Retiree moving from Canada to Costa Rica

@mamitch76

All good questions.  I'll try to give you responses from what I know about some of them; I'm sure you'll get other responses.  Be prepared... there will be 'variety' in those responses.  LOL

First... call me stupid, but what is a D7 visa??   Most of us only know of one type of 'visa' and that is the STAMP that you automatically get on your passport when you ENTER Costa Rica... whether at one of the (2) Int'l airports; or at a land border.  That visa Stamp can be as long as 180 days ... or less... it depends on what the Agent decides to give you.  If your first trip is only a month; then you should be fine.  Always look at that stamp after you get it to see how many 'days' you have to stay... overstaying is a huge issue and you may never be allowed to return.  The only other visas are for approved overseas workers; medical professionals; etc.   You will be a tourist.  Just come and enjoy.

So here goes...

1. Find out the area where you are most interested in living FIRST before you attach yourself to an RE agent.  They may not want to travel 5 hours to help you; and if they do... you will pay for their drive time; overnight accommodations; etc.  You should know this... 90% of Costa Ricans do not use agents.  That should tell you something.  Come here, find something, ask the seller if they have a lawyer (use your common sense to smell out a scam); or ask a local if they can recommend a RE Lawyer or Agent to take care of the sale.

          1.B;  I would look at the on-line classifieds for Latin America called; 'Encuentra24' first,  The site is a little wonky, but once you get the hang of it, you'll be able to navigate it to CR, and then enter areas (cities, cantons, etc.) and the type of property (house, land, commercial; etc.) that you are looking for; you can even narrow the search by price range.  Many Times... the properties are listed by an agent already.  Also... The site is a really good way to check out house prices for certain areas for comparison sake; and even if you don't like what you see... it will give you an idea of what is available and for what price.  Most listings come with multiple photographs and even slide shows or stomach churning videos.  Most that you see will be out of your price range OR... just Ugly... but a little renovation and some paint and civilized furnishings. works wonders.  Things will fall into place once you get started.  Never pay a deposit to anybody unless it is directly to a bank account from the 'trusted' lawyer or RE agent.  All properties 'sold' by licensed agents are required to have CLEAN titles.  Ask about the title right away... common here for there to be a scum-bag dead-beat grandson or relative who is 'lurking' in the shadows waiting to pull a scam when it comes to Grandma's old house; or the family home... without anybody knowing it.   Just keep a straight head about things.

    1.C;  Also... you don't really need an 'Immigration Lawer'... many times they are just called 'Residency Services'... and those service ONLY do residencies (usually for Americans,Canadians, and some Europeans)  Many of the residency services have/are lawyers.  ALL lawyers in CR will say they can do it for you... but they are busy with other things...  use a residency service who will do it right and most likely, more expediently since that is all they do.  The fee these days for that runs $3500 to $5000 US per person.  Go online now and look up Costa Rican Residency.  There are only 4-5 types/options; you need to determine that first and foremost.  Dude... We don't know your age or monthly 'guaranteed' retirement income; so we can't help you much with a recommendation for 'type' of residency that fits you.  My guess is... if you are not yet retired, you will have to go the 'Rentista' route... I did it; it worked well.  I had to keep $60K US in the bank for my first 3 years of 'legal' temporary residency ... which you won't get right away.

It goes like this...Once your application is turned in... it could take up to 3-4 months for it to be 'Accepted for Processing ONLY'... and then after that (you'll get a document saying so and you won't have to leave when your passport stamp expires... always keep that document with your passport), another11-15 months for it to get Approved.  Once it is approved; you will get new documents and you'll be instructed to 1st go and join (mandatory for Residency) the National Healthcare program (Caja); and then to apply for an ID card.  In that order.  Your official Temporary Residency is good for 2 years; after which time, you have to renew...  renewal has caveats depending on what type of Residency you apply for.  After THREE full years of legal, temporary Residency... you can apply for Permanent Residency.   

    1.D;  My 'opinion' regarding your finances... you can live 'comfortably' if you live like the Ticos do and not the Expats who come here and 'duplicate' their living situations from up north.  You may have to go without a pool, AC, clothes dryer, car, etc.  But only you know you.  Also... you can find a 'home' on a decent sized property for less than $50K US... but it will need some work.  I wouldn't go hog-wild at first... there are always hickups along the way and you can't use the national healthcare system here until you are a member... which won't happen for at least the first 12-18 months.

