The real estate trend among young people in Costa Rica is moving towards small homes, of less than 40 square meters. Each and every year, hundreds more of these show up on the market for sale or rent.
This is especially true in the Greater Metropolitan Area, as people tend to want to live close to where they work or study and prices of homes have become inaccessible to so many.
Small homes are available in desirable neighborhoods, like Curridabat, La Sabana, Escalante, and Rohrmoser for prices starting at $90,000. Some are in condominiums which offer the use of common facilities, like gyms, parking garages, and pools. Other developers offer containers turned into 30 square meter homes that can be brought to land someone already owns. One company offers a container turned into a small two bedroom home for $42,000.
Homes of this size represent only 3% of the homes in the country but they are always being added. From 2015 to 2018, 1,970 homes of this size were built. From then through the first half of 2022, the sum increased to 2,747.
Developers must take into account the market circumstances, incomes, land and construction costs, and purchasing power and adjust their designs accordingly.