5 good reasons for living in Costa Rica

Hi Julien,
Would you settle for 13 reasons? We recently wrote an article called "Why We Chose Costa Rica" which you can read at this link: http://retireforlessincostarica.com/201 … osta-rica/
I'll be interested in reading what others say.
Gloria Yeatman

The main reason my wife and I have chosen to move to Costa Rica on March 4th/13 is because Canada has become a police state. Government pandering to privileged minority groups is costing the country so much money that they're now cutting old pensions by forcing citizens to work until age 67, and they've also reduced benefits for war veterans, all in the name of financing an excessive immigration program.  Also;  I think it will be nice to live in a country where it is still legal to say Merry Christmas.

Living in CR is really quite lovely.  It is natural, friendly, and always warm.  However it is not paradise. 
If you want to leave a police state CR is not the place to come.  You have far more chance of being stopped by heavily armed police here than ever in Ontario (I lived in SW Ont for 30 years).  You must by law carry your passport and travel itinerary with you at all times.
Leaving a country due to immigration, to then become an immigrant in a foreign culture (and a minority) is a little ironic don't you think!
CR is socialist country with high taxes and a welfare system.
There are no war veterans here as CR has no army.  No legions!  No poppies!
It is a Catholic country with a strong protestant minority so Christians are comfortable here.  If you are socially conservative and believe in limiting women's rights this place ideal.
I hope you enjoy being an immigrant here.
Chris

1. No Snow!
2. Wild life abound
3. Public health care
4. Beaches and surfing
5. It is not the states!

To
  Julien,Fertnig,Parritaman,Mac76,and Gloriamy

       Thank you all for having sent such nice messages.
       These are the mails I enjoy very much while reading it,and make me feel fine.
       Thank you Julien for the good idea,but let me go even forward enough so as to encourage everybody to enhance their comments so far as posible ,for I am quite sure that there exist much more people who wil find this a main reason to make their minds up to move to a country like Costa Rica.
       Besides ,nowadays we can count with so many Internet ways to share information , I mean by this that also some video clips (for instance ) could nicely be added to a comment.
        Congratulations , and go ahead.

               Best regards  Hermeuto

I too and from Ontario Canada and my husband and I have been living in CR for just 2 months.  After a lot of research we chose CR as our retirement destination.  Why?

We have had enough of Canadian winters.

Costa Rica's weather is beautiful even in the rainy season.

We can live very very well here on my husbands pension.

We have more of a social life here than we ever had in Canada. Everyone, ticos and expats, are very welcoming.  We have more time to socialize here and we have been kept very busy just meeting new people at various events.

Spanish is a beautiful language and we are taking lessons.  This is a must if you want to be able to feel comfortable here. People who come here and expect ticos to speak more english are arrogant.  If someone was immigrating to Canada you would expect them to learn english so be respectful and learn the language.

To the gentleman from Minesing (I'm from Barrie)who thinks Canada is a police state pandering to the immigrants.  Look back into your family tree and see where your family immigrated from.  Unless you are a native indian or an eskimo our families at one point were immigrants looking to start a new life in a new country. My ancestors immigrated from England and Scotland.

If you move to CR with an open mind, a sense of humour and adventure and are willing to adapt to a new lifestyle then CR may be for you.  If you aren't any of these things then you will probably be unhappy in any country.

Pura Vida!

After more than 15 years in Costa Rica I can tell than every year the ticos are more unfriendly with foreign people.
My dream is to be able to sell what I have to leave this country

@cocopato- Please note that the title of this thread is "5 good reasons for living in Costa Rica". Thank you.

My 5 good reasons to live in CR:

1.  Ticos treat foreigners (immigrants) like us so well.   They are always patient and gracious, even when we mangle their language or refuse to speak Spanish.  These people cannot be beat.
2.  The weather is terrific.  I love the wet season as much as the dry season. ( We are in Guanacaste).
3.  Lots of opportunities for adventures of the natural kind.
4.  Amazing fishing.
5.  You tell ignorant gringos to go home, LOL.
Chris

1. climate
2. beaches
3. nature
4. ticos
5. it's a politically stable country

the climat,the birds ,the parks,the ocean  and my girlfriend

CR is socialist country with high taxes and a welfare system.

