San Jose weather in December

In December, San Jose sees average daytime highs of 21°C and overnight lows near 15°C, with 170 mm of rain across 17.8 wet days and about 11.4 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 21°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 18% of the time in December, and the air most often feels comfortable.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 30 min at the start of December to 11 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is San Jose's 4th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see San Jose's year-round climate.

Daytime high: 21°; 11th warmest
Overnight low: 15°; 4th coldest
Rainfall: 170 mm; 17.8 wet days
Daylight: 11 h 24 min; 5:50 AM – 5:15 PM
Cloud cover: 66%; 4th clearest
Wind: 7 km/h; 3rd windiest
Solar energy: 4.13 kWh/m²
Travel score: 5.3; out of 10

San Jose is capital of Costa Rica.

Air quality: Good; PM2.5 7.4 µg/m³ · 2019
Density: 7,508/km²; people per km²
Founded: 1737

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

← November San Jose year-round climate January →Best places to visit in December

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 21°C through the month.

A typical December day in San Jose reaches about 21°C in the afternoon and slips back to 15°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 20°C and 23°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs on par with November and on par with January.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Avg high (°C)	21	21	21	21	21	21	21	21	21	21	21	21	21	21	21	21	21	21	21	21	21	21	21	21	21	21	21	21	21	21	21
Avg low (°C)	15	15	15	15	15	15	15	15	15	15	15	15	15	15	15	15	15	15	15	15	15	15	15	15	15	15	15	14	14	14	14

	Avg high (°C)	Avg low (°C)
1	21	15
2	21	15
3	21	15
4	21	15
5	21	15
6	21	15
7	21	15
8	21	15
9	21	15
10	21	15
11	21	15
12	21	15
13	21	15
14	21	15
15	21	15
16	21	15
17	21	15
18	21	15
19	21	15
20	21	15
21	21	15
22	21	15
23	21	15
24	21	15
25	21	15
26	21	15
27	21	15
28	21	14
29	21	14
30	21	14
31	21	14

San Jose weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 11th-warmest and 8th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

Month	High / Low (°C)	Rainfall (mm)	Wet days	Daylight (hours)	Travel score
Jan	21° / 14°	104	13.3	11.5	6.0
Feb	22° / 14°	68	11.9	11.7	6.2
Mar	23° / 14°	65	13.9	11.9	6.1
Apr	23° / 15°	102	18	12.2	5.3
May	23° / 16°	357	27.8	12.4	3.8
Jun	23° / 16°	385	28.8	12.6	3.5
Jul	23° / 16°	293	28.2	12.5	3.7
Aug	23° / 16°	345	28.5	12.3	3.7
Sep	23° / 16°	391	29.1	12.1	3.5
Oct	22° / 16°	430	30.1	11.8	3.4
Nov	22° / 15°	312	25.5	11.5	4.0
Dec	21° / 15°	170	17.8	11.4	5.3

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 18% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 21% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 61%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Clearer (%)	25	26	27	28	28	30	30	31	33	33	33	36	36	37	39	39	40	42	43	43	46	46	47	47	48	48	48	49	49	49	49
Cloudier (%)	75	74	73	72	72	70	70	69	67	67	67	64	64	63	61	61	60	58	57	57	54	54	53	53	52	52	52	51	51	51	51

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	25	75
2	26	74
3	27	73
4	28	72
5	28	72
6	30	70
7	30	70
8	31	69
9	33	67
10	33	67
11	33	67
12	36	64
13	36	64
14	37	63
15	39	61
16	39	61
17	40	60
18	42	58
19	43	57
20	43	57
21	46	54
22	46	54
23	47	53
24	47	53
25	48	52
26	48	52
27	48	52
28	49	51
29	49	51
30	49	51
31	49	51

