Economy, jobs and prices in San Jose, Costa Rica: official figures
Construction permits in San Jose covered 711,922 square metres of new building and extensions in 2024, down 1.5% on 2023 and 18.6% of the national 3,820,422 square metres (3rd highest of 7).
What is the value of construction in San Jose?
The value of construction, extensions and repairs in San Jose was 265.6 billion colones in 2024, down 7.3% on 2023, and 21.1% of the national total (the highest of 7).
Source: INEC Costa Rica · saved copyHow much is built per person in San Jose?
Per resident, San Jose had 430 square metres of construction per 1,000 people in 2024 (the lowest of 7; national 740) and 160,236 colones of construction value per person (2nd lowest of 7; national 244,087).
Source: INEC Costa Rica · saved copyHow many new homes are being built in San Jose?
Permits were issued in San Jose in 2024 for 3,876 dwellings, against 5,167 in 2023, in 2,507 permits; that is 2.3 dwellings per 1,000 residents (the lowest of 7; national 4.5).
Source: INEC Costa Rica · saved copyHow developed are the districts of San Jose?
The median of the 123 district scores of Mideplan's 2023 Social Development Index (0 to 100) in San Jose is 70.8, 3rd highest of 7 (national district median 66.5).
Source: INEC Costa Rica · saved copyHow San Jose compares with other provinces
Construction area per 1,000 residents (2024)
San Jose ranks 7 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)
San Jose ranks 6 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)
San Jose ranks 7 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)
San Jose ranks 3 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 San Jose: 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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