Looking for advice about moving to Liberia, Guanacaste

Lived not to far from Liberia, and it isn't a beach town. If we had to go to town, (Liberia) we tried to get things 'done' in the early morning as it is usually very hot and dry, high 90 F/35 C's all year. And dry. It is approx 30 min drive from a reasonably sized beach area called Playas Del Coco, which is touristy, but not 'charming little cabins on the beach'...         Not far from other nice beaches.

Liberia is a small city and not so built up as your description. One movie theater, showing multiple screens. Not much in the way of shows but some festivals held throughout the year. A couple of nice small private hospitals. A large public hospital, which as a legal resident you will be able to utilize. Your monthly premium will be based on your income.

Your budget is good, unless you decide to live in a fancy house at the beach... Maintaining a vehicle can be expensive and you will probably require one, if you decide to stay beach side.

Your employer should/must apply on your behalf for a work visa but your spouse would need apply on her own, if she wanted to work, but they are hard to get.

One of my daughter was born in Liberia, we lived in Playas del Coco, about 30 miles away. No, Liberia does not have an underground subway,   doubt it will ever have one, it does have several banks, several malls, not big though, not a beach town, hot, very hot. There are several places you can rent a nice condo/house for around $600-$800/month. Liberia is supposed to be the second largest city in Costa Rica but it doesn't look like, kind of a big village rather than a large city. I believe there are 5 or 6 traffic lights in the entire town; and downtown driving gets hectic. Food's expensive. Contact me if you need more help or guidance, I'll be glad to help. And welcome to Pura Vida Costa Rica.

apenate wrote:

Hello expats!

I am looking for some advice. I have a job offer which requires me to relocate to Costa Rica, specifically to Liberia. I currently live in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

I've been doing some research and unfortunately I can only find "tourist" information. I am not able to find anything on how it is to actually move there.

So, if anyone is currently living, or has lived in Liberia before, can you help me with some doubts?

- Is Liberia a beach town, where you have these small mom & pop shops, charming little cabins, and you are "away from it all"? Or is it more like a large city where you have malls, huge supermarkets, Uber, underground subway, big office buildings, etc.?

- I would be earning around 1.3M CRC (after taxes) monthly. Would that be enough for a married couple, no kids?

- What is there to do besides the touristy stuff? Other than the beach, are there theaters, shows, festivals...?

Thanks everyone!

Good to ask questions. But the only way you will know if you want to live there is to come and spend some time there.

It's HOT there, though at least not that humid. Think of California desert. It's NOT a big city, it's a small town.

The money you have should allow you and your wife to live pretty well. I'm living on much less,  though I pay no rent. Rent could be $500 on the low end to $1000 on the higher end. I'd expect $600-800 but honestly this is just a guess as I don't know that particular area. I do know someone who looked all over  Costa Rica and what he found were the above average prices.

Personally I would not want to live in Liberia. But maybe one of the beaches near there.

If you think of the beach, remember to factor in a.c. costs and a car. Cars are expensive here, as is gasoline and electricity.

Liberia is not a beach town.  Just a small city.  I would not want to live there but go there as my dentist is there.  Nothing there.  Tamarindo or playa del coco (dont like it there either but at least on the beach.)  Are one he or so by bus.  If u have a car then 30 minutes.  Good luck.

I think it depends on where you're coming from, visit Liberia several times a year and see if  its for you. I find it cramped, dirty and uneventful but I like the beauty of Arenal so to each his own😊