Costa Rican communication norms are broadly similar to those in Western Europe or North America: making reasonable eye contact while speaking or listening is seen as attentive and respectful. There is no strong cultural rule requiring you to avoid eye contact with elders or authority figures, though a slightly softer gaze in formal or hierarchical settings is naturally appropriate. Prolonged, unblinking staring would feel aggressive or odd, but that's a universal social cue rather than a Costa Rica-specific one. Urban and rural settings don't differ meaningfully on this point.
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Try the Local Etiquette & Taboos Checker →There's no strong cultural expectation to look away from elders or authority figures in Costa Rica. Normal, respectful eye contact is fine in those interactions. You might naturally soften your gaze or be less intense in very formal settings, but this is common courtesy anywhere rather than a specific local rule.
Prolonged eye contact from a stranger, particularly a man toward a woman, can sometimes be read as flirtatious or forward — but this is a fairly universal dynamic rather than uniquely Costa Rican. In normal social or professional conversations between any genders, typical eye contact is simply seen as polite and engaged.
Costa Ricans tend to be warm and relatively close in personal space compared to Northern European norms, and greetings often include a light handshake or a cheek kiss among acquaintances. The famous 'pura vida' attitude also means interactions are generally relaxed and unhurried, so a calm, friendly demeanor matters more than worrying about specific eye contact rules.