a large unbudgeted exit expense.

How fast can we staff a team in Costa Rica?

Onboarding an identified candidate typically takes 5 to 10 business days. Standing up a small bilingual team usually takes 4 to 8 weeks depending on role seniority.

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LATAM staffing guide, Costa Rica

Staffing in Costa Rica: what it really costs, and how fast you can start

Costa Rica is the region's most established shared-services hub: politically stable, strongly bilingual, and used for decades by multinationals for finance, HR and support centers. Costs are higher than neighboring markets, and buyers choose it for stability and quality rather than price.

Employer burden: Roughly 26–38% of gross salary including CCSS and reserves
Onboarding time: 5–10 business days for an identified candidate
Currency: CRC
Timezone: CST, full overlap with US Central

What you are legally required to provide in Costa Rica

CCSS contributions

Social security covering health and pension.

Aguinaldo

One month of salary paid in December.

Severance reserve (cesantía)

Accrued liability that should be reserved monthly, not at exit.

Vacation

Two weeks after 50 weeks of continuous work.

Occupational risk insurance

Mandatory INS policy for employees.

Roles our clients hire most in Costa Rica

▸Finance & shared services
▸HR operations
▸Bilingual support
▸Compliance & audit
▸Life-sciences back office

Consistently strong bilingual professional supply

Where Costa Rica hiring goes wrong

Cesantía accrual is often ignored until termination and then arrives as a shock.
Higher wage floors than neighboring markets; benchmark before committing headcount.
Talent competition from established multinational centers drives retention cost.

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