Nonstop flights from San Jose, Costa Rica (SJO) to Toronto Pearson take about five to five and a half hours. TorontoAirportTransfer.services tracks the flight, includes 60 minutes of free waiting from actual landing and drives you at a fixed all-in fare: about $130–160 to downtown, $135–165 to Richmond Hill or $120–150 to Oakville in a business sedan, plus HST.
San Jose to Toronto Pearson: what happens after you land
Costa Rica trips tend to end with more stuff than they started with: a surfboard bag, muddy hiking boots, a bag of coffee for everyone at the office. What you want at Pearson is a car that fits it all and a driver who is already there. Book with your flight number and the dispatcher tracks it from Juan Santamaria International. The chauffeur is sent for the real landing time. After touchdown you have 60 minutes of included waiting for the border and baggage, including oversize items, which come off a separate belt. Then walk out to the terminal's pre-arranged commercial pickup area, or meet your chauffeur inside with a name board if you added meet and greet. The fare was fixed when you booked.
Airlines on the San Jose–Toronto route
As of September 2026, Air Canada and Air Transat fly nonstop between San Jose (SJO) and Toronto Pearson, largely in the winter season. Porter Airlines has announced a new nonstop Toronto–San Jose service from 2 December 2026, four times a week until 30 April 2027. Air Canada arrives at Terminal 1 and Porter at Terminal 3; for Air Transat, check with our Pearson terminal finder. Many Costa Rica holidays instead fly into Liberia (LIR) in Guanacaste; if that is you, this page still applies, but give us the flight number of the leg that lands in Toronto. Official sites: Air Canada, Air Transat, Porter and SJO airport.
Fares from Pearson after the SJO flight
| Pearson (YYZ) to | Business sedan | Executive SUV or luxury van | Sprinter (up to 14) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Downtown Toronto | $130–160 | $160–205 | $280–345 |
| Richmond Hill | $135–165 | $175–220 | $300–360 |
| Oakville | $120–150 | $150–195 | $265–330 |
| Burlington | $150–190 | $190–240 | $330–415 |
| Guelph | $225–270 | $285–355 | $495–595 |
| Barrie | $265–315 | $330–415 | $580–690 |
Planning figures, one way, all-in before HST: chauffeur, vehicle, fuel, any 407 tolls used, airport fees and gratuity. The reservation engine quotes the exact fixed fare for your address and vehicle. For other destinations, see rates or the fare calculator.
Surfboards, golf bags and fishing rods
Costa Rica is a sports trip for many Torontonians: surfing at Tamarindo or Santa Teresa, sport fishing, golf in Guanacaste, rafting on the Pacuare. Oversize bags do not fit a sedan. A surfboard bag up to about 7 feet, or two golf bags, generally needs an executive SUV with the rear seats arranged or a luxury van; longer boards and multiple rod tubes need a Sprinter. Tell us at booking exactly what you are bringing, with lengths, and dispatch will assign a vehicle that takes it without a fight at the curb. The executive SUV service and Sprinter group transportation pages show capacities.
Canadians coming home: customs and the cold
After the SJO flight everyone clears Canada Border Services at Pearson: kiosk or eGate, declaration, officer, bags. The optional Advance Declaration in ArriveCAN saves a step. After 48 hours abroad your personal exemption is $800 of goods; after 24 hours, $200. Costa Rican coffee is a favourite and is generally fine once declared; fresh fruit, plants, seeds and soil are not, and muddy boots may get a second look. Clean them before you pack. Details are in CBSA's I Declare guide and our customs at Pearson guide. Then the cold: pack a warm layer in your carry-on, because the chauffeur's car is heated but the curb in February is not.
Costa Rican visitors: visa or eTA?
Costa Rican citizens are visa-required for Canada, but Costa Rica is on the list of select countries whose citizens can apply for an eTA instead, provided they are travelling by air and have held a Canadian visitor visa in the past 10 years or currently hold a valid US non-immigrant visa. The US visa needs to be valid on the day you apply for the eTA. Anyone who does not meet those conditions needs a visitor visa. The authoritative list is on the Canada.ca entry requirements page. If you arrive on an eTA and plan a road trip into the United States, check the rules for coming back into Canada by land first.
How the return pickup works
Most travellers book both legs together: the ride to Pearson on the way out and the pickup on the way home. The return leg is tied to your SJO–YYZ flight number. If the departure from San Jose runs late, the chauffeur's arrival shifts with it and you are not charged for the airline's delay. If the flight is cancelled and you are rebooked, message dispatch with the new flight number so the car is re-timed. On landing you receive a message with the chauffeur's name, vehicle and plate. After customs and the oversize belt, walk to the pre-arranged commercial pickup area, or look for your name board inside if you added meet and greet.
