Best time to visit San Jose, Costa Rica

Our verdict

The best time to visit San Jose is February-April

Based on a number of criteria such as the weather conditions, cost of flights and hotels, peak travel seasons and much more, February-April is the best time to go to San Jose.

In the height of summer, temperatures in San Jose can reach a maximum of 29℃ (84℉). The weather at night in the winter, which is around January-time, can get down to a minimum of 12℃ (54℉).

If you’re a sun-chaser and want to visit San Jose when the days are longest, you should visit in March. On average it rains the most days in October, making it the wettest month of the year. Although it’s the wet season, it can often rain a little bit during the day or evening but have fine weather for a majority of the day too, so don’t let this put you off.

Learn more about when to travel to San Jose, the monthly weather breakdown, FAQs and much more below. Once you’ve decided when you want to go, use our handy tools to find the best prices to suit your budget on flights, transport/transfers, places to stay, and loads more!

Warmest month

April

Least rainfall

February

Most daylight

March

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San Jose seasons

Before you continue, it’s important to know when the seasons are in San Jose as they might be different to yours depending on where in the world you’re travelling from. San Jose is in the Northern Hemisphere, so the seasons fall during these months:

Season Months
Summer June to August
Autumn/fall September to November
Winter December to February
Spring March to May

Average temperatures in San Jose

If the temperature is a big factor for you to help you decide when to visit, the chart below shows the average minimum and maximum temperatures in San Jose for each month side-by-side so you can easily see the difference in weather throughout the year. To see the temperatures in both Celsius (°C) and Fahrenheit (°F), hover or tap the shaded boxes on the graph.

San Jose climate by month

If you already have a rough idea about which months you might want to travel, the section below shows a detailed breakdown of the climate in San Jose for each month so you can see if it all suits your wants and needs. Scroll down, or use the quick menu below to jump to your preferred month.

Jump to:

JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
NOV
DEC

San Jose in January

  • Average temperature: 18℃ (65℉)
  • Average high temperature: 24℃ (75℉)
  • Average low temperature: 14℃ (57℉)
  • Average humidity: 79%
  • Average sunny days: 13 days
  • Average rainfall: 32mm (1") over 14 days
13 days
of pure sunshine
14 days
of showers or rain

What to pack: If you’re heading to San Jose in January, make sure you pack t-shirts for the daytime and maybe a light jumper for the evenings as it cools down a bit.


San Jose in February

  • Average temperature: 19℃ (66℉)
  • Average high temperature: 25℃ (77℉)
  • Average low temperature: 14℃ (57℉)
  • Average humidity: 75%
  • Average sunny days: 13 days
  • Average rainfall: 26mm (1") over 12 days
13 days
of pure sunshine
12 days
of showers or rain

What to pack: If you’re heading to San Jose in February, make sure you pack t-shirts for the daytime and maybe a light jumper for the evenings as it cools down a bit.


San Jose in March

  • Average temperature: 19℃ (67℉)
  • Average high temperature: 26℃ (79℉)
  • Average low temperature: 14℃ (58℉)
  • Average humidity: 75%
  • Average sunny days: 14 days
  • Average rainfall: 28mm (1") over 16 days
14 days
of pure sunshine
16 days
of showers or rain

What to pack: If you’re heading to San Jose in March, make sure you pack t-shirts for the daytime and maybe a light jumper for the evenings as it cools down a bit.


San Jose in April

  • Average temperature: 20℃ (69℉)
  • Average high temperature: 26℃ (79℉)
  • Average low temperature: 16℃ (61℉)
  • Average humidity: 78%
  • Average sunny days: 6 days
  • Average rainfall: 100mm (4") over 22 days
6 days
of pure sunshine
22 days
of showers or rain

What to pack: If you’re heading to San Jose in April, make sure you pack t-shirts for the daytime and maybe a light jumper for the evenings as it cools down a bit.


San Jose in May

  • Average temperature: 20℃ (68℉)
  • Average high temperature: 24℃ (76℉)
  • Average low temperature: 17℃ (63℉)
  • Average humidity: 86%
  • Average sunny days: 2 days
  • Average rainfall: 369mm (15") over 29 days
2 days
of pure sunshine
29 days
of showers or rain

What to pack: If you’re heading to San Jose in May, make sure you pack t-shirts for the daytime and maybe a light jumper for the evenings as it cools down a bit.


