Relocating to Costa Rica

You will hear pros and cons for both so you will have to filter through the various responses.  We planned our move almost four years ahead of the actual move.  During those years we purchased 90% of the goods that we shipped at sale prices in Canada.  Most everything in our container was brand new.  This made shipping a container the right choice for us.  We kept receipts (did not need them) to prove that all our stuff was over six months old so as to be classified as used for customs.  Electronics and appliances are expensive here so bringing all those new from Canada was a bonus.  Bedding, towels, linens, etc. are not as good a quality (in general) here.  Only you can decide for yourself.  There are people that move here with a few suitcases and are happy and pleased to start anew.  What helped us to make up our mind was quite a few visits to Costa Rica beforehand where we looked and recorded prices.  In our case we built a house so had to furnish it.  If you are going to be renting that is another variable to take into account.  One thing we did was not to move any wooden furniture, we had it all made to order in Sarchi.

As far as a vehicle the same reasoning applies.  Do you know your vehicle?  Will it be a common vehicle found in Costa Rica so as to be able to get parts for it? I had a 3/4 ton Dodge Ram with a Cummings diesel that I would have loved to have shipped but it was impractical.  Instead I bought a used Hyundai but there are literally thousands of them on the road here and getting parts for it is easy.

There is no right or wrong choice so best of luck with your decision.

It will depend on whether you intend to rent furnished or unfurnished accommodation.
Vehicles are expensive here, however so are the import duties.

Suggest you visit prior to making any major decisions.

It is 'reported' that between 50-60% of those making this move, return 'home' within 2-3 years.
Suggested reading for residency.

TerrynViv,

Thanks for the information.

Anytime!!!  We made the move four years ago and are pleased with our decision.  Best of luck in making yours.
Cheers .... Terry

My advice is to put your stuff in storage and come here and rent for a couple of years before committing to bringing anything here.  Most people don't stay for more than a couple of years and the cost to ship it back to the states would be high.  Most people liquidate at fire sale prices.    You're better off renting a furnished apartment and finding out whether you like it or not.  There's no substitute for that.

thewizz wrote:

My advice is to put your stuff in storage and come here and rent for a couple of years before committing to bringing anything here.  Most people don't stay for more than a couple of years and the cost to ship it back to the states would be high.  Most people liquidate at fire sale prices.    You're better off renting a furnished apartment and finding out whether you like it or not.  There's no substitute for that.

Ditto.  Sooooo agree with this.   

- Expat Dave

I have made 2 moves here. One from Orlando and the other one from Honduras where I was working.
The first one from Orlando took 2-3 weeks. When it got here it cost 1000.00 in customs. The cost was originally 7000.00 for a 20' container. And they went through everything. We were missing some items when it finally arrived at our house. We also had items that were broken. We were reimbursed practically the whole amount for the move.
The second move was last month by land. It arrived in customs 4 weeks ago. It is still there because of a few last items added to the list because when the original list was submitted, we weren't finished packing.
The people that moved us are heading to Nicaragua tomorrow to get the addition paperwork or something like that. Not real clear on that.
They told us that they could keep it up to 2 months if they wanted.
My wife is there right now with only a few items of clothes and I am currently working in Afghanistan.
So we are both upset.
We think it might have to do with the broker that the people that came to get us is using. Not sure.
But if you use a professional mover, like we did the first time you should be okay and they are bonded.
But get the insurance that they offer and when you pack make sure itemize the paperwork and number the boxes.

I made all the big mistakes when moving internationally.  First of all, I tried shipping my stuff including electronics and wound up spending close to 5,000 and lots of headaches to get my stuff through customs.  I also bought a home right off and I brought 5 pets.  I bought a car there that was in the shop more than on the road.  Yep, I am back in the States and have left over 75% of my stuff behind.  A can of dog food can run as high as 2 dollars and even a cheap bag of dog food can be expensive.  Unless you have a sizable income or lots of savings, my suggestion goes along with the others, store your stuff in a storage unit, go to Costa Rica, rent cheap, and do not get locked in to only one location.  There are beautiful areas from top to bottom and the more you take with you, the less mobile you will become. Give yourself the opportunity to explore and enjoy!

Buying vs renting a car - in my opinion - depends on how much money you have.
Here's the reality (an example):
A 2007 Honda Civic in excellent condition with only 40k miles in 2015 in the USA was worth about $7k when we sold it and moved here.

Got here and with that same $7k we got a lousy old 99 Tracker 4x4 with 149k miles on it,  and it needed several big repairs the first year, and I have never felt confident driving it anywhere far. But it was all we could afford and we had to hurry to get something to drive because car rental (4x4 rental) is $500 a week with full insurance which you need imho.

Soooo. If you have plenty of money (say $15k or so) for a good used car or truck here, you might be better off buying it here OR you might be better off shipping what you have which will include high import fees. So if you've got plenty o' dough, I'd probably either buy a brand new car here or ship your good car from the states. (just make sure you can get parts easily for it, here! Otherwise don't bring it!)

As for household , electronic and other items:
They are often 50-100% more here and often not as good quality as sold in the states. Furniture, electronics, appliances: Expensive here.

If you've got lotsa money bring your good stuff here. If not, then just learn to live a "downsized" lifestyle ... and try not to buy too many things you don't really need.

Bring an extra telephone, bluray player, lap top, etc. with you if you can! Open them so they do not look NEW - bring the packaging, instruction manuals etc separately... If they aren't packaged like new they probably won't stop you when you get here and add import tax on 'em.

ssmith, sorry to hear that it didn't work out for you. Did you receive a work visa as promised by the private school you were working at?

No, I did not but I had a fantastic experience teaching and just wish I could have hung in there longer.  I loved the school, loved the students but could not get used to how hard it was to get around.  I am so used to just jumping in my car and going places but the car I had could barely get me to work when it was not in the repair shop.  I spent over 4,000 just to try to keep that old thing running.  I did use the bus but really appreciate and respect those who must use public transportation on a daily basis.  It was such a great adventure and Costa Rica is such a beautiful country that I have no regrets.

Get your furniture there and definately your car - way too expensive the other way.

SO VERY SORRY you did not ask any of us here who would have suggested FIRST you RENT in a few areas then buy ..I am a rescuer of animals down to 5 now but breaks my heart to think of those darlings going through that hell with you.I pray they survived,,, btw Guanacaste is the LAST place I would recommend if on a budget..sigh if  only you had asked us al...i moved here 30 years ago and
after living in many places to test out, I finally settled here in the Mild climate of Heredia Hills and
LOvE it here   ....here  29 of the 30 yrs, and manage to budget on measly SS with help of a couple of rentals,,but oh I am so sorry about your nightmare... Hope you found your haven with your pets