The +506 country code is for Costa Rica. If you see an incoming call starting with +506, it's from the small Central American country wedged between Nicaragua and Panama. Probably San Jose, the capital, though it could be someone calling from a beach town in Guanacaste or a coffee farm in the Central Valley.
Costa Rica's phone system is one of the simplest in Latin America. No trunk prefix, no area codes. Every number is 8 digits, and you dial them straight after +506. Landlines start with 2, mobiles start with 5, 6, 7, or 8. The country opened its telecom market to competition only in 2011, ending decades of state monopoly, so the carrier landscape is still relatively young. Costa Rica also has a large population of US and Canadian expats and retirees, meaning a lot of +506 traffic is people calling North Americans who moved there, not just Costa Ricans.
Quick answer: Dial +506 followed by the 8-digit local number. No trunk prefix to drop. Landlines start with 2, mobiles start with 5, 6, 7, or 8. Costa Rica uses Central Standard Time (UTC-6) year-round with no daylight saving.
How to call Costa Rica: quick reference
Costa Rica has no trunk prefix and no area codes, so dialing is straightforward. Just add +506 before the 8-digit number exactly as a local would dial it.
| Calling from | Dialing format |
|---|---|
| US/Canada mobile | +506 [local number] |
| US/Canada landline | 011-506-[local number] |
| UK | 00-506-[local number] |
| Nicaragua | 00-506-[local number] |
| Panama | 00-506-[local number] |
| Mexico | 00-506-[local number] |
Understanding Costa Rica phone numbers
All Costa Rican numbers are 8 digits. There is no trunk prefix and no area codes. The first digit tells you whether it's a landline, mobile, or special service.
Mobile numbers (8 digits, start with 5/6/7/8)
Mobile numbers are 8 digits starting with 5, 6, 7, or 8. The format is +506 XXXX XXXX. Unlike many countries, mobile prefixes in Costa Rica are not cleanly divided by carrier, since number portability was introduced with market liberalization.
| First digit | Type | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | Mobile | +506 5XXX XXXX |
| 6 | Mobile | +506 6XXX XXXX |
| 7 | Mobile | +506 7XXX XXXX |
| 8 | Mobile | +506 8XXX XXXX |
Landline numbers (8 digits, start with 2)
Landlines always start with 2. The second digit gives a rough idea of the region, though this isn't a formal area code system.
| Prefix | Region | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 22XX | San Jose metro area | +506 22XX XXXX |
| 24XX | Alajuela province | +506 24XX XXXX |
| 25XX | Cartago province | +506 25XX XXXX |
| 26XX | Guanacaste, Puntarenas, Heredia | +506 26XX XXXX |
| 27XX | Limon province (Caribbean coast) | +506 27XX XXXX |
Since there's no trunk prefix, the number someone gives you locally is exactly what you dial after +506. No digits to add or remove.
Mobile carriers in Costa Rica
Costa Rica's telecom market was a state monopoly under ICE (Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad) until 2011, when the CAFTA free trade agreement required the country to open the sector. Three operators now compete.
Kolbi / ICE (~45-50% market share)
Kolbi is the consumer brand of ICE, the state-owned telecom and electric utility. It had the entire market to itself until 2011 and still has the widest coverage, especially in rural and mountainous areas. ICE also operates the landline network. If you're calling someone outside major cities, they're most likely on Kolbi. The network is generally reliable, though it was slow to roll out 4G compared to competitors.
Claro (~25-30% market share)
Claro is owned by America Movil (Carlos Slim's company), the same parent behind Claro in most of Latin America. It entered Costa Rica in 2011 and built out its network quickly. Claro tends to compete on price and data plans, and its coverage in urban areas is comparable to Kolbi. Rural coverage is thinner.
Liberty (formerly Movistar) (~20-25% market share)
Originally launched as Movistar by Telefonica, this network was later acquired by Liberty Latin America. It rebranded to Liberty in Costa Rica. Coverage is good in the Central Valley and major towns but weaker in remote areas. Liberty also operates cable TV and broadband in the country.
