Question- 3 things

1. The price of shipping packages from Amazon, Walmart, etc, and using shipping companies to take those items, ship them to CR, then yourself having to go to the shipping place and pick them up. The hastle and cost.
2. Medical insurance. So many different options and none of them great. I kept Medicare in the US as a backup but settled on insurance from INS for myself. Filling out the forms and getting everything just so to process a claim took forever. Cost is $334 per month including deductible.
3. Banking. It sucks here if you just simply want to set up a payment to an individual or even just a simple bill. The process was so painful, i decided to forego setting up a CR bank account and always use my American bank account. I need to rely on a neighbor to pay my internet bill in CR. I pay her in cash. I also pay my landlord in cash for my rent.

We use a transhipper who charges $6US per pound to bring things from Doral, Florida to Heredia. That's the total cost. His brother will put your packages on the bus to your nearest bus station for a very modest fee. Bus transportation is widely used in Costa Rica.

We had medical insurance through INS but found a better policy for less with Redbridge. It's comprehensive enough that we gave up our Medicare coverage in the States at a savings of some $150 per month each. It doesn't pay the Redbridge premium, but it helps.

The bureaucracy surrounding banking in Costa Rica is different from the U.S. experience, but "different" ain't necessarily "bad". We have our Social Security deposited at Banco Nacional. From there, we can pay all our bills online never having to leave my favorite chair. CR also has the person-to-person SINPE system that allows you to transfer funds to almost anyone with a bank account here at no cost. And you can easily do bank-to-bank transfers free or cheaply. The only drawback to Banco Nacional's website is that it's Spanish-only. Wading through that does take a little work.

Great Question !!!!   You should get tons of answers... I myself will be anxious to see what others have experienced...

Your Question: 

Name 3 things:

1 thing you wish you had known before going to Costa Rica,

1 thing you wish you had brought and

1 thing you wish you had left behind

1.The level of illiteracy; especially in rural areas.  I've been here long enough to see how much effects daily life... from the inability to read signs/direction/instructions; to chaos in 'waiting lines' and at Bus Terminals, to the 'shrugging off' education by teenagers whose parents didn't bother with it either (a sad and continuous cycle of a poor lifestyle); to how it contributes to teen pregnancy (like... 13 and 14 year olds) and incest.  Ultimately, I can even see a sort of aloofness and accepted intolerance amongst the educated people, especially in any kind of service industry (health care, migration, banking, etc.) when they are constantly confronted with somebody who can't read nor understand 'big' words. 

    Look:  Public education here isn't great... but it's free... and they should respect that because it is paid for by all taxpayers.  I told a good friend that his son could NOT be a part of a work crew doing concrete work on my property because he had dropped out of High School... against the wishes of his parents.  He, like many others, was too interested in riding his motorcycle and drinking and smoking.... since dropping out, he has had 3 accidents and lost 2 toes and half a finger and has become acquainted with hospital food; not to mention, blacklisted from jobs.  I told 'them' that I didn't want to risk having somebody so irresponsible on my property when there is equipment involved.  My friend is still my friend; and his son is learning some tough lessons.

2.Wish I brought but didn't ?????   Hard to answer. I've found, over time, most of what I need here and have learned the alternatives as well.  Example... 'Neobol' is the local alternative to Neo Sporin and is AMAZING.  I think it is a healing miracle. Get the cream and not the spray.  LOL!!    Otherwise... Probably nothing.  But more art would be nice.  Most 'art' here is craft and is souvenir oriented or just cheesy and unsophisticated. I'm an art snob.

3.I brought a heavy bedspread and a few blankets... basically, I used them to 'pack' things that were breakable.  But now they are useless as are the few sweaters that made it here... Where i live it almost never gets below 72 degrees.  The sweaters went to a guy who rides through the mountains, regularly, to get to work via motorcycle because it is cooler up there.  And the blankets??   I'm sure if I pull them out of their hiding places, they are starting to rot.

Pura Vida

@daveandmarcia

Appreciate your answers....

Would you be able to let me know how I can get in touch with the transhipper? I live in Atenas.

The state of Florida pays my entire Medicare premium but I may be interested in the Redbridge policy. Could you share information on how I can get in touch with them as well?

