When selling a luxury home in Costa Rica, it’s important to understand how capital gains tax works. A capital gain occurs when you sell an asset for more than you paid for it. In Costa Rica, most capital gains are taxed at 15%, including those from real estate transactions.
The capital gains tax in Costa Rica applies to the sale of houses, apartments, land, offices, and other types of real estate, as long as the property isn’t your main residence. Capital gains tax is a percentage amount so it is proportionally equal regardless of actual value.
Capital gains tax occurs when the property is transferred, either through a direct sale of the actual title of the land or home, or an indirect sale such as through the transfer of shares of the company (corporation, LLC, etc) that owns the property.