# San José Province, Costa Rica – Population, Cantons & Map > Source: https://wherepedia.org/costa-rica/san-jose/ Province · Costa Rica # San José Province San José Province is a province of Costa Rica. It had an estimated **1,673,683 people** in 2021 on 4,971 km² (about 337 per km²). Its main town is San José. It is divided into 20 cantons. 1,708 named villages and localities are recorded here, and 8,282 mapped services such as hospitals, banks and schools. - 1,673,683people (2021) - 4,971km² - 20cantons - 8,282mapped services ## How many people live in San José Province? San José Province had an estimated **1,673,683 people** in 2021 — 32.4% of Costa Rica, the most populous of 7 provinces. There are 1,013 women for every 1,000 men (above the Costa Rica figure of 985). Spread over 4,971 km², that is about **337 people per km²**, the most densely populated of 7 provinces. 19.3% of people are children under 15 and 10.3% are 65 or older; the median age is about 34 years (it is 33 across Costa Rica). For every 100 people of working age (15–64) there are 42 children and older people. 0–4 ****104,693** 5–9 ****110,451** 10–14 ****107,177** 15–19 ****110,264** 20–24 ****131,971** 25–29 ****146,690** 30–34 ****149,532** 35–39 ****143,957** 40–44 ****122,210** 45–49 ****101,230** 50–54 ****95,554** 55–59 ****94,651** 60–64 ****82,535** 65–69 ****64,636** 70–74 ****42,930** 75+ ****65,202** Source: [Costa Rica National Statistics Office (NSO) via OCHA HDX, population 2021 (COD-PS, CC BY-IGO)](https://data.humdata.org/dataset/cod-ps-cri). ## Where is San José Province? San José Province lies in [Costa Rica](https://wherepedia.org/costa-rica/). It borders 5 other provinces: [Alajuela Province](https://wherepedia.org/costa-rica/alajuela/), [Cartago Province](https://wherepedia.org/costa-rica/cartago/), [Heredia Province](https://wherepedia.org/costa-rica/heredia/), [Limón Province](https://wherepedia.org/costa-rica/limon/) and [Puntarenas Province](https://wherepedia.org/costa-rica/puntarenas/). By area it is the 5th largest of 7 provinces in Costa Rica. It covers 9.7% of [Costa Rica](https://wherepedia.org/costa-rica/). The centre point is at 9.6331° N, 84.0666° W. Source: [Costa Rica National Statistics Office (NSO) via OCHA HDX, administrative boundaries (COD-AB, CC BY-IGO)](https://data.humdata.org/dataset/cod-ab-cri). ## Things to see in and around San José Province OpenStreetMap lists 316 named sights in San José Province: 82 attractions; 81 monuments; 41 memorials; 28 waterfalls; 25 museums; 14 viewpoints; 10 galleries; 10 ruins; 9 nature reserves; 4 aquariums; 4 national parks; 3 caves; 2 theme parks; 1 archaeological site; 1 zoo; 1 castle or fort. - Antigua Aduana · museum - Casa Cultural Simón Bolívar · museum - Centro Costarricense de Ciencia y Cultura · museum - Instituto Cultural de México en Costa Rica · museum - Museo Alexander F. Skutch · museum - Museo Histórico Dr. Rafael Ángel Calderón Guardia · museum - Museo Histórico y Tecnológico Grupo ICE · museum - Museo Integral de Cultura e Identidad Nacional y Centroamericana · museum - Museo Joaquín García Monge · museum - Museo Nacional de Costa Rica · museum - Museo Penitenciario · museum - Museo Postal, Telegráfico y Filatélico · museum - Museo de Arte y Diseño Contemporáneo · museum - Museo de Ciencias Naturales La Salle · museum - Museo de Insectos · museum - Museo de la Carreta y el Campesino Costarricense · museum - Museo de la Comunidad Judía de Costa Rica · museum - Museo de los Niños · museum - Museo del Cambio Climático · museum - Museo del Deporte · museum - Museo del Jade y la Cultura Precolombina · museum - Museo del Oro Precolombino · museum - Museum of Costa Rican Art · museum - Pueblo Antiguo · museum - Talentum · museum - Sitio Arqueológico La Isla · archaeological site - Castillo de Tibás · castle or fort - Cascada · waterfall - Cascada La Bomba · waterfall - Cascada Tabacarí · waterfall …and 286 more. Source: [© OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), Geofabrik extract — named settlements](https://www.openstreetmap.org/copyright). Named attractions, museums, viewpoints, historic sites and natural features mapped in OpenStreetMap. Places of worship are not listed. ## Know before you go: San José Province - Time zoneUTC−6, no daylight saving · America/Costa_Rica - CurrencyColon (CRC) - Country calling code+506 - LanguagesSpanish, English - Plug typesType A, B · 120 V - Driving sideRight - Postcode format5 digits (#####) ### Nearest airports - Quepos Managua Airport (XQP) · Quepos22 km - Tobías Bolaños International Airport (SYQ) · San Jose37 km ### Nearest railway station Cartago (Occidental), about 30 km from the centre. ### Daylight Days are longest in Jun (about 12.7 hours, sunrise around 05:15) and shortest in Dec (about 11.6 hours, sunrise around 05:44, sunset around 17:18). Month Sunrise Sunset Daylight Jan 05:56 17:33 11.6 h Feb 05:55 17:45 11.8 h Mar 05:44 17:47 12.1 h Apr 05:26 17:46 12.3 h May 05:15 17:49 12.6 h Jun 05:15 17:56 12.7 h Jul 05:22 18:01 12.6 h Aug 05:27 17:54 12.4 h Sep 05:25 17:37 12.2 h Oct 05:24 17:19 11.9 h Nov 05:30 17:11 11.7 h Dec 05:44 17:18 11.6 h Source: [GeoNames country and time-zone files (CC BY 4.0)](https://www.geonames.org/); [Wikidata (CC0) — plug types, mains voltage, driving side; retrieved 2026-11-03](https://www.wikidata.org/); [OurAirports (public domain)](https://ourairports.com/data/). 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. ## Cantons of San José Province Canton People per km² Area km² Districts Services [San José Canton](https://wherepedia.org/costa-rica/san-jose/san-jose/) 349,678 7,835 45 11 2,526 [Desamparados Canton](https://wherepedia.org/costa-rica/san-jose/desamparados/) 247,332 2,079 119 13 515 [Pérez Zeledón Canton](https://wherepedia.org/costa-rica/san-jose/perez-zeledon/) 143,222 75 1,901 12 826 [Goicoechea Canton](https://wherepedia.org/costa-rica/san-jose/goicoechea/) 139,678 4,406 32 7 410 [Alajuelita Canton](https://wherepedia.org/costa-rica/san-jose/alajuelita/) 95,868 4,465 21 5 128 [Tibás Canton](https://wherepedia.org/costa-rica/san-jose/tibas/) 85,486 10,337 8.3 5 255 [Curridabat Canton](https://wherepedia.org/costa-rica/san-jose/curridabat/) 80,142 4,987 16 4 453 [Vázquez de Coronado Canton](https://wherepedia.org/costa-rica/san-jose/vazquez-de-coronado/) 72,311 323 224 5 229 [Escazú Canton](https://wherepedia.org/costa-rica/san-jose/escazu/) 70,642 2,045 35 3 688 [Aserrí Canton](https://wherepedia.org/costa-rica/san-jose/aserri/) 64,022 380 168 7 159 [Moravia Canton](https://wherepedia.org/costa-rica/san-jose/moravia/) 62,978 2,184 29 3 251 [Montes de Oca Canton](https://wherepedia.org/costa-rica/san-jose/montes-de-oca/) 62,713 3,974 16 4 563 [Santa Ana