Buying a Condo on Isla Verde: Prices, Fees, Steps

What a condo costs in 2026

Prices follow the district and the age of the building more than the view. The table uses median asking prices per square metre for the four districts this site tracks, taken from the registry’s first-half 2026 filings.

District	Median price per sqm	Typical unit
Playa Norte	2,400 CRC	55 sqm one-bedroom
Playa Sur	1,900 CRC	62 sqm one-bedroom
Puerto Viejo	1,450 CRC	70 sqm two-bedroom
Cerro Alto	1,100 CRC	85 sqm two-bedroom

A new building on the north coast costs roughly twice as much per square metre as a ten-year-old building in the hills. Buyers who need rental income pick the coast. Buyers who plan to live on the island most of the year pick the hills, where a two-bedroom costs what a coastal studio does.

Fees at completion

Transfer costs fall on the buyer unless the contract says otherwise. Expect four lines on the closing statement, and read the fees and taxes breakdown before you agree a price, because the seller’s agent will quote the price without them.

Fee	Rate	Who pays
Transfer tax	1.5 percent of the declared price	buyer
Registry stamp	0.5 percent	buyer
Notary	1.0 percent, capped at 4,000 CRC	buyer
Agent commission	3 percent plus tax	seller

On a 180,000 CRC purchase the buyer pays about 6,300 CRC in taxes and notary fees. Budget another 1,200 CRC for the lawyer who reads the building’s minutes and checks the debt position of the owners’ association. That second fee is the one buyers skip, and it is the one that would have caught most of the problems this desk hears about.

Pros and cons of new build against resale

New buildings come with a five-year structural warranty and lower service charges in the first two years, because nothing has broken yet. Resale units in older buildings cost less per square metre and let you read three years of association accounts before you commit, which no brochure can replace.

The cons run the other way. A new building can slip six to nine months past the promised handover date, and the contract usually allows it. An older building can carry a special assessment for the roof or the lifts that the seller does not mention, which is why the accounts matter more than the paint. The new build against resale comparison goes through the decision in detail.

Risks and what to check before you sign

Three checks decide whether a purchase is safe: the title certificate from the registry, the association’s debt statement, and the building permit that matches the unit you are buying. A missing permit is the one defect that cannot be fixed after purchase, because the registry will not transfer a unit that officially does not exist.

The full checklist, with the wording to use when you ask, is in the title checks guide. Rental figures are a separate risk: the Isla Verde Statistics Office puts the gross rental yield on one-bedroom coastal condos at 5.1 percent for 2025, so any listing promising more should show its own booking history rather than a projection.

Who this is for: scenarios

Scenario one is the remote worker who wants a base for eight months a year and rents the unit out for the rest. A 55 sqm one-bedroom within 15 minutes of the marina fits that job, and the coast is the only place it works.

Scenario two is the family buying a two-bedroom in the hills to live in, where the school run decides the district and the yield does not matter at all. For them the district comparison is the page to read next.

Scenario three is the buyer who wants to hold for ten years and sell. That buyer should read the off-plan against completed guide first, because the discount for buying early is where most of the ten-year return is made or lost.

Step by step: from offer to keys

Step 1: reserve the unit with a deposit of 5,000 CRC, refundable for 14 days.

Step 2: the lawyer pulls the title certificate and the association debt statement within 7 days.

Step 3: sign the purchase contract and pay 10 percent of the price.

Step 4: the notary registers the transfer and you receive the keys, usually 21 days after the deposit. If you are buying in a specific building, its data card, for example Marina Towers, lists the documents already on file at the registry.

Frequently asked questions

Can a foreigner own a condo outright on Isla Verde?

Yes. Condominium units are registered in the buyer's own name with no residency requirement. Land under a detached house follows a different rule, covered in the land ownership guide.

How long does the title transfer take?

Three weeks is the norm when the seller's paperwork is complete. It stretches to two months when the association debt statement is disputed or the building permit does not match the unit.

Is the deposit refundable?

The standard reservation form gives 14 days to withdraw with a full refund. After the purchase contract is signed, the 10 percent first payment is not refundable unless the seller fails to deliver clean title.