Where Is Parrita, Costa Rica — and Why Buyers Are Looking Inland

If you're shopping for property on Costa Rica's Central Pacific, everyone points you to Jacó, Quepos or Manuel Antonio. Parrita sits right between those famous names — which is exactly why it gets overlooked. Here's where it is, how you get there, and why more buyers are now looking inland.

Where Parrita is

Parrita is a canton in Puntarenas province, on the Central Pacific coast. It's about 45 minutes north to Jacó and 45 minutes south to Quepos and Manuel Antonio. From San José it's roughly a 2-hour drive on the modern Costanera Sur highway.

In other words: you're not far from anything. You're close to the same beaches, airports and services people want — just on the side that hasn't been priced up yet.

Why it's been overlooked

For years, Central Pacific development clustered on the beach line. Parrita was known mainly for agriculture (palm oil, rice), not lifestyle real estate. That kept prices low while Jacó and Manuel Antonio climbed. Now, with the beaches crowded and expensive, buyers are turning inland — toward the green mountains behind the coast.

What you find inland

• Mountains and forest: a few kilometers from the coast, the land rises into cool, green, view-filled terrain — a world away from beach heat.

• Real water: rivers and natural springs, something much of Guanacaste lacks.

• La Cangreja National Park: a protected area and biological corridor with huge biodiversity, essentially in your backyard.

• Accessible prices: land from $8 per m², when comparable lots near the beach cost ten times more.

Who it's for

Parrita isn't for someone who wants to step off the plane and be at a beach bar in five minutes. It's for people who want space, nature, water and cool air — without giving up proximity to the coast and services. Buyers looking for a quinta, an agrotourism project, a retirement home, or simply good land before the area gets discovered.

The bottom line

Parrita is one of the last Central Pacific areas where you can still buy land with water, nature and views at pre-boom prices, less than an hour from the country's most-visited beaches. It's not remote; it's just not trendy yet. And that's precisely the advantage.