Mata Redonda

About Mata Redonda:

The district covers 3.66 square kilometres at 1,125 metres, just west of downtown San José. La Uruca and Pavas lie to the north, Hatillo to the south and the central districts of Hospital and Merced to the east, while the Tiribí river marks the western edge, with Escazú and Alajuelita on the far bank. Paseo Colón runs in from the east, the Circunvalación crosses the district, and both the General Cañas highway to the airport and Alajuela and Route 27 to Escazú, Santa Ana and the Pacific coast start at the edges of the park. Roughly three in every ten vehicles entering the capital pass through here. On weekdays the Curridabat–Pavas–Belén commuter train stops at Contraloría, beside the park on the south side.

A good part of the state works in Mata Redonda. The Contraloría General de la República and the Ministry of Agriculture are in Sabana Sur, Teletica has its studios in Sabana Oeste, and the ICE, the national electricity and telecoms institute, has had its headquarters in Sabana Norte since the early 1970s; its board approved replacing that building with a new one in 2026, and the plan is on hold. The National Stadium, opened in 2011, the Gimnasio Nacional and the national football federation sit inside or beside the park. Colegio La Salle faces Sabana Sur and the Liceo Luis Dobles Segreda has taught in Sabana Este since 1959. Sabana Norte adds glass office buildings and banks, Nunciatura has the Hilton Garden Inn, and the district fills with office workers on weekdays and with families, runners and football crowds at the weekend.

The park explains the district. The land was given to the town in 1783 by the priest Manuel Antonio Chapuí, whose name the park still carries, and over the next two centuries it held a racecourse, the airport and its runway, and the stage for Pope John Paul II’s mass in 1983. The lake was dug in 1974, when the old airfield was being turned into public parkland. Today around 38,000 people use La Sabana every week, for its running circuits, pitches, courts, pool and open lawns. For anyone living on its edge, that green space is the main thing they are paying for.

About 11,500 people live in the district, more than the 8,300 counted in 2011, and nearly all of the growth has come from towers rather than new streets. In 2011 more than a fifth of residents had been born abroad, most of them in Nicaragua, Colombia, the United States and Cuba. The barrios include Américas, Balcón Verde, Del Pino, Holanda, La Luisa, La Salle, Lomalinda, Morenos, Niza, Rancho Luna, Roma, Tovar and Nunciatura, with Rohrmoser, Colón and Bajo Cañada shared with neighbouring districts. Buyers are mostly Costa Rican professionals, couples whose children have left a larger house, investors after a unit to let, and foreigners who want to live in the city without a long commute.

Apartments in Mata Redonda:

This is where the choice is widest. At one end are the compact one-bedroom units of towers such as SECRT Sabana or Sky Garden in Sabana Norte, built around gyms, pools and shared terraces and bought as often by investors as by residents. At the other are buildings like Torres del Parque, facing the National Stadium, with flats of 200 to 400 square metres, and Torres del Lago, whose upper floors look over the lake. Nunciatura adds Ü Nunciatura, one of the tallest residential buildings in the country at 26 storeys, and the Leumi Business Center on the park’s edge mixes offices with apartments on its 38 floors. When you compare apartments for sale in La Sabana, look at the maintenance fee, which floor and side the unit faces, and how many parking spaces come with it.

Houses in Mata Redonda:

Single-family houses are found mainly in Sabana Sur and on the residential streets of Nunciatura and the Mata Redonda side of Rohrmoser. Many date from the second half of the 20th century, with a garage, a small garden and room for a family, and many have been extended over the years. Some on the busier avenues already sit in a mixed-use zone and work as offices, clinics or consultancies, which affects both their price and what you can do with them. Houses here change hands less often than apartments, and many are still priced in colones.

Rentals in Mata Redonda:

Demand comes from people who work in the offices and institutions around the park and from foreign residents, including diplomats posted to the embassies in neighbouring Pavas. Most tower units are let furnished or semi-furnished, with rents quoted in US dollars and the condominium amenities included. Unfurnished houses for families appear less often and go to tenants who want space close to the city. If you are looking for apartments for rent in La Sabana, ask whether the maintenance fee and internet are part of the rent and whether the parking space is covered.

New Developments in Mata Redonda:

Building has not slowed. In May 2026 work began on BLVD Sabana, a mixed-use project facing the park whose first stage is a 17-storey tower with 217 apartments and shops at street level. It and other new towers around the park are sold off-plan, with the deposit spread over monthly instalments while the building goes up. Before reserving, check who the developer is, which bank is financing the project, the delivery date written into the contract and what happens to your deposit if that date slips.

Offices and Commercial Space in Mata Redonda:

Sabana Norte is one of the main office districts in the capital, with modern buildings of several thousand square metres let floor by floor to companies and professional firms. Older houses on Sabana Sur and around Paseo Colón are also rented or sold as offices, and the ground floors of the newer towers carry shops, cafés and services. For a business, the pull is the same as for residents: central location, direct access to the highways west and the train stop at Contraloría.

FAQ:

• Is Mata Redonda the same place as La Sabana?

  Almost. Mata Redonda is the official district name, and La Sabana is the park at its heart and the name everyone uses for the area. Addresses are given as Sabana Norte, Sabana Sur, Sabana Este or Sabana Oeste, or by barrio, such as Nunciatura. Rohrmoser, Colón and Bajo Cañada are split between Mata Redonda and other districts, so a listing in Rohrmoser may actually sit in Pavas.

• What should I check before buying a condo unit in a Sabana tower?

  Ask for the certificación literal of the unit from the Registro Nacional and confirm that the parking spaces and storage room are registered as their own filiales or clearly assigned to yours. Read the condominium rules for pets, short stays and renovations, and look at how the maintenance fee has risen in recent years. If the tower is still being built, the contract, the developer’s track record and the guarantee on your deposit matter more than the renderings.

• Can I rent my apartment out for short stays?

  It depends on the building. Some towers in Sabana Norte were designed with short-stay guests in mind, while others restrict or forbid stays of less than a month in their rules. Check the reglamento before you buy, not after, because the condominium assembly can change it.

• Can I get around without a car?

  More easily than in most of the metropolitan area. The offices, the park, supermarkets and many services are within walking distance, buses run along Paseo Colón and the edges of the park, and the weekday train stops at Contraloría. A car is still useful for trips to Escazú, Santa Ana or the airport, which use Route 27 and the General Cañas, both busy at rush hour.

• Does living near the National Stadium make a difference?

  Yes, on match and concert days. Roads around the park fill up, parking gets scarce and noise carries to the nearest towers. For some buyers the view over the stadium is worth it; if you work from home, visit on an event night before you decide.