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

San Jose gets around 170 mm of rain over 17.8 wet days in December. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 58% and peaks near 72% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Rain chance (%)	72	71	69	68	67	66	65	64	63	62	61	60	59	59	58	57	56	55	55	54	53	53	52	52	52	52	52	51	51	51	51

	Rain chance (%)
1	72
2	71
3	69
4	68
5	67
6	66
7	65
8	64
9	63
10	62
11	61
12	60
13	59
14	59
15	58
16	57
17	56
18	55
19	55
20	54
21	53
22	53
23	52
24	52
25	52
26	52
27	52
28	51
29	51
30	51
31	51

Humidity in December

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of December feels comfortable — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, December lands in the comfortable band about 61% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Dry (%)	2	3	3	3	3	3	4	4	4	5	5	5	5	6	6	6	6	6	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	6	6	7	7
Comfortable (%)	47	48	50	51	52	54	54	55	57	57	58	59	60	60	61	62	63	64	64	65	66	66	67	68	69	69	70	72	72	72	73
Humid (%)	51	49	48	46	45	43	42	41	39	38	37	36	35	34	33	32	31	30	29	28	27	27	26	25	24	24	23	22	22	21	20

	Dry (%)	Comfortable (%)	Humid (%)
1	2	47	51
2	3	48	49
3	3	50	48
4	3	51	46
5	3	52	45
6	3	54	43
7	4	54	42
8	4	55	41
9	4	57	39
10	5	57	38
11	5	58	37
12	5	59	36
13	5	60	35
14	6	60	34
15	6	61	33
16	6	62	32
17	6	63	31
18	6	64	30
19	7	64	29
20	7	65	28
21	7	66	27
22	7	66	27
23	7	67	26
24	7	68	25
25	7	69	24
26	7	69	24
27	7	70	23
28	6	72	22
29	6	72	22
30	7	72	21
31	7	73	20

Wind in December

Winds average 7 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 7 km/h on the calmest days to 8 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Wind speed (km/h)	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8
Feels	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm

	Wind speed (km/h)	Feels
1	7	calm
2	7	calm
3	7	calm
4	7	calm
5	7	calm
6	7	calm
7	7	calm
8	7	calm
9	7	calm
10	7	calm
11	7	calm
12	7	calm
13	7	calm
14	7	calm
15	7	calm
16	7	calm
17	7	calm
18	7	calm
19	7	calm
20	7	calm
21	7	calm
22	7	calm
23	7	calm
24	8	calm
25	8	calm
26	8	calm
27	8	calm
28	8	calm
29	8	calm
30	8	calm
31	8	calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 30 min at the start of December to 11 h 24 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 6 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 5:42 AM to 5:57 AM, and sunset from 5:10 PM to 5:22 PM.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Daylight (h)	11.5	11.5	11.5	11.5	11.4	11.4	11.4	11.4	11.4	11.4	11.4	11.4	11.4	11.4	11.4	11.4	11.4	11.4	11.4	11.4	11.4	11.4	11.4	11.4	11.4	11.4	11.4	11.4	11.4	11.4	11.4
Sunrise (AM)	5:42	5:43	5:43	5:44	5:44	5:45	5:45	5:46	5:46	5:47	5:47	5:48	5:48	5:49	5:49	5:50	5:50	5:51	5:51	5:52	5:52	5:53	5:53	5:54	5:54	5:55	5:55	5:55	5:56	5:56	5:57
Sunset (PM)	5:10	5:10	5:10	5:11	5:11	5:11	5:12	5:12	5:12	5:13	5:13	5:14	5:14	5:14	5:15	5:15	5:16	5:16	5:17	5:17	5:17	5:18	5:18	5:19	5:19	5:20	5:20	5:21	5:21	5:22	5:22

