Short Stay Parking

Five-minute walk from Terminal 1, basically the only on-site option

Short Stay Parking at Cóbano Airport sits right next to the tiny Terminal 1, about a 5-minute walk from the check-in hut to your car. This is a small, open, informal lot at ACO, not a multi-level garage. Think regional airstrip: a marked paid area by the runway rather than rows of structured parking with gates and ticket machines.

Rates run about $20.00 per day and $120.00 per week, but locals mention prices often posted on a board or discussed on-site rather than clearly listed online. Several travelers call it "quite affordable" for a few hours while they hop the short Cóbano–SJO flight. It’s effectively the default choice if you want to walk off a small domestic plane and straight to your car in under 10 minutes.

The setup is basic: an unguarded open lot or roadside-style space, with no shade, no cameras, and no barriers, according to independent guides. Because of that, regulars keep Short Stay Parking for brief stops—drop-offs, pick-ups, or same-day returns—and leave multi-day or overnight parking to hotels or town lots in Cóbano instead. If you’re used to big-airport short-stay garages at SJO, reset expectations here.

Tip: Treat the posted $20 daily / $120 weekly prices as a ceiling and bring small Costa Rican colones or US$ bills; at a field this small, paying in exact or near-exact cash keeps things fast and avoids awkward change discussions at the end of your 5-minute walk back to the terminal.