What it costs to run a villa in Costa Rica: taxes, utilities, community and maintenance

Taxes every owner pays

Municipal property tax (Impuesto sobre Bienes Inmuebles) is a flat 0.25% of the value registered with the municipality under Law 7509. For a property registered at USD 400,000 that is about USD 1,000 a year.

The luxury home tax (Impuesto Solidario, Law 8683) applies when the value of the building including fixed installations exceeds CRC 143 million for 2026. Rates are progressive from 0.25% to 0.55%, a return is filed every three years and the tax is due by 15 January. Land value is not included.

Electricity and water

Electricity in Guanacaste is supplied by ICE or the Coopeguanacaste cooperative depending on location, with tariffs approved by the regulator ARESEP. As a reference, ARESEP states that a household using 250 kWh a month pays Coopeguanacaste about CRC 18,595. A villa with air conditioning and a pool pump uses several times more, and higher consumption is billed at a higher rate.

It is therefore worth reviewing the previous owner's actual bills and considering solar panels. Water is supplied by AyA, the municipality or a local ASADA association, and price and reliability vary by location.

Running the house and the community

The biggest differences between properties lie in running costs. There is no single correct figure, as they depend on house size, equipment and community rules. Before buying, request documents for these items:

• Community (HOA) fees and exactly what they cover: security, roads, landscaping, shared pool.
• The community budget and meeting minutes, including planned special assessments.
• Pool and garden service, frequency and price.
• Property insurance with INS or another insurer.
• Internet and TV: fibre availability at the exact address.
• Property management and cleaning if you rent the house.

How to build a realistic budget

Build the annual budget from documents, not listing estimates: tax returns and payment receipts, 12 months of utility bills, the community budget and quotes from service companies. Add a repair reserve, as humidity, sun and salt air are hard on roofs, paint and equipment.

For a rental property add the manager's commission and cleaning between guests. You can model an indicative scenario in our investment calculator.