Costa Rica Country Commercial Guide
Learn about the market conditions, opportunities, regulations, and business conditions in Costa Rica, prepared by at U.S. Embassies worldwide by Commerce Department, State Department and other U.S. agencies’ professionals.
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Construction Equipment
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Overview

The world economic downturn in 2008 brought a dramatic halt to a previously flourishing construction sector. In recent years the sector has started to recover. As such, in 2024, area permits grew by 28% compared to the same period the previous year because of a significant increase in building project approvals across the country.

Leading Sub-sectors

The market potential for construction equipment includes tractors, backhoes, shovel loaders, asphalt and concrete mixers, and dump trucks. U.S. construction equipment enjoys an excellent reputation in the Costa Rican market due to its high quality, the availability of spare parts, maintenance and repair services through dealerships, competitive pricing, and reliable ocean and air shipping services.

The building materials market has been shifting towards local materials and imports continue to fall. The lower cost of locally manufactured building materials has fueled the increase in local production. 

Opportunities

The United States is the second largest supplier of construction equipment to the Costa Rican market. Major competitors are Brazil, China, Japan, South Korea, Sweden, the U.K., Italy, and Germany. 

In 2024, most construction projects—approximately 64.4%—were concentrated in the residential segment. This growth was driven by several key factors, including increasing flows of foreign direct investment (FDI), reinvestment from existing developments, a recovery in domestic consumption, and a stable exchange rate.

In 2024, Costa Rica made significant progress in construction and infrastructure. Key achievements included:

•    15 new public infrastructure projects completed.
•    Supervision of 21 housing projects and planning advancement for 23 strategic transport projects.
•    Construction permits approved for 11,371 new homes (covering 1,262,317 m2).
•    The total area for all construction works in 2024 reached 3,820,422 m2.
 

The Costa Rican Chamber of Construction (CCC) reviewed 23 strategic projects, noting challenges in areas like bidding and expropriations.

Furthermore, in 2023–2024, the residential sector experienced a slight decline (5.3%) in the number of approved housing units although issued permits rose modestly and signs of recovery are evident in Guanacaste, driven by growth in urban infrastructure, housing, and commercial construction.

A good opportunity for U.S. companies in Costa Rica is the Expo-Construcción trade fair, which takes place annually in March. The coming 2026 version will host several international companies, generating both global and regional appeal.  
Concessions Overview: A Demand for Pull-through Construction Equipment

The Government of Costa Rica uses the Public Works Concession Law for the development of large infrastructure projects. These projects include roads, highways, bridges, airport modernization, port improvement, rehabilitation of the railroad system, and water-wastewater systems, among other projects. The projects are offered to private local and foreign companies and consortiums through a public bidding process under the BOT (build-operate-transfer) concession scheme, as stipulated in the Public Works Concession Law.

A goal of the Chaves Robles administration (2022-2026) has been to revise the concession law to fix its loopholes in which companies can overcharge the Costa Rican government for design, construction, and operation of different projects. In late 2017, the Costa Rican government issued a new regulation that allowed Public-Private Partnerships. This regulation was widely supported because it increased the overall investment in different infrastructure projects. 

The Ministry of Public Works and Transportation also announced it will be using new public tenders for the construction and maintenance of several roads that were delayed during the pandemic. 

INCOFER (Costa Rican Railways Institute) has also announced a project to modernize the current freight operations serving the Caribbean corridor of the country with the goal of converting the train system to electric.  The project will include improving 260km of railways throughout the country and rebuilding a cluster of bridges, rolling equipment, and signaling systems. 

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