Car Rental at Juan Santamaria Airport from C$ 7/day

Class Compact Car

or similar Small

C$ 7/day

Suzuki Jimny

or similar SUV

C$ 10/day

Kia Sportage

or similar SUV

C$ 9/day

Hyundai i10

or similar Small

C$ 7/day

Hyundai Staria

or similar Van

C$ 38/day

Kia Sorento

or similar SUV

C$ 16/day

Class Compact SUV

or similar SUV

C$ 7/day

Suzuki Grand Vitara

or similar SUV

C$ 8/day

Class Intermediate SUV

or similar SUV

C$ 8/day

Best rates found by KAYAK users in the past 48 hours.

Useful Info

Most popular agency	Budget
Most popular car type	Compact
Average price	C$ 35/day
Good deal	C$ 26/day

The excitement of landing at San Jose Juan Santamaria International Airport (SJO) is not enough without a car rental waiting for you at the exit. Once you land, your real fun in this fascinating city will start with a ride from the airport to your target destination. A car rental at San Jose Juan Santamaria Airport will give you a rare opportunity to explore the most attractive spots of San Jose on your own schedule. You can go for a road trip or tour various places of interest, such as Costa Rica’s beautiful beaches, rainforests, or volcanoes during your stay.
Just like anywhere else, your age is a factor when renting a car at San Jose Juan Santamaria International Airport. Therefore, you need to be at least 21 years old to book your ride from one of the numerous car rental agencies located at SJO. If you’re below 25 years old, you’ll be charged an extra fee (surcharge) each day during your car rental period. Any other driver other than you will have to meet all necessary car rental requirements as well.
Once you’re done with your vacation in San Jose, Costa Rica, you can return the car to the specific car rental company’s main facility. You don’t have to go back to the car rental desk to complete the car return procedure. Instead, follow the Rental Car Return signs on your way to San Jose Juan Santamaria International Airport to find the drop off point.
Car rental at San Jose Juan Santamaria Airport booking on the same day as your arrival gives you the best car rental deals, especially when the daily rates are relatively low. Weekends are even better since there’s usually a low demand for cars. Plus, this is the best time to pick up or return the car before you catch your flight. June is the most appropriate month to rent a car if you’re traveling to San Jose on budget.
25% of our users found rental cars at Juan Santamaria Airport for C$ 25 or less
Book your rental car at Juan Santamaria Airport at least 1 day before your trip in order to get a below-average price

Where are the car rental companies situated at San Jose Juan Santamaria International Airport?
When you disembark from your flight and secure your luggage, you can walk straight to the airport's car rental desks located in Terminal M. Then you can proceed to the car pick-up points by following the signs inside SJO. Depending on your car rental company, you’ll be directed to a free shuttle ride to the pickup point a few miles away from the airport. The shuttle buses have the car rental company’s name to help you board the right bus to the appropriate pick-up point.
Which car rental companies are easiest at San Jose Juan Santamaria International Airport?
If you want the easiest San Jose Juan Santamaria International Airport car rental agencies, you can consider Alamo, Enterprise, National, and SIXT. Most of these rental car suppliers offer special rates on top of a wide selection of cars to suit every traveler's taste and budget. Their customer care services are top-notch and they include quick pickup and quick drop-off processes to save your time. Most importantly, these companies offer short-term, medium, or long-term car rental services to allow you to satisfy your needs while vacationing in San Jose.
What type of documentation is required to rent a car at San Jose Juan Santamaria International Airport?
Car rentals at San Jose Juan Santamaria International Airport require you to present your valid, unexpired driver’s license from your country of origin. You may have to present an international driving permit if your driver’s license is not in the Latin-based alphabet. Alternatively, a notarized English translation may be required alongside your driver’s license to make you eligible for a car rental at the airport. You also need to present a major credit card, which should bear your real name to secure a car. An insurance policy is mandatory before anyone can rent a car in San Jose.
What is the cheapest car rental company at Juan Santamaria Airport?
In the past 72 hours, the cheapest rental cars were found at NextCar (C$ 7/day), COSTA RENT (C$ 7/day) and Fox (C$ 8/day).
How much does it cost to rent a car at Juan Santamaria Airport?
On average a rental car at Juan Santamaria Airport costs C$ 33 per day.
Which car rental companies will pick you up at Juan Santamaria Airport?
Car rental companies that offer shuttle or pick-up services from Juan Santamaria Airport to off-airport locations include Budget, Avis, U-Save, Alamo, Economy Rent a Car, NU Car, Hertz, Sixt, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, and Europcar.

