San Salvador to San José runs about 24 times a day, with the first departure around 06:01 and the last around 20:13. One passenger pays between €59.14 and €64.45, every fee included, depending on the operator and the way you travel. The fastest door to door is 4h 29m over 716 km, on services run by 4 operators across 1 mode.
What one seat costs
The spread between the cheapest and dearest typical fare on this corridor, across 4 operators and 1 way of making the journey. The operator sets the price on the day.
Typical fares · Priced for October 6, 2026
€59.14 to €64.45
- 155%Moves across the booking window
When it runs, leaving San Salvador
Typical first and last departure on this corridor.
- 06:01First departure
- 20:13Last departure
- 24Services per day
- 100%Run direct
Fares by date
What this journey usually costs, by departure date. It shows which days run dearer.
Typical fares
- about €131.12Mon21
- about €112.24Tue22
- about €115.78Wed23
- about €121.68Thu24
- about €109.88Fri25
- about €116.37Sat26
- about €107.52Sun27
- about €76.84Mon28
- about €74.48Tue29
- about €78.61Wed30
- about €91.59Thu1
- about €83.92Fri2
- about €85.69Sat3
- about €80.97Sun4
- about €61.50Mon5
- about €59.14Tue6
- about €62.09Wed7
- about €76.84Thu8
- about €72.12Fri9
- about €73.30Sat10
- about €67.99Sun11
Based on what this route has cost recently. The live fare is confirmed when you book.
The flight gets you into San José. These two partners take it from there, and the bed is theirs to book.
A room in San José for the night the flight gets in
Sort by distance from UCR Railway Station and you can see which places are ten minutes on foot and which are not.
Search San José on Booking.com
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When to book San Salvador to San José
The same search run across the whole booking window, so the shape of the curve is visible rather than described.
- €76.8490 days
- €63.2760 days
- €52.6545 days
- €51.4730 days
- €67.9921 days
- €80.9714 days
- €107.527 days
- €115.783 days
- €131.121 days
- Cheapest lead time
- Fares bottom out around 30 days ahead, at €51.47.
- How much it moves
- The gap between the cheapest and most expensive lead time is 155 percent. The most expensive point is €131.12, 1 days out.
- What that means
- Today sits inside the cheap window, which closes about 30 days before departure. Waiting from here has usually cost money on this corridor rather than saved it.
Book now Fares on this route are lowest around 30 days ahead. You are inside that window.
This corridor, specifically
Facts that apply to San Salvador to San José and to no other route on the site.
Clocks
Both ends keep the same time, so the arrival is the departure plus the journey.
The shape of it
716 km
695 km as the crow flies, 3% further by the route services take. The bearing runs south-east.
Who lives at each end
525,990 → 335,007
Population at the departure city and at the arrival city, which is usually what decides how often anything runs.
The route
What the journey looks like
Direct or connecting, how far the route really runs, and what happens when a connection is missed.
- How far it really runs
- The route covers 716 km against 695 km in a straight line, a detour of 3 percent. Track and road geometry account for the difference.
The fare from SJO into San José is set by whoever drives it.
A car waiting when you land in San José
Settled in advance, so the ride into San José costs what it said it would rather than what the cab stand says.
Book a ride from SJO with Daytrip
Partner links. We earn a commission on a booking, and the fare is the same as going direct.
Who runs this route
The flight gets in hours before any room is ready. Holding a bag is not what we sell.
Baggage storage near UCR Railway Station
Most of the points near UCR Railway Station open before the first train and close after the last one.
Check San José on StasherOr try Bounce
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Questions about San Salvador to San José
The questions people actually ask about this trip, answered from the same prices and times the page above is built on rather than written once and left to go stale.
How long does it take to get from San Salvador to San José?
The fastest journey from San Salvador to San José takes 4h 29m door to door, of which 1h 19m is spent moving, on the flight. Most services take around 4h 33m, because that average includes slower stopping services and journeys with a connection. Times include reaching the terminal and leaving it at the far end.
How much does it cost to travel from San Salvador to San José?
