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How much does a radio spot or a TV commercial cost in Costa Rica? This guide gathers the list prices the outlets themselves publish in their official rate cards. It includes no estimates or private quotes: every figure comes from a public document, linked at the end. Prices are in Costa Rican colones (₡) unless marked in dollars.
Three caveats before the numbers:
- These are list prices. Packages, frequency and volume change the final price; several rate cards say so explicitly.
- Taxes are not included. VAT (IVA, 13%) is added and, on news programs, the 1% Journalists’ Association stamp (Law 5527).
- They change every year. We note the year of each rate card. Confirm the current price with each outlet’s sales department.
Television
Teletica (Channel 7), 2026 rate card
Teletica · Canal 7 classifies each program into a rate “time slot”, from AAA (the most-watched) to E. Price of one spot, before taxes:
| Time slot | 30 seconds | 15 seconds |
|---|---|---|
| AAA | ₡1,400,000 | ₡840,000 |
| A | ₡980,000 | ₡588,000 |
| B | ₡459,000 | ₡275,400 |
| D | ₡350,000 | ₡210,000 |
| E | ₡87,000 | ₡52,200 |
A 60-second sponsored report on Telenoticias (including publication on teletica.com) ranges from ₡1,549,000 on the morning edition to ₡4,045,000 on the evening edition. Choosing a specific position within the commercial break carries a 15% surcharge.
Repretel (Channel 6), 2023 rate card
The most recent rate card Repretel · Canales 6, 11, 4 y 2 has published is from 2023, so current prices are probably higher. On Channel 6, a 30-second spot ranged from ₡76,000 overnight to ₡1,240,000 in the highest-audience slot. On Noticias Repretel, 30 seconds cost ₡304,000 at 6:00 a.m., ₡800,000 at noon and ₡1,082,000 at 7:00 p.m. Plus VAT.
Canal 2 (Central de Radios)
As a cable TV reference, Central de Radios’ Canal 2 lists 30 seconds at ₡30,000 and 60 seconds at ₡52,000, plus VAT.
Radio
Central de Radios publishes its stations’ rates on its sales site. Price per spot, plus VAT:
| Station | 30" spot | 60" spot | Live mention (25–30 words) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radio Monumental | ₡39,000 | ₡57,500 | ₡41,000 |
| Radio Disney | ₡46,000 | ₡79,000 | ₡51,000 |
| Exa FM | ₡43,000 | ₡74,000 | ₡48,000 |
| La Mejor | ₡40,000 | ₡59,000 | ₡42,000 |
| Zeta FM | ₡39,500 | ₡63,000 | ₡42,000 |
| Best FM | ₡36,000 | ₡62,000 | ₡41,500 |
| Momentos | ₡23,000 | ₡40,000 | ₡26,000 |
The highest-audience programs are sold in monthly packages. On Monumental, for example, “Nuestra Voz” offers 52 thirty-second spots a month plus a monthly interview for ₡1,800,000 plus VAT, and the full “Pelando el Ojo” package costs ₡2,300,000 a month.
Print and digital media
Grupo Nación, 2024 rate card (in dollars)
Grupo Nación publishes a single rate card for La Nación, La Teja and El Financiero. Prices in dollars, plus VAT and, except for El Financiero, the Journalists’ Association stamp:
- La Nación in print: each module costs from $75 (black and white) to $120 (color) Monday to Saturday, and from $85 to $140 on Sunday, when buying 1 to 19 modules. The price per module drops with volume.
- Banners on their sites: $5 per thousand impressions (CPM); video pre-roll, $7.
- Sponsored social media post: $350 on La Nación and $250 on La Teja or El Financiero.
- Paid digital article (1,000 characters, with editing, design and campaign): from $500.
- “Brand Day” (brand presence across the site for one day): $2,500 on nacion.com.
English-language digital media
- Q Costa Rica: banner on inside pages from $35 a month, on the home page from $55, in the site-wide header $125, and a sponsored article $100. Three-month minimum.
- TicosLand: sponsored article from $1,000, published in English on TicosLand and in Spanish on TicosLandia.
To learn about these and other English-language outlets, see the guide to English-language news in Costa Rica.
What does ₡500,000 buy?
At the list prices above, before taxes:
- National TV: one 30-second spot in Teletica’s B slot (₡459,000), or five in the E slot (₡435,000).
- Radio: twelve 30-second spots on Radio Monumental (₡468,000).
- Digital: as a dollar reference, $500 buys 100,000 banner impressions on Grupo Nación sites ($5 per thousand).
TV delivers mass reach at once; radio and digital let you repeat the message many times, and in advertising repetition often matters as much as reach.
Tips for buying ad space
- Ask for the rate card and the packages. Monthly packages almost always cost less per ad than individual spots.
- Consider regional media. If your business serves one area, an outlet in your province reaches your audience with less waste. See the media in Guanacaste, Alajuela, Cartago, Limón and San José (Southern Zone).
- Ask about VAT and the stamp before approving a budget: together they add more than 14% on news programs.
- Measure. In digital, ask for impression and click reports; on radio and TV, ask how they verify that the ad aired.
If, besides advertising, you want to appear in the news, read how to send a press release in Costa Rica.
Sources
Public rate cards consulted on October 17, 2026:
- Teletica, 2026 rate card (PDF)
- Repretel, 2023 rate card (PDF)
- Central de Radios, rates by station
- Grupo Nación, GN 2024 rate card (PDF)
- Q Costa Rica, Advertise
- TicosLandia, Media Kit 2026
Are you an outlet and want us to include your public rate card? Write to hola@costaricamedios.cr.