2.Ottawa.  I'm sure you can get 'official' copies (get 3-4 of them) of your birth certificate by ordering on line.  Check with the offices of the area/city where you were born.  And then, when you are ready to get ALL documents apostilled at a Costa Rican consulate or Embassy in Canada... call them!   Ask if you can send them rather than walk them in person.  And... do they have or know of a 'service' that can do it for you.  I am an american... I did it all from here in CR... my 'service' had a liaison in the states who walked my documents into a Consulate up there for me.  Just do some research.

3."Nice Town with nice Locals...?"  As a small town guy myself, I wanted the same.  I had no interest in San Jose.  I did 2 important things... ONE, I made a 'needs' list of what I HAD TO HAVE in order to not be miserable here (LOL!!); and TWO, I came and looked around... a lot!!   11 days from the southern most areas to the Guanacaste coast.  I saw 'dream' spots that were also missing most of my 'needs' list items (like paved road, less than 30 minute proximity to Hospital; good shopping; etc.)  So the dream spots will be my 'short term' vacation places; but I ended up close to medium towns and smaller cities with reasonable amenities.  You are smart to know that about yourself.   I only have a few recommendations... I am sure you'll get others from other areas of CR.   

A.The area around San Ramon.  San Ramon is nice small city, all shopping, hospital, Capital of it's Canton of the same name, and only 1.5 hours (at most) from Airport... and is close enough to SJ to enjoy all the big city amenities.  San Ramon has many small towns and hamlets in the surrounding hills (higher up... cooler temps) that are within 10-20 minutes of town... many of them served by Public Bus system.  More than just hourly buses to San Jose (airport) and Puntarenas; 5 dailies up to La Fortuna; and of course... many local buses to surrounding towns, including Palmares and Naranjo.

B.Quesada... capital of the canton of San Carlos... 2 hours north of airport and it is the gateway to the central north of Costa Rica.  A big, busy town with All amenities; and rather rich... but not pretty.  The surrounding areas have almost any 'kind' of landscape that would please you... from mountain towns with cool temps and cloud-like 'atmosphere' for days on end at times, to low tropical, warmer valleys full of tiny towns and bigger ones.  It is a big Agricultural area... produce, meat and dairy are plentiful and affordable; it has a National Soccer Team, post high-school educational institutions; tons of medical care options, etc.  Many areas are served by Public Transport... and the city itself has a 'municipal' bus line to the outer neighborhoods (great when its raining) and a really good sized Bus Station with tons of busses going to SJ, Airport, La Fortuna, and ALL POINTS NORTH.  The bus station is clean, has tons of food and shopping and is a one block walk to Walmart, and other shopping.  Taxis are everywhere in Costa Rica... both 'legal' and 'pirate' versions...  usually the later is your only option in a small village... I have my regular and he is cheap and reliable.  You won't be alone in the taxi... but it is 3x faster than the bus if you need it to be.

C.San Isidro General.  This is a big town in southern CR and is somewhat close to the south central Pacific beaches.  The town has a great 'mountain' backdrop and is surrounded by tons of small towns and villages.  Probably 4 ?? hours to San Jose and Airport... and most likely not as many shopping options.  But proximity to beaches means that there will be vendors and such selling things that Tourists are looking for... bagels, sushi, etc.  If that interests you.   I liked it there... but I chose the north of CR instead because I live within 1 hour of La Fortuna, Quesada, and San Ramon and I love the rain and many rivers here and the 'country' life ... even though it is not REMOTE.  I walk 300 meters to the bus stop and can catch 5 buses daily to all three of those locations.  The neighboring towns have hardware stores, bakeries, and supermarkets, vet, copy shop; etc.  I can walk or take my scooter (it has pedals, so no license or registration is necessary!!)  My village has 150 people and is on a dead-end road... mountains behind us where we hear the Howler Monkeys every morning,.. and the occasional visits from Capuchin monkeys, Pumas and Jaguars... as well as Pizotes, Guatusas, and Ocelots... and don't forget the birds;  Parrots, toucans, macaws, eagles, vultures, hummingbirds and everything in between.. even water fowl. 

