San José climate
San José (Costa Rica) has a tropical savanna (dry winter) climate (Köppen Aw). The average temperature over the year is 20 °C69 °F, and about 1,794 mm71 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
San José climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2475 | 1560 | 2067 | 381.5 |
| Feb | 2577 | 1660 | 2069 | 220.9 |
| Mar | 2781 | 1661 | 2271 | 291.2 |
| Apr | 2781 | 1763 | 2272 | 773.0 |
| May | 2577 | 1763 | 2170 | 2208.7 |
| Jun | 2374 | 1763 | 2069 | 2098.2 |
| Jul | 2374 | 1763 | 2068 | 1847.3 |
| Aug | 2374 | 1763 | 2068 | 1987.8 |
| Sep | 2373 | 1763 | 2068 | 25610 |
| Oct | 2272 | 1763 | 2067 | 30112 |
| Nov | 2272 | 1661 | 1967 | 1877.4 |
| Dec | 2374 | 1660 | 1967 | 712.8 |
| Year | 2781 | 1560 | 2069 | 1,79471 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 79% | 47% | 5.5 | 11:36 |
| Feb | 71% | 37% | 6.3 | 11:48 |
| Mar | 64% | 41% | 6.5 | 12:03 |
| Apr | 68% | 69% | 5.8 | 12:20 |
| May | 81% | 85% | 4.9 | 12:34 |
| Jun | 88% | 87% | 4.8 | 12:42 |
| Jul | 87% | 87% | 4.7 | 12:39 |
| Aug | 88% | 87% | 4.8 | 12:27 |
| Sep | 90% | 85% | 4.9 | 12:10 |
| Oct | 91% | 87% | 4.4 | 11:53 |
| Nov | 90% | 79% | 4.4 | 11:39 |
| Dec | 85% | 59% | 4.9 | 11:33 |
Humid. = average relative humidity at 2 m; cloud = average cloud amount; solar = average daily solar energy reaching the ground in kWh/m² (all-sky); daylight in hours:minutes, calculated for the 15th of each month.
What the climate of San José is like
The warmest month is April, with an average high of 27 °C81 °F and a low of 17 °C63 °F. The coldest is December, when highs average 23 °C74 °F and lows 16 °C60 °F. Temperatures barely change through the year: the warmest and the coolest month differ by only 2.8 °C5 °F.
It is wet, with about 1,794 mm71 in of precipitation per year. The wettest three-month stretch is August–October, which brings 42% of the annual total. The wettest month is October (301 mm12 in), the driest is February (22 mm0.9 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 64% in March to 91% in October. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 37%) are typical of February. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 2 km/h (1 mph) in July to 3 km/h (2 mph) in March. Daylight lasts from about 11.5 hours in December to 12.7 hours in June.
Best time to visit San José
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are December–April: average highs of 23 °C74 °F to 27 °C81 °F with 22 mm0.9 in to 77 mm3.0 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is October, which is very wet (301 mm12 in).
Comfort score: months are ranked by how close they come to an average high of 21–28 °C (70–82 °F), lows above 5 °C (41 °F), little precipitation and moderate humidity. The best-ranked months of each place are recommended, even where none meets all of these. These are general rules of thumb applied to long-term averages.
What to pack for San José
- Wetter months (May–November) — highs 2272 to 25 °C77 °F, lows 1661 to 17 °C63 °F, about 222 mm8.8 in of precipitation a month. Pack light layers — T-shirts plus a light sweater or jacket and a good rain jacket or umbrella and quick-drying shoes.
- Drier months (December–April) — highs 2374 to 27 °C81 °F, lows 1560 to 17 °C63 °F, about 47 mm1.9 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses.
How San José compares
Compared with Managua, about 340 km to the northwest, San José is on average 7.4 °C13.4 °F cooler and receives 23% more precipitation (1,794 mm71 in vs 1,453 mm57 in). The difference is largest in April (8.3 °C14.9 °F cooler).
Of the 4 places in Costa Rica covered by World Climates, San José is the 4th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 2nd wettest by annual precipitation. See all of them on the Costa Rica climate page.
Places in other countries with the most similar temperature and rainfall pattern (seasons shifted for the other hemisphere where needed): Mérida (Venezuela, Aw), Kigali (Rwanda, Aw) and Siguatepeque (Honduras, Aw).
Nearby places
- Guápiles 45 km · 25 °C78 °F · 2,265 mm89 in
- Puntarenas 83 km · 28 °C83 °F · 1,518 mm60 in
- Upala 148 km · 27 °C81 °F · 1,466 mm58 in
- Masaya 316 km · 27 °C80 °F · 1,453 mm57 in
- Managua 340 km · 28 °C82 °F · 1,453 mm57 in
- Matagalpa 388 km · 23 °C74 °F · 1,196 mm47 in
- San Andrés 393 km · 28 °C82 °F · 1,535 mm60 in
- León 413 km · 28 °C83 °F · 1,451 mm57 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in San José?
April is the warmest month in San José, with an average high of 27 °C (81 °F) and an average low of 17 °C (63 °F).
What is the coldest month in San José?
December is the coldest month, with an average high of 23 °C (74 °F) and an average low of 16 °C (60 °F).
When does it rain the most in San José?
October is the wettest month with about 301 mm (11.8 in) of precipitation; February is the driest with about 22 mm (0.9 in).
What is the best time to visit San José?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are December–April.
About this data
All figures are 25-year averages (January 2001 – December 2025) from the NASA POWER project. Temperature, humidity, wind and precipitation come from the MERRA-2 reanalysis (precipitation is the bias-corrected MERRA-2 product), cloud and solar values from CERES satellite data. They describe a grid cell of roughly 50–70 km, not a single weather station, so they can differ from airport records — most of all on coasts, in mountains and for rainfall. Average highs and lows are the monthly mean temperature plus/minus half of the average daily temperature range. Counts of rainy days are not part of this dataset.
The grid cell’s average elevation is 657 m, while San José lies at about 1,133 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by −3.1 °C5.6 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.