Largest Urban Areas by Population in Costa Rica
101 urban areas in Costa Rica with 2,500 or more inhabitants, ranked by unofficial population estimates for June 30, 2020 (by National Institute of Statistics and Censuses, Costa Rica). An urban area is a continuous built-up area, which can span several municipalities.
| Rank | Urban Area | Population |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | San José | 1,453,500 |
| 2 | Heredia | 367,900 |
| 3 | Cartago | 232,300 |
| 4 | Alajuela | 196,900 |
| 5 | Puntarenas | 87,500 |
| 6 | San Isidro de El General | 66,300 |
| 7 | Limón (Puerto Limón) | 65,300 |
| 8 | Liberia | 59,100 |
| 9 | San Rafael de Alajuela | 57,500 |
| 10 | San Ramón de los Palmares | 40,600 |
| 11 | Guápiles | 38,800 |
| 12 | Grecia | 38,300 |
| 13 | Quesada de San Carlos | 32,300 |
| 14 | San Isidro de Heredia | 31,900 |
| 15 | Palmares de Alajuela | 30,700 |
| 16 | Turrialba | 29,900 |
| 17 | Esparza | 28,600 |
| 18 | Cariari | 26,000 |
| 19 | Siquirres | 22,800 |
| 20 | Cañas | 22,700 |
| 21 | Naranjo de Alajuela | 19,900 |
| 22 | Buenos Aires de Puntarenas | 18,700 |
| 23 | Nicoya | 17,300 |
| 24 | Santa Cruz de Guanacaste | 16,600 |
| 25 | Puerto Quepos | 16,100 |
| 26 | La Fortuna | 15,400 |
| 27 | Jacó | 14,400 |
| 28 | Guácimo | 13,800 |
| 29 | Neily | 12,800 |
| 30 | San Miguel de Santo Domingo | 12,200 |
| 31 | Tobosi | 12,100 |
| 32 | Pital | 12,000 |
| 33 | Florencia | 11,700 |
| 34 | Sardinal | 11,200 |
| 35 | Batán | 11,000 |
| 36 | Parrita | 10,800 |
| 37 | Puerto Viejo de Sarapiquí | 10,500 |
| 38 | Aguas Zarcas | 10,500 |
| 39 | Rita | 9,670 |
| 40 | Canoas | 9,550 |
| 41 | Atenas | 9,300 |
| 42 | Carrillos | 9,290 |
| 43 | Cot | 9,180 |
| 44 | San Pedro de Poás | 9,140 |
| 45 | Orotina | 8,640 |
| 46 | Santiago de Puriscal | 8,170 |
| 47 | Bagaces | 8,050 |
| 48 | Miramar | 8,030 |
| 49 | Golfito | 7,980 |
| 50 | Roxana | 7,900 |
| 51 | Río Claro | 7,700 |
| 52 | Carrandi | 7,640 |
| 53 | San Marcos de Tarrazú | 7,600 |
| 54 | Tilarán | 7,560 |
| 55 | La Cruz | 6,680 |
| 56 | Sarchí | 6,670 |
| 57 | Pocora | 6,630 |
| 58 | Garita | 6,590 |
| 59 | Los Chiles | 6,460 |
| 60 | Orosi | 6,420 |
| 61 | Belén | 6,220 |
| 62 | San Vito | 6,180 |
| 63 | Upala | 6,120 |
| 64 | San José de Grecia | 6,060 |
| 65 | Turrúcares | 5,940 |
| 66 | Filadelfia de Guanacaste | 5,600 |
| 67 | Palmira de Carrillo | 5,490 |
| 68 | La Suiza | 5,250 |
| 69 | Tierra Blanca | 5,150 |
| 70 | Puerto Cortés | 5,140 |
| 71 | Juan Viñas | 5,010 |
| 72 | Matina | 4,940 |
| 73 | Palmar | 4,860 |
| 74 | Carrizal | 4,740 |
| 75 | Cervantes | 4,670 |
| 76 | Tárcoles | 4,630 |
| 77 | Purabá | 4,620 |
| 78 | San José de la Montaña | 4,550 |
| 79 | Sixaola | 4,510 |
| 80 | Tacares | 4,460 |
| 81 | Santa Rosa de Pocosol | 4,430 |
| 82 | Pacuarito | 4,360 |
| 83 | San Pablo de León Cortés | 4,330 |
| 84 | Las Juntas | 4,270 |
| 85 | Puerto Jiménez | 4,210 |
| 86 | El Cairo | 4,090 |
| 87 | San Isidro de Grecia | 4,000 |
| 88 | Tamarindo | 3,870 |
| 89 | Río Jiménez | 3,780 |
| 90 | Cahuita | 3,740 |
| 91 | Pacayas | 3,530 |
| 92 | Cartagena | 3,430 |
| 93 | Tempate | 3,200 |
| 94 | Cachí | 3,150 |
| 95 | Zarcero | 2,980 |
| 96 | Pavones | 2,920 |
| 97 | Lepanto | 2,850 |
| 98 | San Rafael de Guatuso | 2,840 |
| 99 | Tucurrique | 2,650 |
| 100 | Vuelta de Jorco | 2,560 |
| 101 | La Cuesta | 2,550 |
Source: National Institute of Statistics and Censuses, Costa Rica (2020 unofficial estimate), via City Population by Thomas Brinkhoff.
Why don't these match official city populations?Official figures typically count only the population within administrative boundaries. UN urban area figures cover the entire built-up area, which can include multiple cities and towns.Show moreShow less
Tokyo
33,338,852
Urban area
9,953,160
23 wards
Essen
2,709,375
Urban area
573,618
City of Essen
Ankara
3,630,865
Urban area
5,186,002
Metropolitan municipality
What counts as an urban area? The UN uses satellite imagery to map built-up land, and treats each continuous stretch of built-up land as an urban area. This means that urban areas can extend beyond official city boundaries, and may include multiple cities and towns within a single urban area.
Can an urban area be smaller than its city? Yes. While most cities have urban areas larger than their administrative boundaries, some cities have extensive administrative limits that include sparsely populated areas.
6 urban areas in Costa Rica with 50,000 or more inhabitants, ranked by the UN's population estimates for 2026.
| Rank | Urban Area | Population Estimate (2026) | Yearly Change | Land Area (km²) | Density (P/km²) | World Rank | Projections (2030) | Projections (2050) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San José | 2,175,934 | +0.22% | 486 | 4,477 | 234 | 2,194,816 | 2,222,600 |
| 2 | Cartago | 189,986 | +0.20% | 45 | 4,222 | 3,203 | 191,499 | 193,176 |
| 3 | Barranca | 64,623 | +0.80% | 20 | 3,199 | 9,719 | 66,680 | 68,102 |
| 4 | San Isidro de El General | 52,860 | +0.26% | 16 | 3,304 | 11,739 | 53,411 | 55,588 |
| 5 | Limón | 52,449 | +0.21% | 16 | 3,278 | 11,821 | 52,899 | 54,171 |
| 6 | Liberia | 51,423 | +0.20% | 13 | 3,956 | 11,981 | 51,836 | 53,773 |
Source: United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025). World Urbanization Prospects: The 2025 Revision, Online Edition.