The cheapest fare from San Salvador to San José is €59.14, as of September 20, 2026. A typical fare across the next three weeks is €99.26. Both figures are the total for one passenger, including taxes, supplier fees and our service fee, so nothing is added at checkout.
What is the cheapest way to get from San Salvador to San José?
The cheapest way from San Salvador to San José is by flight, at €59.14 for one passenger on October 6, 2026. That journey takes 4h 29m door to door. Cheaper is rarely faster on this corridor, and the comparison table on this page shows what each mode costs against what it saves.
When should I book San Salvador to San José?
Fares from San Salvador to San José bottom out around 30 days before departure, at €51.47. Across the whole booking window the gap between the cheapest and the most expensive lead time is 155 percent, measured on September 20, 2026. Booking inside the last week has consistently cost more on this corridor.
Which day of the week is cheapest for San Salvador to San José?
Tuesday is the cheapest day to depart from San Salvador to San José, at €74.48. That is the median of 21 priced departure days across the next three weeks, as of September 20, 2026. Shifting a departure by one day is usually worth more than shifting the booking by one week.
Which month is cheapest for San Salvador to San José?
February is the cheapest of the next 5 months to travel from San Salvador to San José, at €51.47 for one passenger. Each month is priced on its fifteenth, so the comparison is like for like rather than a mix of weekends and midweek departures.
Who runs service from San Salvador to San José?
4 operators sell services from San Salvador to San José across 1 mode: Avianca - Aerovias Nacionales de Colombia, Avianca Costa Rica, Avianca El Salvador, Volaris El Salvador. Journey times, fares and fare conditions differ between them, and the operator table on this page compares all of them on speed, flexibility and what is provided on board.
Is there a direct service from San Salvador to San José?
Every service we sell from San Salvador to San José is direct, with around 24 departures a day and a fastest journey of 4h 29m door to door. No connection is needed, so there is no missed connection risk to plan around on this corridor.
Which station or terminal do services from San Salvador to San José use?
Services from San Salvador to San José by flight leave from El Salvador International Airport Saint Óscar Arnulfo Romero y Galdámez SAL and arrive at Juan Santamaría International Airport SJO. Allow about 3h 10m in total for reaching the departure terminal and leaving the arrival one, which is already included in every door to door time on this page.
Can I change or refund a ticket from San Salvador to San José?
0 of the 4 operators we sell from San Salvador to San José allow a change or a refund. A change on a changeable fare costs €5.00. The operator table on this page names which is which, and the condition is shown again before you pay.
Where these numbers come from
Places, coordinates, operators, which operator serves which pair, and every distance on this page are real and come from open data. Where a corridor has a filed timetable the departure times are real too, and ferry fares are the prices the operators publish themselves.
Observed service A carrier record names this operator on this pair, carried through unchanged.
Prices come from the supplier wherever we hold a live quote. Elsewhere we show an indicative price built from the real distance, the real operator and a fare curve over lead time, day of the week and season. Those are labeled Estimated fare and cannot be booked.
Defined in full at Door to door, Fares, The booking window, Carbon, Distances
- On this page
- Every figure above was computed for San Salvador to San José on September 20, 2026: 716 km of route against 695 km in a straight line, 24 services a day, 4 operators a cheapest fare of €59.14, and 4h 29m door to door on the fastest mode. The return direction is computed separately and its numbers are not these numbers.
The flight is the simple part. What you do once you are in San José is somebody else's catalog.
Day trips out of San José and across Costa Rica
Day trips that leave San José in the morning and cover a good part of Costa Rica by evening.
See San José on CivitatisOr browse GetYourGuide
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The two ends, compared
San Salvador reaches 35 places in 14 countries on services we hold, over distances from 178 to 8,649 km. San José reaches 34 places in 17 countries, from 167 to 9,393 km.
Other ways to make this journey
Leaving San Salvador
- 35Places you can leave for
- 14Countries
- 15Operators
Arriving in San José
Leaving San José
- 34Places you can leave for
- 17Countries
- 25Operators