Avis

5.2

Fair

Read 40 reviews

Best rated

Cleanliness

6.3

Comfort

6.1

Pick-up/Drop-off

5.2

Value for money

4.5

One location in San José Juan Santamaria Intl Airport

fromC$ 25/day

Locations in San José Juan Santamaria Intl Airport

Juan Santamaria Intl Apo

+506 2509 5950

Monday	05:00 - 22:30
Tuesday	05:00 - 22:30
Wednesday	05:00 - 22:30
Thursday	05:00 - 22:30
Friday	05:00 - 22:30
Saturday	05:00 - 22:30
Sunday	05:00 - 22:30

Filters

Reviews

4.0 Mediocre

Anonymous, Jan 2025

Intermediate SUV

You have to purchase insurance through Avis directly, I purchased it through Kayak with my booking however they said it didn’t count and made me buy another.

4.0 Mediocre

Ignacio, Sep 2024

Full-size

I rented a full size sedan for a price of $28. At the location, they added mandatory Costa Rica Insurance, concessonary fee, etc for a total of $156 for a Nissan Quashqai. Very deceiving pricing which creates a lot of friction with the customer. Wasnt aknowledge as a AVIS Preferred member.

2.0 Poor

Anonymous, Feb 2024

Economy

the price was higher than in the reservation and I am not talking about additional insurance. scammers

2.0 Poor

Anonymous, Mar 2023

Disappointing customer service: Never got an answer from Avis Costa Rica on the additional insurances despite few reminders. Cancelled the car rental booking and chose another company

2.0 Poor

Anonymous, Oct 2022

Don¨t rent in Avis.

2.0 Poor

Anonymous, Oct 2022

Worst rental in Costa Rica.

Payless

5.1

Fair

Read 42 reviews

Cleanliness

6.9

Comfort

6.3

Pick-up/Drop-off

6.2

Value for money

4.6

One location in San José Juan Santamaria Intl Airport

fromC$ 9/day

Locations in San José Juan Santamaria Intl Airport

Juan Santa Maria Intl Apo

+506 2430 4647

Monday	06:00 - 23:00
Tuesday	06:00 - 23:00
Wednesday	06:00 - 23:00
Thursday	06:00 - 23:00
Friday	06:00 - 23:00
Saturday	06:00 - 23:00
Sunday	06:00 - 23:00

Filters

Reviews

2.0 Poor

Kosta, Apr 2025

Compact SUV

The vehicle was fine, but my $140 reservation ended up being $504 by the time they added all the "mandatory fees". They refused to accept my insurance. It's one thing to have a few taxes or roadside assistance to pay, but the final cost was more than triple what I was quoted!

2.0 Poor

hemen, Jan 2025

Standard SUV

They charges us an additional 400 dollars on the day of pick up even though i had already paid the full price plus bought the additional insurance from Kayak website . They said i have to pay the additional fee which includes there own insurance or else they will not release the car . They said my problem was that i bought the insurance from Kayak and not them so if i dont want it i should go on the website and cancel . They already knew that i cant cancel cause it was less than 24 hours . What a scam . very disappointing from Kayak website to advertise and offer their services on your website . Never again

4.0 Mediocre

Lev, Dec 2024

Standard SUV

Awful. I was quoted $112 for the car. I was over $250 out the door.

2.0 Poor

Ray, Apr 2024

Passenger Van

We had cut our trip shorter by four days and the price quoted changed very little. When I questioned this I was told because I HAD to purchase additional insurance on the car we were driving. Also, our flight left before the dealer opened so I was told I had to leave the car at the airport, but not where at the airport. There are no signs or public parking lots around the airport so I drove around asking people where to leave it at 4:00 am in the morning, but no one knew. I finally took it to Payless and parked it in the front and took an Uber back to the airport. It was a real hassle.

8.0 Very good

Anonymous, Jan 2024

Mini

Very friendly people, good car. The drop-off location took some time to open (~20 mins), so that may affect some travel plans

2.0 Poor

AKARSH, Jun 2023

SUV

terrible. they have you buy additional insurance for hundreds of dollars and enormous deposit amount.

Europcar

4.5

Mediocre

Read 29 reviews

Cleanliness

4.8

Comfort

4.6

Pick-up/Drop-off

4.4

Value for money

4.1

One location in San José Juan Santamaria Intl Airport

fromC$ 22/day

Locations in San José Juan Santamaria Intl Airport

Carretera Aeropuerto Internacional

Opening times not available

Filters

Reviews

2.0 Poor

Anonymous, Jun 2024

Economy

They were not honest and tried to rip me off, I was charged for a rental that I booked online and was told that they didn't charge me and ultimately did not get Rental from them.

8.0 Very good

Anonymous, Feb 2024

Standard SUV

First car had a broken side mirror, so was given another car. Nicer car but rear wiper didn’t work, which was an issue when it was raining.

2.0 Poor

Allison, May 2021

Cons:

It was a total scam, they end up charging you just as much as name brand companies through forcing you to buy unnecessary insurance which is not disclosed when I made my non-refundable reservation.

