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Costa Rica

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63 / 100

Costa Rica

Compare countries and cities by VanSky score and pick your next stop Compare regions by VanSky score and pick your destination

Comfortable 63 / 100

29%

42%

11%

18%

Ideal 29% Comfortable 42% Acceptable 11% Challenging 18%

Best spot: Cartago Province — 86

Typical conditions: 57

Cities: 8 Regions: 7 Updated: 15 Oct, 15:01 Open-Meteo

A comparison of 8 cities in Costa Rica by VanSky score — how comfortable it is to travel in each today. We factor in temperature, wind, sun and conditions by the sea. Sort by any metric and pick your next stop. A comparison of 7 regions of Costa Rica by VanSky score — where it's most comfortable to travel right now. We factor in temperature, wind, sun and conditions by the sea.

The country score (0–100) is computed from all of its cities, not a single point. Cities are grouped into regions, and a region's score is the median of its cities so dense clusters don't outweigh sparse ones. Final score = 0.65 × “best areas” (80th percentile of regions) + 0.35 × “typical conditions” (median of regions), so one warm city can't push the whole country to 100. Each city's score blends warmth (feels-like), sun, rain and wind, adjusted for night temperature and, on the coast, the sea. Data: Open-Meteo, refreshed several times a day.

80–100

Ideal

60–79

Comfortable

40–59

Acceptable

20–39

Challenging

0–19

Extreme

The scale above shows what share of the country's cities falls into each comfort band. “Best spot” is the most comfortable region or city this week; “typical conditions” is the median score across regions.

∅ 7-day average

Top cities in Costa Rica by VanSky Regions of Costa Rica

View by regions

City	VanSky	Temp.	Solar	Wind	Water
Cartago Cartago Province	90	25° / 16°	1.9 kWh	5 km/h	—
San José San José Province	87	25° / 17°	1.8 kWh	11 (↑28) km/h	—
Heredia Heredia Province	79	26° / 18°	1.9 kWh	12 km/h	—
San Francisco Heredia Province	79	26° / 18°	1.9 kWh	12 km/h	—
Alajuela Alajuela Province	77	27° / 20°	2 kWh	16 (↑27) km/h	—
Limón Limón Province	34	29° / 27°	2.3 kWh	13 km/h	—
Liberia Guanacaste Province	33	32° / 24°	2 kWh	11 (↑23) km/h	—
Puntarenas Puntarenas Province	28	30° / 27°	2.4 kWh	13 km/h	—

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City	VanSky	Temp.	Solar	Wind	Water	Conditions

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• Open-Meteo • openvan.camp

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Sort by

Cartago

Cartago Province

San José

San José Province

Heredia

Heredia Province

San Francisco

Heredia Province

Alajuela

Alajuela Province

Limón

Limón Province

Liberia

Guanacaste Province

Puntarenas

Puntarenas Province

VanSky Index

A weather comfort index for travel: a 0–100 score. Recalculated daily from live weather data — temperature, rainfall, wind and sun.

80–100 Ideal

60–79 Comfortable

40–59 Acceptable

20–39 Challenging

0–19 Extreme

How it's calculated:

Thermal comfort 35% — temperature + humidity
Sunshine 25% — panel charge, mood; in heat the sun is no longer a bonus
Precipitation 25% — rain → muddy ground
Wind 15% — awning, driving, noise
Extremes override all: frost, heat, storm, downpour
Heat counts by feels-like temperature: at 32°+ the score can’t reach “Comfortable”, muggy nights lower it further
A dangerous day drags the week down: a storm or downpour in the forecast keeps the week from being “Comfortable”
Bonus: warm sea, high panel output

Data: Open-Meteo · Updated several times a day

Best cities now Best cities this week

1 Cartago 90
2 Heredia 79
3 San Francisco 79
4 San José 87
5 Alajuela 77

Difficult conditions

1 Puntarenas 28
2 Liberia 33
3 Limón 34
4 Alajuela 77
5 San José 87

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I choose the best city in Costa Rica for van life?

Sort cities by the VanSky column — the higher the score, the more comfortable today. Also check solar panel output and sea temperature if you plan to stay near the coast.

What does the VanSky score mean for a city?

A score from 0 to 100 reflects a composite weather assessment: thermal comfort, precipitation level, wind strength, and sunshine. 80+ is ideal, 60–79 is comfortable, 40–59 is acceptable, below 40 is challenging.

How often is data updated for Costa Rica?

Weather data for all cities in Costa Rica is updated several times a day from the Open-Meteo service based on real observations.