This week in Costa Rica, the dollar fell to the cheapest level ever recorded here, the government floated a tax change that would show up in your grocery bill, and San José's airport moved a step closer to letting you skip the immigration line. Here's what actually matters if you live in, invest in, or travel to Costa Rica.

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Costa Rica now has the second-worst traffic on the planet, according to Numbeo’s 2026 mid-year index — behind only Nigeria and ahead of far larger, more congested nations. The average one-way commute runs about an hour, and San José ranks second among all cities worldwide, trailing only Lagos. If you drive anywhere in the Greater Metropolitan Area, the numbers will feel painfully familiar.

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Two Costa Rican retreats have been named among the five best international wellness destinations in Travel + Leisure’s 2026 World’s Best Awards, extending a strong year for Costa Rica in one of the travel industry’s most closely watched reader rankings.

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A court fight over the planned removal of 748 trees at Playa Panamá has grown into a broader dispute over tourism investment, jobs and the protection of state-owned forestland in Guanacaste. Hotel developers say precautionary measures imposed by Costa Rica’s Constitutional Chamber have placed about $700 million in construction and expansion plans on hold

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If you hold a US or Canadian passport, the immigration line at Juan Santamaría may soon stop being the worst part of arriving in Costa Rica. Omer Badilla Toledo, who runs the Dirección General de Migración y Extranjería, said Monday that the airport’s automated passport gates are in their final round of testing

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A young man died after going into the ocean to rescue his 10-year-old sister at Playa Linda in Quepos, Puntarenas, during a family visit to the beach over the weekend. The emergency was reported at 5:14 p.m. Saturday after the girl was seen having difficulty in the water and her brother went into the sea to help her.

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A Netflix true-crime documentary is bringing renewed attention to the case of an American murder suspect who hid in Costa Rica before investigators used a fake yoga job advertisement to track her to a beachfront hostel in Santa Teresa.

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Costa Rican anti-corruption prosecutors detained an immigration officer on Wednesday and searched her workplace and her home as part of an investigation into whether she helped a foreign national — flagged as high-risk and allegedly connected to an international terrorist organization — enter the country under false pretenses.

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The next time you search for a flight to San José or Liberia on a US airline, you’ll see a base fare and not much else. The exact price for your first checked bag, a second bag, a carry-on, or a change fee no longer has to sit next to that fare. To find those numbers, you’ll have to click through to each airline’s fee page and add them up yourself.

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