Buying a House in Playa Carrillo & Sámara as a Foreigner

Playa Carrillo and Sámara sit side by side on the Pacific coast of the Nicoya Peninsula. Carrillo is the quieter one, a long curve of palm-lined beach with almost nothing built on the sand. Sámara, ten minutes up the road, has the cafés, the surf school and the small-town buzz. A lot of people who come for a week start looking at listings before they fly home.

If that's you, here are the questions I hear most from buyers in the US, Canada and Europe, answered for this specific stretch of coast.

Yes, you can own it outright

Costa Rica gives foreigners the same property rights as its own citizens. You don't need residency, a local partner or a special permit to buy titled property. You can hold it in your own name or through a Costa Rican company. Which one makes sense depends on your tax situation back home, so that's a question for your attorney and accountant, not for a listing page.

The thing that matters most around Carrillo and Sámara isn't your passport. It's what kind of land you're buying.

Titled land vs. the maritime zone

Costa Rica's Maritime Zone Law (Law 6043) treats the first 200 meters inland from the ordinary high-tide line differently from everything else:

• The first 50 meters are the public zone. Nobody can own or occupy it. It's for public use and free passage, which is why every beach in Costa Rica is public.
• The next 150 meters are the restricted zone. Land there isn't owned. It's held under a concession granted by the municipality for a fixed term, under rules that limit foreign participation. The law bars concessions to foreigners with fewer than five years of residency and to companies that are more than 50% foreign-owned.

For most foreign buyers that makes the answer simple: buy titled property (propiedad inscrita), outside the 200-meter band. Around Carrillo and Sámara, plenty of the best homes sit just behind the maritime zone or on the hills above it, close enough to walk to the beach and fully titled. Your attorney's title study will confirm exactly what's registered, and the survey plan (plano catastrado) shows where the property sits relative to the zone.

If a seller offers a "beachfront" property cheaply, ask first whether it's titled or a concession. That one question saves a lot of heartache.

What closing really costs

Closing costs here are well defined by law, so budget for them from day one:

• Transfer tax: 1.5% of the higher of the sale price or the registered fiscal value.
• National Registry fees and stamps: the Registry's transfer tariff alone is 0.5%, with documentary stamps on top.
• Notary fees: in Costa Rica the notary is a licensed attorney. Fees follow an official sliding scale, and 13% VAT applies to them.
• Escrow: most buyers close through a regulated escrow agent rather than paying the seller directly.

All in, many local attorneys and brokers suggest budgeting roughly 3.5% to 4% of the purchase price on the buyer's side. Who pays what is negotiable and should be written into the purchase agreement. Always ask your notary for an itemized estimate before you sign.

Taxes after you own

Ongoing costs are modest compared with most of North America:

• Municipal property tax: 0.25% a year on the value registered with the local municipality. Your attorney will confirm which municipality the home falls under and that the seller's payments are up to date.
• Luxury home tax (impuesto solidario): a separate annual tax paid to the Ministry of Finance. It only applies when the value of the construction (not the land) is above a threshold set every year. For 2026 that threshold is ₡143 million, and the first bracket pays 0.25%. Many homes in this area fall below it, but have it checked.

Before closing, your attorney should also confirm the seller is current on municipal taxes and HOA fees, because unpaid amounts can follow the property.

Gated communities and HOAs

A lot of homes around Carrillo and Sámara sit in small gated communities with a shared pool, security and maintained roads. Most are organized under Costa Rica's Condominium Law (Law 7933). In practice that means:

• Monthly HOA fees (cuotas) cover security, the pool, landscaping and common areas.
• Bylaws (reglamento) set the rules on noise, pets, building and short-term rentals.
• Unpaid fees become a lien on the unit under the law, so ask for a statement showing the seller is current.

Ask for the bylaws early, and read the rental rules before you fall in love. Some communities welcome vacation rentals; others limit them.

If you plan to rent it out

Carrillo and Sámara are established vacation-rental markets with year-round demand from surfers, families and remote workers. If the house will earn income, know the rules:

• Registration: Law 9742 regulates short-term rentals (from 24 hours up to a year). Hosts register with the Costa Rican Tourism Board (ICT).
• VAT: short-term lodging pays 13% VAT, filed monthly with the tax authority. Platforms withhold it in some cases, so check how your bookings are paid.
• Management: unless you live here, you'll need someone on the ground for check-ins, cleaning, maintenance and guest messages.

Buying a home that is already operating as a vacation rental shortens the learning curve a lot: there's booking history, reviews and a team that already knows the house.

Living the Blue Zone life

The Nicoya Peninsula is one of the world's original Blue Zones, the regions Dan Buettner's research identified for unusually long, healthy lives. Day to day, that looks like an outdoor life: morning walks on an empty beach, fresh fish and fruit, neighbors who still know each other, and a rhythm that doesn't feel like a resort town.

Getting here

Most buyers fly into Liberia's Daniel Oduber International Airport (LIR), which has direct flights from many US and Canadian cities. From there, Playa Carrillo is roughly two to two and a half hours by car on paved roads. If you're coming from the US or Canada, you can generally stay up to 180 days per visit as a tourist. The immigration officer sets the exact length of each stay, but it's a comfortable window to spend a full season here while you decide.

A step-by-step that works here

1. Visit, and stay a week. Rent in the area you're considering. Carrillo and Sámara feel different.
2. Hire your own attorney and run full due diligence: registry, survey plan, liens, taxes, water and permits.
3. Sign a purchase agreement with a deposit held in escrow.
4. Close before a notary, register the deed at the National Registry, then transfer utilities, HOA and, if it applies, the rental registration.

A home that already checks the boxes

If you're looking in Playa Carrillo right now, Tropical Eden is worth a look. It's a turn-key three-bedroom, two-bathroom home of about 240 m², built in 2016 on a 1,292 m² lot in Loma Verde, a gated community with a large resort-style pool and 24/7 security, minutes from the beaches of Playa Carrillo and Sámara. It's titled property, so a foreign buyer can own it outright. It comes furnished and already operating as a vacation rental, and the price was recently reduced from $499,000 to $489,000.

See all the photos, the video and the full details of Tropical Eden →

Questions about buying in Carrillo or Sámara? Write to me on WhatsApp at +506 7009-9447. I've worked this coast since 2005 and I'm happy to give you a straight answer.

This article is general information, not legal or tax advice. Confirm the details of your purchase with your own Costa Rican attorney.