Living in Costa Rica?

Hello Rhonda C,

Please note that I have moved your topic to the Costa Rica forum. Are you looking for a place to rent ?

Regards

Bhavna

Costa Rica offers a wide variety of choices in housing and locations. On the beach or high in the mountains, it's all here, but you need to decide what you want and where you want it. It's not enough to say that you're coming in hopes of finding a home.

You should first decide what sort of environment you wish to inhabit. Then decide on what's important to you such as health care, shopping opportunities, cultural events, English speaking neighbors or not, accessibility to recreational resources, and so forth. Having made some important decisions about your needs and wants, you'll be able to ask concrete questions about where to look.

@jinxkhei3.......To call home a country you have never been to is pretty naive( according to your previous posts )....First try to see if you can adapt to the 'dark holes' of this culture...

Some of us actually can help you... and we want too!!  HAHAHA!!!   (be nice Edwin!!)

But your request needs some details or ????

Do you like it hot and tropical... or cooler and mountainous... do you want a beach... or relatively near one... How far away from your typically used/needed/visited 'Amenities' are you willing to be???   

Example:   CR has around 34 hospitals... half of which are near/in San Jose; the rest are spread out... and most rural areas have only weekly clinics.  That's 34 hospitals for around 5 million people... compare that to West Virginia... (about the same size as CR), which has over 60 hospitals... and less than 2 million folks.   Get it???   Do you need vegan foods??  Or other dietary needs?

Price Range?     Move-in ready??   Buy land and then build??   Rent first?   Buy something that needs work... some people (me!!!) love a project ??

City, big town, small town, tiny village... or close to one of those ???

Are you planning to have a car, or will you want to use public transportation ??   Or both?

Do you want to immediately cling to other expats... or are you willing to just get dropped into the 'soup' and make a life of it?

We know nothing.

First you have to help us.   

peace

@rainagain.....You are too lazy to read Rhonda's previous posts.But you are great at"cheering people on off a cliff "with your affectations .....

I think you meant to write 'too busy' ... but that's ok, you might be busy swatting flies.

Now... is that on,or off  a cliff?  I'm not sure what you mean by "on off..."  because that isn't a thing... or at least, it isn't English that I'm familiar with.

If it's 'on' a cliff.. then yea!!!  Living on the edge is cool, dude.  I want everybody to live on the edge, somewhere.

If it's 'off' a cliff.. then TFB... only the strong who come here will succeed!!!   Off the cliff with the rest of em!!!

@edwinemora,

”Dark Holes”??

@Bhavna,

I have found a home i am definitly interested in…thats why im coming to CR next month…

Also, I have been looking at Costa Rica as a possibility, for over 30 years, so i am not taking any of this lightly.

I would appreciate any and all suggestions, from people who live there..& their experiences. I have researched as much as i can, from here…but, feel it would be better to learn from people who actually live there.

Thanx so much for all the input…but, what are the ”dark holes” of Costa Rica??🤔

     Rhonda

     Stained Glass Artist, Designer, & Teacher

@rainagain,

I prefer to be just outside if cities, as I have lived in the country most of my life, & don't really care for all the hustle and bustle of the city.

The home i have found overlooks Santiago, and the view is amazing! Being an Artist, if i cant be on the beach, then a view in the mountains worx wonders. And, yes, i do have a realtor helping me, in CR.

I do plan to have a vehicle, in  hopes of finding a gallery, to sell my work…as well as travel around the country, learning as much as i can.

Any advice you have would be greatly appreciated. I plan to be in the Santiago area, July 16-24, 2024.

     Rhonda

@rainagain,

What part of the country do you live in? You sound like someone i would really like to get to know…

(i like your sass & energy!😉)

    Rhonda

@jinxkhei3......Costa Ricans are not big on details...They jump from topic to topic not filling in-between the lines, quite often leaving the listener behind-----scratching their head...This trait is not so cute when you start to lose money with people offering services that they do not know anything about (no consumer nor disclosure laws).........This is why it is an imperative to maintain your own independent lawyer.....If you get in a traffic accident and it is not your fault,the transit police will still choose the side of the Costa Rican..........Costarricenses are portrayed as some of the most charismatic,friendiliest people in the world.But their view of the foreigner/American is to misrepresent,cheat and to steal from....North Americans like to fluff-off this type of indifference or discrimination as'gringo gouge'...If you get robbed or broken into police do not get paid enough to do anything...........If  your current stance is that of political correctness,Costa Rica is not going to be your place......The tourism  industry is a bi-lingual sector but outside of that,God help you if you do not speak Spanish....If you can survive the little stuff,like Ticos cutting in front of you in line or not getting refunds for purchases,then you might have a chance....I Almost forgot,'women are 2nd class citizens here', so, bring a companion with you ! And so it goes from there.........

@jinxkhei3

Before you commit to this house you're interested in, look at it long and hard. First, look at the surrounding environment. Can you tolerate the motorcycles, barking dogs, crowing roosters, etc. Visit this house in daytime and at night.

Then carefully check the close-in amenities. If you want a landline phone, television, Internet, electricity, water, etc, go to the utility company that supplies what you want and get their ironclad confirmation that that service will be immediately available. We knew a man who ordered a phone line and waited over five years. Then, he died. Never did get the phone line. Don't take the word of neighbors or (above all else) real estate agents or sellers. Ask for a date specific when the installers will be there.

And then consider the local  area amenities. Whether you're going to have a vehicle or use public transportation, how are the roads? The bus service? How's local grocery shopping? How about medical and dental care? And if you have a vision of returning to your home country from time to time, how will it be to get to the airport?

