Turnkey homes in Costa Rica: what is included, what it costs and how long it takes
A turnkey home in Costa Rica (llave en mano) is one where a single builder takes the project from design and permits to a finished house you can move into, under one contract that usually excludes the land and, unless written in, furniture, landscaping and the pool.
"Turnkey" gets used two ways in Costa Rica. On a real estate listing it usually means a finished house, often sold furnished, that you can use the day you close. In construction it means something different: one company designs, permits and builds your house and hands you the keys. This guide is about the second meaning. It explains what a turnkey contract covers, what it often leaves out, how it compares with hiring your own contractors, and what it costs.
What does turnkey (llave en mano) mean in Costa Rica?
Llave en mano is Spanish for "key in hand". In a turnkey build, one company handles the whole project, from the first drawing to the handover of the keys, under one contract, with one point of accountability (Ticonstru, April 2026). You approve the design, the budget and the finishes. The builder runs the architects, engineers, permits, crews and suppliers.
A turnkey resale home is a different product. A 2024 home in Santa Teresa, for example, is listed at $820,000 as "sold fully furnished and turnkey" (Dominical Realty listing). If you are comparing a ready-built home with a custom build, compare the same things: size, finish level, land, furniture and what the price includes.
What is included in a turnkey home, and what is not?
There is no legal definition of turnkey in a construction contract. What counts is the scope document. Here is what to look for, item by item:
| Item | Usually in a turnkey build contract? | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Land | No | Bought separately, with your own lawyer |
| Design and construction plans | Yes | Concept, 3D model and full plans signed by CFIA-registered professionals |
| Engineering | Yes | Structural, electrical and plumbing |
| Permits | Yes | CFIA registration, municipal permit, water letter, environmental review where required |
| Site preparation | Usually | Clearing, grading, drainage, access, retaining walls |
| Construction and finishes | Yes | Named specifications and allowances |
| Utility connections | Often | Electricity and water connection fees and works |
| Kitchen cabinets, built-in closets | Often | Material and brand, written into the spec |
| Appliances | Often not | List each one by name if it is included |
| Air conditioning | Varies | Units, sizes and which rooms |
| Furniture and décor | Usually not | Separate interiors budget |
| Landscaping | Often separate | Planting, irrigation, hardscape |
| Pool | Often separate | Size, finish, filtration, lighting |
| Solar | Often separate | System size and batteries |
One builder's published turnkey program, for example, includes design, engineering, permit management, site preparation, construction, utility connections, project management and the occupancy permit, and prices the pool, landscaping, solar and land separately, with furnishing and appliances outside the construction contract (Ticonstru, April 2026). Another turnkey offer from the same company lists air conditioning as an extra at $1,500 per unit (Ticonstru). Other builders draw the lines differently, which is why you need the scope in writing.
Land
Turnkey almost never includes the lot. Buying land is a separate legal transaction with its own checks: title, survey plan, land use, water letter, access and, near the beach, the maritime zone. Closing costs on a straightforward purchase run roughly 3.5% to 5% of the price (Tico Times, September 2026). If you have not bought yet, have the lot reviewed before you sign. See our land and construction consulting.
Design and permits
These are the core of a turnkey contract. Plans must be prepared by professionals registered with the CFIA and submitted through its APC platform, the INS workers' risk policy must be in place before construction starts, and the municipality issues the building permit (Diario Extra, 2026). Design and plans run about 5.5% to 6% of construction value under the CFIA fee schedule. Ask whether that is inside the turnkey price or added to it. See architectural design and permits and water letters.
Furniture and interiors
Most turnkey build contracts stop at a finished, empty house. If you want to arrive to a furnished home, plan a separate interiors budget and agree early who sources, ships and installs it.
Landscaping and the pool
Landscaping is often its own line, and in dry areas like Guanacaste it needs irrigation and plants that suit the climate. A pool runs about $2,500 per m2 of pool, all-in: excavation and grade work, the shell, the finish and the filtration system. LED lighting and other custom features add to that depending on the design. We build pools as part of the same project; see pool construction.
Turnkey vs managing your own contractors
The alternative to turnkey is to hire an architect, an engineer and a builder yourself, and sometimes buy the materials too. It can work, but it asks a lot of you.
| Turnkey (one contract) | Managing your own contractors | |
|---|---|---|
| Who is responsible if the plans and price do not match | The builder | Unclear: architect, engineer or contractor |
| Your time | Approvals and selections | Close to a full-time job on site |
| Spanish and construction knowledge | Helpful, not required | Strongly recommended |
| Price certainty | Fixed against the plans, plus agreed changes | Depends on your control of costs |
| Builder margin | Included in the price | Saved, but you take on the risk |
| Building from abroad | Designed for it | Hard without a trusted person on site |
The evidence from owners is consistent. Moon's guide notes that experienced builders say you need Spanish, an understanding of construction and the ability to oversee workers, and that the people who got the house they wanted were usually on site as often as possible (Moon, 2025). One owner on the South Pacific coast chose a single in-house builder after talking to people who had managed their own builds and found them slow, frustrating and a full-time job on site (The Costa Rica News, updated 2024). The authors of Two Weeks in Costa Rica, who bought their own materials for an addition, describe reviewing supply lists, paying and coordinating deliveries themselves, and note quality problems such as a toilet installed about six inches off the wall (Two Weeks in Costa Rica, 2025).
