Looking for Friends and Fun in Costa Rica

Hi Court_Costa Rica,

Welcome to Expat.com!

I want to move to Costa Rica. Are there any expat groups or clubs?

Hi Courtney,

I'm from NYC and I've been here with my dog Marley for about 8 months.  I currently live in San Jose, San Rafael de Escazu.  I've met a bunch of great people here and we've been exploring the country together in our free time.  Send me a message sometime.

Best,

JB

hello, I too have moved here somewhat recently and would like to meet others. If anyone is interested in meeting please let me know!  I live in Santa Ana now and have a somewhat flexible schedule.

Angie

hello my name is Steven. i live in Las Vegas, Nevada. i have been unemployed for 29 months now. i was forced to take early retirement and live on a limited income. i have not had health insurance for 29 months either. my home is completely upside down! i am planning to visit San Jose, Costa Rica soon and i have no idea where to go from there. i am seriously debating moving to Costa Rica, Belize, Panama, Ecuador or Nicaragua permanently and within the next 6 months to a year but i do not know anyone there. i am hoping to find expatriots there to converse with and find out everything i can. i am worried about going to somewhere dangerous because i do not know what areas to stay away from. i do not know the best places to see for consideration. i love the gym, swimming, nature, animals, scuba diving, snorkeling, restaraunts, theatre and so on. i would love any suggestions or help that you can give me. i need to make a decision soon because i can no longer afford to live here in the USA. i have 6 cats that are fairly old and i love them dearly. i want to take them with me. do you know how pet friendly home rentals are there? i appreciate any info you can give me.
                             thank you in advance
                                  Steven Z.

Hey guys,
   Happy New Year to all, I have just recently moved here and looking for some friends. I live in the Heredia area and am very flexible with my schedule. You can message me and I can send you my email address.
JOn

Post your pic

Hi i am Jamaican been here three years

Hello!

Thank you so much for reach out and saying hi!
My name is Raffaele, I am Canadian/ Italian. I am looking to move to Costa Rica shortly. I work online so you can reach me any time you want to talk. I'd love to know all your thoughts about Costa Rica. I have been all over Costa Rica but never thought about living there until now. I've stayed mostly around Jaco. Any advice is very much appreciated. Thank you again!

hello to u all.... reach out and be ready to help out with info or anything might need . been here almost 30 years.... hope everyone is safe and healthy!!

Hi Mike,

I am not hearing many good things for foreigners wanting to live in Costa Rica. From buying property to renting an apartment. People aren't as friendly as advertised. Crime is bad, and the police are no help to foreigners. They feel resentful. What's your take on this? What's been your experience? My life is work from home on-line, hit the beach and hit the gym. Repeat. Rent a place at first, get to know the areas and possibly buy something I find that suits my purpose.  However, I am getting confused with mixed reviews. Shed some light please! I've vacationed a number of times. Usually around the Jaco area.
I am in RealEstate investment and development. I also own a digital marketing company. On online health and wellness site I am launching very soon. All these will generate revenue.

Thank you in advance.

Just wanted to reach out and say hi. Hi!

Hi there, are you talking about Nicaragua or CR??  haha Yes the Police suck here and they suck so much worse in Nica!! So here in CR is very easy to live and not have to worry about crime so much but that depends where you want to live! I have lived all over CR and lived in the worst areas like Limon and some other parts of SJ. You just have to find the right crowd and not mix up in any other type of crowds that will get you into trouble. I have bought properties here in CR and also did construction and i do rent out Apts and all that and never ever had any problems!! Buying a car here and renting a place is very easy and simple like i said you need to find the right area and the right people. Santa Ana and Escazu I highly recommend it if you wanted to live and their are a lot of private and public schools if you have children. That also my thing here in CR is Real Estate and Rentals. In CR there are a lot of great places to buy land and or property with house and prices have gone down because of the pandemic and everyone is selling included me since i have other projects need to attend to first..  but CR is really a Pura Vida kind of life!! You mentioned Jaco and i also lived out there too and met so many people from the States and Canada who have bought and planning to spend the rest of their lives here. I go to Jaco and that area all the time and 45min to and hour drive now to Jaco from where i live in Santa Ana..

Thank you for the reply. I was referring to Costa Rica. I have no intension in living or even going to Nic.

Thank you for the input.

Hi Mike,

I also have no clue. I've been in Costa Rica last year, drove the car across for one week.
People I know are building houses in Osa peninsula, between Puerto Jimenez and La Palma. I bought the land there and they are about to start constructing a small house for me where I plan to retire. I don't know CR, what I have so far seen last year wasn't much. What is easy in Canada requires effort and time in CR. The location where I build the house is isolated (20km to Puerto Jimenez, the biggest closest town). So, I am jumping into unknown, as I don't plan to come back to Canada. I do appreciate any input.

If you're not a papered  resident  make sure you have your passport  with  while driving.  I always  keep  20 thousand  colonies for donations incase I forget. 4 times in 8 years  i have paid dues and i drive a white hilux  just like the cops .usually  the old boys on the force are the takers. Get your honeymoon  year  over with  then hopefully  your eyes are open to some of the ways of CR.pura vida

Hi Raffaele,

I am Henry from Canada. I guess we are in the same boat. I plan to move to CR at the end of summer (rainy season there) and engage the immigration lawyer to get the temporary residence.
My house at peninsula de Osa won't be built at that time, so I'll be renting. For now, I am learning Spanish. I took early retirement from my job as an IT manager (it is better to enjoy freedom while you are healthy), and hope to really enjoy the time there. I believe things depend on our attitude. If we are prepared for bureaucracy, extra expenses, petty crime and slow driving we should be ok. Let's keep in touch and exchange the details about this country.

Thank you, David, for the useful advice. Sounds familiar, as I grew up in Ukraine.. Well, I'll have to recollect old rules

I been here 8 years because  its a good place if you find the right neighborhood

The place I am moving is in the middle of nowhere, Osa, 20km from Puerto Jimenez. Pretty isolated but the services like internet, garbage collection, etc are available. This is a 20 houses development. For now, just the builder and a couple of more people live there. I wanted a quiet place, so I am building a house there. There will be challenges like buying a car and arranging services as well as applying for a temp residence. I'll be taking my dog with me. For now I am trying to learn some Spanish. David, what part of Costa Rica are you residing? As understand, there are a few expatriates in Osa.

👍🏻

Im 45 minutes from san jose. Sarchi .very small town but to noisy. One thing you will  learn is respect is almost  nonexistent here as well as other countries  but san ramon is a great small town  growing  its my favorite. I was in osa in 2005 but it wasnt my flavor.

👍🏻

Bonjour Mike,

Je suis français et je projette également de m'installer au Costa Rica rapidement.
Je me suis également rendu dans le pays en décembre 2020.
J'ai été très intéressé par la région de Puntarenas, mais je ne connais pas vraiment le pays.

Si tu as des informations je suis preneur.

Michel

Quel est la bonne région et le bon quartier?