I appreciate both replies, greatly. I'm a bit confused, tho. The ”expats” I've chatted with haven't mentioned any of this, and they live there, too… It's not that I'm doubting what you're telling me, becoz I don't. But, why wouldn't they tell me these things? Is it because they live mainly in ”expat” communities, and don't have to deal with any of these issues? 🤔

I would be a single woman, NOT living in these communities, and NOT living in one of the cities…I prefer living out just a bit. The home I'm considering is about 5 miles from Santiago, overlooking that valley. And, I do not know the language, but am more than willing to learn it.

I am wanting to be somewhere that is slower, friendlier, and somewhere i can do my art.

Are you saying that Costa Rica is not a good place to consider? As a single older woman would I be safe? Are Costa Ricans similiar to most of the world, and appreciate the older generations? Or are they like the US, and only consider them “in the way”, and a liability?

Again, any and all information, and advice, is appreciated, greatly. Being a single older woman, in this world is difficult, at best…so, to be forewarned is to be forearmed!☺️

Thanx to both of you!

      Rhonda

@edwinemora yes, my personal experience with traffic accident, service (or rather anti service), and even much worse. The typical characteristics are total lack of respect to each other, pseudo respect to the paying gringo and hypocrisy. Yet, I am here, having spent all my savings thanks to the omnipresent fraud and high prices and "enjoying" all that. Where to go? There are some honorable ticos here too, like my builder (who builds for gringos only) and I learn from them how to survive. Keeping a very low profile is your chance to be secure. Either adjust or leave.

@jinxkhei3......Please read 'Henrych's' reply to me he put it in a masterful nutshell.....

Rhonda, like everywhere on earth, there is some crime in Costa Rica, but the worst of it exists in the inner city slums where you're not likely to either go or choose to live. Lock your doors and your car? Of course, but we've lived outside Grecia for over 18 years without a fence or gate, without an alarm system (who would respond anyway?), without a guard, and with a Belgian malinois who is a wuss and everybody's friend. He'd love to meet a new friend even if that person came with ill intent.

Might all that leave us vulnerable? Yeah, but those same precautions in the States wouldn't matter much either. The best you can say is that, outide the larger towns and cities, you're pretty safe. Just don't walk alone downtown at night, and if you can avoid driving at night you and the pedestrians (mostly dressed in all black for reasons no one can explain) will be better off.

Oh! And when you encounter the horror stories that do pop up from time to time, consider the source. What else has that person written? What good things have they shared? It certainly ain't all bad.

@daveandmarcia......It was a bad choice to align yourself with rainagain...Who says 'everything is 'the most perfect here' and had no qualms in not denying he was a ***.

edwin, I have never said, here or elsewhere, that ". . . everything is 'the most perfect here . . ." or anything like that. If you were capable of comprehending what I wrote, you wouldn't embarass yourself as you insist upon doing. Maybe a rerun at the third grade would improve your reading skills.

****

Hello everyone,

Please note that I have removed some unnecessary posts from this thread that do not contribute positively to the topic.

Regards

Bhavna

@jinxkhei3 Prepare funds...a lot. The cost of living is like and in Switzerland with incomes like in Mexico and the power of law, culture and services...well, this Latin America..Enjoy PURA VIDA!

good morning to everyone. im in the process off becoming  a resident off Costa Rica .by a pensionada  visa . anyone had experience with this  process.

please and thank You

@jinxkhei3

Rhonda...  as per your question "But, why wouldn't they tell me these things?" ....  there are multiple explanations.

1)  They perhaps don't live in an area where any of 'that' is an issue... they may have selected a place that is close to, or 'reasonably' close to, most everything they need.  Common sense.

2)  They perhaps don't consider some of those things to be of great importance to them...  free spirited people tend to put the 'vista' or the proximity to 'good surfing' AHEAD of 'round trip' for the ambulance to get to you, and then go back to the hospital with you.  Note that most ambulance drivers here are not medics... and most ambulances only have one person in them... the 'non-medic' driver.

3)  They may, perhaps, think that any level headed person would automatically consider those things when making the leap and buying a place... so it's just not a conversational topic. 

to conclude... make a list of needs, then wants.   'daveandmarcia'...  basically, hit all the points... amenities, paved road, etc.   

I have a friend that came here with his wife last month... it's as if they left their brains on the runway back in the states.   They went to look at a house and found out that it took an hour to get to 'it' on a dirt road.  ????   That should be one of the first questions to ask the seller/realtor BEFORE spending an hour on a dirt road; unless you fancy the idea of driving a monster truck thru mud on a regular basis.  You do know that it rains A LOT here... right?   They also got robbed, in a sketchy area of San Jose... while they were in a taxi!!   They were concerned that their driver was going the wrong direction; and moments later, a 'thief' reached through their fully open windows? and grabbed the gold chain off the guy's neck.  He suffered some minor injuries... but ?????     Anybody that doesn't know about wearing jewelry as a tourist... especially in central america... ???   

My advice regarding that; besides the obvious...  Register yourself with the US State Dept. on their travel website... it will give you a few cautionary 'tips' about the place you are traveling to... as well as updates regarding weather or political protests, etc. 

Take a moment to consider everything that others have written here...   good or bad; and then use your adult wisdom to continue with your plans.  Or not.

@daveandmarcia,

thanx, so much, for your input…i really do appreciate it!

i am scheduled to arrive, July 16th, and be there til the 24th. do you have any thoughts on Puriscal? i am considering a home overlooking Santiago…its rural, and part of a 4 home gated community. im told its a safe area, by the realtor.🤷‍♀️

    Rhonda

We chose a spot 17km S.W. of Puriscal 10 years ago.  Have been very pleased with our choice.  Have not had any problems whatsoever. Best of luck in your endeavor!