San Rafael

About San Rafael:

San Rafael takes up the whole eastern end of Montes de Oca. It borders Goicoechea to the north, the districts of Sabanilla and San Pedro to the west, Curridabat and La Unión to the south, and touches the canton of Cartago along a short stretch to the east. Three national roads cross it. Ruta 202 runs through on its way between San Pedro and the La Unión districts of Tres Ríos, Concepción and San Ramón, Ruta 306 links the district with San Pedro and with Granadilla in Curridabat, and Ruta 203 also passes through. By bus, the San José–San Pedro–San Rafael–Salitrillos line climbs all the way to its terminal at the entrance to Urbanización Santa Rita.

The lower district works like the rest of eastern San José. A Palí and a Fresh Market sit by the Parque del Este, the Iglesia San Rafael Arcángel anchors the old centre, and the district has the Escuela Inglaterra, the Colegio Nocturno Calasanz and the Club Recreativo La Campiña. The Cristo de Sabanilla, a crucifix put up after a Lenten mission in 1931, stands where the road from San Rafael enters Sabanilla, and directions on this side of the district are still given in metres from it. Higher up, the economy changes. Together with San Ramón in La Unión and Mata de Plátano in Goicoechea, San Rafael is one of the main cypress-growing areas of the Central Valley, and much of that cypress ends up as Christmas trees in December.

The ground rises from about 1,330 metres near the village to 1,900 metres on the western flank of the Irazú volcano. In between sit dense, flat barrios, open pasture and steep wooded hillside cut by streams such as the Río Torres and the Quebrada Patal. The Parque del Este, 24 hectares of hilly woodland 1.2 kilometres east of the Cristo, began life as a coffee receiving station, the Beneficio Escalante on the old Finca Irazú. The national sports institute ICODER ran it from 1982 until October 2021, when the municipality took it over, and today it has two pools, football and basketball courts, picnic shelters, a camping area and trails through the forest to the Cascada del Diamante.

In 1950 fewer than a thousand people lived in San Rafael; the 2011 census counted 9,692 and the 2022 estimate is above 14,000. The barrios carry names like Alameda, Andrómeda, Begonia, Europa, Liburgia, Maruz, Salitrillos, Sol del Este and Vista Real, and Mansiones is shared with La Unión. Demand comes from three directions: families who want a house and garden inside a guarded condominium, people who work at the universities and offices of San Pedro, and landlords who buy small units to let to students. The canton is updating its plan regulador, so what can be built on a given lot is worth confirming at the time you buy.

Houses in San Rafael:

Gated condominiums set the tone. Rialto, close to the Cristo de Sabanilla, has contemporary two-storey houses with private gardens, a heated lap pool, a tennis court and a gym, and Vista Real offers two-storey family houses of around 300 square metres of construction on lots of 280 to 350 square metres. Smaller condominiums, some with fewer than twenty houses, fill the gaps between them. Many of these houses for sale in San Rafael de Montes de Oca are advertised as “Sabanilla” or even “Tres Ríos”, so read the address carefully. Houses on open streets in the older barrios usually sell in colones and below the gated communities, while condominium houses are priced in dollars with a monthly fee on top.

Apartments in San Rafael:

Apartments here are mostly in low buildings, such as small condominiums of half a dozen units around a shared garden, and two-bedroom units with a parking space are the usual layout. They suit couples, staff from the nearby universities and buyers who want a lock-up-and-leave unit close to San Pedro without paying San Pedro prices. Ask for the condominium rules before you buy, because they decide whether you can let the unit and to whom.

Rentals in San Rafael:

The rental market has two halves. Small apartments and studios near the Parque del Este and the Palí are let by the month to students of the University of Costa Rica, Fidélitas and the Universidad Latina, and are advertised in colones. Family houses in Rialto, Vista Real and similar condominiums are let to households who want security and space, usually in dollars. If you need apartments for rent in San Rafael, check how far the unit is from the Salitrillos bus route if you will not be driving.

Land and Lots in San Rafael:

Most lots that change hands are flat parcels inside condominiums, Rialto among them, sold with water, power and fibre at the boundary and design rules to follow. Outside the gates, flat lots of a few hundred square metres come up now and then on quiet residential streets, some facing west over the valley. Larger parcels of a quarter of a hectare to a hectare are offered for development, and on the upper slopes land is steep, partly wooded and crossed by streams. Up there, slope, river setbacks and the municipal land-use certificate will decide how much of the parcel you can actually build on.

New Developments in San Rafael:

Puertas del Este, a tower project being sold off-plan, offers two- and three-bedroom apartments of 68 to 126 square metres with one or two covered parking spaces, a pool, a gym, co-working space and play areas. It brings tower living to a district built almost entirely of houses. Off-plan buyers should get the permit number, the promised handover date and the arrangement that protects their deposit in writing before signing anything.

FAQ:

• A condominium is advertised as “Sabanilla” or “Tres Ríos”. Is it really in San Rafael?

  Often it is. Rialto and Vista Real are both inside San Rafael, postal code 11504, even though they are regularly sold under Sabanilla’s name. Mansiones is split between San Rafael and La Unión, in Cartago, where a different municipality issues permits and charges property tax. The cadastral plan and the property’s record at the Registro Nacional tell you the district, canton and province.

• What should I watch for when buying land on San Rafael’s upper slopes?

  The terrain more than anything. Towards Cuesta Grande and the eastern end of the district the land gets steep, wooded and cut by streams, and part of it is cypress plantation rather than building land. Ask the Municipalidad de Montes de Oca for the certificado de uso de suelo, measure the protection strip along any stream, confirm the access road is public, and commission a soil study before you design anything.

• How do I get from San Rafael to the University of Costa Rica or downtown San José?

  By bus, the San José–San Pedro–San Rafael–Salitrillos line goes through San Pedro, past the university area, into the city. By car, Ruta 202 and Ruta 306 both lead west into San Pedro, and Ruta 202 also takes you east to Tres Ríos and Concepción in La Unión.

• Is the Parque del Este open to the public?

  Yes. The Municipalidad de Montes de Oca has run it since October 2021, after ICODER handed over its administration. It is 24 hectares of woodland and sports facilities, and living within walking distance of it is a real draw for families and runners.

• Is a small apartment in San Rafael a sensible buy to let to students?

  There is steady demand from students and staff of the universities in San Pedro, and many of those rentals are quoted in colones by the month. Returns are not guaranteed, though. Check the condominium’s rules on letting, the monthly fee and how close the unit is to a bus stop before you decide.