Moving as a family to Costa Rica - all advice welcome!

In terms of visas, it seems as though starting with the 90 day visa and re-upping as we sort things out is the best place to start?

Not today. Used to be. You can't drive across the border now to renew you visa. You have to fly to the US or somewhere. If the vaccine passport is implemented......

Thanks for the quick reply! That's crazy, so how are expats re-upping their visas? Flying somewhere every 90 days!?

Good news! In case anyone else pops on and reads this too, land borders open back up April 5th

Great! I'll be moving there this year. Thank you for the good news, hopefully it stays like that.

A lot of the nice beach areas are now taken over by gringos. Going to be more expensive real estate/rent there as a result but if you can afford it and you want to live with a bunch of gringos then the beach is for you.

If you want a more Costa Rican life with fewer gringos. cheaper to live, more mellow, then look in the mountain towns of the western Central Valley like ... San Ramon, Palmares, and the more well known ones west of Alajuela.

Oh wow, moving to a country you've never been to is very brave of you! There's a pretty diverse range of climates and landscapes to choose from so it depends on what you really want. As a renter and since you're child is still very young, I would spend the first few months traveling around the country and checking out the different options- from cloud forests like Monteverde, Volcanic areas like Arenal, Ex-pat -rich beach towns like Tamarindo or Manuel Antonio or places more off the beaten path like the Central Valley,Southern  Nicoya Peninsula or Oso Peninsula there's a lot of difference between all these areas and until you've been there you won't really know what feels like home. I've been to CR many times and owned a BandB and still have whole areas I've still to discover before I make the move down. The beauty of renting is that you don't need to stay in one place either, so before you invest and buy a property or start building I'd do some traveling. Just my 2 cents.

I have lived here for 7, almost 8 years now.  Personally, I wouldn't want to live at the beach  with young kids, especially not unless you like sweeping up sand all the time.  Also when it storms you will get hit hardest and it's hotter at the beach.

I live up in the mountains, but don't recommend that for you either since in these remote areas there is not much to do and not many people speak English.  There are several American communities.  I also admit that I am retired so I don't have to earn a living.  Your children will be fluent in 2 languages (or more).  Just ask before renting or buying if the area is a known drug area because drugs are as bad here as they are in the states.  You will also want to check out the crime rate and the schools.

If you are not fluent in Spanish, I would suggest you start taking lessons and to know that Costa Rican Spanish is not what they teach in schools; but, if you know the basics, you can figure it out and adapt.  I have found that the people are rather friendly here (but I don't live in a city).  I am not fluent, but can make do sort of without help.  However, when it comes to doctors and lawyers, I prefer to deal with professionals who speak English fluently,

You will find some things better here and some things worse.  They change the laws frequently.  On the bright side, I don't find government as invasive as in the states now.  I lived in Northern Nevada and I miss the snow and winters, but it's also nice to have flowers and food growing year round.

Electronics are much higher here so bring what you need or want.  Housing is somewhat smaller here so only take what furniture you really want and if you end up needing more, you can buy here (but they are not good if you want nice stuffed upholstered couches and chairs)

One last idea - if it's in your budget.  Try to make a intro visit here to tour around different areas and get an idea of what is here and where you might want to live.  Talk to people on the street or in the shops - preferably Americans because others may not be used to living like you do.  Statistics show that most Americans return home after a year.  I did not and I love living here - but, I also have family visits that come with my "good will" list for things I can't get here.    Very family oriented here and personally I have two families that have sort of adopted me and we do things together.  I do live alone and feel quite safe doing so.  Until the pandemic, I didn't even bother locking my doors most of the time.

Good luck.

Ginger Firestone wrote:

I have lived here for 7, almost 8 years now.  Personally, I wouldn't want to live at the beach  with young kids, especially not unless you like sweeping up sand all the time.  Also when it storms you will get hit hardest and it's hotter at the beach.

I live up in the mountains, but don't recommend that for you either since in these remote areas there is not much to do and not many people speak English.  There are several American communities.  I also admit that I am retired so I don't have to earn a living.  Your children will be fluent in 2 languages (or more).  Just ask before renting or buying if the area is a known drug area because drugs are as bad here as they are in the states.  You will also want to check out the crime rate and the schools.