	Daylight (h)	Sunrise (AM)	Sunset (PM)
1	11.5	5:42	5:10
2	11.5	5:43	5:10
3	11.5	5:43	5:10
4	11.5	5:44	5:11
5	11.4	5:44	5:11
6	11.4	5:45	5:11
7	11.4	5:45	5:12
8	11.4	5:46	5:12
9	11.4	5:46	5:12
10	11.4	5:47	5:13
11	11.4	5:47	5:13
12	11.4	5:48	5:14
13	11.4	5:48	5:14
14	11.4	5:49	5:14
15	11.4	5:49	5:15
16	11.4	5:50	5:15
17	11.4	5:50	5:16
18	11.4	5:51	5:16
19	11.4	5:51	5:17
20	11.4	5:52	5:17
21	11.4	5:52	5:17
22	11.4	5:53	5:18
23	11.4	5:53	5:18
24	11.4	5:54	5:19
25	11.4	5:54	5:19
26	11.4	5:55	5:20
27	11.4	5:55	5:20
28	11.4	5:55	5:21
29	11.4	5:56	5:21
30	11.4	5:56	5:22
31	11.4	5:57	5:22

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 4.13 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.58 kWh/m² to a high of 5.78 kWh/m² in March across the year — December's 4.13 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Solar energy (kWh/m²)	3.8	3.8	3.8	3.8	3.9	3.9	3.9	3.9	4.0	4.0	4.0	4.0	4.0	4.1	4.1	4.1	4.1	4.2	4.2	4.2	4.2	4.3	4.3	4.3	4.3	4.3	4.4	4.4	4.4	4.4	4.4
Level	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright

	Solar energy (kWh/m²)	Level
1	3.8	Moderate
2	3.8	Moderate
3	3.8	Moderate
4	3.8	Moderate
5	3.9	Moderate
6	3.9	Moderate
7	3.9	Moderate
8	3.9	Moderate
9	4.0	Moderate
10	4.0	Moderate
11	4.0	Moderate
12	4.0	Bright
13	4.0	Bright
14	4.1	Bright
15	4.1	Bright
16	4.1	Bright
17	4.1	Bright
18	4.2	Bright
19	4.2	Bright
20	4.2	Bright
21	4.2	Bright
22	4.3	Bright
23	4.3	Bright
24	4.3	Bright
25	4.3	Bright
26	4.3	Bright
27	4.4	Bright
28	4.4	Bright
29	4.4	Bright
30	4.4	Bright
31	4.4	Bright

Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit San Jose?

Our two travel scores rate December for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

5.3

Sightseeing

4th-best month of the year

3.3

Beach & pool

5th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit San Jose for sightseeing.

What to pack for San Jose in December

From December's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In December, San Jose sees daytime highs around 21°C and nights near 15°C. Pack rain gear. About 18 days see rain.

rain gear

Sea temperature near San Jose in December

The nearest coast averages about 28°C in December — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 60 km away) is warmest in April at about 29°C and coldest in November near 28°C.

The water stays above 20°C all year — warm enough for a swim any month.

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Sea temperature (°C)	29	29	29	29	29	29	29	29	29	28	28	28
Comfort	Tropical	Tropical	Tropical	Tropical	Tropical	Tropical	Tropical	Tropical	Tropical	Tropical	Warm	Tropical

	Sea temperature (°C)	Comfort
Jan	29	Tropical
Feb	29	Tropical
Mar	29	Tropical
Apr	29	Tropical
May	29	Tropical
Jun	29	Tropical
Jul	29	Tropical
Aug	29	Tropical
Sep	29	Tropical
Oct	28	Tropical
Nov	28	Warm
Dec	28	Tropical

UV index in San Jose in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 10 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in San Jose peaks around March 19 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 16 at about 10 (extreme).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
UV index (midday)	12	14	15	14	13	13	13	13	13	12	12	10
Level	Extreme	Extreme	Extreme	Extreme	Extreme	Extreme	Extreme	Extreme	Extreme	Extreme	Extreme	Extreme

	UV index (midday)	Level
Jan	12	Extreme
Feb	14	Extreme
Mar	15	Extreme
Apr	14	Extreme
May	13	Extreme
Jun	13	Extreme
Jul	13	Extreme
Aug	13	Extreme
Sep	13	Extreme
Oct	12	Extreme
Nov	12	Extreme
Dec	10	Extreme

Location & terrain

Where is San Jose?

