Employer of record in Costa Rica
31 sourced figures on hiring in Costa Rica, drawn from 9 sources and normalized for comparison: statutory rules, employer cost and exactly what an EOR covers locally. Every figure is dated.
Hiring here: straightforward, mid-range on cost, and fast to hire via EOR.
Employer of record in Costa Rica: the statutory snapshot
The headline employer costs, pay floor and worker protections for hiring in Costa Rica through an employer of record, each figure sourced and dated. 38 EOR providers cover Costa Rica.
| Minimum wage | CRC 367,109/mo | OECD |
|---|---|---|
| Employer social security | 24.62% | OECD |
| Tax and mandatory contributions wedgeOECD, taxes plus non-tax compulsory payments such as mandatory private pension and health contributions | 27.7% | OECD |
| Corporate tax | 30% | OECD, 2026-01-01 |
| Notice period | 3.6 weeks | National government, 2026-09-12 |
| Severance | 14.4 weeks | World Bank Employing Workers / B-READY, 2019-05-01 |
| Annual leave (minimum, once eligible) | 10 | National government, 2026-09-12 |
| Public holidays | 12 | National government, 2026-09-12 |
As of 2026-10-16. Each value is the winning figure from primary and harmonized sources, resolved by a documented priority chain. Full record with provenance below.
Reading the data
What the figures say about Costa Rica
The statutory minimum wage in Costa Rica is CRC 367109 per month, against an average monthly wage of CRC 606508 for employees. On top of pay, employers carry a social security rate of 24.62%, while employees contribute 9.85%, and the tax and mandatory contributions wedge sits at 27.7%. A 13th salary is mandatory. Ending a contract carries a statutory severance of 14.4 weeks and a notice period of 3.6 weeks. Employment protection scores 0.64 on a 0-6 scale for regular contracts and 2.22 for temporary contracts. Leave entitlements include 17.3 weeks of maternity leave, 1.1 weeks of paternity leave, 10 days of statutory annual leave and 12 public holidays, with no parental leave. Employees work an actual 45 hours per week.
Where to start
Three ways to hire in Costa Rica
You are the employer. Lowest per head cost at scale, months to establish.
You direct the work, the provider's local entity is the employer on paper. Compliant in days.
See the 38 providers below ↓Not your employee. Fastest and cheapest, with misclassification exposure.
The full record
Every figure behind the snapshot
Not a guide, a record: 31 figures for Costa Rica from 9 sources, last refreshed 2026-10-16. Each value carries its source and the date it was pulled. Hover any provenance tag for the full chain.
Average monthly earnings in Costa Rica by occupation (2025)
Gross monthly earnings of employees per ISCO-08 major occupation group, in CRC — the official ILOSTAT survey figures, not estimates. Use them to sanity-check an offer before an EOR quote turns it into total employer cost.
| Occupation group | Monthly (CRC) | ≈ USD |
|---|---|---|
| All occupations | 606,508 | $1,205 |
| Managers · ISCO 1 | 1,803,049 | $3,581 |
| Professionals · ISCO 2 | 1,230,853 | $2,445 |
| Technicians and associate professionals · ISCO 3 | 719,254 | $1,429 |
| Clerical support workers · ISCO 4 | 521,904 | $1,037 |
| Service and sales workers · ISCO 5 | 425,786 | $846 |
| Skilled agricultural, forestry and fishery workers · ISCO 6 | 468,455 | $930 |
| Craft and related trades workers · ISCO 7 | 485,060 | $963 |
| Plant and machine operators and assemblers · ISCO 8 | 454,895 | $903 |
| Elementary occupations · ISCO 9 | 339,711 | $675 |
Source: ILOSTAT (EAR_EMTA, employees, both sexes), reference year 2025. Survey earnings differ from statutory minimums above.
// recent updates
What changed in Costa Rica
Checked against official sources on 17 September 2026
No rule changes recorded since we began logging them.
Every figure is sourced and dated. How we verify the data →
The differentiator
What an EOR handles in Costa Rica
An EOR removes the entity and the payroll machinery. It does not remove your obligations as the people manager.
Provider × country
Who can employ in Costa Rica
37 providers operate an EOR in Costa Rica, ranked by Select Score.
Comparing EOR options for Costa Rica?
Run a side-by-side on the providers that actually operate there.