Timing: Costa Rica time and Toronto time
Costa Rica stays on Central Standard Time (UTC minus six) all year. In a Toronto winter it is one hour behind Toronto; from March to early November, while Ontario is on daylight time, it is two hours behind. A flight that leaves San Jose at noon local time lands at Pearson in Toronto's early evening once you add the hour and five-plus hours of flying. When you book, use the flight number and the arrival date for Toronto; our confirmations are always in Toronto time, and the chauffeur is dispatched to the live landing.
The outbound run: Toronto to San Jose in winter
Winter flights south are popular and full. Airlines generally ask international passengers to be at the airport about three hours before departure; check yours and see how early to arrive at Pearson. With a surfboard or golf bags, allow a little more: oversize baggage has its own drop-off and can queue. From downtown allow 35–55 minutes to the terminal on clear roads; from Burlington or Oakville, 30–50 minutes via the QEW and 403 or the 407; from Barrie, 75–100 minutes on the 400. Add 20–30 minutes in snow. Chauffeurs check Ontario 511 and Environment Canada before leaving.
Retirees and long winter stays
Costa Rica is a winter base for some Ontario retirees, who fly south in November or January and come home in the spring with a season's worth of luggage. For that return we suggest an executive SUV or luxury van even for two people, because four large cases and a carry-on each do not fit a sedan. A luxury van's lower step is easier after five hours in a seat. If you use airline wheelchair assistance, tell us at booking so the chauffeur meets the airline's agent at the doors. Fully accessible vehicles are on our wheelchair-accessible transfers page.
Families and car seats
Families on the Costa Rica route often travel with young children and car seats checked as luggage. Whatever the exemptions for taxis and buses, we fit the right child seat for every child who needs one. Taxis are exempt from the rule, which is why toddlers sometimes ride on laps in the taxi line; we do not allow that. See child car seat transfers and Ontario's car seat guidance.
Where travellers from Costa Rica are headed
Costa Rican visitors to Toronto are usually here for family, study, business or a holiday, and they spread across the GTA rather than gathering in one neighbourhood. Many stay with relatives in Mississauga, North York, Vaughan or Richmond Hill, or at downtown hotels near the Financial District and Union Station. For Latin American groceries and cafes, Kensington Market is a good first stop. If this is a first visit, our first-time visitor guide to Toronto explains transit, neighbourhoods and tipping, and Destination Toronto lists what is on. A day trip to Niagara Falls on the Canadian side needs no border crossing.
Groups: yoga retreats, weddings and surf camps
Costa Rica is a favourite for group trips from Toronto: yoga and wellness retreats, destination weddings, school trips and surf camps. When a group of 10 or 12 lands on the same flight, a Sprinter with 14 seats and luggage space is usually the answer, and it can drop at several addresses if you give us the order. When the group splits across the GTA, two SUVs can be simpler. For a wedding party wanting a stretch limousine or party bus for the celebration, we arrange it through vetted partner operators, priced in writing by a coordinator.
Driving on to Niagara, Hamilton or cottage country
Some Costa Rica travellers live well outside Toronto, and a fixed fare is most valuable on the longer drives. From Pearson, Hamilton is a planning figure of $195–240 in a business sedan and Niagara Falls $345–420; Muskoka (Huntsville or Bracebridge) is $495–630. Those runs use the 403 and QEW to the south-west or the 400 to the north, and in winter the chauffeur will check conditions on those highways before setting off. For Niagara, see our Pearson to Niagara Falls route. The fare is the same whether the QEW is clear or crawling, and the included 60 minutes of waiting still apply at Pearson.
Taxi, rideshare or pre-booked after the SJO flight
Pearson's own taxis and limousines run from the stands at zone-based flat rates, and rideshare pickups use designated zones by the terminal doors. With a surfboard bag, a golf bag or a family's worth of luggage, the question is whether the car that turns up can take it; with a pre-booked vehicle you chose the size in advance. Compare the options in our limo vs Uber vs taxi vs UP Express guide.
Practical tips for the SJO to YYZ flight
- Put the flight number in your booking; if you flew from Liberia, use that flight number.
- List oversize items with lengths so dispatch assigns the right vehicle.
- Clean boots and gear before packing; declare coffee and food.
- Keep a warm layer in the carry-on between November and April.
- Turn on roaming or buy an eSIM so the landing message reaches you.
- Need the next trip planned? The travel desk books flights, hotels and packages.
Book your San Jose arrival
Open book, choose Pearson as pickup, enter the SJO–YYZ flight number and your address, then passengers, bags, oversize items and seats. The fixed fare shows before you pay. Cancellation is free more than 72 hours before pickup; 10 % inside 72 hours, 50 % inside 48 hours and 100 % inside 24 hours or for a no-show.
