Map of Alajuela, Costa Rica

Alajuela is the administrative centre of Alajuela Province, Costa Rica, with a population of about 47,494. It lies at 10.0162°N, 84.2116°W. Alajuela is about 17 km (10 mi) northwest of San José, the capital. The nearest city on our map is San José, 17 km to the southeast.

Alajuela at a glance

Where is Alajuela?

• The 3rd largest city in Costa Rica by recorded population.
• Located in the Northern and Western hemispheres.
• Daylight ranges from about 11 h 32 min on the shortest day to 12 h 43 min on the longest day (around 21 December and 21 June).

Cities near Alajuela

• San José — 17 km southeast
• San Vicente — 19 km east
• Curridabat — 22 km southeast
• Paraíso — 43 km southeast
• Puntarenas — 69 km west
• San Isidro — 92 km southeast
• Limón — 129 km east
• Liberia — 151 km northwest
• Nueva Guinea — 188 km north, Nicaragua
• Granada — 286 km northwest, Nicaragua

Largest cities in Costa Rica

• San José — 335,007
• Limón — 63,081
• Liberia — 45,380
• Paraíso — 39,702
• Puntarenas — 35,650
• San Isidro — 34,877
• Curridabat — 34,586
• San Vicente — 34,447

Map of Costa Rica and all its cities →

Sources: place names, coordinates, populations and time zones from GeoNames (CC BY 4.0, data retrieved October 2026). Population figures are the latest values recorded in GeoNames; depending on the country they refer to the city proper, a municipality or a wider urban area, so they can differ from census or metro-area figures. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.