There are 10 ways to get from Iowa City to Costa Rica by bus, plane, train, car, shuttle, or bus (Greyhound, Flixbus)
Select an option below to see step-by-step directions and to compare ticket prices and travel times in Rome2Rio's travel planner.
Bus to Quad City International Airport, fly to Juan Santamaría International Airport
best- Take the bus from Iowa City to Moline Center Stationbus
- Fly from Quad City International Airport (MLI) to Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO)plane MLI - SJO
11h 46m$167–656Drive to Burlington Municipal Airport, fly to Juan Santamaría International Airport
cheapest- Drive from Iowa City to Burlington Municipal Airport (BRL)car
- Fly from Burlington Municipal Airport (BRL) to Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO)plane BRL - SJO
15h 15m$135–573Bus, train via Mexico City
- Take the bus from Iowa City to Chicago Bus Stationbus
- Take the train from Chicago Union Station to San Marcos Amtraktrain
- Take the bus from San Marcos to Terminal Central de Autobuses del Nortebus
- Take the bus from Terminal Central de Autobuses del Norte to Tapachulabus
- Take the bus from Tapachula to San Salvadorbus
- Take the bus from Terminal San Benito - CCA to Terminal Atlántico Nortebus
4d 16h$493–1,304Drive 5,113.2 km
- Drive from Iowa City to San Josécar 5,113.2 km
2d 16h$686–991Bus to The Eastern Iowa Airport, fly to Juan Santamaría International Airport
- Take the bus from Court St Transportation Center to GTC Bay 9bus
- Fly from The Eastern Iowa Airport (CID) to Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO)plane CID - SJO
11h 50mBus to Chicago O'Hare International Airport, fly to Juan Santamaría International Airport
- Take the bus from Iowa City to Chicago Bus Stationbus
- Fly from Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) to Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO)plane ORD - SJO
13h 1m$198–688Bus to The Eastern Iowa Airport, fly to Liberia International Airport, shuttle
- Take the bus from Court St Transportation Center to GTC Bay 9bus
- Fly from The Eastern Iowa Airport (CID) to Liberia International Airport (LIR)plane CID - LIR
- Take a shuttle bus from Liberia Airport to Monteverde
- Take a shuttle bus from Monteverde to Puntarenas
15h 20mBus, bus to Waterloo Municipal Airport, fly to Juan Santamaría International Airport
- Take the bus from Iowa City to Moline Center Stationbus
- Take the bus from Moline Center Station to Waterloobus
- Fly from Waterloo Municipal Airport (ALO) to Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO)plane ALO - SJO
20h 13m$223–796Bus
- Take the bus from Iowa City to Chicago Bus Stationbus
- Take the bus from Chicago Bus Station to Memphis Bus Stationbus
- Take the bus from Memphis Bus Station to Downtown Houstonbus
- Take the bus from St Joseph Pkwy @ Louisiana St to West Bellfort Park & Ridebus
- Take the bus from Houston to San Salvadorbus
- Take the bus from San Salvador to San Josébus
5d 9h$444–890Bus, train
- Take the bus from Iowa City to Chicago Bus Stationbus
- Take the train from Chicago Union Station to Longviewtrain
- Take the bus from Longview Bus Station to Houston Bus Stationbus
- Take the bus from Houston to Managuabus
- Take the bus from Managua to Terminal Tica Busbus
5d 18h$488–1,250
Quad City International Airport (MLI) to Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO) flights
Questions & Answers
The cheapest way to get from Iowa City to Costa Rica is to bus and fly which costs $190 - $700 and takes 13h 1m.
The fastest way to get from Iowa City to Costa Rica is to bus and fly which takes 11h 46m and costs $160 - $700.
The distance between Iowa City and Costa Rica is 3662 km. The road distance is 5113.2 km.
The best way to get from Iowa City to Costa Rica without a car is to bus and train which takes 5 days 18h and costs $480 - $1,300.
It takes approximately 11h 46m to get from Iowa City to Costa Rica, including transfers.