Don't confuse +506 with nearby codes
Central America has a neat sequential block of country codes from +501 to +507. They're easy to mix up because they're all three digits starting with +50.
| Code | Country | How to tell apart |
|---|---|---|
| +505 | Nicaragua | Northern neighbor, one digit off. Mobile starts with 8 after +505 |
| +507 | Panama | Southern neighbor, one digit off. Mobile starts with 6 after +507 |
| +503 | El Salvador | Same region. Mobile starts with 6/7 after +503 |
| +504 | Honduras | Same region. Mobile starts with 3/8/9 after +504 |
| +502 | Guatemala | Same region. Mobile starts with 3/4/5 after +502 |
The most dangerous mix-up is +505 (Nicaragua) and +507 (Panama), since they're the immediate neighbors and only one digit away in each direction. There are hundreds of thousands of Nicaraguans living in Costa Rica, so you might have contacts with both +505 and +506 numbers. Double-check the third digit before calling.
Time zone considerations
Costa Rica uses Central Standard Time (CST) at UTC-6 year-round. The country does not observe daylight saving time, so the offset never changes.
| Your time zone | When it's 9 AM in San Jose | Best calling window |
|---|---|---|
| US East (EST/EDT) | 10:00 AM / 11:00 AM | 9 AM-6 PM ET (8 AM-5 PM CST) |
| US West (PST/PDT) | 7:00 AM / 8:00 AM | 8 AM-5 PM PT (10 AM-7 PM CST) |
| US Central (CST/CDT) | 9:00 AM / 10:00 AM | Same or 1 hour difference. Call anytime during business hours |
| UK (GMT/BST) | 3:00 PM / 4:00 PM | 2 PM-10 PM GMT (8 AM-4 PM CST) |
| Mexico City (CST/CDT) | 9:00 AM / 10:00 AM | Same or 1 hour difference. Call anytime during business hours |
Costa Rica lines up well with the US. For the East Coast, it's just 1-2 hours behind, so most of the business day overlaps. US Central time is the same as Costa Rica for half the year (when CDT is not in effect), and only 1 hour off otherwise. This is one reason the country is popular for US nearshore business operations and call centers.
Communication in Costa Rica
Business hours and culture
Business hours are 8 AM to 5 PM or 6 PM, Monday through Friday. Government offices often close at 4 PM. Costa Ricans (Ticos) are friendly and conversational, and phone calls tend to include small talk before getting to the point. "Pura vida" (literally "pure life") is the national catchphrase and gets used as a greeting, farewell, and general expression of well-being. Don't be surprised if a business call starts with five minutes of pleasantries.
WhatsApp dominance
WhatsApp is the primary communication tool for both personal and business use. Many businesses, from restaurants to doctors' offices, manage appointments through WhatsApp. If you're trying to reach a small business in Costa Rica, WhatsApp the number rather than calling. For international calls, WhatsApp voice and video calls are widely used to avoid charges. SMS exists but most Ticos prefer WhatsApp messaging.
Network quality
Costa Rica has good mobile coverage in the Central Valley (where most of the population lives), along the Pacific coast, and in major tourist areas. Coverage gets spotty in the mountainous interior and parts of the Caribbean coast. Internet speeds are reasonable in urban areas, and the country has invested in fiber optic expansion. Power is reliable (ICE also runs the electric grid), so network outages from load shedding are not an issue here, unlike some neighboring countries.
The Costa Rica diaspora
Costa Rica is unusual because the phone traffic is driven as much by people calling INTO the country as by a diaspora calling home. It's a major destination for North American retirees and expats.
