Puerto Viejo de Talamanca is unlike anywhere else in Costa Rica. On the Caribbean coast, tucked between dense jungle and turquoise water, this small beach town runs on reggae, bicycles, and a pace of life that makes the Pacific side feel almost hurried. It is also, somewhat surprisingly, becoming a legitimate destination for digital nomads and remote workers — and having spent several weeks working from here, I can tell you that the combination of Caribbean vibes and increasingly solid infrastructure makes for a pretty compelling work-life setup.
The coworking scene in Puerto Viejo is still young compared to Nosara or Tamarindo, but it is growing fast. What started as a handful of laptop-friendly cafés has evolved into dedicated coworking spaces with fiber optic internet, proper desks, and communities of remote workers who chose the Caribbean specifically for its raw, unpolished charm. If you are the type of nomad who would rather hear howler monkeys than club music while you work, Puerto Viejo might be your place.
The Coworking Spaces
Puerto&Co
Puerto&Co is the anchor of the coworking scene here — a purpose-built coworking space and vegan café right in the heart of town. The space has over 20 desks with comfortable office chairs, most of them offering jungle views that make staring out the window during a creative block feel almost productive. The fiber optic internet is the real deal — symmetrical upload and download speeds that handle Zoom calls, large file transfers, and video uploads without breaking a sweat.
Pricing is flexible: $15/day, $40/week, or $150/month for full membership. They also offer internet-only passes starting at $4/hour if you just need to hop on for a quick call. The on-site vegan café serves organic coffee and a full menu — just note that no meat or fish products are allowed in the space. Two meeting rooms and a private call room round out the offerings. Open daily from 8am to 8pm.
BOA Coworking Space
BOA Coworking sits upstairs from the Green Jaguar Irish Gastro Pub, right behind Koki Beach. It is a coworking space, café, lounge, and gallery rolled into one — the kind of multi-purpose creative space that feels very Puerto Viejo. The internet is fiber optic and reliable, the smoothie bowls are excellent, and the free French press coffee keeps flowing. At $7/day, $30/week, or $100/month, it is also the most budget-friendly dedicated coworking option in town. The space has a vegetarian food menu and a laid-back atmosphere that attracts a creative crowd.
Selina Puerto Viejo
Selina is the global hostel-meets-coworking brand, and their Puerto Viejo location — about 1 km from the town center — is one of the better Selina coworking setups I have used. The workspace features hot desks with ergonomic chairs, a phone booth for private calls, a meeting room, beach views from two balconies, and the kind of creative décor that makes your Instagram story look effortlessly cool. Hot desks run $10/day or $50/week. Beyond the workspace, you get access to Selina’s pool, pizza garden, beachfront bar, and yoga deck. You do not need to be a hotel guest to use the coworking space.
Grow Puerto Viejo
Grow Puerto Viejo is a newer addition to the coworking scene, bringing more options and capacity to a town that needed it. The space focuses on community building alongside workspace, creating an environment where remote workers can connect with locals and fellow nomads. Check their current offerings for the latest pricing and availability.
Café Options for Remote Work
Beyond dedicated coworking spaces, Puerto Viejo has a handful of cafés where laptop work is welcome — though you should be respectful about it. The café culture here is more “chill with a book” than “grind on your laptop,” so read the room. A few spots worth checking: look for cafés along the main road that advertise WiFi. Many restaurants also have decent connections during off-peak hours. Just be aware that Puerto Viejo does experience occasional power outages lasting a couple of hours — it is part of Caribbean life. Having a backup battery and your phone as a hotspot is smart insurance.
Internet and Connectivity
This used to be the dealbreaker for remote work in Puerto Viejo, but things have improved dramatically. Fiber optic internet has arrived in town, and the dedicated coworking spaces (Puerto&Co and BOA in particular) offer genuinely fast, reliable connections. That said, the town’s general infrastructure is still Caribbean — meaning power outages happen, usually lasting an hour or two. The coworking spaces handle this better than cafés since some have backup systems. If you are renting a house or apartment, ask specifically about internet speed before booking. Fiber is available in some areas but not all, and the difference between fiber and the older DSL connections is night and day.
