District · Poás Canton # San Rafael San Rafael is a district of Costa Rica in Poás Canton, Alajuela Province. It had an estimated 6,560 people in 2021 on 14 km² (about 462 per km²). 9 named villages and localities are recorded here, and 14 mapped services such as hospitals, banks and schools. - 6,560 people (2021) - 14.2 km² - 14 mapped services - 1,229 m typical elevation ## How many people live in San Rafael? San Rafael had an estimated 6,560 people in 2021 — 19.0% of Poás Canton, 255th of 472 districts. There are 963 women for every 1,000 men (close to the Poás Canton figure of 971). Spread over 14 km², that is about 462 people per km², 158th of 472 districts. 22.2% of people are children under 15 and 8.8% are 65 or older; the median age is about 32 years (it is 32 across Poás Canton). For every 100 people of working age (15–64) there are 45 children and older people. - 0–4 483 - 5–9 479 - 10–14 495 - 15–19 473 - 20–24 544 - 25–29 552 - 30–34 593 - 35–39 543 - 40–44 444 - 45–49 371 - 50–54 372 - 55–59 343 - 60–64 289 - 65–69 224 - 70–74 150 - 75+ 205 Source: Costa Rica National Statistics Office (NSO) via OCHA HDX, population 2021 (COD-PS, CC BY-IGO). ## Where is San Rafael? San Rafael lies in Poás Canton, Alajuela Province, Costa Rica. It borders 3 other districts: San José, San Juan and San Pedro. By area it is the 338th largest of 492 districts in Costa Rica. It covers 19.0% of Poás Canton. The centre of San Rafael is about 27 km in a straight line from San José, the capital. The centre point is at 10.0985° N, 84.2607° W. Source: Costa Rica National Statistics Office (NSO) via OCHA HDX, administrative boundaries (COD-AB, CC BY-IGO). ## Things to see in and around San Rafael ### Nearby, outside San Rafael - Finca Sircof · attraction, San José 2.2 km - Catarata don Luis · waterfall, San Juan 2.9 km - Tour del Café Tío José · attraction, San Roque 4.1 km - Condominio Los Maderos · ruins, San José 4.9 km - Parque de Diversiones Sabanilla · theme park, Sabanilla 5.2 km - Antiguo Mirador El Cerro · ruins, Sabanilla 5.2 km - Casa quemada · ruins, Sabanilla 5.3 km - Catarata El Paraíso · waterfall, Bolivar 5.3 km - Doka Estate Costa Rica Gourmet Coffee · attraction, Sabanilla 5.3 km - Monumento a los 2 primeros muertos de la guerra de 1948 · monument, Sabanilla 5.6 km - El Escondite de La Montaña · attraction, Sabana Redonda 5.8 km - Monumento a Leon Cortes Castro · memorial, Grecia 6.3 km Source: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), Geofabrik extract — named settlements. Named attractions, museums, viewpoints, historic sites and natural features mapped in OpenStreetMap. Places of worship are not listed. ## Know before you go: San Rafael - Time zone UTC−6, no daylight saving · America/Costa_Rica - Currency Colon (CRC) - Country calling code +506 - Languages Spanish, English - Plug types Type A, B · 120 V - Driving side Right - Postcode format 5 digits (#####) ### Nearest airports - Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO) · San José (Alajuela) 13 km - Tobías Bolaños International Airport (SYQ) · San Jose 21 km ### Nearest railway station Hospital Alajuela (Alajuela), about 11 km from the centre. ### Daylight Days are longest in Jun (about 12.7 hours, sunrise around 05:15) and shortest in Dec (about 11.5 hours, sunrise around 05:45, sunset around 17:18). Source: GeoNames country and time-zone files (CC BY 4.0); Wikidata (CC0) — plug types, mains voltage, driving side; retrieved 2026-11-03; OurAirports (public domain). Airports with scheduled passenger flights; straight-line distances. Daylight is calculated for the 15th of each month in local standard time. Check entry and visa rules with official government sources before travelling. ## Villages and localities in San Rafael Open gazetteers list 9 villages, towns and localities in San Rafael. Settlements here lie between about 1,114 m and 1,409 m above sea level (median 1,229 m). - Bajo Zamora - Churuca - El Sitio - Guatuza - Liles - Monte - San Rafael - Santa Rosa - Solís Source: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0) — settlements, natural and historic features; © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), Geofabrik