How to Call the US From Costa Rica (Expat Calling Guide)
Need to call USA from Costa Rica? Compare local SIMs, carrier roaming, and browser-based VoIP with real 2026 rates. Expat guide for SSA, Medicare, and banks.
You’re sitting on your terrace in Atenas and your phone buzzes. Social Security needs to verify your direct deposit information. The automated message says to call back within 48 hours. Your Kolbi SIM charges around 150 colones per minute to the US. That’s roughly $0.28 per minute. And anyone who has called the SSA knows you’re looking at 45 minutes to two hours on hold before a human picks up.
That hold time alone could run you $12 to $34 on a local SIM. With US carrier roaming, you’re looking at $90 or more. For a phone call you didn’t even want to make.
Costa Rica is one of the most popular retirement and expat destinations for Americans. The weather, the healthcare system, the Pura Vida lifestyle. But staying connected to US institutions — banks, Medicare, the IRS, Social Security — means you still need to call the US from Costa Rica regularly. This guide breaks down every option, with real costs.
Costa Rica’s Telecom Landscape
Costa Rica’s telecom market was a government monopoly until 2011. The state-run provider ICE still dominates through its mobile brand Kolbi. Two private carriers — Liberty and Claro — now compete.
Kolbi (ICE)
The default choice for most expats. Widest coverage across the country, including rural areas and mountain towns.
Prepaid plans (2026):
- Basic: 3,000 colones/month (~$5.70) for 1.5GB data
- Mid-tier: 6,000 colones/month (~$11.40) for 5GB data
- Premium: 10,000 colones/month (~$19) for 12GB data
International calls to the US: Around 130-160 colones per minute ($0.25-$0.30).
Liberty (formerly Movistar Costa Rica)
Second-largest carrier with solid urban coverage. Competitive in the Greater Metropolitan Area (San Jose, Heredia, Alajuela, Cartago). Coverage thins in rural and coastal areas.
Prepaid plans (2026):
- Basic: 3,500 colones/month (~$6.65) for 2GB data
- Standard: 7,000 colones/month (~$13.30) for 6GB data
International calls to the US: Roughly $0.25-$0.35 per minute.
Claro Costa Rica
Third carrier with coverage concentrated in urban centers. Not ideal outside the Central Valley, but competitive data pricing in San Jose.
Getting a Local SIM
You can pick up a prepaid SIM at any Kolbi or Liberty store. You’ll need your passport. The process takes about 15 minutes. Most expats on residency visas have no trouble. Tourists can also buy prepaid SIMs without a local ID.
SIM cards themselves cost around 1,000-2,000 colones ($2-$4). Top-ups are available at convenience stores, supermarkets, and gas stations across the country.
Why US Carrier Roaming Is Expensive in Costa Rica
If you kept your AT&T, Verizon, or T-Mobile plan from the US, roaming in Costa Rica gets costly fast.
AT&T: $2.00-$3.00 per minute, or the International Day Pass at $10/day. Living in Costa Rica full-time, that day pass adds up to $300/month.
Verizon: $2.99 per minute, or TravelPass at $10/day. Same math. Same pain.
T-Mobile: The best of the three. Magenta plans include $0.25/min calling in 200+ countries. But a 45-minute SSA call still costs $11.25, and data speeds abroad are throttled to 256kbps.
Roaming was designed for short trips, not expat life. Carriers price it for a week in Cancun, not 12 months in Escazu.
Every Method to Call the US From Costa Rica, Compared
Here’s what each option actually costs for a typical 30-minute call to a US number.
| Method | Cost (30-min call to US) | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|---|
| AT&T roaming | $60.00-$90.00 | Uses your US number | Extremely expensive |
| Verizon roaming | $89.70 | Uses your US number | Even more expensive |
| T-Mobile Magenta | $7.50 | Reasonable per-minute rate | Throttled data, still pricey for long calls |
| AT&T/Verizon day pass | $10.00 (plus usage) | Predictable daily cost | $300/mo if used daily |
| Kolbi SIM (local) | $7.50-$9.00 | Works anywhere in CR | Moderate cost, no US number |
| WhatsApp/FaceTime | Free | No cost | Both parties need the app, no landlines/businesses |
| Google Voice | Free | Good for US residents | Needs US number to set up, quality varies |
| YadaPhone | $0.60 | Low cost | No SMS/2FA support |
| DialAnyone | $0.15 | Very low cost | No call recording |
| NomaPhone | $0.90 | Reliable, browser-based, SMS/2FA | Needs internet connection |
The free options work great for calling friends and family who have smartphones. But they fall apart when you need to call a US bank’s 1-800 number, sit on hold with Medicare, or reach your accountant’s office landline. That’s where paid options become necessary.