Canton](https://wherepedia.org/costa-rica/san-jose/santa-ana/) 61,162 996 61 6 519 [Puriscal Canton](https://wherepedia.org/costa-rica/san-jose/puriscal/) 38,298 69 555 9 204 [Mora Canton](https://wherepedia.org/costa-rica/san-jose/mora/) 30,546 187 164 7 155 [Acosta Canton](https://wherepedia.org/costa-rica/san-jose/acosta/) 22,114 65 343 5 98 [Tarrazú Canton](https://wherepedia.org/costa-rica/san-jose/tarrazu/) 18,666 64 291 3 85 [León Cortés Castro Canton](https://wherepedia.org/costa-rica/san-jose/leon-cortes-castro/) 13,874 114 122 6 61 [Dota Canton](https://wherepedia.org/costa-rica/san-jose/dota/) 8,000 20 405 3 99 [Turrubares Canton](https://wherepedia.org/costa-rica/san-jose/turrubares/) 6,951 17 416 5 58 Source: [Costa Rica National Statistics Office (NSO) via OCHA HDX, administrative boundaries (COD-AB, CC BY-IGO)](https://data.humdata.org/dataset/cod-ab-cri); [Costa Rica National Statistics Office (NSO) via OCHA HDX, population 2021 (COD-PS, CC BY-IGO)](https://data.humdata.org/dataset/cod-ps-cri). ## Largest towns in San José Province - San José335,007 - San Isidro34,877 - Curridabat34,586 - San Vicente34,447 - San Vicente de Moravia34,447 - Purral30,034 - San Miguel28,827 - San Pedro27,477 - San Rafael Abajo27,419 - Ipís26,669 - San Juan26,047 - Guadalupe26,005 - Aserrí25,874 - San Rafael25,410 - San Felipe24,985 Source: [GeoNames (CC BY 4.0) — settlements, natural and historic features](https://www.geonames.org/). Populations as recorded in GeoNames, which may be older than the estimates above. ## Landscape and landmarks of San José Province Named natural and historic features inside San José Province, from the GeoNames gazetteer. ### Water 768 rivers and streams; 2 waterfalls; 1 lake. - Acequia Challe - Arroyo Sur - Catarata Mona - Catarata Salitre - Lago Chirripó - Quebrada Achiote - Quebrada Acuña - Quebrada Agua Blanca - Quebrada Agua Buena - Quebrada Agua Buena - Quebrada Agua Buena - Quebrada Aguacate - Quebrada Aguacates - Quebrada Agüero - Quebrada Agüero - Quebrada Agüero - Quebrada Almuerzos - Quebrada Alpizar - Quebrada Altamira - Quebrada Altos - Quebrada Angelina - Quebrada Angostura - Quebrada Angulo - Quebrada Aquiles …and 747 more. ### Coast and islands 1 island. - Islote Cedral ### Hills and mountains 149 mountains; 30 hills; 3 mountain passes; 2 peaks; 1 valley. - Cerro Ventisqueros · 3,715 m - Cerro Pirámide · 3,615 m - Cerro Nuevo · 3,575 m - Pico Sureste · 3,562 m - Cerro de Terbi · 3,522 m - Cerro de la Muerte · 3,474 m - Cerro Buenavista · 3,467 m - Cerro Frío · 3,453 m - Cerro Páramo · 3,365 m - Cerro Sábila · 3,342 m - Cerro Zacatales · 3,342 m - Cerro Asunción · 3,314 m - Cerro Amó · 3,244 m - Cerro Estaquero · 3,155 m - Cerro Lohmann · 3,144 m - Cerro Retes · 3,094 m - Cerro Vueltas · 3,054 m - Cerro Palmital · 3,052 m - Alto Indio · 3,031 m - Cerro Cabeza de Vaca · 3,031 m - Alto Miramar · 2,934 m - Alto Catalina · 2,919 m - Cerro Palangana · 2,918 m - Cerro Páramo · 2,890 m …and 161 more. ### Forests and nature 13 parks; 3 nature reserves; 2 wildlife reserves. - Braulio Carrillo National Park - La Cangreja National Park - Los Quetzales National Park - Parque Central de San José - Parque España - Parque Metropolitano La Sabana - Parque Morazán - Parque Nacional - Parque Nacional La Cangreja - Parque Okayama - Parque de Curridabat - Parque de la Merced - Parque de la Paz - Plaza