Q COSTA RICA — After Caroline Heaviland, a 75-year-old American acupuncturist, was found murdered in her home in Santa Cruz, Guanacaste, in August; California surfer and Hotel Puerto Viejo owner Kurt Van Dyke was killed during a violent home invasion in Cahuita, Limón, in February; and Austrian-German couple Manuela Daxer and Rüdiger Schickhaus were killed in a double homicide in Quepos in September 2025, travelers are asking whether Costa Rica—the “pura vida” paradise long considered a safe haven—is still as safe as they once believed.
Costa Rica’s image has long rested on an appealing promise: rainforests, beaches and a relatively calm escape in a region often associated with instability. That reputation still draws visitors.
It also risks obscuring a more complicated picture.
The short answer to “Is Costa Rica as safe as its reputation?” is that Costa Rica can be a safe place to visit, but it is not safe in every sense the label suggests. For many travelers, the most likely problems are theft and opportunistic robbery. At the same time, the country’s homicide rate remains near a recent record, and official advisories warn that violent crime affects tourists as well as residents.
Costa Rica recorded 873 homicides in 2025, three fewer than in 2024 but still close to the record of 905 in 2023, according to figures reported by the Organismo de Investigación Judicial (OIJ).
The 2025 total works out to about 16.7 killings per 100,000 people. Nearly eight in 10 cases were linked to settling scores or revenge, pointing to the role of organized-crime disputes in the country’s violence.
Those figures matter. They do not, by themselves, tell visitors how likely they are to be victims. Homicide is not evenly distributed across the country, and a national rate cannot describe the risks on a particular beach, street or road.
The available figures suggest that much of the lethal violence is tied to criminal conflicts, not that tourists face the same risk everywhere they travel. Still, some visitors have been caught in attacks, and a security report prepared for the U.S. government Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC) says violent robberies, while less common than property crime, are occurring.
The everyday risks are more familiar, and more likely to affect a typical trip. The U.S. State Department says petty crime is common throughout the country and that tourists can also be affected by armed robbery, homicide and sexual assault. Canada’s travel advice describes pickpocketing, purse snatching, vehicle theft and break-ins as frequent, including in popular tourist areas and transport hubs. U.S. State Department; Global Affairs Canada
Rental homes deserve particular care. The OSAC report describes an uptick in robberies at rental properties, especially isolated ones, and says tourists have reported break-ins and armed robberies at vacation rentals. That does not make every rental unsafe; it does make security, location, and arrival plans worth checking rather than treating as minor details.
There is also evidence that visitors continue to feel broadly positive about their experience. Costa Rica’s tourism institute, the Instituto Costarricense de Turismo (ICR), publishes a visitor-perception index based on analysis of online mentions of safety.
Its annual score was 91.1 in 2025, down from 91.5 in 2024 and above 2023’s 89.6.
That measure captures perceptions expressed online; it is not a crime rate, and it cannot establish how safe the country is for every traveler.
The distinction helps explain the gap between reputation and reality. A destination can feel welcoming and deliver a rewarding trip while still facing serious public-safety problems. A visitor who keeps valuables secure, chooses lodging carefully, and avoids isolated places at night may have a very different experience from a resident living in an area affected by gang violence.
Neither experience makes the other untrue.
Costa Rica’s reputation, then, is not simply false—but it is incomplete. The country is not a place most travelers need to avoid: the U.S. advisory remains at Level 2, meaning “exercise increased caution,” not “do not travel.”
Canada’s official travel advisory classifies Costa Rica at a “Yellow” risk level, advising Canadian citizens to “Exercise a high degree of caution” when visiting the country; Europe classifies Costa Rica under their standard “Normal Precautions” / “Increased Vigilance” tier, aligning directly with the U.S. Level 2 and Canadian advisories.
None of the major European foreign ministries advise against traveling to any part of Costa Rica.
But the idea that it is exceptionally safe should not be treated as a guarantee. Travelers should plan for theft, take warnings about violent crime seriously and check current local guidance before moving between destinations.
The fairest verdict is practical rather than reassuring: Costa Rica can be safe enough for a well-planned visit, but its reputation is no substitute for paying attention.
Among the comments on social networks about Costa Rica being safe:
- Spent 12 days in CR, stayed as far away from resorts and tourists as possible and never once felt any less safe than anywhere in the US.
- We have lived in the Puerto Viejo area for 9 years, zero problems ever. We also have never felt unsafe. As in any place in the world, when you show people respect, it is returned to you.
- Nowhere is as safe as it was; I never had any trouble, but I’m just a bit crazy.
- We go there from San Jose all the way down to Panama boarder (sic), 2-3 times a year, 3-5 weeks at a time, never had a problem.
Post your comments on our official Facebook page.