Browser-Based Calling: The Expat’s Best Option
Browser-based VoIP services let you call any US phone number — landlines, mobile phones, toll-free numbers — directly from your laptop or phone browser. No app download required. You just open the website and dial.
This matters in Costa Rica because the WiFi infrastructure is actually quite good in most expat areas. More on that below.
How It Works
You load the calling service in Chrome, Safari, or Firefox. You dial the US number. The service routes your call over the internet to the US phone network. The person on the other end sees a real phone number on their caller ID. They have no idea you’re calling from Guanacaste.
NomaPhone
NomaPhone charges $0.03 per minute to call the US. That’s three cents. A 30-minute call costs $0.90. A two-hour hold with Social Security costs $3.60.
Compare that to the $60-$90 you’d pay on AT&T roaming for the same call.
NomaPhone is browser-based, so there’s nothing to install. You buy credits (starting at $5, no expiration), open the site, and call. It also supports SMS and 2FA verification — which is critical if your US bank sends security codes to a phone number.
NomaPhone isn’t the cheapest VoIP option available. DialAnyone charges $0.005/min, and YadaPhone charges $0.02/min. But NomaPhone focuses on call reliability for the moments that matter — when your bank card is frozen, when Medicare needs to verify your enrollment, when you’re on hold for an hour and can’t afford a dropped call.
Google Voice
If you set up Google Voice before leaving the US, it’s a solid free option for calling US and Canadian numbers. It works in a browser and through the mobile app.
The catch: you need a US phone number to verify your account. If you’ve already given up your US number, Google Voice isn’t an option. Quality can also be inconsistent from Central America — some expats report echo and lag on longer calls.
WhatsApp and FaceTime Calling
Free for calling other WhatsApp or FaceTime users. Useless for calling US businesses, government agencies, or landlines. Good for keeping in touch with family. Not a solution for the calls that actually require a phone number.
WiFi and Internet in Costa Rica
Costa Rica’s internet infrastructure is better than most of Central America, but it varies significantly by location.
Central Valley (San Jose, Escazu, Santa Ana, Heredia)
This is where most expats start. Fiber internet from Kolbi or Liberty is available in many neighborhoods. Speeds of 50-200 Mbps are common. This is more than enough for VoIP calling. You need about 100kbps for a voice call — fiber gives you 500 to 2,000 times that.
Coworking spaces in Escazu and Santa Ana typically offer reliable connections. If you’re making an important call to your bank or the IRS, a coworking space with wired internet is your most reliable bet.
Beach Towns (Tamarindo, Jaco, Manuel Antonio, Nosara)
Expect 20-100 Mbps in developed beach areas. That’s plenty for browser-based calling. Tamarindo and Nosara have attracted enough remote workers that ISPs have invested in solid infrastructure. Occasional outages happen during rainy season (May through November). Having a local SIM with data as a backup is smart.
Rural and Mountain Areas (Monteverde, Osa Peninsula, Caribbean Coast)
Internet gets spottier here. Wireless ISPs with 5-15 Mbps are common. Technically enough for VoIP, but latency can be an issue. Test your connection before committing to a long hold-time call.
Mobile Data as Backup
Kolbi’s 4G LTE network covers most populated areas. If your home WiFi drops during a call, you can switch to mobile data. A Kolbi prepaid plan with 5GB gives you roughly 50 hours of VoIP calling as a safety net. That’s more than enough for a month of backup usage.
Common Expat Calling Needs in Costa Rica
Here are the specific US calls that Costa Rica expats make most often — and what to expect.
Social Security Administration (SSA)
The SSA’s main number is 1-800-772-1213. Hold times average 45 minutes to over two hours. The SSA requires periodic verification for expats receiving benefits abroad. You may need to confirm your address, banking information, or living status.
Cost comparison for a 90-minute SSA call:
- AT&T roaming: $180-$270
- T-Mobile Magenta: $22.50
- Kolbi SIM: $22.50-$27.00
- NomaPhone: $2.70
The SSA also has the Federal Benefits Unit at the US Embassy in San Jose. You can sometimes handle issues in person, but phone verification is still required for many tasks.
Medicare
If you’re a retiree in Costa Rica, Medicare questions come up regularly. Medicare’s main line is 1-800-633-4227. Hold times are similar to the SSA — plan for 30 to 60 minutes minimum.
Important note: Medicare generally does not cover healthcare received outside the US. But you still need to maintain your enrollment, handle Part B premiums, and manage any supplemental plans. All of that requires calling US-based numbers.
US Banks and Credit Cards
Chase, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Schwab — they all have fraud detection systems that flag international transactions. When your card gets frozen in Costa Rica, you need to call the number on the back of your card. These calls typically involve 15-30 minutes of hold time plus identity verification.
