Ask what the minimum wage is in Costa Rica and you will get a question back: minimum wage for what job? Costa Rica does not have a single national figure. It has a schedule of minimum wages set by occupation and skill level, revised every year, and if you employ anyone here you need to know which line applies to them.
How the system works
Minimum wages are set by the Consejo Nacional de Salarios, a tripartite body of government, employers and unions under the Ministry of Labour. The council negotiates in October, the Executive publishes a decree in December, and the new rates take effect on 1 January.
Revision is annual — it used to be twice a year. The schedule applies to the private sector; public sector pay is set separately.
The governing instrument as of now is Decreto Ejecutivo N.º 45303-MTSS, published on 5 December 2025 and effective from 1 January 2026.
The 2026 increases
- General categories: +1.63% — the smallest increase of the current administration
- Domestic service: +3.96%
- Specialised occupations: +2.18%
- Técnico medio: +2.5%
2026 minimum wages by category
Generic occupations — daily rate:
| Category | Daily (₡) |
|---|---|
| Trabajador no calificado (unskilled) | 12,436.41 |
| Trabajador semicalificado | 13,523.69 |
| Trabajador calificado (skilled trades) | 13,991.86 |
| Trabajador especializado | 16,244.50 |
Generic occupations — monthly rate:
| Category | Monthly (₡) |
|---|---|
| No calificado | 373,092.30 |
| Semicalificado | 405,710.70 |
| Calificado | 419,755.80 |
| Especializado | 487,335.00 |
| Técnico medio (educación diversificada) | 496,838.17 |
| Técnico de educación superior | 542,096.58 |
| Diplomado de educación superior | 585,484.58 |
| Bachiller universitario | 664,078.07 |
| Licenciado universitario | 796,921.00 |
Specific activities: domestic service is set at ₡268,731.31 per month. Coffee picking is paid by volume at ₡1,184.10 per cajuela. Stevedoring rates vary by measure.
The aguinaldo — the thirteenth month
Costa Rica’s aguinaldo is not a bonus at the employer’s discretion. It is a constitutional and statutory obligation owed to every private-sector worker — full-time, part-time, domestic staff, short-tenure employees, everyone, prorated where applicable.
- Reference period: 1 December to 30 November
- Calculation: add up all ordinary and extraordinary salary earned in that period and divide by 12
- Deadline: 20 December each year
- Deductions: none. The aguinaldo is fully exempt from CCSS contributions, income tax and every other deduction
Missing the 20 December deadline is a labour violation, and it is one of the most common complaints filed against small employers.
If you employ household staff
This is where foreign residents most often get into difficulty, because the salary is the smaller half of the cost.
You must register the worker with the CCSS and pay social charges. As of 1 January 2026:
- Worker deduction: 10.83% — health and maternity 5.50%, pension 4.33%, Banco Popular 1.00%
- Employer contribution: about 26.83% — health and maternity 9.25%, pension 5.58%, Fodesaf 5.00%, IMAS 0.50%, INA 1.50%, Banco Popular 0.50%, Fondo de Capitalización Laboral 1.50%, complementary pension 2.00%, INS 1.00%
- Households with fewer than five permanent workers are exempt from the 1.50% INA contribution, bringing the effective employer load to roughly 25.33%
The pension rates above are legislated to hold through 31 December 2028, with a further step-up scheduled for 2029.
Riesgos del Trabajo insurance with the INS is mandatory for household staff — the “RT Hogar” policy. On top of that you owe aguinaldo, two weeks’ vacation per 50 weeks worked, and severance if you dismiss without cause.
Roughly, a household employing a full-time domestic worker at minimum wage in 2026 is looking at about ₡268,731 in salary plus around ₡68,000 in employer charges, before the RT insurance and before aguinaldo accrual.
In practice, market rates in expat-heavy areas run well above minimum — commonly ₡2,500–₡3,500 an hour for independent workers, and ₡4,000–₡5,000 in premium zones.
Two things to verify before you rely on them
In the interest of being straight with you: we could not verify the current in-kind deduction limits for domestic workers, where lodging or meals are provided as part of compensation. The Labour Code caps their ordinary day at 8 hours and week at 48, and the wage is set as a monthly figure, but if you intend to deduct for room and board, confirm the current percentages with the Ministry of Labour rather than relying on any figure you read online, here included.
Why this matters more than it looks
Costa Rican labour law is genuinely protective of workers, and the enforcement mechanism is the employee’s right to file with the Ministry of Labour — which they can do years later, with interest. Unregistered household employment is common and is also one of the most expensive mistakes a foreign resident can make, because an unregistered worker who is injured or dismissed has a claim, and the absence of CCSS registration is itself the evidence.
Register people properly. It costs about a quarter on top of salary and it removes the entire category of risk.
Employing people in Costa Rica — or planning to?
Your ability to work, hire and run a business here depends on your immigration status. CRIE — Costa Rica Immigration Experts handles residency applications, renewals and citizenship, including the categories that permit business activity.
Look at the types of residency in Costa Rica, or contact us to discuss your plans.
Figures are from Decreto Ejecutivo N.º 45303-MTSS effective 1 January 2026. Rates change annually — confirm the current decree with the MTSS before relying on these numbers.