Costa Rica Property Taxes & Garbage Fees
When it comes to Costa Rica property taxes, for once the news is good: They are much lower than in the United States or Canada.
And for once, the rules are simple: the property tax (“impuesto sobre bienes inmuebles”) is 0.25% of the purchase price of your property or the value assigned by the National Registry, whichever is higher.
So if your property is worth $200,000, your property tax would be $500 a year.
It’s up to you, by the way, to have your property value assessed every five years. If you don’t, you may face penalties, and the municipality may choose to assess the value of your property itself.
Garbage collection fees
Fees for garbage collection (“recolección de basura”) are due at the same time as property taxes, and both are paid to your local municipality. The garbage fee is a fixed amount that is adjusted annually. The fee varies depending on the location of your property and whether it’s used for residential or commercial purposes.
Property taxes and garbage fees can be paid quarterly — at the end of March, June, September and December — or they can all be paid at once for the entire year.
As part of our full-service property management services, Special Places of Costa Rica can gladly take care of paying your property tax and garbage fees for you. If you have any questions, please contact us at specialplaces@crvr.net.
