Is San Jose safe?
Costa Rica · North America · data updated 2026-09-04
San Jose is a city in Costa Rica, home to about 2.2M people, and one of 6,168 cities worldwide ranked on this site from published safety data. It currently ranks 5,204 of 6,168, with a safety score of 49.6 out of 100 - mid-table: neither the data for concern nor the data for reassurance dominates.
Emergency 911 (ambulance, fire, police)
- Very high homicide rate27.8 homicides per 100,000 per year (city-measured), about 10× the global city median.
- High income inequalityGini 45.5 puts Costa Rica in the most unequal quarter of countries - the strongest structural predictor of city violence in this dataset (street crime and robbery tend to track it).
No official source names specific areas to avoid here: travel advisories for Costa Rica are country-level, and no published dataset covers neighborhood-level crime - so this briefing does not invent it.
How safe is San Jose really?
The most direct evidence is measured in the city itself: San Jose recorded 28 homicides per 100,000 residents in 2024 - roughly 10 times the global city median. That matters because income inequality is the strongest structural predictor of city violence in this dataset, and Costa Rica's Gini of 45.5 puts it in the most unequal quarter of countries - conditions under which street crime and robbery tend to be a real concern.
What the travel advisories say
The US State Department currently rates Costa Rica at level 2 of 4 - "Exercise increased caution" (updated 2026-04-01). The UK Foreign Office publishes travel advice for Costa Rica without any avoid-travel warning in force. Both advisories are country-level: no official source publishes verified neighborhood-level crime guidance for individual cities, which is why this page reports named areas only where an official source names them.
What to watch out for in Costa Rica
Terrorism in Costa Rica · Protecting your belongings · Violent crime · Spiked drinks and sexual assault · Methanol poisoning · Personal ID · Illegal drugs and prison sentences · LGBT+ travellers · Swimming safety · Water sports · Rainforest tours and Adventure Tourism. · Road travel · Taxis · Airport disruptions · +4 more
Topic headings from the official UK FCDO travel advice for Costa Rica — country-level, not specific to San Jose. Read what each one says →
The numbers
- Homicide rate
- 28 /100kcity-measured, 2024 · ~10× the global city median
- Conflict deaths
- 0within 100 km, 2022-2024 (UCDP)
- Income inequality
- Gini 45.5country, 2025
- Human development
- HDI 0.833country, 2023
- Income
- $30,760/yrGNI per capita PPP · context only, not scored
- Population
- 2.2Murban centre · 4,468/km²
- Nearest airport
- 15 kmJuan Santamaría International Airport (SJO)
Straight-line distance from the city centre, not drive time. Scheduled-service airports only (OurAirports).
Country context for travelers
- Road deaths
- 14.8 /100kWHO, 2019 · often the biggest real travel risk
- Political stability
- 86/100World Bank WGI, 2024 · higher = more stable
- Rule of law
- 68/100World Bank WGI, 2024 · police and courts reliability
- Corruption perceptions
- 56/100Transparency International, 2025 · higher = cleaner
- Natural-hazard risk
- 4.0/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
- Women, Peace & Security
- 0.82Georgetown WPS Index, 2025 · 0-1, higher = better
- Air quality
- 17.7 µg/m³PM2.5 annual mean, 2023 · WHO guideline is 5
- Safely managed drinking water
- 81%of the population, 2024 · WHO/UNICEF JMP
- Healthcare capacity
- 2.7 doctors /1k1.1 hospital beds per 1,000
- Malaria
- 0 /1k at riskWHO, 2024 · listed for endemic countries only
Natural hazards in Costa Rica
- Earthquake
- 9.1/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
- Tsunami
- 8.3/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
- Flood
- 2.4/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
- Cyclone
- 1.4/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
- Drought
- 1.0/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
Hazard types scoring under 1 out of 10 are not listed. These describe Costa Rica as a whole, not San Jose specifically.
Same-sex sexual activity is legal in Costa Rica (as of 2025).
All country-level figures shared by every city in Costa Rica; none of them affect the safety score.
How the score works
One fixed, calibrated mix for every city: 40% homicide · 25% peace · 25% equality · 10% HDI. Homicide and conflict deaths are measured outcomes; income inequality carries the structural share because it predicts real city violence far better than national income (which is shown above but scored at zero). Each factor maps to 0-100 against fixed anchors, missing data drops out and is never estimated, and cities with data behind less than half the weighting get “no data” instead of a score. For San Jose that gives 49.6/100. Full methodology, anchors and sources →
San Jose compared with Managua
| Measure | San Jose | Managua | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Safety score | 49.6 | 57.5 | −7.9 — better for Managua |
| Homicide ratecity-measured where published, otherwise the national rate | 28 /100k | 7.1 /100k | +21 /100k — better for Managua |
| Conflict deaths within 100 km | 0 | 0 | ±0 |
| Income inequality (Gini) | 45.5 | 46.2 | −0.7 — better for San Jose |
| Human development (HDI) | 0.833 | 0.706 | +0.127 — better for San Jose |
| Road deaths | 14.8 /100k | 16.9 /100k | −2.1 /100k — better for San Jose |
| Rule of law | 68/100 | 29/100 | +39/100 — better for San Jose |
| Corruption perceptions | 56/100 | 14/100 | +42/100 — better for San Jose |
| Air quality (PM2.5) | 17.7 µg/m³ | 20.4 µg/m³ | −2.7 µg/m³ — better for San Jose |
| Natural-hazard risk | 4.0/10 | 4.3/10 | −0.3/10 — better for San Jose |
Differences are plain arithmetic between the two stored figures — nothing is modelled. Country-level rows describe the two countries, not the cities themselves. Full report for Managua →
Nearby cities
- Cartago 49.6
- David, Panama 52.7
- Masaya, Nicaragua 57.5
- Managua, Nicaragua 57.5
- Matagalpa, Nicaragua 59.3
- León, Nicaragua 59.3
- Esteli, Nicaragua 59.3
- Chinandega, Nicaragua 59.3
See San Jose on the interactive map → · Safest cities in North America → · Full travel briefings →