Possibly Relocating to Costa Rica

By far the best way to find a rental is to visit locally.  Many that you find on the internet will be vastly overpriced.  Checking with local stores, the locals themselves, and especially local taxi drivers will produce the best results.  Near the beach will be more expensive but you should be able to find something suitable in that price range.  There are many nice towns and areas on the Pacific Coast (would not recommend Jaco) and there may well be some on the Caribbean side as well but we have only stayed on the Pacific side.  Good luck!
Cheers .... Terry

Nice to see some Canadians especially westerners. I am in Vancouver myself, at least for now.
I am starting my stay in Playas del Coco and found a reasonable short term rental close to the beach. I plan on visiting the Pacific Coast and the area around San Jose as well.

Gotta say, I am quite excited - counting the sleeps to Feb. 20.

Dan

We leave on February 1st

A decent house is hard for $800. Your best option is to move around a bit and see what you like the best. Wifi can be found in most hotels. Try on the off season too, since prices may be lower. Good luck!

Planning on retiring and curious about grecia. anybody have advice?

Grecia is nice, but it all depends on what you are looking for. Make a list of what you want and be open to travel around a bit. Everyone is always so hot for the west side of the Central Valley, but I think Orosi is one of the most lovely places to live. We currently live on the Nicoya peninsula but it's not for everybody.
Good luck!

My wife and I have talked to a realtor in grecia and it does sound like a peaceful place to retire to. We now reside in Houston, Tx.We are both in our late 60's and will retire soon.We will be on a fixed income of about 50,000 yrly.We wanted to rent at first to see how it goes,and probably lease our house until we see if its for us.I was wondering how hard it was to open achecking acct. and buy a car.I was told that I could lease a small house for 800.00 mnt. plus utilities. They said some actually come with maid and gardner service very reasonable.Sounds too good to be true.

You need to have residency to open a bank account now. HSBC and Scotia Bank are two international banks that you can open in the US and use here.  If you are planning on immigrating and buying real estate, I strongly recommend getting a good lawyer. Do not, under any circumstances, sign ANYTHING without it translated properly into English for you. Even a rental agreement.  I use Outlier Legal and they are fantastic! Immigrating to a foreign country is never easy and the biggest mistake I have seen are people taking for granted what can actually happen to them. As a friend of mine says, “It's not supposed to make sense here.” Start learning Spanish too!! www.Outlierlegal.com
Good Luck!

Thanks for the info, I dont believe that we have those banks in Texas, but I' am starting my search.Someone had told me that USbanks can transfer money to businesses down there like to buy a car and furniture. We didn't want to carry yhat much cash on us.Do you know how long after you move down there that it takes to become residents? is there a program called Pensionade program where you put 1.000 in your bank acct. to qualify?How do like the medical care that you receive and do you like any hospitals that you may prefer?

Regarding the residency point , Please find the link from the costarican immigration department about the "Pensionado" conditions to apply for this type of residency dedicated to retired person with at least a 1ooo USD pension.

http://www.migracion.go.cr/extranjeros/ … S_TABS_1_1

Thanks for responding to my question,we need all the help we can get.We are both in our mid 60.s And will soon be on a fixed income. How long does it take before the health care kicks in?We wanted to buy a car when we arrived, but can't figure how to take that much money in cash.My bank in Texas can transfer money but not sure how we can receive it.

Concerning the health care , It will not be able to apply to the public health program ( CSSS )  until you get your residency card as a pensionado .

It may take 1 ou several years for the residency process . I have applied successfully by myself with all prerequisites OK about 3 months ago and ... started to wait ...
But you need to speak a bit of spanish if you do by yourself to deal with the immigration service.

Concerning the paiement of your purchased car , it will be possible to make money transfer from your US bank account to the bank account of the car dealership .

Residency depends on your lawyer. Recent processing times have been up to 12 months and that has more to do with the volume of immigration cases being processed, but ONLY if your lawyer submits the documentation correctly. Do not tolerate your attorney letting your paperwork expire because they did not correctly submit the packet.  I got it done in 13 months and that was with everything running smoothly.

Thanks for the advice on the transfer of money to the dealership it makes good sense for them to except.I just got off the phone with a residency person, and he informed me of the documents that We will need, plus the finger printing needed in san jose.all needed to be done within 6mos. time.He said that they do all the paper work.I started to feel relieved after talking to him until he quoted me the price.He said it would be 5,000 for everything.Someone please tell me if this reasonable in your opinion? thanks

No. It's not. You are getting the "blue-eyed tax". Better get use to it. I paid $3000 all in, with many extras too. Since you are in the states it may be cheaper because you can obtain all your legal paperwork there. I told you, contact www.outlierlegal.com
Good luck

Thanx for the information. It sounds difficult. I lived in Italy and this sounds similar.
How much are the attorney fees ?

Attorney fees were $1500 and then approximately another $1500 for immigration fees, paperwork, couriers, etc...There are tons of tiny little steps you need to take into consideration. Many people said to me "Oh, $3000 is too much. My guy only charges $1500." Yeah, but they did not add all the other fees. In the end, we both end up paying the same. Sometimes they paid more! What I like about the service I received was that I had no hidden expenses. I knew everything up front. It was not difficult, but you do need to be prepared.

I want to thank all of you who have helped my wife and I in regards to the pensionado residency.All of you have helped steer us in the right direction.We have decided on the Grecia area because it seems to fit our life style. I would love to talk to any Expats that have retired in that area. Mainly what hospitals you may like and even any doctors you would recommend.We also need to open a bank account and any advice would be helpful. Thanks Jerry and Lydia

Thank very much for your information. First I need to explore Costa Rica a little. I will be making a
planned trip to San Jose and 3 other sites. This will give me a birds eye view,then I can return to
learn more. My trip will begin March 13 for 9 days.
Any advice is appreciated.
Thanks,
Libero

I wonder if you are on medicare in the states, if your in costa rica will they except it?

