@sporto505
American expat in Costa Rica
Forum
96 posts
Contacts
5
About me
American
Lives in Santa Ana
Speaks english, hopefully Espanol soon
Registration: 02 March 2015
Activity
Preventive care in Costa Rica by Cheryl
Hello everyone, As an expat in Costa Rica, taking care of your health would be one of your main priorities. Preventive healthcare plays a crucial role in keeping fit and healthy. We therefore would like to invite you to share your insights on ...
@Cheryl I suppose if I was fluent in espanol and perhaps a bit more patient the local CAJA clinics might have worked better than my experience. But every medication I requested required another specialists doctor to prescribe it. The result was a ... Read More
Which city would be the best inexpensive place, preferably near water? by Jusk
Hi, im looking to explore places (apartments etc.) to consider moving to in CR. Which city would be the best inexpensive place, preferably near water?Would consider mountains, river and farm areas as well.
@Jusk Every thing in Costa Rica is expensive. Some are just more expensive than others. If you want less expensive stay away from all tourist areas, meaning principally Tamarindo on the West and Puerto Viejo on the East. Stay away from Limon on ... Read More
Cost of living in Costa Rica in 2024 by Cheryl
Hello everyone, As every year, we invite you to share your experience regarding the cost of living in Costa Rica, and if possible, in the specific region or city where you live. This will help members who are planning to relocate in Costa ...
The cost of livin g in CR in 2023 continues to be an expensive place to live. Over the last ten years the cost of living here has increased significantly, mostly since 2022 forward when inflation hit the US and then CR.Rent is dependent ... Read More
Email penpal insights about Costa Rica by bhu11163
Hello I’m new to this forum and am planning on visiting Costa Rica for the first time,and possibly moving there someday. I am retired,live alone,and hope to receive good insight into how it is for a retired single person to live there.Thank you
Hi. Sorry for the delay in responding. My computer went on vacation. I have lived in the Central Valley of Metro-San Jose for almost nine years. I moved down here at age 62 when I retired. The pros are the culture, the large majority of people, ... Read More
Wanting to move from Canada by tjuckufarley
Hi AllMy Wife and I are ex South Africans that moved to Canada in 2002. We are Canadian citizens now, and have been for a long time. As most of you Canadians know; life in Canada has changed much over the last few years. So - as the average middle ...
To anyone thinking of moving to CR and working, "Dave y Marcia" know the rules. They have been here for some time. To those needing any kind of lawyer I urge them to do their due diligence verifying and speaking to prior clients and anglos from ... Read More
Secure your financial assets as an expat in Costa Rica by Cheryl
Hello everyone, As we navigate the exciting world of living and working in Costa Rica, it's essential to make informed decisions about our financial future. We’d love to hear about the different investment options available for expats: ...
My experience dealing with CR banks is their approach is so paranoid and their understanding of how property sales documentation in the US has changed in the last 5 years is so limited that it is impossible to work with the banks here. As a result ... Read More
The cost of Living in Costa Rica in 2023 by Mickael
Hello everyone, As every year, we invite you to share your experience on the evolution of the cost of living in the region or city where you live in order to answer future requests for information from new members of the site who would like to ...
The cost of food items or any other item imported from the US has gone thru the roof in 2023. If your content to live on beans, rice and local produce you can still live and pay a reasonable amount for food. Rent depends on where you live and ... Read More
Moving dogs from USA to costa rica by laurenqmeeks
Hello all, hubby and I are trying to spend an extended period of time in Costa Rica and would like to bring our dogs along for the adventure. We have two large German shepherd mixes that are not service animals. the hitch of everything is that none ...
In 2017 I flew my dog from the US to SJO. There are significant rules that are required to do this in terms of dates/vet appointments, overnight mail to and back from the USDA. I flew via American Air. The cost was around $200. There is a cutoff ... Read More
Place to move in CR with my only income of social security by edram1961
Is there any affordable place to live with all amenities like rent food cable internet gas ligth health insurance for less than $1000 us dollars a month in CR?Please let me know thanks
@Blackwatch // Why buy a vehicle and plan on storing it for the majority of the year? You would save yourself some $ and likely a lot of headaches if you just rely on ubers and taxis (metered only ) during your short stays here.?? Just a thought. Read More
Inflation in Costa Rica in 2022 by Mickael
In the various media, inflation in Costa Rica is becoming increasingly important. This is becoming a concern for some, with fears of an impact on day-to-day budgeting. Today, how does inflation in Costa Rica impact on daily life? Which ...
INFLATION is here in Costa Rica at the grocery stores. most things seem to have risen 20% in the last few months. a bit shocking at the checkout counter. What I used to buy for 60,000 colones is now 90,000 or more. posted Nov. 7 2022 Read More
19% healthcare tax on retirees in CR by Blackwatch
I have been researching the details of retiring in Costa Rica. Recently there have been changes to the Caja or healthcare and retirement program. After March 16, 2022 if you become a resident under the pensionado program you have to pay into the ...
From 2017 onward I was previously registered with CAJA ( as a pensionado ) and paid about 27,500 colones per month. During the covid pandemic I was told I did not have to pay the monthly sum for X months. In the fifth month from the pause in ... Read More
Getting Medication in Costa Rica by Symmetry01
How do americans get the medications they need? What are the average costs of medications compared to costs in USA. For example, my wife needs Percocet for sciatica and that runs up to 30 dollars a month after our insurance coverage. What is the ...
t@davidwwatsonjr : Dr. Watson I presume? just joking. Hard to resist that one. :) Read More
Moving to Costa Rica solo by Cheryl
Hello everybody, Moving to Costa Rica is a challenge in itself, but even more when you decide to go alone. If this was your case when you arrived, we would like you to share your experience. It might help other people who are also preparing for ...
I moved to Costa Rica, alone in January 2015. I didn't know anyone but met my first honest good hearted tico at the airport. Marvin was and remains a taxi driver. He was there to pick me up at the request of an acquaintance of my daughter who ... Read More
Update on our Development/house building experience by Justagirl8870
I write this update with exhaustion in my breath but I am so appreciative of all of the support during our journey that I wanted to offer this for those that gave those encouraging words. August, 2021, almost 6 years after taking the bait, home ...
Wow. what a tale of woe and experience. You should start listing yourselves as CR construction consultants for the perils of local development. People buying/building houses here would be well advised to learn what can go wrong. And it would ... Read More
Packages from the U. S. by oilandgas7
What is the best and safest way to have a package sent from the U. S.
If one goes to the Correo CR website, it states that personal packages (not letters) from the US are considered the least important type of mail and thus are the last to be delivered. It states you will wait for two months before it is even looked ... Read More