Is it possible to get this in Costa Rica?

Hi. Costa Rica isn't a cheap place to live, but it is a nice place to live. A good furnished place on the beach towns starts at $600, some beach towns more expensive than others: Tamarindo. Brasilito, Conchal are expensive, Playas del Coco, Playa Hermosa, Panama Beach are less expensive and near a Cyma hospital (very expensive), near a public hospital (not as expensive as Cyma). I lived on the beach for 9 years, did not try Jaco or Manuel Antonio (do not fancy me). I'd recommend Playas del Coco of all, I know many apartment owners there. Let me know if I can help you with something else

You may want to read up on the legalities of living/working here. Without residency, banking will provide challenges for you, with just basic services.

While you may find a reasonable rental accommodations, living near the beach and using AC, could bring you a monthly bill, in the $$$'s. Utilities are not usually included.

I disagree with Kohlerias about banking; I have had an account at BAC since I moved here 14 years ago and am not a resident.

The requirements regarding banking changed a few years ago.

MauroN wrote:

Hi. Costa Rica isn't a cheap place to live, but it is a nice place to live. A good furnished place on the beach towns starts at $600, some beach towns more expensive than others: Tamarindo. Brasilito, Conchal are expensive, Playas del Coco, Playa Hermosa, Panama Beach are less expensive and near a Cyma hospital (very expensive), near a public hospital (not as expensive as Cyma). I lived on the beach for 9 years, did not try Jaco or Manuel Antonio (do not fancy me). I'd recommend Playas del Coco of all, I know many apartment owners there. Let me know if I can help you with something else

Thanks for the reply!

Do you know of a good site to find rentals or is it usually limited with places to rent online? Because I can't seem to find that many that fit my criteria and go for under $1000. I actually can't seem to find that many places at all.

I'd love to find something like this:

encuentra24.com/costa-rica-en/real-estate-for-sale-houses-homes/heredia-parks-venta-de-casa-en-condominio-heredia/11035912

Now this is far from the beach, but it's perfect in size and has a shared pool. Am I able to find something like this in a good area close to a good hospital (perhaps Playas del Coco) with no longer than 10 kilometres to the beach? And for $1000 or less / month. It doesn't even have to be furnished, just need to have a refrigerator, freezer, ac and washing machine (dryer would be good too I guess).

kohlerias wrote:

While you may find a reasonable rental accommodations, living near the beach and using AC, could bring you a monthly bill, in the $$$'s. Utilities are not usually included.

Yeah, I've planned on that. I haven't looked into exactly how much it would cost me, but here in Malta I'm spending about $170 each month on utilities. I'm prepared to pay a couple of hundred.

Be prepared to spend more than that...

Finding info on any particular place, I would suggest google it, ask in forums including this one, and check facebook to see if there's a page for that area. Search facebook, search forums.

As to cost I have no idea what rents are at the beach but I can say i have lived AT the beach without a.c.. I got used to it. Get hot, walk out to the water... That's why I feel it's worth it to live AT the beach instead of "near the beach".

You could ask the landlord to show you utility bills - even from the U.S., via whatsapp or email attachment or whatever. The cost of a.c. depends greatly on how well insulated the apt, house or condo is.

You realize you will have to leave the country every 3 months to renew your visa, right? Unless you apply for residency, in which case you will still have to leave every 3 months to renew your drivers license IF you will be driving here. Residency can take between 6 months and 2 years depending...

I would definitely recommend coming here first for a few weeks or a month, check it out... and once you find the area you like, ask around for a cheap rental. Often in person word of mouth and local searching (i.e. while actually here) yields the best results.

Yes, I know all about residency etc. It's not a problem. My biggest concern is if it's actually possible to rent a house that suits my needs in an area that suits my needs without going bankrupt. That's why I made this thread because this is what I really need to know right now.

I can't even come visit the country if I don't know what areas would be suitable for me to live in first.

Just looked at the link you posted, and in my humble opinion there is no way you will rent a residence so grand for $1000 a month.

kohlerias wrote:

Just looked at the link you posted, and in my humble opinion there is no way you will rent a residence so grand for $1000 a month.

That doesn't sound promising. How much do you think a place like that would go for?

It's funny though, because buying the place is pretty cheap imo.

Yes, property can sit on the market for years as property is very easy to buy and very difficult to sell. If the property that is advertised was located near the beach it could easily rent for $2000+ a month...plus $400-800 for utilities, as I know others who are presently in this situation.

kohlerias wrote:

Yes, property can sit on the market for years as property is very easy to buy and very difficult to sell. If the property that is advertised was located near the beach it could easily rent for $2000+ a month...plus $400-800 for utilities, as I know others who are presently in this situation.

That's pretty sick.

I thought the prices were really high here in Malta, but that's just extreme. I guess I got to become a millionaire before considering moving to Costa Rica then.

You need to zero in on 2-3 particular areas and look for rentals in those specific areas.
I'm not sure but I think you could find what you are looking for, for around $1000-1300 a month. How much you spend on air conditioning depends on you and on the insulation of the place you rent and the efficiency of the a.c. unit you use.

Here's a place to look for rentals just to get some idea. Suggest you try to find sites that have rentals in the place MauroN suggested.
encuentra24.com/costa-rica-en/real-estate-for-rent-apartments#search=f_currency.CRC®ionslug=puntarenas,guanacaste&page=1