City assessment
How smart is San José?
San José scores 64.6% against the ISO 37120-series aligned smart city framework in 2026, ranked #223 of 386 by smart reach and #200 on the evidence alone, with every finding traceable to a public source.
Each criterion counts in full where the evidence shows it present, half where partial and nothing where absent, weighted by its category. 8 of 86 are not yet assessed and count as nothing until a finding is made either way. Last assessed 23 Oct 2026.
Smart reach rank
#223 / 386
Smart score
64.6%
Evidenced rank
#200 / 387
Criteria present
45 / 86
Evidence coverage
76.7%
San José's smart city score by area
10 present · 2 partial · 2 absent · 1 not yet assessed
3 present · 2 partial · 4 absent · 3 not yet assessed
10 present · 2 partial · 1 absent
4 present · 5 partial · 1 absent · 1 not yet assessed
7 present · 3 partial · 1 absent · 2 not yet assessed
5 present · 2 partial · 0 absent · 1 not yet assessed
6 present · 5 partial · 3 absent
Where San José is strong
- ▸Climate Action & Emissions
- ▸Green Space & Biodiversity
- ▸Housing & Urban Planning
- ▸Education & Digital Skills
- ▸Open Data & Transparency
Where the evidence shows gaps
- ▸Public Transport & Real-Time Information · 2 absent, 1 partial
- ▸Water & Sanitation · 1 absent, 3 partial
- ▸Governance & Smart-City Operating Model · 2 absent
- ▸Inclusion & Civic Participation · 1 absent, 1 partial
- ▸Climate Adaptation & Heat · 1 absent, 1 partial
Not yet assessed
8 of 86 criteria have no finding yet, either way. They count as nothing in the score until one is made, and they are not gaps.
- Active & Shared Mobility2 of 4
- Connectivity & ICT Infrastructure1 of 4
- Food Security & Urban Agriculture1 of 2
- Inclusion & Civic Participation1 of 3
- Public Safety & Emergency1 of 4
- Smart Traffic & Electric Vehicles1 of 4
- Solid Waste & Circular Economy1 of 4
Evidence highlights
Open Data & Transparency · Official open data portal
The Autoridad Reguladora de los Servicios Públicos (ARESEP) in Costa Rica operates a 'Datos Abiertos' section providing citizens access to data and information, fulfilling transparency principles.
https://www.aresep.go.cr/datos-abiertos/Open Data & Transparency · High-value datasets published
The ARESEP open data section provides datasets including annual budget execution for both income and expenses, as well as contractual execution information.
https://www.aresep.go.cr/datos-abiertos/Public Transport & Real-Time Information · Public transport network
San José, Costa Rica, has public transport services, including passenger train services operated by INCOFER with available routes, schedules, and fares. These services are regulated by the Autoridad Reguladora de los Servicios Públicos (ARESEP) and the Cons…
https://www.mopt.go.cr/Smart Traffic & Electric Vehicles · EV charging network
Compañía Nacional de Fuerza y Luz (CNFL) offers an electric vehicle charging service, including a vehicle charging network where users can obtain an RFID card to pay for recharges at individual chargers.
https://www.cnfl.go.cr/servicios/movilidad-electricaAbout this assessment
San José was assessed against the 86 criteria of the ISO 37120-series aligned smart city framework on 23 Oct 2026 by AI agents gathering evidence from official public sources. Each criterion is marked present, partial or absent, or left not yet assessed, and every finding links to where it was found. Cities are re-assessed in runs, not continuously: the latest finished on 24 Oct 2026.