Juan Mora Fernández - Plaza de la Cultura - Plaza de la Democracia - Refugio de Vida Silvestre Fernando Castro C. - Refugio de Vida Silvestre Surtubal ### History 8 museums. - Centro Costarricense de Ciencia y Cultura - Museo Histórico Dr. Rafael Ángel Calderón Guardia - Museo Nacional de Costa Rica - Museo de Arte Costarricense - Museo de Arte y Diseño Contemporáneo - Museo de Ciencias Naturales La Salle - Museo de Insectos - Museo del Oro Precolombino ### Estates 1 estate. - Finca Laguna ### Getting around 4 airfields; 3 bridges; 2 airports; 1 railway station. - Altagracia - Altomonte - Cajuela - Estación de Sánchez - La Bonita - Puente Los Gemelos - Puente Negro - Puente San Miguel - San Isidro de El General Airport - Tobías Bolaños International Airport Source: [GeoNames (CC BY 4.0) — settlements, natural and historic features](https://www.geonames.org/). Places of worship are not listed. Elevations are from the GeoNames terrain model and are approximate. ## Weather in San José Province and the best time to visit In San José Province, the warmest month is Mar (average 28 °C) and the coolest is Oct (25 °C). About 2,288 mm of rain falls in a year; the wettest month is Oct (337 mm) and the driest Feb (29 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 26 51 Feb 27 29 Mar 28 39 Apr 28 108 May 27 277 Jun 26 265 Jul 26 281 Aug 26 268 Sep 26 294 Oct 25 337 Nov 25 235 Dec 26 104 Source: [NASA POWER climatology, retrieved 2026-10-29](https://power.larc.nasa.gov/). ## Hospitals, banks and other services in San José Province Places mapped inside San José Province in open map data, by type — each number opens the full list with locations. - Hospitals241 - Banks393 - ATMs34 - Petrol pumps164 - Hotels623 - Shopping malls344 - Schools1,092 - Colleges and universities287 - Cinemas32 - Pharmacies313 - Restaurants3,962 - Police stations170 - Dental clinics627 Source: [Overture Maps places (CDLA-Permissive-2.0) and © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL)](https://overturemaps.org/). Coverage depends on what has been mapped; contact details are not shown. ## Quick answers - Where is San José Province?In Costa Rica - What is the population of San José Province?1,673,683 (2021 estimate) - What is the median age in San José Province?About 34 years (2021 estimate) - What is the population density of San José Province?About 337 people per km² - What borders San José Province?Alajuela Province, Cartago Province, Heredia Province, Limón Province and Puntarenas Province - What is there to see in San José Province?138 Aniversario de la Iluminación de San José, A la Familia, A la Maternidad, A los Presentes - What time zone is San José Province in?UTC−6 - What currency is used in San José Province?Colon (CRC) - What language is spoken in San José Province?Spanish, English (main languages nationally) - What is the largest town in San José Province?San José - What is the highest point in San José Province?Cerro Ventisqueros (3,715 m, GeoNames elevation model) - What is the best time to visit San José Province?December to April - How many hospitals are in San José Province?241 mapped - How many banks are in San José Province?393 mapped - How many ATMs are in San José Province?34 mapped - How many petrol pumps are in San José Province?164 mapped - What is the P-code of San José Province?CR1 (OCHA common operational dataset)