At a glance
- San José, the capital: 60°, east-north-east, 12,971 km from the Kaaba.
- The Qibla turns by 1° across the country, from 59° in Liberia to 60° in Puerto Limón.
- Closest to Makkah: Puerto Limón, 12,868 km. Farthest: Liberia, 13,059 km.
- Around San José, a magnetic compass points about 3° west of true north (World Magnetic Model 2025, for 2026). On a needle compass, the Qibla there is about 63°.
Qibla from every city in Costa Rica
The largest cities, biggest first.
| City | Qibla | Direction | Distance to the Kaaba (km) |
|---|---|---|---|
| San José | 60° | east-north-east | 12,971 |
| Puerto Limón | 60° | east-north-east | 12,868 |
| Alajuela | 60° | east-north-east | 12,979 |
| Liberia | 59° | east-north-east | 13,059 |
| Paraíso | 60° | east-north-east | 12,956 |
| Puntarenas | 59° | east-north-east | 13,040 |
| San Isidro de El General | 60° | east-north-east | 12,966 |
| Curridabat | 60° | east-north-east | 12,968 |
| San Vicente | 60° | east-north-east | 12,966 |
| San Vicente de Moravia | 60° | east-north-east | 12,966 |
Not on the list? Search any town or use your location on the live compass.
Reading these numbers
Each bearing is measured clockwise from true north along the shortest path over the globe, a great circle, which is how the Qibla is worked out. A flat map can mislead, because the Earth is round.
Phone compasses work best after calibrating with a figure-8, away from metal and magnetic cases. Our guide to finding the Qibla also covers the sun, the local mosque and praying when unsure.
Qibla in other countries
Canada Cuba Dominican Republic El Salvador Guatemala Haiti Honduras Mexico Nicaragua Panama Puerto Rico United States
City data: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). Magnetic declination: the World Magnetic Model 2025 (NOAA and the British Geological Survey).