According to the Territorial Administrative Division, the cantons of Costa Rica are subdivided into 492 districts (distritos), each of which has a unique five-digit postal code.^[1]

Each canton is divided into districts whose number varies from canton to canton. Each district has a District Council chaired by a syndic, all popularly elected. The District Council is the interlocutor between the district and the municipal government and ensures the communal and neighborhood interests before the Municipal Council;. However, the direct administration of the district falls to the municipality; the District Councils also exercise administrative functions such as forwarding projects to the Council and supervising the mayor's work.

Postal codes in Costa Rica are five-digit numeric, and were introduced in March 2007; they are associated with and identify a unique district. The first digit denotes one of the seven provinces, the 2nd and 3rd refer to the 82 cantons (unique within the province), the 4th and 5th the 488 districts (unique within the canton).^[2] The numbers are the same as used by the Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos (INEC).^[3]

1.^ The Zarcero canton was previously known as Alfaro Ruiz.

2.^ The Sarchí canton was previously known as Valverde Vega.

3.^ Río Cuarto district became a canton in 2017, the old postal code was 20306.

4.^ Santa Rita, Santa Isabel, Reventazón, and Cabeceras do not have a postal code assigned yet as of June 2020, but the current INEC code will be assigned as such.

• Provinces of Costa Rica
• Cantons of Costa Rica