🏄 Santa Teresa
Tamarindo's more laid-back, pricier cousin
Photo: Unsplash
Cost of living
~$2600/mo
Typical wifi speed
40 Mbps
Safety score
7/10
Best months
Dec, Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr
English ease
8/10
Nomad community
Growing
Everything you need to stay in Santa Teresa
Practical overview for remote workers: visa path, housing budget, work setup, health, and getting around.
Visa & legal
Digital Nomad Visa (Estancia para Trabajadores Remotos)
Max: 1 year, renewable once (2 years total)
Income: $3,000/month single, $4,000/month family
Housing & cost
Mid-range solo budget ~$2600/mo
Housing alone typically ~$1500/mo for a furnished studio in a nomad-popular area.
Book via long-term Airbnb, local groups, or coliving for better rates than night-by-night hotels.
Work setup
Wifi ~40 Mbps in cafés/coworking
2 coworking spaces listed below
Community size: Growing · English ease 8/10
Health & insurance
Safety score 7/10
Carry international travel/health insurance that covers your stay length. Local clinics vary — see our insurance comparison.
Compare insuranceClimate & best time
Tropical dry, hot year-round, rainy season May–Nov
Best months: Dec, Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr
Tax & money
Full exemption from Costa Rican income tax on foreign income
Tax residency is separate from visas. Track days carefully and read our tax guides before long stays.
Tax residency basicsAbout Santa Teresa for nomads
Santa Teresa is Costa Rica's surf-and-work boom town — coworking options have exploded to keep pace with demand, though they run pricier than the rest of the country. It's a more laid-back, less developed alternative to Tamarindo's nightlife-driven scene, at a real cost premium.
Santa Teresa sits at the far end of the Nicoya Peninsula, deliberately harder to reach than Tamarindo, and that extra effort is exactly what preserves its laid-back, wellness-oriented character: consistent surf breaks, yoga studios, smoothie bars, and a rapidly growing nomad community that still feels more intimate than Costa Rica's bigger coastal hubs.
Best Neighborhoods for Digital Nomads in Santa Teresa
- Playa Santa Teresa (main strip) - the center of the action, closest to the beach, restaurants, and Outpost coworking, most convenient but also the priciest stretch
- Playa Carmen - the southern end of town, slightly quieter, still walkable to the main strip and beach
- Hillside areas above town - many homes are tucked into the hills for privacy and views, reliable internet in most modern builds but a scooter or car is genuinely necessary here
Food, Culture, and Daily Life
Life in Santa Teresa blends surf culture with a strong wellness scene, yoga classes, boutique gyms, and international cafes catering specifically to the nomad and long-stay tourist population. It's genuinely one of the more expensive corners of Central America to base yourself, with total monthly costs commonly running above $4,000, and the wifi at coworking spaces like Outpost is considerably more reliable than what most Airbnbs offer, so budgeting for a coworking membership matters here more than in most towns on this list.
Getting There and Getting Around
The closest airstrip is Cobano Airport (ACO), about 17 minutes away, reachable via short domestic flights from San Jose on Sansa Airlines or Green Airways followed by a 30 to 40 minute taxi or shuttle. Most international travelers instead fly into Juan Santamaria (San Jose) or Liberia and take a longer combination of shuttle and ferry or a direct road transfer, since Santa Teresa's remoteness is part of its appeal but also its biggest logistical hurdle.
Why nomads love it
- ✓Laid-back surf-town pace, less nightlife-driven than Tamarindo
- ✓Coworking scene has grown rapidly to match nomad demand
- ✓Same Digital Nomad Visa as the rest of Costa Rica
Watch out for
- !Genuinely expensive for a beach town — often compared to Austin, Texas on cost
- !Internet is noticeably slower than Tamarindo's — Starlink is common for serious remote work
What a month actually costs
| Accommodation (furnished 1BR/studio) | $1500 |
| Food & groceries | $400 |
| Coworking hot desk | $250 |
| Local transport | $80 |
| SIM / mobile data | $20 |
| Gym, fun & everything else | $350 |
| Typical monthly total | ~$2600 |
Directional estimate for a mid-range solo nomad — lean living can run ~30% less, comfort-first ~50% more. Use our cost calculator for custom stays.
Coworking & workspaces
Selina Santa Teresa
Surf-and-work anchor, social calendar, beachfront
$250/mo · 45 Mbps
Casa Prana Coworking
Quieter, jungle-adjacent, smaller focus-first space
$200/mo · 40 Mbps
Things to do in Santa Teresa
Curated for remote workers — culture, food, outdoors, and day trips you can fit around deep-work blocks.
Playa Hermosa / Carmen surf sessions
More advanced waves than many Costa Rica towns — respect conditions.
Jungle yoga and wellness days
Retreat energy is strong here — schedule intentionally.
Waterfall hikes (seasonal)
Short jungle hikes reward with swimming holes after rain seasons.
Nighttime beach bonfire socials
Small-town evenings revolve around beach hangs more than clubs.
Wildlife spotting (monkeys, toucans)
Slow mornings on porches often beat paid tours.
Farm-to-table dinners in town
Higher prices than inland CR, but quality produce and fish.
Book tours & experiences
Live inventory from Viator for Santa Teresa, Costa Rica.
Guides for planning your stay
Digital Nomad Tax Residency: The Complete Primer for Nomads
Where you owe tax depends on residency rules, not your passport. The 183-day rule, the US exception, the FEIE, and the mistakes that trigger double taxation. Core reading for every digital nomad.
Digital Nomad Banking Abroad: The Nomad Money Stack That Actually Works
The three-account setup most long-term digital nomads converge on, why fintech freezes happen, and how to never get stranded by a locked card. Essential for managing money abroad.
The Nomad Gear List: What Actually Earns Its Weight
The tiered packing list long-term nomads converge on, the connectivity stack that saves your video calls, and the gear mistakes everyone makes exactly once.
Nomading With Kids and Pets: The Logistics Nobody Warns You About
Pet import timelines that start months before your flight, the schooling decision tree, and which nomad visas actually welcome families.