Young family - which part of CR should we move to?

@cvanlijnden .....Checkout the most expensive places in Costa Rica,Escazu, the Nicoya Peninsula and you will get your answer for your $life altering move$........

San Juanillo. You’ll absolutely love the area around nosara but you’ll be far enough from the business and though crime in the area isn’t like other places there is more on the beaches in nosara then a few minutes away in San huanillo

While not close to the beach (Jaco is about 1.5 hours), I have settled in Atenas.  It's 45 minutes to Escazú without traffic, 30 minutes to the airport, and I get to the beach often.  Great schools.  Good community.  I feel it has the right balance.

When you are here to look you might want to check out a property for sale in La Flor Tres Equise in a small expat community .  It is a quiet area and the climate is perfect so no need for heat or air conditioning.  You can find the listing on line. 

But a word of warning.  Check out all the details including things like permits needed and do not use the same real estate broker as the seller.

@Justagirl8870 ....San Juanillo is a mud hole in the rainy season.They won't be able to drive out of there for the basics.Actually the beaches are the wrong place for them(lowland tropical heat is 2 fold in the summer).Too many variables in their post,Costa Rica is not for them,to move to.....However great place for their vacation in the dry season !

The most difficult thing on your list will be to find an acceptable school for your daughter. That school must satisfy your wishes academically, but it must also be physically accessible year around. The best school isn’t much good if the roads or the weather prevent your getting there. Consider cost, too.

Once you have identified the school that meets your needs, onlt then start looking for a nearby residential location. Consider, too, the surrounding community and the local amenities. Are the local stores stocked to meet your needs and wants? How about medical care? Etc, etc . . .

Thanks for the replies, everyone!

@edwinemora not sure what sentiment underlies your first reply. It sounds like you're frustrated about bright-eyed, clueless foreigners paying excessive price and causing gentrification? If so, I'm sorry that's happening, and I can assure you we don't intend to add to that trend. In your second post, you say there is basically no place in Costa Rica that suits our criteria. Is that really true, though? Living by the beach would be nice, but isn't mandatory at all, and right now at least, it seems to me like e.g. Atenas, as suggested by @pjPuraVida , would cover everything else we're looking for?

@daveandmarcia and @edwinemora good point about the roads. I realized this could be an issue in some parts of the country, but might have underestimated the extent of it. Is it really as bad as it sounds from your posts? Surely, though, the roads within a given town are always fine to drive on year-round, and your concerns only apply to roads leading to other towns/settlements, right?

@justagirl8870 San Juanillo seems nice, but doesn't that part of the country get quite hot & humid for a good part of the year?

@karenskrill it's too early for us to seriously look at any property, but just to be sure, which listing were you referring to? I can't find it here at least https://www.expat.com/en/housing/centra … osta-rica/

@cvanlijnden ....Go to 'Rich Burnam's' Nosara's podcast interview with'Cynthia Michaud &The James Initiative' on YOUTUBE.

Yes,mosquito borne tropical diseases still exist in coastal Costa Rica.Get a good peek into how the 'public medical system/caja

works in Costa Rica.The medical negligence killed her young son.Nosara,one of the most chic,sought after beach towns in the

world----but another terrible place within Costa Rica to have a medical emergency.

@edwinemora That's  a terrible tragedy for that woman, but the interview doesn't really contain any information on the state of Costa Rica's medical system in general. To point out a single case where a child died due to medical negligence isn't really saying anything, as you could find many such cases for literally every country in the world, even the one's with the absolute best medical systems.

Edwin

I say let them learn and experience it themselves, they will get hit with reality and realize paradise has more negatives than positives. definitely lot the place to raise a family unless you keep them locked down 24/7

most kids both  tico or foreigners get jacked for their cell phones, sneakers and nice clothing YIKES!

Oh yes and the Statistics of 1 to 3 year shelf life for expats packing it in and moving back to States or country or origin

Great place to visit but to get your mail forwarded,,, oh wait they have no real postal system or addresses or reasonable shipping cost

Live and Learn Pura Vida

@cvanlijnden ......I guess you missed the part how the strangling bureaucracy lessened that child's chances of survival.

@JBuonopane12 .....Yes ! I had predicted their scripted reply to my wife last night. It is the same scripted reply from foreigners, when it comes to crime also------'It is the same all over the world !'.When the reality is,crime is way worse in Costa Rica than the U.S.(PER CAPITA).......I have to understand,many people have lost hope in their country of origin and see Costa Rica as a shining star in a sea of despair on the planet--(HYPE). If one has the money or can afford to delve into such an adventure GO FOR IT----It is going to be a ride---buckle up !

cvanlijnden,

In my previous reply about where you should live, I simply meant to point out that, even if a school is close to your home getting there may be a problem. First, the rains we experience about half the year render some roads very difficult to transverse. Even on the relatively good highways between Grecia and Escazu, it routinely takes us about an hour or longer to travel about 50km. And that's in dry weather. The slightest traffic event and the elapsed time can double.

Second, if you're going any distance at all, you may find that there is no useful alternative route if your usual route is blocked.

Third, in many areas there is the risk of mudslides which can happen without warning and which can completely block a road or highway. Again, finding that alternative route can be a challenge.

Move to CR and rent for the 1st year.

Uvita is nice and has a good expat community if you get into one of the higher end places like Elan.

Nosara has a large expat community but is ridiculously over-priced. Granted, that's all relative depending on your income.

San Ramon is your answer - has everything on your list (including schools).  Town has great doctors, hospitals, University, fresh farmers markets but lots of shops.  Also if you still want access to first world products, you can find them there but at normally same price as back home but they are there if you want.  Great friendly people and a good expat commuinty (although they haven't taken over like Grecia or Atenas) so you can still enjoy the local culture.  Pm me if you wish more details - easier that way.  All the best in your adventure

@cvanlijnden  you must get a good referral for attorneys. My Spanish teacher, just outside of San Jose, also has a tourism company. Some guests told her they were buying a house on some communal property. The house cannot be in their name but in the community owners name. Locals and foreigners are both guilty of this so you much make sure anything you purchase is free and clear. We bought property about a mile from Playa Grande. Good luck! There are some wonderful and trustworthy people there to help you!

@JBuonopane12 yes but do they get gunned down?

i arrived in paradise in costa rica in 1995

it is still paradise for those who actually understand there is no free lunch

there are lots of nice decent people here but most of them do not have real smarts

of course there are lots of scam artists here so it is hard to know which to avoid in first few weeks

those of us with a position of solvency usually reside in escazu or santa ana

although my wife is building a house for rich people from switzerland in rodeo near ciudad colon

there were referred to her from the latin american director of merck pharma who only live here part time

costa rica has security issues most places on the beaches so you really have to be rambo unless you

live in one of those overpriced gated places like los suenos or four seasons

we purchased 7 condos in con casa as investment which is the most value for any complex in this country

the problem is traffic getting into san jose even though it is only 9 miles away

however con casa complex has about 3000 units with supermarkets and restaurants with real security and the

rent for 2 bed 2 bath condo with pool and tennis is around $600 month which most people can afford on retirement

my wife angela jimenez rocha has worked as appraiser for the banks and the court for 33 years so we have an advantage understanding the lay of the land   

see photos and references of what gringos think on orbitcostarica site