The saving from managing it yourself is the builder's margin. One cost breakdown puts a contractor's profit and overhead on a cost-plus contract at 20 to 35% combined (Vacations Costa Rica). Whether that saving survives depends on how many mistakes, delays and change orders you avoid without help.
The conventional route uses separate parties for design, engineering, construction and permits, each with its own incentives, which can leave responsibility unclear when something goes wrong (Ticonstru, April 2026). That is the main reason buyers who live abroad choose turnkey.
How much does a turnkey home cost in Costa Rica?
These are our current construction figures per square meter, before land:
| Finish level | Per m2 | Per sq ft (approx.) |
|---|---|---|
| Basic finish | About $700 | About $65 |
| Mid-range | About $1,000 | About $93 |
| Upper mid-range | $1,000 to $1,200 | About $93 to $111 |
| Luxury | $1,500 to $1,800 | About $139 to $167 |
| Ultra luxury | $1,800+ | About $167+ |
To build a full turnkey budget, add:
- Design and plans: about 5.5% to 6% of construction value
- Pool: about $2,500 per m2 of pool, all-in
- Studies: topographic survey and soil study
- Permits and insurance: municipal permit, CFIA registration and the INS policy
- Furniture, appliances and landscaping, if they are outside the contract
- Contingency: 10 to 15%
Minimum construction budget: $350,000, before land. As an example, a 300 m2 home at a luxury finish of $1,500 to $1,800 per m2 is $450,000 to $540,000 of construction. Design and plans at 5.5% to 6% add about $25,000 to $32,000, and a 40 m2 pool adds about $100,000, before land, furniture and contingency. Our cost to build guide covers every line.
Plan for one more cost once the house is finished. In 2026 the solidarity (luxury home) tax applies when construction and fixed installations reach ¢143 million, about $318,000, at rates of 0.25% to 0.55% a year (Tico Times, September 2026). Many turnkey homes at a luxury finish cross that line.
How long does a turnkey home take?
| Phase | Typical time |
|---|---|
| Lot review and studies | Depends on the lot |
| Design and plans | Depends on scope and how quickly you approve |
| CFIA and municipal permits | About 2 to 6 months, depending on the municipality (Ticonstru) |
| Construction | 5 to 8 months on site for most of our homes |
Turnkey does not make permits faster; environmental review follows its own timeline (Ticonstru, April 2026). What it saves is the gap between phases, because the same team moves from design to permits to construction. Very large homes take longer on site, and the rainy season, roughly May to November, slows earthworks and deliveries (Two Weeks in Costa Rica, 2025).
Is a turnkey build right for you?
Turnkey suits people building from abroad, first-time builders in Costa Rica, investors building a rental and owners who want a say in the design without running contractors and permits themselves (Ticonstru, April 2026). It suits you less if you live near the site, speak Spanish, know construction and want to buy materials and hire trades directly.
A simple test: count how many site visits you can make during construction. If the answer is two or three, you need someone on site who answers for the whole job. That is what a turnkey contract gives you.
Turnkey custom build or a turnkey resale home?
If you see a listing called turnkey and wonder whether to buy instead of build, compare them on the same terms.
- Price per square meter. Divide the asking price by the built area, then compare it with the construction figures above plus the land value. The Santa Teresa listing above works out to about $6,800 per m2 of its listed 120 m2, with the land, pool and furniture included.
- Design. A resale home was designed for someone else's lot and brief. A custom build is oriented to your views, breeze and sun.
- Permits and records. For a resale home, have your lawyer confirm the house was built with a permit and that the registered construction matches what is there.
- Timing. A resale home is ready at closing. A custom build needs design, permits and 5 to 8 months on site.
- Age and condition. Salt air, sun and rain are hard on roofs, metal and waterproofing, so have an older home inspected before you buy.
How a turnkey build works, step by step
- Brief and lot review. Size, bedrooms, finish level, pool, budget and the lot's documents.
- Survey and soil study, so the design fits the ground.
- Concept and 3D model for your approval.
- Construction plans and a fixed budget with a written scope of what is in and out.
- Permits: water letter, CFIA registration, INS policy, municipal permit.
- Construction with payments against inspected milestones and regular photo updates.
- Handover: punch list, warranties, manuals, final plans and utility accounts in your name.
We build in concrete, hybrid and steel. See construction systems and our custom home construction service.
What to ask before you sign a turnkey contract
- Is the price fixed against the plans? What exactly is excluded?
- Are design fees, permits and the INS policy inside the price?
- Are site work, retaining walls and utility connections included?
- Which appliances, air conditioning units and fixtures are included, by name?
- Is the pool in the contract? Landscaping? Solar?
- What are the payment milestones, and who inspects each one?
- How are changes priced and approved?
- What warranties come with the house, and how do I report a defect?
Payments tied to verified milestones rather than calendar dates mean the builder is paid as each phase is finished (Ticonstru, April 2026). Insist on it whoever you hire.
See a turnkey home in person
You can see our finished work in the portfolio, including Casa de Acero and Casa Escazú, or visit our showroom in Altos de Flamingo, Playa Flamingo. We build across the country; see locations. Minimum construction budget: $350,000, before land. WhatsApp +506 8733-2930 or email info@decentrahomes.com.