Hola,

I suggest make a new conversation line asking about relocation. List your age and what exactly you are looking for and that way you can get specific information. Costa Rica may look tiny on a map but it is difficult to get around. For example: San Jose to the Caribbean has only one road over a crazy mountain where rain can come down in black sheets and traffic can slow to a crawl. The next day can be blue skies and few cars so it's good to plan your trip accordingly.

Good luck!

How can I locate the areas where you find expat Americans , Canadians and other
English speaking people ?

DDTica   What advice do you give to an American thinking of relocating to CR ? I would like
to connect with expats for help, information. I am not totally without experience. I lived in
Italy and am fluent in Italian.
Any advice is greatly appreciated

WHICH VILLAGE IN CR HAS THE MOST REASONABLE PRICED FURNISHED RENTALS YET IS CONSIDERED A NICE AREA OF TOWN TO LIVE IN THE 800.00 A MO. RANGE?

Hi jerry reidelbach !

Could you please avoid posting on caps lock?

Thanks
Armand

Hi and good morning from Texas.
My wife and I have been throwing around the Idea of moving to Costa Rica.
We plan on taking a trip there sometime this summer and are looking for an expat from the U.S. that could possibly help us with some questions we have.

What would you like to know?

Grecia was  our first pick, but I was told that the majority of the time it cloudy and gloomy like Seattle. We would love to find a place that is similiar as far as closeness to airports and hospitals but is sunny most of the time , is it possible?

Try Atneas. Grecia is warmer than most of the Central Valley and higher in the mountains. It's much like Santa Anna. Seattle it is absolutely not. There are two seasons here: wet and dry. It is like that were ever you live in Costa Rica. And when it rains, it REALLY rains. Mind blowing volumes of water. When it is dry, people can run out of water in certain areas. You can never learn all you need to know about an area in just a few week stay.

Your great! How do you know all of this? It sounds nice and I put the word out on rentals. Thanks again.

I have gotten to travel pretty much all over the country for several years and each place has its own unique beauty. People who love the lush green jungle life soon may complain about the rain. Those who want it drier, then complain about the heat. You need to adapt to Costa Rica...not Costa Rica to you. Right now there are winds around the country that have knocked out power, toppled trees and blown off roofs. That open concept house you loved that allows in the gentle breezes, now looks like a cyclone hit it! Never a dull moment here!

Hi, the only problem I see with Atenas is that the city is a little too small where driving for certain things will be more frequent. Grecia seems to have a little more to offer. You did say that Grecia was slightly warmer than Atenas so I BELIEVE THAT IS WHERE WE WILL START OUR ADVENTURE. My wife is like a snake, she loves it as warm as possible. Ha!

Costa Rica is not a pedestrian friendly country, regardless of where you live. Sidewalks are often broken or severely uneven, or missing all together. Some have huge culverts you need to step over and open grates that can easily swallow a whole person. I brought my bike down and I have yet to sit on it since I left the states. Driving here is intimidating enough in a car! Not to mention there are brutal hills to traverse. Taxies and buses are abundant all over, but know good Spanish so you don't get the “blue-eyed tax”. Grecia is a touch warmer but it is temperate, like much of the Central Valley, so there is really no need for AC or heat. I currently live in the jungle on the Nicoya peninsula where it does get quite steamy. When I go to the Central Valley, I now freeze!

Hi I wasd looking in the area that you live and found that rentals were quite higher than in Grecia or Atenas. I lioke the fact that your temperatures are higher and so does my wife, but our price range would have to be between 600.00- 900.00 per mo.It sounds like you are aclumated to that warm weather.

If you want hot and convenient, then look into Northern Guanacaste, Liberia and west. It has pretty much everything you need without going to San Jose…too much. BUT it is full of expats and the rent will reflect that. You might find some nice places around that price.  Samara is nice with a good paved road but rather remote.  I live much further south and it is not for the faint of heart. No paved roads, lots of dust, general craziness. Some of my neighbors lose water in the dry season.  The hotter it gets, the more critters you deal with, scorpions, tarantulas, snakes, bats etc. Of course, you must deal with ants everywhere.

I really like the information you write. I will be in four locations in Costa Rica starting on March 13.
My first trip will be with a tour then I plan to go back on my own. I will continue to follow these
blogs.

Things you will notice in CR. There are tons and tons of properties for sale. It's a buyer's market...but the prices will never reflect that. There are an incredible amount of micro climates. You can go from chilly, windy, sunny, steamy, soaking in one day. Pack accordingly. Flip flops are standard wear but have a good pair of closed toe shoes to muck around in too. Bring waterproof sunscreen and good bug repellant. You are nothing but a big, pink, sweet Twinkie to all the insects here.  Some bites do not form until 24hrs later too…after you have been eaten to bits. It's the tropics; a hat is very good here too. DO NOT, under any circumstances under estimate the sun! I have fried the tops of my ears (forgot my hat) and my toes (I was in flip flops). If you are on the pasty side, I recommend reapplying at least once a day, if you are out in the elements. Nothing will ruin your time here than a bug bitten 3rd degree sunburn…I see it here waaaay too often. Eat the local food. It's not France, but it is good and it won't hurt you either. Guanabana anything is my ambrosia. Bugs and lizards are everywhere. Get use to it. There is a gecko now chasing bugs over my computer monitor. Most importantly, be careful. Don't take anything for granted.

I noticed that you have citibanks all around the city, I just might have to open one here in Houston, tx. Do you know anything abouy Palmares or San Ramon?