San José, Costa Rica: What to pack, what to wear, and when to go [2018]
Traveling to San José, Costa Rica? If you're planning to go to San José, here is some important information about when to go, what to wear, and what to pack:
When to go to San José, Costa Rica
Based on the climate and weather in San José, the best time to go is March. See below for details.
What to wear/what to pack for San José, Costa Rica by month
January
If you vacation in San José during January, you are likely to find that it is a perfect temperature and very dry with almost no rain.
Temperatures tend to hover around the low 70s F (low 20s C) during the day, while at night they can dip into the high 50s F (mid 10s C).
What to wear/what to pack:
- Sunscreen lotion
- If you're going to the beach, bathing suits, swimwear
- Light footwear
- Shorts or short pants
- Dresses
- Long and short sleeve shirts
- Sandals
- Skirts
February
If you go to San José in February, you will notice that it is a perfect temperature and very dry with almost no rain. Daytime temperatures are in the 70s F (mid 20s C).
What to wear/what to pack:
- If you're going to the beach, bathing suits, swimwear
- Sandals
- Sunscreen lotion
- Shorts or short pants
- Skirts
- Light footwear
- Long and short sleeve shirts
- Dresses
March
If you visit San José during March, you are likely to find that it is a perfect temperature and dry with little rain.
Temperatures tend to hover around the high 70s F (mid 20s C) during the day, while at night they can dip into the high 50s F (mid 10s C).
What to wear/what to pack:
- If you're going to the beach, bathing suits, swimwear
- Dresses
- Long and short sleeve shirts
- Skirts
- Sunscreen lotion
- Light footwear
- Sandals
- Shorts or short pants
April
If you go to San José in April, you will notice that it is warm. Expect it to rain occasionally. Daytime temperatures are in the high 70s F (mid 20s C).
What to wear/what to pack:
- If you're going to the beach, bathing suits, swimwear
- Light footwear
- Waterproof footwear
- Sandals
- Waterproof luggage
- Shorts or short pants
- Rain coat
- Sunscreen lotion
- Long and short sleeve shirts
- Dresses
- Skirts
- Umbrella
May
Traveling to San José in May, you will notice that it is warm. Daytime temperatures are in the high 70s F (mid 20s C).
What to wear/what to pack:
- Sunscreen lotion
- If you're going to the beach, bathing suits, swimwear
- Light footwear
- Skirts
- Dresses
- Sandals
- Long and short sleeve shirts
- Shorts or short pants
June
June in San José is warm and somewhat rainy. The rain can amount to several inches/centimeters. During this time, temperatures average in the high 70s F (mid 20s C).
What to wear/what to pack:
- Shorts or short pants
- Waterproof luggage
- Umbrella
- Waterproof footwear
- Skirts
- Long and short sleeve shirts
- Sandals
- Light footwear
- Sunscreen lotion
- Rain coat
- Dresses
- If you're going to the beach, bathing suits, swimwear
July
In July, San José is warm and somewhat rainy. Temperatures routinely are in the high 70s F (mid 20s C) range.
At night, lows are in the low 60s F (mid 10s C). This is also a rainy time for San José, with several of the days of the month having rain.
What to wear/what to pack:
- Long and short sleeve shirts
- Rain coat
- Waterproof footwear
- Skirts
- Sandals
- Umbrella
- If you're going to the beach, bathing suits, swimwear
- Waterproof luggage
- Dresses
- Light footwear
- Sunscreen lotion
- Shorts or short pants
August
If you go to San José in August, you will notice that it is a perfect temperature and somewhat rainy. Expect it to rain about half of the time. Daytime temperatures are in the high 70s F (mid 20s C).
What to wear/what to pack:
- Umbrella
- Rain coat
- Sunscreen lotion
- Shorts or short pants
- Sandals
- Skirts
- If you're going to the beach, bathing suits, swimwear
- Dresses
- Waterproof footwear
- Light footwear
- Long and short sleeve shirts
- Waterproof luggage
September
If you visit San José during September, you are likely to find that it is warm and very rainy. Temperatures tend to hover around the high 70s F (mid 20s C) during the day, while at night they can dip into the low 60s F (mid 10s C).
In terms of precipitation, you can expect it to rain about half of the time.
What to wear/what to pack:
- Waterproof luggage
- Rain coat
- Sunscreen lotion
- Waterproof footwear
- Long and short sleeve shirts
- Skirts
- Dresses
- Sandals
- Light footwear
- If you're going to the beach, bathing suits, swimwear
- Shorts or short pants
- Umbrella
October
In October, San José is warm and very rainy. Temperatures routinely are in the high 70s F (mid 20s C) range.
At night, lows are in the high 50s F (mid 10s C). This is also a rainy time for San José, with more than half of the days of the month having rain.
What to wear/what to pack:
- Shorts or short pants
- If you're going to the beach, bathing suits, swimwear
- Skirts
- Sunscreen lotion
- Waterproof footwear
- Umbrella
- Long and short sleeve shirts
- Rain coat
- Dresses
- Sandals
- Waterproof luggage
- Light footwear
November
If you visit San José during November, you are likely to find that it is a perfect temperature. Temperatures tend to hover around the high 70s F (mid 20s C) during the day, while at night they can dip into the high 50s F (mid 10s C).
In terms of precipitation, you can expect it to rain a bit less than half of the time.
What to wear/what to pack:
- If you're going to the beach, bathing suits, swimwear
- Long and short sleeve shirts
- Light footwear
- Sandals
- Dresses
- Waterproof luggage
- Skirts
- Shorts or short pants
- Sunscreen lotion
- Waterproof footwear
- Rain coat
- Umbrella
December
If you are traveling to San José in December, you will notice that it is warm. Daytime temperatures are in the low 70s F (low 20s C).
What to wear/what to pack:
- Shorts or short pants
- Sunscreen lotion
- Sandals
- Dresses
- If you're going to the beach, bathing suits, swimwear
- Long and short sleeve shirts
- Light footwear
- Skirts
Year-round what to wear/what to pack for San José, Costa Rica
Here are some general tips on what to wear in San José, as well as several items to remember to pack when traveling there.
- A plug adadpter that supports outlet types A and B
- A SIM card that works in San José
- If you plan to visit a church, make sure to bring appropriate clothing
- Theft can be a problem, so pack theft protection, including locks for luggage and a money belt or pouch
- Appropriate museum wear
- Bicycle friendly attire, if you plan on biking anywhere
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