San Jose sits at 9.9°N, 84.1°W, 1,133 m above sea level, in Costa Rica. The nearest listed city is Calle Blancos, 2.0 km away.

Topography around San Jose

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of San Jose.

Within 3 km, the terrain around San Jose has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 153 m around an average of 1,139 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,702 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,722 m.

The land around San Jose is covered by artificial surfaces (84%) within 3 km, trees (57%) and artificial surfaces (27%) within 16 km, and trees (70%) within 80 km.

3 km

153 m

artificial surfaces 84%

16 km

1,702 m

trees 57%

80 km

3,722 m

trees 70%

treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater

← November San Jose year-round climate January →Best places to visit in December

December weather nearby: Calle Blancos 2.0 km · Colima 2.0 km · San Juan 3.0 km · Guadalupe 3.0 km · San Pedro 4.0 km · San Felipe 4.0 km · San Vicente 5.0 km · San Vicente de Moravia 5.0 km

Costa Rica travel facts

Travel advisory: Level 2; Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs: Type A / B; 120 V · 60 Hz
Prices: ≈ 59% of US; price level, 2025
GDP per capita: $19,970; 2025
Happiness: 7.4 / 10; World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water: 81%; of population, 2024
Homicide rate: 17.7; per 100k, 2023
Road deaths: 14.8; per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group: High; World Bank
English: Moderate; EF EPI 516
Religion

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for San Jose (9.9339°, -84.0849°, elevation 1,133 m), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google. Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).

	Avg high (°C)	Avg low (°C)
1	21	15
2	21	15
3	21	15
4	21	15
5	21	15
6	21	15
7	21	15
8	21	15
9	21	15
10	21	15
11	21	15
12	21	15
13	21	15
14	21	15
15	21	15
16	21	15
17	21	15
18	21	15
19	21	15
20	21	15
21	21	15
22	21	15
23	21	15
24	21	15
25	21	15
26	21	15
27	21	15
28	21	14
29	21	14
30	21	14
31	21	14

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	25	75
2	26	74
3	27	73
4	28	72
5	28	72
6	30	70
7	30	70
8	31	69
9	33	67
10	33	67
11	33	67
12	36	64
13	36	64
14	37	63
15	39	61
16	39	61
17	40	60
18	42	58
19	43	57
20	43	57
21	46	54
22	46	54
23	47	53
24	47	53
25	48	52
26	48	52
27	48	52
28	49	51
29	49	51
30	49	51
31	49	51

	Rain chance (%)
1	72
2	71
3	69
4	68
5	67
6	66
7	65
8	64
9	63
10	62
11	61
12	60
13	59
14	59
15	58
16	57
17	56
18	55
19	55
20	54
21	53
22	53
23	52
24	52
25	52
26	52
27	52
28	51
29	51
30	51
31	51

	Dry (%)	Comfortable (%)	Humid (%)
1	2	47	51
2	3	48	49
3	3	50	48
4	3	51	46
5	3	52	45
6	3	54	43
7	4	54	42
8	4	55	41
9	4	57	39
10	5	57	38
11	5	58	37
12	5	59	36
13	5	60	35
14	6	60	34
15	6	61	33
16	6	62	32
17	6	63	31
18	6	64	30
19	7	64	29
20	7	65	28
21	7	66	27
22	7	66	27
23	7	67	26
24	7	68	25
25	7	69	24
26	7	69	24
27	7	70	23
28	6	72	22
29	6	72	22
30	7	72	21
31	7	73	20

