Santa Teresa (Puntarenas Province)

Santa Teresa — Costa Rica's Most Beautiful and Most Demanding Beach Town

Santa Teresa sits at the southern tip of the Nicoya Peninsula — one of the most remote and visually stunning coastlines in Costa Rica. Getting here takes commitment. From San José the journey is 5 to 6 hours including either a ferry crossing or a long mountain drive. From Liberia International Airport it is approximately 3 to 3.5 hours with the last section on dirt roads that require a 4x4 year-round. The remoteness is not incidental — it is fundamental to everything that makes Santa Teresa what it is.

What you find at the end of that drive is genuinely extraordinary. World-class surf breaks stretching along a wild coastline. Sunsets that face due west into an open Pacific horizon. A creative international community of surfers, artists, yoga practitioners, and entrepreneurs who made a deliberate choice to live differently. And a natural environment — jungle-covered hills dropping to the ocean, scarlet macaws in the treetops, bioluminescent water at night — that consistently stops people in their tracks.

Santa Teresa is also more expensive than most people expect. Rental prices are high, grocery selection is limited, reliable internet requires investment in Starlink, and a proper vehicle is not optional. The town is electric in high season and noticeably quiet during the May through October rainy season when some businesses close entirely.

This is not a destination for people who want convenience, urban infrastructure, or easy access to hospitals and services. It is a destination for people who have decided that world-class surf, spectacular natural beauty, and a like-minded creative community are worth every trade-off that comes with them. For those people Santa Teresa tends to become a permanent home rather than a temporary experiment.

View of Santa Teresa Beach from the Mal Pais Hill. (CC By 1.0)

Thinking About Making Santa Teresa Home?

Santa Teresa is just one piece of the picture. If you're seriously researching a move to Costa Rica, these guides will help you build the full picture:

• Cost of Living in Costa Rica

• Best Places to Live in Costa Rica

• Residency and Visas

• Pros and Cons of Living in Costa Rica

• Moving to Costa Rica

• Costa Rica Relocation Checklist