If you are not fluent in Spanish, I would suggest you start taking lessons and to know that Costa Rican Spanish is not what they teach in schools; but, if you know the basics, you can figure it out and adapt.  I have found that the people are rather friendly here (but I don't live in a city).  I am not fluent, but can make do sort of without help.  However, when it comes to doctors and lawyers, I prefer to deal with professionals who speak English fluently,

You will find some things better here and some things worse.  They change the laws frequently.  On the bright side, I don't find government as invasive as in the states now.  I lived in Northern Nevada and I miss the snow and winters, but it's also nice to have flowers and food growing year round.

Electronics are much higher here so bring what you need or want.  Housing is somewhat smaller here so only take what furniture you really want and if you end up needing more, you can buy here (but they are not good if you want nice stuffed upholstered couches and chairs)

One last idea - if it's in your budget.  Try to make a intro visit here to tour around different areas and get an idea of what is here and where you might want to live.  Talk to people on the street or in the shops - preferably Americans because others may not be used to living like you do.  Statistics show that most Americans return home after a year.  I did not and I love living here - but, I also have family visits that come with my "good will" list for things I can't get here.    Very family oriented here and personally I have two families that have sort of adopted me and we do things together.  I do live alone and feel quite safe doing so.  Until the pandemic, I didn't even bother locking my doors most of the time.

Good luck.

I am building a house in Osa, north of Puerto Jimenez and plan to arrive there in October coming from Canada with my dog. The environment is very natural, ocean is one mile away and my CR experience is limited to 2 weeks spent here last year. I've taken early retirement, would be living alone without much communications with the English speaking world. Yes, Spanish is critical, so I am learning it myself now, reading books. At least something. I have lowered my expectations to avoid serious cultural shock. I guess you never know till you try.

Since you have children you need to be close to all amenities I would think.  Beach areas are great to visit but not to live at.  Way too hot all the time, windy and packed with tourists.  We have a place in the mountains and enjoy spring like temperatures all the time, are close to an amazing town that has everything you'll ever need, plus great schools.  If you want more info, PM me.

I want to clarify that obviously many gringos do live on the beach and love it, in spite of the constant high humidity and temps which are much worse than in the mountains. To each his own.
You really should try living there in the rainy season before deciding to buy there, though. Mold is a problem at the beach (can be in the mountains as well but more manageable).
Also, to me, living ON the beach is better than living NEAR the beach. Near the beach, even if it's a mile or two, will require a drive and as someone who used to live "near the beach" I can tell you that you are likely to say, "oh, too much trouble, I'll go another day"; whereas living ON the beach, you can just walk outside and go.
But, again, very humid, and many areas have no-see-um bugs that eat you up as well at the beach.
Again, many people love living at the beach, but also many people move from it due to the above and more reasons.
It's also more expensive at the beach, less choice of foods, less choice of shopping for ANYthing, etc...

Thank you ALL so much for your feedback. We booked a ticket at the end of May to travel for 12 days, rent a car, and explore as many areas as possible! It sounds like obviously it's sooo based on personal preference and we won't know until we start exploring. We are then thinking we will do a short term rental when we arrive, to have some flexibility. Does anyone have a favorite website for finding rentals or do you do it in person? We have a friend in San Jose who is a Costa Rican that told us to just wait and start looking when we arrive so we are thinking an Airbnb for a few months to get settled.

Our travel plans have us landing in San Jose, spending a few days exploring surrounding areas like Santa Ana, Escazu, etc. We are then going to head over to Limon, my husband has been before and wants to go back. Then make our way to Manuel Antonio and up the coast towards Tamarindo hoping to just take everything in along the way then fly out from up there! Sounds like we need a covid test before flying back to the states too so trying to keep that in mind as well. It will be a packed trip but hopefully a good start to check out some things before packing up and moving!

You might be Better off waiting until you land here to find a place to lay your head at night.  I would recommend finding a place in the area where you be on that day rather then locking in to  one place where you have to travel back to each night. The roads are tough to navigate during the day with crazy traffic and night you will encounter heavy fog and don't forget it's rainy season here now
The hotels are reasonably price these days since tourism is still down and you can find some great place on the water when you get to Gunacaste area

Look at enterprise car rental they have great rates and if you use Amex call your card and get the 30 insurance coverage and you wouldn't have to pay the third party insurance coverage here which is usually double the cost of the car rental itself

Good Luck