Yes, the driving distance between Iowa City to Costa Rica is 5113 km. It takes approximately 2 days 16h to drive from Iowa City to Costa Rica.
There are 775+ hotels available in Costa Rica.
What companies run services between Iowa City, IA, USA and Costa Rica?
You can take a bus from Iowa City to San José via Chicago Bus Station, Memphis Bus Station, Downtown Houston, St Joseph Pkwy @ Louisiana St, West Bellfort Park & Ride, Houston, San Salvador, and San Salvador in around 5d 9h.
- Website
- aa.com
Flights from Quad City International Airport to Juan Santamaría International Airport via Dallas/Ft.Worth
- Ave. Duration
- 8h 23m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- $150–650
Flights from Quad City International Airport to Juan Santamaría International Airport via Chicago O'Hare International Airport
- Ave. Duration
- 11h 2m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- $140–650
Flights from The Eastern Iowa Airport to Juan Santamaría International Airport via Dallas/Ft.Worth
- Ave. Duration
- 9h 59m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- $150–650
Flights from The Eastern Iowa Airport to Juan Santamaría International Airport via Chicago O'Hare International Airport
- Ave. Duration
- 9h 52m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- $140–650
Flights from The Eastern Iowa Airport to Juan Santamaría International Airport via Miami
- Ave. Duration
- 12h 56m
- When
- Saturday
- Estimated price
- $140–650
Flights from Burlington Municipal Airport to Juan Santamaría International Airport via Chicago O'Hare International Airport
- Ave. Duration
- 13h 30m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- $120–550
Flights from Chicago O'Hare International Airport to Juan Santamaría International Airport
- Ave. Duration
- 5h
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- $120–550
Flights from Chicago O'Hare International Airport to Juan Santamaría International Airport via Miami
- Ave. Duration
- 7h 40m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- $120–550
Flights from The Eastern Iowa Airport to Liberia International Airport via Chicago O'Hare International Airport
- Ave. Duration
- 7h 37m
- When
- Thursday and Sunday
- Estimated price
- $380–1,600
Flights from The Eastern Iowa Airport to Liberia International Airport via Dallas/Ft.Worth
- Ave. Duration
- 9h 5m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- $380–1,600
Flights from Waterloo Municipal Airport to Juan Santamaría International Airport via Chicago O'Hare International Airport
- Ave. Duration
- 16h 30m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- $150–650
- Website
- delta.com
Flights from Quad City International Airport to Juan Santamaría International Airport via Atlanta
- Ave. Duration
- 7h 9m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- $140–600
Flights from The Eastern Iowa Airport to Juan Santamaría International Airport via Atlanta
- Ave. Duration
- 7h 25m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- $140–600
Flights from The Eastern Iowa Airport to Liberia International Airport via Atlanta
- Ave. Duration
- 8h 15m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- $370–1,600
- Website
- united.com
Flights from Quad City International Airport to Juan Santamaría International Airport via Denver
- Ave. Duration
- 13h 14m
- When
- Friday and Saturday
- Estimated price
- $180–750
Flights from Burlington Municipal Airport to Juan Santamaría International Airport via Chicago O'Hare International Airport
- Ave. Duration
- 20h 31m
- When
- Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Sunday
- Estimated price
- $120–550
Flights from Chicago O'Hare International Airport to Juan Santamaría International Airport
- Ave. Duration
- 5h 17m
- When
- Monday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday
- Estimated price
- $120–550
- Website
- avianca.com
Flights from Burlington Municipal Airport to Juan Santamaría International Airport via Chicago O'Hare International Airport, San Salvador
- Ave. Duration
- 14h 40m
- When
- Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday
- Estimated price
- $200–800
Flights from Chicago O'Hare International Airport to Juan Santamaría International Airport via Guatemala City
- Ave. Duration
- 7h 15m
- When
- Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday
- Estimated price
- $190–800
Flights from Chicago O'Hare International Airport to Juan Santamaría International Airport via San Salvador
- Ave. Duration
- 7h 30m
- When
- Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday
- Estimated price
- $190–800
- Website
- flysansa.com
Flights from Waterloo Municipal Airport to Juan Santamaría International Airport via Chicago O'Hare International Airport, Liberia International Airport
- Ave. Duration
- 13h 3m
- When
- Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday
- Estimated price
- $150–650
- Website
- worldticket.com
Flights from Waterloo Municipal Airport to Juan Santamaría International Airport via Chicago O'Hare International Airport, Liberia International Airport
- Ave. Duration
- 13h 30m
- When
- Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday
- Estimated price
- $150–650
- Website
- southwest.com
Flights from Chicago O'Hare International Airport to Juan Santamaría International Airport via Orlando
- Ave. Duration
- 6h 45m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- $120–550
- Website
- spirit.com
Flights from Chicago O'Hare International Airport to Juan Santamaría International Airport via Fort Lauderdale
- Ave. Duration
- 7h 7m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- $140–370
- Website
- suncountry.com
Flights from The Eastern Iowa Airport to Liberia International Airport via Minneapolis
- Ave. Duration
- 8h 35m
- When
- Saturday and Sunday
- Estimated price
- $410–1,700
Rome2Rio's guide to Amtrak
Contact Details
- Phone
- +1 800-872-7245
- Website
- amtrak.com
Train from Chicago Union Station to San Marcos Amtrak
- Ave. Duration
- 29h 41m
- Frequency
- Once daily
- Estimated price
- $140–700
- Website
- https://www.amtrak.com/home.html
Train from Chicago Union Station to Longview
- Ave. Duration
- 18h 40m
- Frequency
- Once daily
- Estimated price
- $120–550
- Website
- https://www.amtrak.com/home.html
- Phone
- +1 214-849-8100
- ifsr@greyhound.com
- Website
- greyhound.com
Bus from Iowa City to Moline Center Station
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 25m
- Frequency
- Once daily
- Estimated price
- $25–55
- Website
- https://www.greyhound.com/
Bus from Iowa City to Chicago Bus Station
- Ave. Duration
- 4h 45m
- Frequency
- Twice daily
- Estimated price
- $40–80
- Website
- https://www.greyhound.com/
Bus from Moline Center Station to Waterloo
- Ave. Duration
- 3h 15m
- Frequency
- 5 times a week
- Estimated price
- $30–70
- Website
- https://www.greyhound.com/
Bus from Chicago Bus Station to Memphis Bus Station
- Ave. Duration
- 9h 30m
- Frequency
- Once daily
- Estimated price
- $70–210
- Website
- https://www.greyhound.com/
Bus from Longview Bus Station to Houston Bus Station
- Ave. Duration
- 5h
- Frequency
- Once daily
- Estimated price
- $45–160
- Website
- https://www.greyhound.com/
- Phone
- +1 800 923 1799
- contactus@omexusa.net
- Website
- omnibusexpress.com
Bus from San Marcos to Terminal Central de Autobuses del Norte
- Ave. Duration
- 21h 17m
- Frequency
- Once daily
- Estimated price
- $140–220
- Schedules at
- omnibusexpress.com
- Phone
- +52 55 4386 4652
- solucioneshola@ado.com.mx
- Website
- ado.com.mx
Bus from Terminal Central de Autobuses del Norte to Tapachula
- Ave. Duration
- 18h 15m
- Frequency
- 3 times a day
