⚡ Fare recorded April 25, 2026 · Prices change daily

San José to Los Angeles flights

San José (SJO) to Los Angeles (LAX): 2,723 miles (4,382 km) great-circle, about 5h 55m nonstop by our estimate. Cheapest fare observed: $496 round-trip on Avianca, with 1 stop, departing July 10, 2026.

AVAviancaAV318
Depart
SJO
San José, Costa Rica
09:40
2026-07-10
✈
Arrive
LAX
Los Angeles, United States
Returns 14:40
2026-07-30
Stops
1 stop
Distance
2,723 mi
Est. nonstop time
5h 55m
Trip type
Round-trip
$496
Round-trip · per person
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About this flight

When did the cheapest San José to Los Angeles fare fly?

$496 round-trip, Avianca AV318, departing 2026-07-10 at 09:40, returning 2026-07-30. The recorded itinerary left on a Friday, returning on a Thursday 20 nights later; the fare was observed 76 days before departure. "Book this flight" opens Kiwi.com with the same airline and dates.

Route facts

How far is San José from Los Angeles?

  • Distance: 2,723 miles (4,382 km) great-circle, heading northwest.
  • Estimated nonstop flight time: about 5h 55m.
  • Departure airport: Juan Santamaria International Airport (SJO), San José, Costa Rica, UTC-6 on July 10, 2026.
  • Arrival: Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), United States, UTC-7 on July 10, 2026.
  • Time difference: Los Angeles is 1 hour behind San José on the recorded date.
  • Route type: international, Costa Rica to United States.
  • Arrival airport elevation: 125 ft.
  • Recorded itinerary: Avianca AV318, 1 stop, round-trip, 20 days between departure and return.
Fare comparison

How does the San José to Los Angeles fare compare with other routes from SJO?

At $496, it ranked 21st of the 30 round-trip fares we recorded from SJO (median $412). That is 18.2 cents per great-circle mile (round-trip price over one-way distance), below the SJO median of 21.6 cents across 29 round-trip routes.

Routes from SJO of similar length: Toronto (2,343 mi) at $442 and Santiago (3,125 mi) at $438.

Avianca had the cheapest fare on 5 of 30 SJO routes. It is the 11th longest of the 30 routes we track from SJO.

Other ways in

What did other cities pay to fly to Los Angeles?

Of 40 departure airports with a fare to Los Angeles, San José (SJO) ranked 33rd at $496. Lowest: $77 from Seattle (SEA); highest: $1224 from Sapporo (CTS); 11 nonstop. Cheapest-fare airlines (routes): Frontier (18), Spirit (5), Southwest (3), EVA Air (2), Fiji Airways (2) and WestJet (2), plus 8 more.

Entry requirements

Do you need a visa to fly to United States?

That depends on your passport and trip, so check the official source for United States: U.S. Customs and Border Protection: international visitors. Connecting elsewhere? Check that country's transit rules too.

Sources

Where do these numbers come from?

Travelpayouts fares (cheapest per route, observed April 25, 2026); OurAirports coordinates and elevations; IANA zones America/Costa_Rica, America/Los_Angeles; flight time is our estimate.

FAQ

San José to Los Angeles flight questions

How far is San José from Los Angeles by plane?

+
San José is about 2,723 miles (4,382 km) from Los Angeles on a great-circle line from Juan Santamaria International Airport (SJO) to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), heading northwest. It is the 11th longest of the 30 routes we track from SJO. The recorded itinerary had 1 stop, so the distance flown was longer.

How long is the flight from San José to Los Angeles?

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About 5h 55m nonstop by our estimate for 2,723 miles (500 mph cruise plus 30 minutes, not a timetable). The recorded Avianca fare was with 1 stop. 40 airports in our feed had a fare to Los Angeles; this one ranked 33rd, and 11 of the 40 were nonstop.

What is the time difference between San José and Los Angeles?

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On July 10, 2026, San José was on UTC-6 (America/Costa_Rica) and Los Angeles on UTC-7 (America/Los_Angeles), so Los Angeles was 1 hour behind San José: noon in San José was 11:00 in Los Angeles. Daylight saving changes it: in mid-January 2026 the gap is Los Angeles 2 hours behind, in mid-July Los Angeles 1 hour behind.

How much is a flight from San José to Los Angeles?

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As observed on April 25, 2026: $496 per person round-trip on Avianca flight AV318, departing July 10, 2026, returning July 30, 2026, with 1 stop. At $496, it ranked 21st of the 30 round-trip fares we recorded from SJO (median $412). That is 18.2 cents per great-circle mile (round-trip price over one-way distance), below the SJO median of 21.6 cents across 29 round-trip routes. Prices change daily, so check the live fare.

Is there a nonstop flight from San José to Los Angeles?

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The cheapest recorded fare had 1 stop; our feed keeps only the cheapest fare per route, so a pricier nonstop may exist. Into Los Angeles, 11 of the 40 recorded fares were nonstop. From SJO, 6 of 30 were. Routes from SJO of similar length: Toronto (2,343 mi) at $442 and Santiago (3,125 mi) at $438.

Which airports serve flights from San José to Los Angeles?

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It departs Juan Santamaria International Airport (SJO) in San José, Costa Rica, and arrives at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) in Los Angeles, United States. An international flight, Costa Rica to United States. Avianca had the cheapest fare on 5 of 30 SJO routes.

Where else near Los Angeles can you fly from San José?

Dallas (DFW) $386Houston (HOU) $375Mexico City (MEX) $256Cancun (CUN) $309Toronto (YTO) $442Guatemala City (GUA) $304All flights from San José →

Other cities with flights to Los Angeles

From Seattle (SEA) $77From San Francisco (SFO) $116From Minneapolis (MSP) $122From Atlanta (ATL) $123From Phoenix (PHX) $124From Vancouver (YVR) $139

Ready to fly?

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