I paid $54K for a concrete house with metal roof on 1500 square meters (too big)... put another $35K into a renovation to make it livable (there was no kitchen nor 'civilized' idea of a bathroom).  Good neighbors, we trade produce when we have extra... and you can grow ANYTHING that likes a lot of rain and tropical temps... thus, bananas, plantains, cas, avocado, etc..  I like the 'low labor' stuff... like pineapple and herps too.  No crime, I don't lock my doors, I don't have bars on windows and porches, and no tall fence around my property.  Do people feel free to come onto my property... sure.  But as long as I know them and they know me... they can cut that tall white flower along the border to cook with their morning eggs... BE MY GUEST!!!

4.What inoculations should I get before going?  Talk to your local Travel Medicine Doctor (usually at a university))  Generally, you won't need Yellow Fever if you aren't planning on living or visiting a wetland area (swamp)  I think I got Hepatitis A Shots (2), a flu shot, a tetanus shot, and Typhoid.  Of course.. you should include updated COVID shots and I recommend a Shingles Vaccine if you can get one.  I had shingles here and it really sucked.  They didn't even know what it was... I had to find it on the internet after I saw a Shingles vaccine commercial on the news... It is called Herpes Zostar.

5.I only recommend one of the THREE national banks...BN (banco nacional); BCR (Banco de Costa Rica) and BP (Banco Popular).  In hindsight... I wish I had gone with BCR because that is where you have to pay all Residency fees and Migration stuff.  But BN is fine and my go-to location in ciudad Quesada has a few good English Speakers.  Work on your Spanish... I used/use Duolingo... it is free.  I studied it RELIGIOUSLY... knowing Spanish will Change Everything about your experience here.

Pension Question...  You'll have to ask your bank... many North American Banks will not transfer you funds without your signature... you will have to, most likely, go with a service that does it for you... for a nominal monthly fee.

6.Smart to purge... i brought only that which I could bring on a plane.  I came here 5 times and brought  A TON of things.. read up on your airline's baggage rules, and 'extra' or 'overweight' exceptions/fees.  If you do use a shipper... use a CR shipper; ask that as another Question on this forum... you'll get good info.  Doing the 'airline' baggage thing meant no taxes, no customs, etc... I had everything 'With Me' when I landed... including 3 cats, power tools, dishes, kitchen stuff, and clothing and some bedding and towels... which I used to wrap all the dishes.  NOT a single thing got broken nor lost.  And I didn't have to wait for the palette to 'appear' after months of waiting; nor deal with a delivery person that didn't speak English.

I think that the more you want to bring... the better off you are with a shipper.

7.Car or scooter?  Up to you!!!   Easy to decide after you are here and have settled in.  If you think you need a car because public transportation and taxis are NOT doing the trick... used cars are plentiful here. All kinds.  My weird advice... get a motorcycle license up there before you come, if you think that a cycle is in your future.  I really wish that I had.  It is easy to get a CR driver license if you already have a Canadian one ... for cars or motorcycles.  I want a motorcylce here... it just makes sense.  I am OK with my scooter... it runs on gas as electric won't work for me... my scooter trips are always too far for one battery... finding a place to recharge the battery in a small town or village is almost impossible. I would have to travel with an extra battery in order to get home.  Buying some gas is no problem and I keep gas here at my house for my grass cutter anyway.  I use the bus the most, then the scooter, and sometimes the pirate taxi.

Good luck!!!    I know you can do it.

@mamitch76

Forgot to add... Colombia is less expensive... your money will go further... I'm in the process of planning an investigative trip down there soon.  I sort of miss 'city' life and Colombia has a lot of it to offer!! 

This is from NUMBEO:

Indices Difference    Info

Cost of Living in Colombia is 46.2% lower than in Costa Rica (without rent)

Cost of Living Including Rent in Colombia is 47.5% lower than in Costa Rica

Rent Prices in Colombia are 52.3% lower than in Costa Rica

Restaurant Prices in Colombia are 50.0% lower than in Costa Rica

Groceries Prices in Colombia are 49.0% lower than in Costa Rica

Just food for thought.