- Estimated price
- $85–170
- Schedules at
- ado.com.mx
- Book at
- ado.com.mx
- Phone
- +52 55 4386 4652
- solucioneshola@ado.com.mx
- Website
- ado.com.mx
Bus from Terminal Central de Autobuses del Norte to Tapachula
- Ave. Duration
- 19h 55m
- Frequency
- Once daily
- Estimated price
- $90–140
- Schedules at
- ado.com.mx
- Book at
- ado.com.mx
- Phone
- +𝟓𝟎𝟑 𝟐𝟐𝟐𝟒 𝟔𝟓𝟒𝟖
- elcondorinternacional@gmail.com
- Website
- facebook.com
Bus from Tapachula to San Salvador
- Ave. Duration
- 10h
- Frequency
- Twice daily
- Estimated price
- $50
- Schedules at
- facebook.com
- Phone
- +52 962 625 2435
- info@ticabus.com
- Website
- ticabus.com
Bus from Tapachula to San Salvador
- Ave. Duration
- 10h
- Frequency
- 4 times a week
- Estimated price
- $30–45
- Website
- https://www.ticabus.com/en/
Bus from Managua to Terminal Tica Bus
- Ave. Duration
- 8h
- Frequency
- Hourly
- Estimated price
- $30–45
- Website
- https://www.ticabus.com/en/
- Phone
- +504 9919 5375
- Website
- cristobalcolon.com.gt
Bus from Terminal San Benito - CCA to Terminal Atlántico Norte
- Ave. Duration
- 22h 40m
- Frequency
- 4 times a week
- Estimated price
- $55–81
- Schedules at
- cristobalcolon.com.gt
- Road
- $55–75
- Phone
- +1-319-362-0375
- Website
- 380express.com
Bus from Court St Transportation Center to GTC Bay 9
- Ave. Duration
- 51 min
- Frequency
- Hourly
- Website
- https://www.380express.com
- Schedules at
- https://www.380express.com/schedule/
- Phone
- 1 800 715 1970
- info@ridecr.com
- Website
- ridecr.com
Shuttle from Liberia Airport to Monteverde
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 45m
- Frequency
- On demand
- Estimated price
- $223
- Website
- https://www.ridecr.com/
Shuttle from Monteverde to Puntarenas
- Ave. Duration
- 30 min
- Frequency
- On demand
- Estimated price
- $171
- Website
- https://www.ridecr.com/
- Phone
- +506 2640 1900
- info@tropicaltourshuttles.com
- Website
- tropicaltourshuttles.com
Shuttle from Liberia Airport to Monteverde
- Ave. Duration
- 2h 10m
- Frequency
- Once daily
- Estimated price
- $55–75
- Website
- https://tropicaltourshuttles.com/
- Phone
- +1 (855) 626-8585
- Website
- flixbus.com
Bus from Chicago Bus Station to Memphis Bus Station
- Ave. Duration
- 11h
- Frequency
- 5 times a week
- Estimated price
- $65–150
- Schedules at
- flixbus.com
Bus from Memphis Bus Station to Downtown Houston
- Ave. Duration
- 13h 45m
- Frequency
- 5 times a week
- Estimated price
- $60–110
- Schedules at
- flixbus.com
- Phone
- +1 713-635-4000
- Website
- ridemetro.org
Bus from St Joseph Pkwy @ Louisiana St to West Bellfort Park & Ride
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 24m
- Frequency
- Every 30 minutes
- Estimated price
- $1–5
- Website
- https://www.ridemetro.org
- Phone
- +1 213 368 1172
- info@boletosdebus.com
- Website
- busesusatours.com
Bus from Houston to San Salvador
- Ave. Duration
- 3d
- Frequency
- Once a week
- Estimated price
- $180–390
- Schedules at
- busesusatours.com
Bus from Houston to Managua
- Ave. Duration
- 4d 1h
- Frequency
- Once a week
- Estimated price
- $230–390
- Schedules at
- busesusatours.com
- Phone
- +503 7841 5688
- info@transportedelsol.com
- Website
- transportedelsol.com
Bus from San Salvador to San José
- Ave. Duration
- 23h
- Frequency
- 3 times a week
- Estimated price
- $80
- Schedules at
- transportedelsol.com
Want to know more about travelling around Costa Rica
Rome2Rio's Travel Guide series provide vital information for the global traveller. Filled with useful and timely travel information, the guides answer all the hard questions - such as 'How do I buy a ticket?', 'Should I book online before I travel? ', 'How much should I expect to pay?', 'Do the trains and buses have Wifi?' - to help you get the most out of your next trip.
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