What kind of outlets are in costa rica

Costa Rica power adapters Power adapters for Costa Rica If you are organizing a trip to Costa Rica it can be helpful to know if you can power all your gadgets such as mobiles or tablets that you are bringing with you. What is the best power adapter for Costa Rica? A US plug won't require a plug adapter as it already fits into a Costa Rican power outlet.

You will find some models have voltage conversation for lower wattage devices for example laptops. So even if the device isn't dual voltage it should still be used with a Costa Rican power outlet when using a travel power strip, making them a lightweight and cheap alternative option to a voltage converter.

Most power strips feature multiple USB ports. Offers surge protection. The voltage from power grids in certain countries can be unstable, a sudden surge in power might damage your electronics. Some models also include a built in surge protector, this will prevent any device from being overloaded. It will potentially be functional back at home as a USB charger and power strip. Disadvantages of a travel power strip Unlike normal power converters, the power converter on a travel power strip doesn't convert higher wattage appliances such as clothes irons or hair dryers.

Due to the size and weight of a power strip it might be unsuitable for packing in hand luggage. Travel power strips could be excessive if you only bring a small number of appliances and devices to charge. Get a travel USB wall charger. Get a universal travel power adapter. Get a Type B plug adapter. Get a plug adapter set. Get a voltage converter.

There are two types of power supply used in Costa Rica, these are type B and A with the primary power outlets being type B: Plug Type A - You can identify the wall outlet by the 2 thin slots next to each other where the live and neutral blades go. Plug Type B - You can identify the wall outlet by the 2 thin slots next to each other for live and neutral blades with a hole below for the earthed pin.

Yes, an American plug will work in Costa Rica without a power adapter or power converter. Find out more about power converters. The voltage in Costa Rica is exactly the same as in America. Typically Costa Rica suffers power cuts around once a month. Get a power bank. Get a solar backpack.

Normal travel USB chargers include 4 or more USB charger ports, meaning you now only need to bring a single charger to charge multiple devices. It helps reduce the weight of your baggage by only packing a single USB wall charger instead of bringing multiple individual power chargers with you.

All travel USB power chargers include swappable plug heads for various regions thereby making them perfect if travelling to multiple countries which are likely to use a different outlet to Costa Rica.

A good charger is lightweight, compact and rugged - perfect for rigors of travel rather than risking bringing along a domestic charger which might be impossible to replace or repair in Costa Rica.

USB chargers can accept both the volt power outlets in Costa Rica along with other voltage standards across the world. There is a possibility that some hotel bedrooms or accommodation in Costa Rica only have one wall outlet, by bringing a travel charger with multiple USB ports allows you to share out the single wall outlet with all your devices rather than waiting to charge one device at a time.

Because of their versatile nature a travel USB charger takes the worry out of visiting any unknown destination as they are guaranteed to work almost anywhere around the world. Power outlets found in airports can be in short supply and the demand for charging multiple cell phones and tablets during departure can be high, therefore a USB charger with multiple ports and the capability to fast charge is ideal.

The power grid in some countries can be unstable, a good travel charger allows for unexpected surges to prevent damage to any devices attached to it. Trying to repair an overloaded mobile phone or tablet in Costa Rica might prove difficult and expensive. Higher priced USB travel chargers should also feature a power outlet strip to allow you to power multiple low wattage devices such as laptops, but please be aware these will be unsuitable for high powered appliances such as hair dryers or clothes irons.

See the section on using travel appliances in Costa Rica for helpful advice and guidelines on the best power adapter for using a high wattage appliances with a Costa Rican power outlet. Certain tablets and mobile phones might require more than the standard milliamps produced from a standard 5 volt USB adapter to charge or provide fast charge.

Ensure that the USB power adapter can support fast charging incase any of your devices need additional power. When back at home travel USB chargers can still be useful by recharging multiple mobile phones and tablets every day using only a single power outlet. Get one. What voltage does Costa Rica use? Substantiations See the power adapter substantions section for more information on how we compared travel adapters October Before choosing which adapter to bring we recommend using the following checklist: How many electrical items will you pack How many devices are you bringing to Costa Rica?

List all the devices and applicances you intended on packing for Costa Rica such as cell phones, laptops, eReaders, clothes irons or hair straighteners. Remember to allow for more electrical devices at a later date. Do you intend on buying a new mobile phone computer next year?

There are an increasing amount of rechargeable devices such as electric shavers which use USB as a power source. Therefore if you have to replace a device it could need a USB adapter so please ensure your travel adapter has enough spare ports to support these additional devices as well. Will you also be travelling with a partner who will need to charge their devices too?

If you plan to bring electronics such as mobile phones and iPads then we suggest just bringing a travel USB wall charger. If you only use a simple power plug adapter in Costa Rica you'll still need to bring the USB charger that came with your device too. There are three types of electrical items: Low wattage electrical items which can be plugged into an electrical outlet - for example cameras or laptops. High wattage appliances which plug into an electrical outlet - for example hair straighteners and clothes irons.

Should you only have to take just USB powered devices to Costa Rica then a simple travel USB wall charger is ideal because you will only need to pack one charger whilst leaving your domestic chargers at home. Travel power strips are built for powering and converting voltage for several low wattage devices of any voltage, but unsuitable for high wattage appliances such as hair straighteners that need voltage conversion , potentially overloading it. Costa Rica uses volts, if you travel from a country that doesn't use volts and you're not using a dual voltage appliance how to tell then you'll either need to bring a bulky power converter or a lighter power strip with a built in power converter.

It might be more expensive buying a voltage converter than bringing a dedicated dual voltage travel appliance for example a dual voltage clothes iron, hair dryer, hair straighteners or curling iron for Costa Rica which is robustly designed for travel and often includes an assortment of plug adapters.

Most simple plug adapters will typically only work in a single country which they are designed for, therefore if you are visiting multiple countries then you'll need to pack additional plug adapters which can in turn add to the weight you have to carry.

Alternatively, travel USB wall chargers and universal travel adapters are made for going to more than one country becuase of their interchangeable heads. Are multiple outlets available How many power outlets will be available when you arrive in Costa Rica? You could find that accommodation might offer only one power outlet on the wall, this could be an inconvenience when charging up batteries of more than one electronic item overnight because you'll only be able to recharge one device at a time.

Take a look at the pictures below to see what these plugs and power sockets look like:. No other plug types will fit in a type A outlet. Type B - Similar to type A, but with an extra pin for grounding. Plugs of type A will also fit into a type B socket.

All power sockets in Costa Rica provide a standard voltage of V with a standard frequency of 60Hz. You can use all your equipment in Costa Rica if the outlet voltage in your own country is between VV. The standard frequency in Costa Rica is 60Hz. Below you find pictures of the applied power sockets and corresponding plugs. And we provide more information about the voltage and frequency. In Costa Rica the power plugs and sockets are of type A and B.

The standard voltage is V and the standard frequency is 60 Hz. Check out the following pictures. Your power plugs fit. We recommend you to pack a 3 to 2 prong adapter in case type B sockets are not available. We don't sell power plug adapters.