US expats and retirees in Costa Rica (50,000-120,000)
Costa Rica is one of the top retirement destinations for Americans. Communities in the Central Valley (Escazu, Santa Ana, Atenas, Grecia), Guanacaste coast (Tamarindo, Playas del Coco), and the southern Pacific (Manuel Antonio, Dominical) have large English-speaking populations. These expats keep US phone numbers but also carry local +506 SIMs. Their families back in the US call +506 regularly. This is a large share of the US-to-Costa Rica phone traffic.
Nicaraguans in Costa Rica (500,000-800,000)
Costa Rica's largest immigrant group by far. Nicaraguans work in agriculture, construction, domestic service, and security. They call home to +505 numbers frequently, and their families in Nicaragua call their +506 numbers. The Nicaragua-Costa Rica phone corridor is one of the busiest in Central America.
Costa Ricans in the US (130,000-200,000)
The largest Tico community abroad. Concentrated in the New York/New Jersey metro area, Los Angeles, Miami, and Houston. Many work in services and professional roles. The US-Costa Rica calling route goes both directions.
Canada (20,000-40,000 expats in Costa Rica)
Canadian snowbirds and retirees, particularly from British Columbia and Ontario, have a growing presence in Guanacaste and the Central Valley. Seasonal residents arrive in November and leave in April, generating a predictable spike in Canada-to-Costa Rica calls during winter months.
Dialing examples
Calling a mobile number
Your contact's number is 8765 4321. Dial +506 8765 4321. From a US landline: 011-506-8765-4321. No digits to add or remove.
Calling a landline in San Jose
The number is 2234 5678. Dial +506 2234 5678. From the UK: 00-506-2234-5678.
Calling a mobile from Nicaragua
Your contact's number is 6123 4567. From Nicaragua: 00-506-6123-4567.
Calling a landline in Guanacaste
The number is 2654 3210. Dial +506 2654 3210. From Panama: 00-506-2654-3210.
Common mistakes to avoid
Adding a trunk prefix that doesn't exist
Costa Rica has no trunk prefix. If you dial +506 0 8765 4321 (adding a 0), the call will fail. The number someone gives you locally is exactly what goes after +506. This trips up people used to calling countries like Mexico or most of Europe where you need to drop a 0.
Confusing +506 with +505 (Nicaragua) or +507 (Panama)
One digit off in either direction. Given the huge Nicaraguan population in Costa Rica, you may have contacts on both +505 and +506. Check the third digit carefully. A Nicaraguan coworker in San Jose probably has a +506 number for daily use and a +505 number for family back home.
Expecting area codes
There are no area codes. The 8-digit number is the complete number. If someone says "my number is 2234 5678, San Jose area code 22," the 22 is just the first two digits of the number, not a separate area code you need to handle differently.
Calling during US daylight saving time without adjusting
Costa Rica doesn't observe DST, but the US does. Half the year the time difference is 1 hour (US Central), the other half it's the same. If you have a standing call at a fixed time, remember it shifts by an hour twice a year on the US side, not the Costa Rica side.
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Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
What country uses the +506 code?
Costa Rica. Any call from a number starting with +506 originates from Costa Rica.
How many digits are in a Costa Rican phone number?
All numbers are 8 digits. There are no area codes and no trunk prefix. Landlines start with 2, mobiles start with 5, 6, 7, or 8.
Do I need to drop a 0 when calling Costa Rica?
No. Costa Rica has no trunk prefix. Dial the 8-digit number exactly as given after +506.
What's the difference between +506 and +505?
+506 is Costa Rica, +505 is Nicaragua. They're neighboring countries with codes one digit apart. Many Nicaraguans live in Costa Rica, so both codes appear frequently in the same contact lists.
What time zone is Costa Rica in?
Central Standard Time (CST), UTC-6, year-round. No daylight saving. Costa Rica is 1-2 hours behind US Eastern time depending on the season.
Can I reach US expats in Costa Rica on +506 numbers?
Many US expats carry local +506 SIM cards alongside their US numbers. Ask which number they prefer for calls. WhatsApp usually works on either number.
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