San Jose in June

  • Average temperature: 20℃ (67℉)
  • Average high temperature: 23℃ (74℉)
  • Average low temperature: 17℃ (63℉)
  • Average humidity: 90%
  • Average sunny days: 1 days
  • Average rainfall: 344mm (14") over 29 days
1 days
of pure sunshine
29 days
of showers or rain

What to pack: If you’re heading to San Jose in June, make sure you pack t-shirts for the daytime and maybe a light jumper for the evenings as it cools down a bit.


San Jose in July

  • Average temperature: 19℃ (66℉)
  • Average high temperature: 23℃ (74℉)
  • Average low temperature: 16℃ (61℉)
  • Average humidity: 89%
  • Average sunny days: 1 days
  • Average rainfall: 281mm (11") over 30 days
1 days
of pure sunshine
30 days
of showers or rain

What to pack: If you’re heading to San Jose in July, make sure you pack t-shirts for the daytime and maybe a light jumper for the evenings as it cools down a bit.


San Jose in August

  • Average temperature: 19℃ (67℉)
  • Average high temperature: 23℃ (74℉)
  • Average low temperature: 16℃ (61℉)
  • Average humidity: 89%
  • Average sunny days: 1 days
  • Average rainfall: 304mm (12") over 29 days
1 days
of pure sunshine
29 days
of showers or rain

What to pack: If you’re heading to San Jose in August, make sure you pack t-shirts for the daytime and maybe a light jumper for the evenings as it cools down a bit.


San Jose in September

  • Average temperature: 19℃ (67℉)
  • Average high temperature: 23℃ (73℉)
  • Average low temperature: 16℃ (62℉)
  • Average humidity: 90%
  • Average sunny days: 0 days
  • Average rainfall: 344mm (14") over 30 days
0 days
of pure sunshine
30 days
of showers or rain

What to pack: If you’re heading to San Jose in September, make sure you pack a light jumper or hoodie for the evenings and some light clothes for the daytime.

San Jose in October

  • Average temperature: 19℃ (66℉)
  • Average high temperature: 22℃ (72℉)
  • Average low temperature: 16℃ (61℉)
  • Average humidity: 91%
  • Average sunny days: 0 days
  • Average rainfall: 438mm (17") over 30 days
0 days
of pure sunshine
30 days
of showers or rain

What to pack: If you’re heading to San Jose in October, make sure you pack a light jumper or hoodie for the evenings and some light clothes for the daytime.


San Jose in November

  • Average temperature: 19℃ (65℉)
  • Average high temperature: 23℃ (73℉)
  • Average low temperature: 15℃ (59℉)
  • Average humidity: 89%
  • Average sunny days: 2 days
  • Average rainfall: 165mm (7") over 28 days
2 days
of pure sunshine
28 days
of showers or rain

What to pack: If you’re heading to San Jose in November, make sure you pack a light jumper or hoodie for the evenings and some light clothes for the daytime.


San Jose in December

  • Average temperature: 18℃ (65℉)
  • Average high temperature: 23℃ (74℉)
  • Average low temperature: 14℃ (58℉)
  • Average humidity: 84%
  • Average sunny days: 9 days
  • Average rainfall: 65mm (3") over 19 days
9 days
of pure sunshine
19 days
of showers or rain

What to pack: If you’re heading to San Jose in December, make sure you pack t-shirts for the daytime and maybe a light jumper for the evenings as it cools down a bit.


Top FAQs

The hottest month of the year in San Jose is usually April, where temperatures tend to rise to around 26℃ (79℉) in the middle of the day or early afternoon.
The month with the least amount of rain in San Jose is generally around February. The dry season often coincides with cooler weather, so you should check the temperatures in February first to make sure it’s still a good time to go.
The rainiest time of year in San Jose is generally around October, although the wetter season can sometimes extend a few months either side of October too.
If you want to get the most out of your time visiting San Jose, or if you're just afraid of the dark, the days in March are usually the longest between sunrise and sunset.

San Jose map