Direct Flights from Houston to San José, Costa Rica
Nonstop service from IAH and HOU to SJO on Southwest, United. Here's the schedule at a glance — plus what to do once you land.
Which airports fly this route
Houston has 2 airports with nonstop service to San José, Costa Rica. Fares differ by airport — each row opens that exact search on Kayak.
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- Find flights ↗IAHSJOGeorge Bush Intercontinental
- Find flights ↗HOUSJOWilliam P. Hobby
How rare is this nonstop?
Only 13 cities have a nonstop to San José, Costa Rica, so this is a route worth knowing about — most travelers connect to get there.
How long to go to San José, Costa Rica for, from Houston
3h 35m in the air, 1,556 miles. A two-night trip loses most of two days to travel; three or four nights is where this one starts to make sense.
With roughly 4 departures a day, you are not tied to one flight: if a meeting overruns or the weather turns, there is another one behind it.
About San José, Costa Rica
San José is the capital and largest city of Costa Rica. The undisputed cultural and economic center of Costa Rica's central valley, where most of the population lives, San José is also the most important transportation hub for domestic travel even though the international airport is in Alajuela. Many international visitors bypass San José altogether or spend only the time it takes to change from one bus to another, but its museums, cultural output and the opportunity to meet the "real Costa Rica" make it well worth staying a few days.
Summary from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA).
Top things to do in San José, Costa Rica
- Poás Volcano National Park is a national park in Costa Rica that covers an area of approximately 65 square kilometres ; the summit of Poás Volcano located within the park is at an elevation of 2,700 metres (8,900 ft).
- Guayabo National Monument, is an archaeological site near the city of Turrialba, within the Central Conservation Area in the Cartago Province, Costa Rica.
- The Museo Nacional de Costa Rica is the national museum of Costa Rica, located in the capital of San José. It is located at Calle 17, between Central and Second Avenue, Cuesta de Moras.
- Braulio Carrillo National Park is a national park in Heredia Province, Cartago Province, Limón Province and San José Province, in central Costa Rica. It is part of the Central Conservation Area.
- The Metropolitan Cathedral of San José is a cathedral in San José, Costa Rica, located on Calle Central and Avenues 2 and 4. The original cathedral was built in 1802 but was destroyed by an earthquake.
- Tapantí - Cerro de la Muerte Massif National Park,, is a national park in the Central Conservation Area of Costa Rica located on the edge of the Talamanca Range, near Cartago.
- La Cangreja National Park, until 2002 the Cerro de la Cangreja Protected Zone, is a National Park in the Puriscal Canton of San José Province, in west-central Costa Rica.
- Irazú Volcano National Park, or in Spanish the Parque Nacional Volcán Irazú, is a national park in the Central Conservation Area in Cartago Province, Costa Rica, that encompasses Irazú Volcano as well as the Prusia Fores…
- The Los Quetzales National Park, located 97 kilometers from San Isidro de El General, in Costa Rica, was created in 2006 by Decree 32981-MINAE.
- The Lankester Botanical Gardens are a set of gardens outside of Cartago, Costa Rica.
- La Sabana Metropolitan Park is located in downtown San José, Costa Rica. It is the country's largest and most significant urban park. La Sabana is considered "the lungs of San José" by Costa Ricans.
- Parque Nacional Simón Bolívar is an urban park of approximately 14 hectares, located in downtown San José, Costa Rica. It is the oldest botanical garden and zoo in Costa Rica.
Attraction descriptions from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA); place data from Wikidata (CC0).
San José, Costa Rica weather, compared with Houston
3° warmer than Houston on average across the year, on daytime highs:
- January
- San José, Costa Rica 83°F · Houston 64°F · 20° warmer
- April
- San José, Costa Rica 87°F · Houston 80°F · 7° warmer
- July
- San José, Costa Rica 83°F · Houston 94°F · 11° colder
- October
- San José, Costa Rica 81°F · Houston 82°F · much the same
San José, Costa Rica is the steadier of the two, moving 6° between its coldest and warmest months where Houston moves 31°.
Average daily highs, 1991–2020 station normals from Meteostat (CC BY 4.0), measured at each city's airport.
Planning a trip to San José, Costa Rica
- Best time to visit
- The best time to visit San José, Costa Rica is October–November, when daytime highs are a comfortable 81–82°F.
- How long to stay
- San José, Costa Rica rewards a longer visit — a full week lets you explore its many sights, from Poás Volcano National Park, Guayabo National Monument, and Museo Nacional de Costa Rica and beyond.
Frequently asked questions
- Is there a direct flight from Houston to San José, Costa Rica?
- Yes — you can fly nonstop from Houston (IAH, HOU) to San José, Costa Rica (SJO) on Southwest, United.
- Which airlines fly nonstop from Houston to San José, Costa Rica?
- Southwest, United fly nonstop between Houston (IAH, HOU) and San José, Costa Rica (SJO).
- Which Houston airport has nonstop flights to San José, Costa Rica?
- You can leave from 2 Houston airports: IAH (George Bush Intercontinental) on United; HOU (William P. Hobby) on Southwest.
- How many nonstop flights are there from Houston to San José, Costa Rica?
- There are about 4 nonstop departures per day (roughly 28 per week) from Houston to San José, Costa Rica.
- How far is San José, Costa Rica from Houston?
- San José, Costa Rica is about 1,556 miles from Houston by air.
- What is there to do in San José, Costa Rica?
- Popular things to do include Poás Volcano National Park, Guayabo National Monument, Museo Nacional de Costa Rica, Braulio Carrillo National Park, and more.
More nonstop destinations from Houston near San José, Costa Rica
Airports near Houston
The closest other departure airports to Houston — each opens up more nonstop destinations.