Below are the urban areas with more than 100,000 inhabitants in Costa Rica ranked by population.
Urban Area (or urban agglomeration) population refers to the population contained within the contours of a contiguous territory inhabited at urban density levels, typically comprising a city and its surrounding suburban fringe.
| Rank | Urban Area | Population Estimate (2025) | 1 Year Change (over 2024) | Land Area (Km²) | Density (P/Km²) | Global Rank | Projections (2030) | Projections (2050) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San José | 2,171,213 | 0.66% | 486 | 4,468 | 235 | 2,194,816 | 2,222,600 |
| 2 | Cartago | 189,608 | 0.28% | 45 | 4,214 | 3,172 | 191,499 | 193,176 |
| 3 | Barranca | 64,109 | – | 20 | 3,205 | 9,655 | 66,680 | 68,102 |
| 4 | San Isidro de El General | 52,722 | 0.34% | 16 | 3,295 | 11,674 | 53,411 | 55,588 |
| 5 | Limón | 52,337 | 0.29% | 16 | 3,271 | 11,744 | 52,899 | 54,171 |
| 6 | Liberia | 51,320 | – | 13 | 3,948 | 11,939 | 51,836 | 53,773 |
Source: United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025). World Urbanization Prospects: The 2025 Revision, Online Edition.