Economy, jobs and prices in Cartago, Costa Rica: official figures
Construction permits in Cartago covered 464,936 square metres of new building and extensions in 2024, up 44.7% on 2023 and 12.2% of the national 3,820,422 square metres (3rd lowest of 7).
What is the value of construction in Cartago?
The value of construction, extensions and repairs in Cartago was 130.8 billion colones in 2024, up 25.4% on 2023, and 10.4% of the national total (3rd lowest of 7).
Source: INEC Costa Rica · saved copyHow much is built per person in Cartago?
Per resident, Cartago had 874 square metres of construction per 1,000 people in 2024 (3rd highest of 7; national 740) and 245,874 colones of construction value per person (3rd highest of 7; national 244,087).
Source: INEC Costa Rica · saved copyHow many new homes are being built in Cartago?
Permits were issued in Cartago in 2024 for 2,249 dwellings, against 1,925 in 2023, in 1,692 permits; that is 4.2 dwellings per 1,000 residents (3rd lowest of 7; national 4.5).
Source: INEC Costa Rica · saved copyHow developed are the districts of Cartago?
The median of the 53 district scores of Mideplan's 2023 Social Development Index (0 to 100) in Cartago is 74.2, 2nd highest of 7 (national district median 66.5).
Source: INEC Costa Rica · saved copyHow Cartago compares with other provinces
Construction area per 1,000 residents (2024)
Cartago ranks 3 of 7, highest first. Square metres of permitted construction per 1,000 residents
| Rank | Region | Construction area per 1,000 residents |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Guanacaste | 1,755 |
| 2 | Puntarenas | 1,021 |
| 3 | Cartago | 874 |
| 4 | Alajuela | 782 |
| 5 | Heredia | 700 |
| 6 | Limon | 433 |
| 7 | San Jose | 430 |
Construction value per resident (2024)
Cartago ranks 3 of 7, highest first. Colones per resident
| Rank | Region | Construction value per resident |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Guanacaste | 632,686 colones |
| 2 | Puntarenas | 344,733 colones |
| 3 | Cartago | 245,874 colones |
| 4 | Heredia | 233,911 colones |
| 5 | Alajuela | 233,159 colones |
| 6 | San Jose | 160,236 colones |
| 7 | Limon | 123,252 colones |
Dwellings permitted per 1,000 residents (2024)
Cartago ranks 5 of 7, highest first. Permitted dwellings per 1,000 residents
| Rank | Region | Dwellings permitted per 1,000 residents |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Guanacaste | 9.1 |
| 2 | Puntarenas | 8.1 |
| 3 | Alajuela | 4.8 |
| 4 | Limon | 4.6 |
| 5 | Cartago | 4.2 |
| 6 | Heredia | 3.6 |
| 7 | San Jose | 2.3 |
District Social Development Index (median) (2023)
Cartago ranks 2 of 7, highest first. Median of district scores, 0 to 100; unweighted by population
| Rank | Region | District Social Development Index (median) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Heredia | 84.1 |
| 2 | Cartago | 74.2 |
| 3 | San Jose | 70.8 |
| 4 | Alajuela | 67.5 |
| 5 | Guanacaste | 56.3 |
| 6 | Puntarenas | 50.6 |
| 7 | Limon | 50.0 |
More on Cartago: overview · health · poverty and living standards · Costa Rica
Sources
- INEC Costa Rica: Anuario Estadistico 2023-2024, Economia: tables 5.15 to 5.17 (construction area, value and housing permits by province), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 ad3ab4d7eeb9…)
- INEC Costa Rica: Anuario Estadistico 2023-2024, Social: tables 12.6 and 12.7 (homicides and suicides, Poder Judicial) and 12.28 (district Social Development Index 2023, Mideplan), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 e8115b94fa09…)
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