Mains supply in Costa Rica: 120 V, 60 Hz, sockets of Types A and B. 120 V instead of 230 V: check the rating plate before you plug in a hair dryer. An adapter does not change voltage. The grid runs at 60 Hz. Chargers do not care; mains-synchronised clocks and simple motors do.
Handy for multi-stop trips: the British Virgin Islands, Guatemala, Jamaica and the Cayman Islands use the same plug types. Watch out when moving on: Saint Lucia, Greenland and Grenada use a completely different system. In North and Central America, 24 of 31 recorded destinations use exactly this combination.
Protective earth
Grounded and ungrounded sockets may occur
Mixed supply: Type A without earth, Type B with earth. Which one is in your room only shows on arrival.
At 120 V a 230 V-only hair dryer will not work properly; dual-voltage chargers will. Frequency is 60 Hz; timers and simple motors run differently. Check your own device →
Yes. UK plugs do not fit the sockets in Costa Rica.
Which plug type does Costa Rica use?
Types A and B – that is what you will find in Costa Rica (120 V, 60 Hz).
What voltage does Costa Rica use?
At 120 V it depends on the rating plate: “100–240 V” is fine, single-voltage gear is not.
An adapter changes the plug shape only, not voltage or frequency. Costa Rica supplies 120 V at 60 Hz – check the rating plate on your device. How to read a rating plate →
If a socket gets hot, crackles or smells burnt, unplug the device straight away.