extract — named settlements. ## Landscape and landmarks of San Rafael Named natural and historic features inside San Rafael, from the GeoNames gazetteer. ### Water 2 rivers and streams. - Quebrada Caña - Quebrada Guatuza Source: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0) — settlements, natural and historic features. Places of worship are not listed. Elevations are from the GeoNames terrain model and are approximate. ## Weather in San Rafael and the best time to visit Using the climate of Poás Canton, the warmest month is Apr (average 25 °C) and the coolest is Dec (22 °C). About 1,793 mm of rain falls in a year; the wettest month is Oct (301 mm) and the driest Feb (22 mm). The most comfortable months for a visit are December to April. - Jan - Feb - Mar - Apr - May - Jun - Jul - Aug - Sep - Oct - Nov - Dec | Month | Average °C | Rain mm | | Jan | 23 | 38 | | Feb | 24 | 22 | | Mar | 25 | 29 | | Apr | 25 | 76 | | May | 24 | 220 | | Jun | 24 | 209 | | Jul | 23 | 184 | | Aug | 23 | 198 | | Sep | 23 | 256 | | Oct | 23 | 301 | | Nov | 22 | 188 | | Dec | 22 | 70 | Source: NASA POWER climatology, retrieved 2026-10-29. ## Nearest hospital, bank and fuel from San Rafael | Need | Nearest mapped | Distance | | | Hospital | Consultorio Médico Dr. Luis Varela · San Rafael | 1.3 km | Map | | Bank | Grupo Mutual · San Pedro | 2.9 km | Map | | ATM | BCR · San Rafael | 0.9 km | Map | | Petrol pump | Santa Lucía · San José | 2.8 km | Map | | Hotel | Poás Mountain GuestHouse · San Rafael | 0.3 km | Map | | Mall | Plaza Parque Puriscal · San José | 2.2 km | Map | | School | Esc Santa Rosa de Poás · San Rafael | 0.5 km | Map | | College | Liceo San Rafael · San Juan | 1.2 km | Map | | Police station | Delegación Policial de San Rafael · San Rafael | 1.0 km | Map | Source: Overture Maps places (CDLA-Permissive-2.0) and © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Straight-line distance from the centre of the division, within 40 km. ## Hospitals, banks and other services in San Rafael Places mapped inside San Rafael in open map data, by type. - Hospitals 1 - ATMs 1 - Hotels 3 - Schools 6 - Restaurants 2 - Police stations 1 Source: Overture Maps places (CDLA-Permissive-2.0) and © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Coverage depends on what has been mapped; contact details are not shown. ## Other districts in Poás Canton - Carrillos - Sabana Redonda - San Juan - San Pedro ## Quick answers - Where is San Rafael? In Poás Canton, Alajuela Province, Costa Rica - What is the population of San Rafael? 6,560 (2021 estimate) - What is the median age in San Rafael? About 32 years (2021 estimate) - What is the population density of San Rafael? About 462 people per km² - What borders San Rafael? San José, San Juan and San Pedro - What is there to see in San Rafael? Finca Sircof, Catarata don Luis, Tour del Café Tío José, Condominio Los Maderos - What time zone is San Rafael in? UTC−6 - What currency is used in San Rafael? Colon (CRC) - What language is spoken in San Rafael? Spanish, English (main languages nationally) - How many villages are in San Rafael? 9 named settlements (GeoNames, OpenStreetMap) - What is the elevation of San Rafael? Settlements lie between 1,114 m and 1,409 m - What is the best time to visit San Rafael? December to April - Where is the nearest hospital to San Rafael? Consultorio Médico Dr. Luis Varela, about 1.3 km from the centre - Where is the nearest bank to San Rafael? Grupo Mutual, about 2.9 km from the centre - Where is the nearest ATM to San Rafael? BCR, about 0.9 km from the centre - Where is the nearest petrol pump to San Rafael? Santa Lucía, about 2.8 km from the centre - How many hospitals are in San Rafael? 1 mapped - How many ATMs are in San Rafael? 1 mapped - What is the P-code of San Rafael? CR20803 (OCHA common operational dataset) At a glance - Type: District - Area: 14.2 km² - P-code: CR20803 - Canton: Poás Canton --- Canonical: https://wherepedia.org/costa-rica/alajuela/poas/san-rafael/ · Updated 2026-11-03 · Data: national censuses and statistics offices (sources named in each section); © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL); Overture Maps; GeoNames; NASA POWER.