Coldest sea in Costa Rica

54 coastal locations in Costa Rica ranked by year-round average sea temperature, coldest first. The regional average is 28.8°C. The top of the list is where the water stays cold all year. The contrast list at the bottom shows the warmest coasts for context.

Coldest location

Papagayo

Year-round average 28.1°C in Costa Rica

Regional average

28.8°C

across all 54 Costa Rica coastal locations

Coldest month

February

28.1°C region-wide average

Costa Rica monthly average 28.1°C to 29.5°C

Warmest month May 29.5°C
Coldest month February 28.1°C
Annual mean 28.8°C
Months above 20°C 12 of 12

Month by month across Costa Rica

Sea temperatures in Costa Rica swing from 28.1°C in February to 29.5°C in May on average across every coast we track. That spread of 1°C hides much bigger swings at individual locations.

Want a specific month? Pick one for a dedicated ranking:

Costa Rica sea temperature map

Today's pin colours show the latest daily reading at every Costa Rica location we track. Cool blues cluster around the high-latitude coasts.

Zoom in to see individual locations. Click a pin for water temperatures. View list →

°C -2 0 1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 24 27 30 35

Top 50 coldest locations in Costa Rica

Coastal locations across Costa Rica sorted by year-round average, coldest first. Honest cold-water swimming country. Click any place for its 30-day chart, monthly profile, and 10-year history.

#	Location	Country	Annual mean	Latest
1	Papagayo	Costa Rica	28.1°C	29.2°C
2	Cocos Island	Costa Rica	28.3°C	30.3°C
3	Guanacaste	Costa Rica	28.4°C	29.7°C
4	Liberia	Costa Rica	28.4°C	29.7°C
5	Brasilito	Costa Rica	28.5°C	29.8°C
6	Catalina Island	Costa Rica	28.5°C	29.8°C
7	Palm Beach Estates	Costa Rica	28.5°C	29.8°C
8	Playa Carbon	Costa Rica	28.5°C	29.8°C
9	Playa Conchal	Costa Rica	28.5°C	29.8°C
10	Playa Del Coco	Costa Rica	28.5°C	29.8°C
11	Playa Flamingo	Costa Rica	28.5°C	29.8°C
12	Playa Grande	Costa Rica	28.5°C	29.8°C
13	Playa Hermosa	Costa Rica	28.5°C	29.8°C
14	Playa Langosta	Costa Rica	28.5°C	29.8°C
15	Playa Mina	Costa Rica	28.5°C	29.8°C
16	Playa Nombre de Jesus	Costa Rica	28.5°C	29.8°C
17	Playa Real y Roble	Costa Rica	28.5°C	29.8°C
18	Playa Ventanas	Costa Rica	28.5°C	29.8°C
19	Potrero	Costa Rica	28.5°C	29.8°C
20	Tamarindo Beach	Costa Rica	28.5°C	29.8°C
21	Tortuguero	Costa Rica	28.6°C	29.5°C
22	Playa Bonita	Costa Rica	28.6°C	29.3°C
23	Limon	Costa Rica	28.6°C	29.3°C
24	Cahuita	Costa Rica	28.7°C	29.2°C
25	Puerto Viejo	Costa Rica	28.7°C	29.2°C

Show 25 more ▸

26	Punta Uva	Costa Rica	28.7°C	29.1°C
27	Puerto Limon Limón	Costa Rica	28.7°C	29.3°C
28	Los Pargos	Costa Rica	28.7°C	30.2°C
29	Marbella	Costa Rica	28.7°C	30.2°C
30	Playa Avellana	Costa Rica	28.7°C	30.2°C
31	Playa Azul	Costa Rica	28.7°C	30.2°C
32	Playa Mansita	Costa Rica	28.7°C	30.2°C
33	Playa Negra	Costa Rica	28.7°C	30.2°C
34	Nosara	Costa Rica	28.9°C	30.6°C
35	Samara	Costa Rica	28.9°C	30.6°C
36	Mal Pais	Costa Rica	29.0°C	30.6°C
37	Montezuma	Costa Rica	29.0°C	30.6°C
38	Nandayure	Costa Rica	29.0°C	30.5°C
39	Playa Carrillo	Costa Rica	29.0°C	30.5°C
40	Playa Santa Teresa	Costa Rica	29.0°C	30.6°C
41	Punta Islita	Costa Rica	29.0°C	30.5°C
42	Chacarita	Costa Rica	29.0°C	30.4°C
43	Puntarenas	Costa Rica	29.0°C	30.4°C
44	Jaco	Costa Rica	29.1°C	30.1°C
45	Golfito	Costa Rica	29.1°C	30.1°C
46	Cano Island	Costa Rica	29.1°C	30.5°C
47	Manuel Antonio	Costa Rica	29.1°C	30.6°C
48	Puerto Quepos	Costa Rica	29.1°C	30.6°C
49	Quepos	Costa Rica	29.1°C	30.6°C
50	San Jose	Costa Rica	29.2°C	30.6°C

Warmest 10 in Costa Rica for contrast

Same data flipped. Useful if you want to know which Costa Rica coasts stay warmest year-round before you commit to a cold-water swim trip.

#	Location	Country	Annual mean
1	Ojochal	Costa Rica	29.3°C
2	Uvita	Costa Rica	29.3°C
3	Pavones	Costa Rica	29.2°C
4	Dominical	Costa Rica	29.2°C
5	San Jose	Costa Rica	29.2°C
6	Cano Island	Costa Rica	29.1°C
7	Manuel Antonio	Costa Rica	29.1°C
8	Puerto Quepos	Costa Rica	29.1°C
9	Quepos	Costa Rica	29.1°C
10	Golfito	Costa Rica	29.1°C