Bank to bank transfers from my US bank to any CR bank would be $40. I'm currently withdrawing what I need at the beginning of the month in 3 ATM transactions (can't do it in one shot because of too much of a withdrawel) that cost a lot less than the $40 I would need to pay. Also, the security you have to go through online just to pay a bill is ridiculous. You should be able to simply just set up a bill payment and have it automatically or manual process in one click.

@daveandmarcia

My computer automatically translates the BN website into English; if I want it to.

@William Yeager

Banco Nacional has a very easy bill pay system.  You only have to put your utility or Caja account number in the First time you use it... afterwards, you just click on Who you are paying and your monthly amout that is Due automatically pops up, and then you select which of your accounts that you want to debit; and hit pay.  You get an email from them, almost immediately, saying that you have paid. 

1. Wish I'd known beforehand: the increase in crime in recent years, particularly trafficking by drug & weapons cartels (in certain areas). Also how prevalent & heavily used agricultural chemicals are here (#3 in the world for pesticide use per acre), and how hard it is to find food grown without them.
2. Wish I'd brought: hmmm, I pretty much brought "everything but the kitchen sink", so I'm good, haha.
3. Wish I hadn't brought: 2 winter coats & an abundance of T-necks. Even tho I brought them for evenings/nights in the mountains, I still haven't needed them at all.

A). The one thing I wish I had known before going to Costa Rica: How hard it would be setting up a bank account in CR; it took me seven tries over seven weeks to do so in a credit union; I will open another account in a bank in four months [when I was instructed that they would consider my application.  (I attempted to apply both in a nearby provincial capital, tought not conveniently located for me, after I was turned down by the two banks in the town where I live.

Tied for first: Securing affordable traveler's insurance that did not disqualify me on account of age and pre-existing conditions. (I managed to succeed at both and get the bank account established and enroll in traveler's insurance.). I managed to achieve both of these goals, but it took a lot of time and effort to do so.

B). The one thing I wish I had brought with me to Costa Rica: I converted my old IPhone with a SIM card for use in CR, but this action canceled my ability to communicate by text or phone with family and friends in the USA. I made the move with CLARO, which worked best to provide the coverage where I live and travel. Only today did I resolve this situation by buying two (2) inexpensive, new (and basic) flip phones from a carrier in the States and being able to have them "ping" off cell phone towers in the USA at proper intervals to keep them active. Knowing what I know now, I would have attended to that matter before departing for CR.

C). My bags were limited to 50## or a massive overweight fee. So, I jam-packed each of them, and came in just underweight with both. I wish I had brought more books and some personal items of sentimental value, which I have stored in the USA. I may reclaim selectively some of those after massive downsizing in which I cleared out totally my apartment...

I also wish I could have brought more inexpensive (with co-payment insurance) drugs down with me, because the retail price in pharmacies in CR, while less than for comparable uninsured drugs in the US, are relatively pricey as an out-of-pocket expense.

Waiting for a bus can be a hassle, but it's a nice way to interact with the locals and very inexpensive. Cabs are also cheap by US standards. I do not miss the $5,000.00 per year that I expended on my car (insurance, gas, tolls, maintenance and upkeep, registration and inspection fees).

D). I replenished my wardrobe inexpensively upon arrival and could have left half of the clothing behind that I brought down. Anything I needed for home furnishings, I found at Super Walmart, el Rey, Pequeño Mundo, or the local supermarkets such as MegaSuper or AutoMercado, in addition to "mom-and-pop" storefronts in my town.

Because of weight restrictions, My luggage was limited to a rolling duffle bag, a rolling suitcase, a small carry-on rolling suitcase, and a laptop case.

I brought down only a single travel guide. I should have brought other books (English and Spanish), along with such items as a Bible [many of which are accessible online or through apps.

E). I've found plenty of places to buy inexpensive clothing suitable for the Tropics, so I could have left behind half of the clothing that I took and replaced it with other items.

I did take about ten tubes of sunscreen, which is expensive in CR, and hard to get in high SPF ratings.

re.: William Yeager

I have already posted on many advantages of joining MediSmart.

Not a panacea, but a great advantage for people like me, paying privately and out-of-pocket for health care.

A very helpful site is Tiendamia, which operates in places like CR and Colombia and ships products procured from Amazon from South Florida.

Safe and reliable for delivery to your Tico address via motorcycle courier.