	Avg high (°C)	Avg low (°C)
1	21	15
2	21	15
3	21	15
4	21	15
5	21	15
6	21	15
7	21	15
8	21	15
9	21	15
10	21	15
11	21	15
12	21	15
13	21	15
14	21	15
15	21	15
16	21	15
17	21	15
18	21	15
19	21	15
20	21	15
21	21	15
22	21	15
23	21	15
24	21	15
25	21	15
26	21	15
27	21	15
28	21	14
29	21	14
30	21	14
31	21	14

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	25	75
2	26	74
3	27	73
4	28	72
5	28	72
6	30	70
7	30	70
8	31	69
9	33	67
10	33	67
11	33	67
12	36	64
13	36	64
14	37	63
15	39	61
16	39	61
17	40	60
18	42	58
19	43	57
20	43	57
21	46	54
22	46	54
23	47	53
24	47	53
25	48	52
26	48	52
27	48	52
28	49	51
29	49	51
30	49	51
31	49	51

	Rain chance (%)
1	72
2	71
3	69
4	68
5	67
6	66
7	65
8	64
9	63
10	62
11	61
12	60
13	59
14	59
15	58
16	57
17	56
18	55
19	55
20	54
21	53
22	53
23	52
24	52
25	52
26	52
27	52
28	51
29	51
30	51
31	51

	Dry (%)	Comfortable (%)	Humid (%)
1	2	47	51
2	3	48	49
3	3	50	48
4	3	51	46
5	3	52	45
6	3	54	43
7	4	54	42
8	4	55	41
9	4	57	39
10	5	57	38
11	5	58	37
12	5	59	36
13	5	60	35
14	6	60	34
15	6	61	33
16	6	62	32
17	6	63	31
18	6	64	30
19	7	64	29
20	7	65	28
21	7	66	27
22	7	66	27
23	7	67	26
24	7	68	25
25	7	69	24
26	7	69	24
27	7	70	23
28	6	72	22
29	6	72	22
30	7	72	21
31	7	73	20

	Avg high (°C)	Avg low (°C)
1	21	15
2	21	15
3	21	15
4	21	15
5	21	15
6	21	15
7	21	15
8	21	15
9	21	15
10	21	15
11	21	15
12	21	15
13	21	15
14	21	15
15	21	15
16	21	15
17	21	15
18	21	15
19	21	15
20	21	15
21	21	15
22	21	15
23	21	15
24	21	15
25	21	15
26	21	15
27	21	15
28	21	14
29	21	14
30	21	14
31	21	14

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	25	75
2	26	74
3	27	73
4	28	72
5	28	72
6	30	70
7	30	70
8	31	69
9	33	67
10	33	67
11	33	67
12	36	64
13	36	64
14	37	63
15	39	61
16	39	61
17	40	60
18	42	58
19	43	57
20	43	57
21	46	54
22	46	54
23	47	53
24	47	53
25	48	52
26	48	52
27	48	52
28	49	51
29	49	51
30	49	51
31	49	51

	Rain chance (%)
1	72
2	71
3	69
4	68
5	67
6	66
7	65
8	64
9	63
10	62
11	61
12	60
13	59
14	59
15	58
16	57
17	56
18	55
19	55
20	54
21	53
22	53
23	52
24	52
25	52
26	52
27	52
28	51
29	51
30	51
31	51

	Dry (%)	Comfortable (%)	Humid (%)
1	2	47	51
2	3	48	49
3	3	50	48
4	3	51	46
5	3	52	45
6	3	54	43
7	4	54	42
8	4	55	41
9	4	57	39
10	5	57	38
11	5	58	37
12	5	59	36
13	5	60	35
14	6	60	34
15	6	61	33
16	6	62	32
17	6	63	31
18	6	64	30
19	7	64	29
20	7	65	28
21	7	66	27
22	7	66	27
23	7	67	26
24	7	68	25
25	7	69	24
26	7	69	24
27	7	70	23
28	6	72	22
29	6	72	22
30	7	72	21
31	7	73	20