Some banks require you to call from a recognized phone number. If you’ve updated your account to a Costa Rican number, the bank may not recognize it. A VoIP service with SMS/2FA support lets you receive verification texts during the call, which solves this problem.
Charles Schwab is particularly popular among expats for its fee-free international ATM withdrawals. Their customer service line averages 10-20 minutes of hold time.
IRS and Tax-Related Calls
US citizens abroad still file taxes. The IRS international line (267-941-1000) is not toll-free, but it handles expat-specific questions. If you’re dealing with FBAR filings, foreign tax credits, or FATCA compliance, expect calls of 30-60 minutes.
CPAs and tax preparers who specialize in expat taxes are usually US-based. Tax season (January through April) means multiple calls.
US Insurance, Utilities, and Subscriptions
Canceling a US account, updating insurance policies, dealing with property management back home. These calls are sporadic but unavoidable. Each one is 15-30 minutes on average. At roaming rates, they add up fast. At three cents a minute, they’re barely noticeable.
Setting Up Your Calling System in Costa Rica
Here’s a practical setup that covers every scenario.
Step 1: Get a Kolbi prepaid SIM. Visit any Kolbi store with your passport. Pick up a data plan of at least 5GB. This gives you local connectivity and mobile data as a VoIP backup. Cost: $11-$19/month.
Step 2: Set up home internet. Fiber from Kolbi or Liberty in the Central Valley runs 15,000-25,000 colones/month ($28-$48). This is your primary connection for browser-based calling.
Step 3: Choose a browser-based calling service. NomaPhone works at $0.03/min with no app required. Buy $5 in credits (over 160 minutes of US calling) and they never expire.
Step 4: Keep WhatsApp for personal calls. Friends and family with smartphones get WhatsApp calls. Free and easy.
Monthly Cost Breakdown
| Item | Monthly Cost |
|---|---|
| Kolbi SIM (5GB data) | $11.40 |
| Home internet (fiber) | $28-$48 |
| VoIP calling (est. 60 min/month to US) | $1.80 |
| Total | $41-$61 |
Compare that to keeping a US carrier plan with roaming: $80-$300/month depending on usage. Or an international day pass at $10/day adding up to $300/month.
Tips for Better Call Quality From Costa Rica
Schedule important calls for off-peak hours. Costa Rica internet speeds dip in the evening. Early morning calls align well with US East Coast business hours and tend to have the best connection.
Use a wired connection when possible. If your router has an ethernet port and you’re making a critical bank call, plug in.
Close other tabs and applications. Video streaming and large downloads compete for bandwidth. Pause them during important calls.
Have your Kolbi data ready as a failover. If your home internet drops mid-call, switching to mobile data can save the conversation.
Test before you dial. If you’re calling the SSA and expect a two-hour hold, do a quick test call first to confirm audio quality.
Time Zone Advantage
Costa Rica runs on Central Standard Time (UTC-6) year-round with no daylight saving changes.
- US East Coast: 1 hour ahead of Costa Rica
- US Central: Same time zone
- US Mountain: 1 hour behind
- US West Coast: 2 hours behind
You’re close enough to US business hours that calling banks, government agencies, and service providers fits naturally into your day. No midnight calls to catch East Coast office hours.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I keep my US phone number in Costa Rica?
Yes, but not through your US carrier’s roaming plan long-term. Port your US number to Google Voice ($20 one-time fee) before you leave. This preserves your number for receiving texts and calls over WiFi. For outbound calls to US numbers, use a browser-based VoIP service.
Do US toll-free numbers (1-800, 1-888) work from Costa Rica?
Toll-free numbers are free only within the US. From Costa Rica, they connect but you pay the international rate — whether that’s your carrier’s per-minute charge or your VoIP rate. On NomaPhone, calling a US toll-free number costs the same $0.03/min as any other US number.
Is WhatsApp enough for all my US calling needs?
For personal calls to people who have WhatsApp, yes. For calling banks, government agencies, medical offices, or any business landline, no. WhatsApp can only call other WhatsApp users. You need a service that connects to the actual phone network.
What about Skype?
Microsoft discontinued Skype in May 2025. It’s no longer available for international calling. Browser-based VoIP services like NomaPhone, YadaPhone, and DialAnyone are the direct replacements.
How reliable is VoIP calling from Costa Rica?
With a decent internet connection (10+ Mbps), very reliable. The Central Valley and major beach towns have infrastructure that supports clear, consistent VoIP calls. Rural areas may have occasional quality issues during heavy rain or peak usage times.
Living in Costa Rica and need to call the US? NomaPhone offers browser-based calling at $0.03/minute to any US number — landlines, mobiles, and toll-free. No app to download, no contract, and credits never expire. Join the waitlist at nomaphone.com.