Cost of Living
Puerto Viejo is one of the more affordable beach towns in Costa Rica for remote workers. A basic room or shared apartment runs $400-700/month, and you can find nicer places with kitchens and WiFi for $800-1,200. Eating out at local Caribbean restaurants (the “sodas”) costs $5-8 per meal, and the town has a few grocery stores for cooking at home. Add $100-150 for coworking space membership, and you are looking at a total monthly budget of roughly $1,200-2,000 — significantly less than Nosara or Santa Teresa. Beer at a beach bar runs about $2-3, which is the kind of economic data that matters to honest nomad guides.
Where to Live
Most remote workers base themselves in or very close to Puerto Viejo town, where everything is within cycling distance. The town center puts you closest to the coworking spaces, restaurants, and nightlife. Playa Cocles, a 10-minute bike ride south, offers a quieter setting with excellent surf and a few great restaurants. Punta Uva, further south, is the most secluded and beautiful option — but you will need reliable transportation to get to town for coworking. Airbnbs and vacation rentals are abundant; check Facebook groups like “Puerto Viejo Rentals” for longer-term deals. Many landlords offer monthly rates that are significantly cheaper than the nightly Airbnb price.
The Lifestyle
This is where Puerto Viejo really shines. The Caribbean coast has a completely different culture from the Pacific side — the Afro-Caribbean heritage, the reggae soundtrack, the rice-and-beans-with-coconut-milk that replaces gallo pinto, the sloths hanging in the trees along the main road. The surfing is good (especially at Salsa Brava for experienced surfers and Cocles for everyone else), the snorkeling at Cahuita National Park is some of the best in the country, and the jungle hikes to waterfalls and wildlife refuges are world-class.
The social scene is vibrant but not overwhelming. Tuesday nights at Salsa Brava bar, weekend markets, community yoga, and spontaneous beach bonfires make up the social calendar. It is a town where you will know people by name within a week. The expat and nomad community is growing but still small enough to feel genuine — people look out for each other here.
Getting Here and Getting Around
Puerto Viejo is about a 4.5-hour drive from San José, or you can take a bus from the Caribe terminal in San José (around $10, roughly 5 hours). There are no commercial flights to the Caribbean coast. The road from San José crosses through Braulio Carrillo National Park — a stunning drive through cloud forest that can get foggy and rainy, so drive carefully. Once you arrive, a bicycle is genuinely the best way to get around. The town is flat, distances are short, and cycling along the coastal road is one of the daily pleasures of life here. You can rent bikes for about $5-8/day or $30-50/month. For trips to Cahuita or Manzanillo, local buses run regularly and are cheap.
Safety and Practical Tips
Puerto Viejo has a reputation that is a bit rougher than the Pacific beach towns, and it is worth being straightforward about it. Petty theft does happen — do not leave valuables on the beach or in unlocked cars. At night, stick to the main road and well-lit areas, and avoid walking alone on dark stretches of beach. That said, the vast majority of visitors and residents feel safe here, and violent crime targeting tourists is rare. Use the same common sense you would in any developing-world beach town. Lock your doors, do not flash expensive electronics unnecessarily, and you will be fine.
Other practical notes: the nearest hospital is in Limón (about an hour away), though there is a basic clinic in town. ATMs exist but sometimes run out of cash on busy weekends — carry some colones. The rainy season (May-November) brings heavy afternoon showers but also lush green landscapes and fewer tourists. The dry season (December-April) is peak time with higher prices and more crowds.
Who Should Work From Puerto Viejo
Puerto Viejo is ideal for remote workers who value authenticity over polish. If you want a town that has not been smoothed out for tourists, where the culture is genuinely Caribbean, where the jungle meets the ocean, and where $1,500 a month gets you a comfortable life with a coworking membership — this is your spot. It is not for everyone: the infrastructure is less developed than the Pacific coast, the nightlife can get rowdy, and the humidity is real. But for those who connect with the Caribbean vibe, Puerto Viejo has a way of getting under your skin. I have met more than a few nomads who came for a week and stayed for months.
Quick Reference
Best coworking space: BOA Coworking (best value) or Puerto&Co (best infrastructure)
Average coworking cost: $100-150/month
Internet speed: Fiber optic at coworking spaces; variable elsewhere
Cost of living: $1,200-2,000/month
Best for: Budget-conscious nomads, surfers, nature lovers, Caribbean culture enthusiasts
Getting there: 4.5-hour drive or 5-hour bus from San José
Best time to visit: February-April (dry season) or September-October (quieter, lower prices)