Sabanilla

About Sabanilla:

Sabanilla sits in the middle of Montes de Oca, with Goicoechea to the north, the districts of San Pedro and Mercedes to the west and San Rafael to the east. National routes 202 and 203 cross it. Heading west, the carretera a Sabanilla runs through Mercedes past the headquarters of the UNED, 500 metres east of the Betania roundabout, and past the University of Costa Rica’s Ciudad de la Investigación, its Finca 2. The San José–San Pedro–Sabanilla bus leaves from Avenida Central, in front of the Hotel Presidente, and ends at the El Cristo terminal, with the first departures before five in the morning and the last after ten at night. The main campus of Universidad Fidélitas is close by in Santa Marta, on the San Pedro side.

The name is the diminutive of sabana: the first settlers built on a clearing without trees. Around 1890 this was a coffee village, and in 1892 the diocese authorised a hermitage to San Ramón Nonato on a small flat piece of ground in the middle of the village. When Bishop Thiel came back in March 1895 he found it ready for its roof. The church became a parish in 1985 and still sets the district’s calendar. The patron saint’s day is 31 August, and during the fiestas the Mass for pregnant women and for couples hoping for a child brings families to Sabanilla from all over the country. The Cristo de Sabanilla has stood since it was consecrated on 22 February 1931, and the bus terminal and part of the barrio of El Cristo are named after it.

The district grew fastest in the second half of the twentieth century. It had about 1,200 people in 1950 and almost 6,800 in 1984, and the density today is around 6,500 people per square kilometre. Barrios such as Arboledas, Cedros, Damiana, El Rodeo, Españolita, Málaga, Marsella, Paso Real, Prados del Este, Rosales, San Marino and Toscana are almost all single-family streets of block-built houses, and a few old wooden houses still stand between them. Cedros works like a village inside the district, with its own Catholic church, the Escuela de Cedros and the public secondary school, the Colegio de Cedros, right next to the church. Elsewhere there are the Escuela José Figueres Ferrer, the Colegio Campestre and the Colegio Metodista, 350 metres east of the park.

Many households have been here for decades, and they share the streets with university staff, professionals who work in San Pedro or central San José, and a steady flow of students. Buyers are mostly families moving within the east of the city and investors buying something small to let. Because the district is short of land, newer gated projects marketed under the Sabanilla name tend to sit just over the line in San Rafael. Montes de Oca is working on changes to its plan regulador in 2026, so ask the municipality for the current land-use rules on any property you are considering.

Houses in Sabanilla:

The typical house is detached, on a lot of around 150 square metres, with three bedrooms, two bathrooms and a garage for one car, and many date from the decades when the district filled up. Residenciales such as Málaga, La Españolita and Prados del Este are made up of this kind of house, and corner plots with a small garden come up from time to time. Small condominiums add three-bedroom townhouses of around 170 to 180 square metres and a handful of larger condominium houses. If you want a house in Sabanilla de Montes de Oca, check how much the original house has been extended and whether the parking fits your car, because both vary a lot from one street to the next.

Apartments in Sabanilla:

Apartments are in low-rise condominiums rather than towers. Nuevo Milenio is a typical example, with two-bedroom units on upper floors and compact two-level units of about 55 square metres. These apartments in Sabanilla appeal to first-time buyers, couples who work at the universities and owners who want something to let to students. Read the condominium rules and the latest statement of accounts before you buy, since the monthly fee and any restriction on letting affect the numbers.

Rentals in Sabanilla:

Sabanilla is one of the places students look first when they study at the UCR, the UNED, Fidélitas or the Universidad Latina. Rooms with a private bathroom, furnished studios and lofts with shared laundry are let by the month, and parking is often charged separately. Families rent detached houses in Málaga, La Españolita and the other residenciales, also in colones, sometimes with the street’s private security included. When you compare rentals in Sabanilla, ask what the rent includes and how far it is to the El Cristo bus line.

Land and Lots in Sabanilla:

Lots are scarce. What does come up is a residential lot of 150 to 300 square metres on an existing street or inside a small condominium, with water, power and a public road already in place. Some lots advertised as Sabanilla, Rialto among them, are in fact in San Rafael. On a parcel this size, setbacks and the coverage the plan regulador allows decide how large a house you can build, so get the municipal land-use certificate before you agree a price.

FAQ:

• Is this the same Sabanilla as Sabanillas in Acosta or Sabanilla in Alajuela?

  No. Costa Rica has three districts with nearly the same name: this Sabanilla in Montes de Oca, postal code 11502, Sabanillas in the canton of Acosta, and Sabanilla in the canton of Alajuela. Ads mix them up, and condominiums such as La Estefana and Rialto are sold as Sabanilla although they belong to San Rafael de Montes de Oca. The plano catastrado and the property’s record at the Registro Nacional show the district, canton and province.

• What should I check before buying an older house in Sabanilla?

  Many houses here have been extended over the years with a second floor, an extra room or a closed-in garage. Compare the built area with the plano catastrado and with the permits on file at the Municipalidad de Montes de Oca, and check the Registro Nacional (Registro Inmobiliario) for mortgages, liens and easements. Then ask for the certificado de uso de suelo, because the canton’s plan regulador is being revised.

• Can I live in Sabanilla without a car?

  Yes, for most daily needs. The San José–San Pedro–Sabanilla bus runs from early morning until late at night between Avenida Central and the El Cristo terminal, and the UNED and the UCR’s Ciudad de la Investigación are on the road between Sabanilla and the Betania roundabout. The Fidélitas campus in Santa Marta is a short ride west.

• Which schools are in Sabanilla?

  The Escuela José Figueres Ferrer and the Escuela de Cedros teach primary, and the Colegio de Cedros, next to the Cedros church, is the public secondary school. The Colegio Metodista and the Colegio Campestre are also in the district. If a particular school is the reason you are moving, ask about places before you commit to a house nearby.