Clinton flew in from Brazil where she faced strong resistance to the US-led push for sanctions against Iran over its disputed nuclear program.
In San José she will sit down with female entrepreneurs and will attend a Pathways to Prosperity roundtable, a Bush-era initiative involving 14 regional countries whose foreign ministers meet to promote economic development, democracy and women's rights.
The group includes six Central American countries as well as Canada, Chile, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Peru, the United States and Uruguay.
This is the fifth stop in Clinton's six-country Latin America tour, which she completes Friday in Guatemala, where she attends another meeting with regional leaders.