Biotech and life sciences occupiers in San José typically cluster in Paseo Colón / La Sabana, plan ~320 sqft per seat at high-end fit-out ($130–195/sqft), and pay around 240 USD/sqft ($22 USD) on Class A.
Biotech and life sciences occupiers in San José typically cluster in Paseo Colón / La Sabana, plan ~320 sqft per seat at high-end fit-out">fit-out ($130–195/sqft), and pay around 240 USD/sqft ($22 USD) on Class A.
Biotech and life sciences occupiers in San José typically anchor in Paseo Colón / La Sabana. Banking, government, professional services, healthcare.
Class A rent in San José runs 240 USD/sqft ($22 USD) on a 5-year lease with 6 months free. Prime submarkets sit at or modestly above the city index.
Typical biotech and life sciences fit-out targets high-end specification at $130–195/sqft. Branded reception, full client-facing programming, premium furniture, and specialist AV are standard.
Plan around 320 sqft per seat blended (workstation + circulation + amenity). A 100-headcount biotech office in San José typically targets 32,000 sqft of leasable area.
Cluster effects are decisive: PhD-grade talent concentrates near academic-medical anchors and translational research institutes. Strong BPO, IT, finance back-office, and bilingual customer-service talent. Universidad de Costa Rica (UCR), TEC, INCAE Business School anchor the regional pipeline. Multilingual (Spanish, English) talent supports international BPO tenancy.
Headline corporate tax: 30%. Costa Rican gross structure (rent inclusive of management fees). USD-denominated for Class A typically. 5-year terms standard. Rent-free of 4-8 months on 5-year terms plus USD 100-300/sqm TI typical.
| city | San José |
|---|---|
| industry | Biotech and life sciences |
| naics | 541714, 541715, 325412 |
| preferredSubmarket | Paseo Colón / La Sabana |
| preferredFitoutSpec | High-end |
| fitoutBand | $130–195/sqft |
| sqftPerSeat | 320 |
| classARentLocal | 240 USD/sqft/yr |
| classARentUsd | $22/sqft/yr |
| vacancyPct | 12.4% |
| typicalLeaseYears | 5 |
| typicalRentFreeMonths | 6 |
| talentIndex | 76 |
| corporateTaxPct | 30% |
Reviewed by Class A Atlas Editorial Desk — House byline · global editorial team. Last updated 2026-04-15. See our methodology and editorial standards.