4.0 Mediocre

Jennifer, Mar 2021

Cons:

Didnt have our reservation. Had to wait for hours.

10.0 Wonderful

Anonymous, Jan 2021

Pros:

Staff was super friendly!

Cons:

The advertised price is not what you end up paying when the mandatory insurance is added on. BEWARE!

4.0 Mediocre

EJ, Jan 2021

Cons:

The car was fine, but I left feeling like I was scammed. I had to pay for Liability insurance, which I was prepared for, but Europcar’s cost for this was twice as much as other rental places for no reason. And they wouldn’t accept my credit card’s CDW coverage (a first) and made me pay for that as well. Overall, it more than doubled the cost of the rental de me. A nasty surprise at the counter, but at that point, they know they’ve got you. Wouldn’t recommend to anyone.

NU Car

4.3

Mediocre

Read 24 reviews

Cleanliness

6.4

Comfort

6.0

Pick-up/Drop-off

5.8

Value for money

4.1

One location in San José Juan Santamaria Intl Airport

fromC$ 16/day

Locations in San José Juan Santamaria Intl Airport

1.4km E. Of Holidayinn Express

+506 2442 6000

Monday	06:00 - 23:00
Tuesday	06:00 - 23:00
Wednesday	06:00 - 23:00
Thursday	06:00 - 23:00
Friday	06:00 - 23:00
Saturday	06:00 - 23:00
Sunday	06:00 - 23:00

Filters

Reviews

2.0 Poor

Anonymous, Mar 2025

Intermediate SUV

They quote a low price but require extra insurance that was 3 times the quoted price. We rented for 4 weeks. The quoted price was 750$. The mandatory insurance was 2,100$. Our total price was almost 3,000$!! Run like mad away from this scam car rental company.

2.0 Poor

Ben, Jan 2025

Passenger Van

They don’t show up at the airport when I scheduled it. And they won’t respond to emails asking what happened or requesting the return of the charges.

4.0 Mediocre

Anonymous, Dec 2024

Luxury SUV

The car that was provided was sub standard at best When I booked I requested a 4WD. At the time of renting I particularly asked if the vehicle was 4WD and the company said yes. But it was not a 4WD and I had trouble driving the hilly areas of Costa Rica and Manuel Antonio. In addition, the accelerator pedal of the car got occasionally stuck. So the car was accelerating even when I wasn’t pressing the accelerator pedal. It was a big safety hazard. I would not recommend NU Car Rentals

10.0 Wonderful

Anonymous, Aug 2024

Standard

All of the NU representatives were cordial and helpful. During my stay I got a flat tire, they responded quickly and had the tire fixed in a matter of minutes and we were on our way. This is the second time I have rented from them and I will definitely do it again.

4.0 Mediocre

VYKUNTAM, Apr 2024

Passenger Van

There was a minor scratch at the bottom of the front bumper which is not visible unless you are on your knees. As far as I am concerned we didn’t do anything to cause it. It may be already there and we didn’t notice when we took the care at midnight. At any rate my gripe is with how they handled this situation. We bought most expensive coverage possible with them which is twice the rental price itself. But during checkout they stalled us because of this issue even though we told them that we are cutting too close to our departure time and requested them to call the insurance and get it reimbursed because we already bought the coverage. But they insisted on us calling them and we couldn’t because we didn’t have local mobile plan. After lot of back and forth they checked other contracts on the vehicle and probably figured out that the damage was already there and the let us off the hook. It was a happy ending but the whole drama could have been avoided if they had customer service at the forefront of their minds.

keddy by Europcar

10.0

Wonderful

Cleanliness

10.0

Comfort

10.0

Pick-up/Drop-off

10.0

Value for money

10.0

One location in San José Juan Santamaria Intl Airport

Locations in San José Juan Santamaria Intl Airport

San Jose Airport

+506 2519 9308

Monday	06:00 - 23:00
Tuesday	06:00 - 23:00
Wednesday	06:00 - 23:00
Thursday	06:00 - 23:00
Friday	06:00 - 23:00
Saturday	06:00 - 23:00
Sunday	06:00 - 23:00

National

10.0

Wonderful

Cleanliness

10.0

Comfort

10.0

Pick-up/Drop-off

10.0

Value for money

10.0

One location in San José Juan Santamaria Intl Airport

Locations in San José Juan Santamaria Intl Airport

La Asuncion De Belen

+506 2242 7878

Monday	00:00 - 23:59
Tuesday	00:00 - 23:59
Wednesday	00:00 - 23:59
Thursday	00:00 - 23:59
Friday	00:00 - 23:59
Saturday	00:00 - 23:59
Sunday	00:00 - 23:59