High Taxes, not at all true.
Welfare system, not true
Socialist Country, not true

Do you live in the same Costa Rica I do?

I am responding to this to defend Costa Rica against what I feel are some unfair charges, however if we continue this it should be in a new thread as this one is about "5 good reasons for living in Costa Rica"!

fertnig wrote:

Living in CR is really quite lovely.  It is natural, friendly, and always warm.  However it is not paradise.

Agreed, there is no place I know of that is truly "paradise" without its own set of issues and challenges.

fertnig wrote:

If you want to leave a police state CR is not the place to come.  You have far more chance of being stopped by heavily armed police here than ever in Ontario (I lived in SW Ont for 30 years).  You must by law carry your passport and travel itinerary with you at all times.

Here, I do agree that since the laws are different in Costa Rica one COULD be stopped by heavily armed police. However I have in all my years alternatively visiting and living there, never known this to happen to anyone. Yes it probably happens occasionally but I've never known it to happen.

And if "heavily armed police" do stop you, I doubt they will hurt you unless they have reason to believe you are dangerous. I'd be open to hearing your and other stories about this actually happening in cases you know of. To me it seems this is a bit of an exaggeration. But if you have evidence of this happening on more than one occasion I'd be interested in hearing it and what the circumstances were. (maybe put it in another thread though).

I have spent tons of time in  Costa Rica and never carry my passport. Is it required? If it is, I imagine a copy would do in most cases. Personally I don't worry about it. I've never ever been stopped by police for anything. Never, and I've visited and/or lived there since 1994.

fertnig wrote:

It is a Catholic country with a strong protestant minority so Christians are comfortable here.  If you are socially conservative and believe in limiting women's rights this place ideal.

That is true that it's not politically liberal but neither are a vast percentage of people in the USA or Canada.

I'm just saying that you are right to point out that  Costa Rica is not Paradise and has some things that foreigners may not like but I guess it's a matter of seeing the cup half empty or half full. Personally I see it as well more than half full.

Maybe the Admin would allow you to start a thread about "5 things most wrong about Costa Rica" in which we can discuss this further.

My top 5 or so reasons:

1. The Nature. As soon as you get outside of San Jose there is so much beautiful nature! It's so beautiful to see the rainforest, jungle, wildlife and so on. I've traveled quite a bit and to me it is one of the most bountiful locations for the beauty of nature. Also part of the natural living there is that when I'm there I end up walking a lot more and doing more things outside than I do in the USA. My wife and I very much enjoy being outside there, and even in the rain it's not cold unless you're high up in the mountains.

2. People are by and large helpful and friendly. I speak about 75% fluent Spanish so for me, anyway, I find that people are very friendly and helpful and I have made Tico friends more easily than I make friends here in the USA. I also find that Americans who move to Costa Rica are often like me in terms of loving nature and a more easy lifestyle so I tend to meet lots of expats that I like, there, as well.

3. It is overall cheaper in Costa Rica than the USA - although some swear it isn't. I account for this by the fact that many prefer to live expensive lifestyles and don't adapt to eating and doing things like Ticos and insist on having pools, a.c., imported food, etc etc. Yes it costs more than it did 10 years ago but that's true everywhere, including the USA. When you include medical care and medicine - which is quite good in Costa Rica -  and rent/building costs and property, Costa Rica is far cheaper than most areas of the USA. Believe me you can't live well at all in the USA on $1500/month but I know people who do just that in Costa Rica.

4. I find myself more "tranquilo", able to deal with waiting in lines and dealing with traffic and such in Costa Rica. I can't explain this, really. I just find that I am more mellow there than here. (Not ALWAYS - sometimes I have indeed gotten angry re the bureaucracy and other aspects of Tico life. That's just my personality. "Wherever you go, there you are.") But over all I find myself more "mellow" in Costa Rica, perhaps due to the attitude of the people and the abundance of nature that puts me in a better mood. Again, I can't really explain it and am just offering theories here. However, others have noted it as well.

5. Bus service is good and there are so many great places to visit in a day's traveling or less. Because it's a small country with so many different micro climates and so much forest area, volcanoes, beaches and so on, it's a great place to travel around and see so many different and beautiful places. From San Ramon I can be at the beach in a couple hours, or at Arenal Volcano/ hot springs, or practically next door I can be in a rain or cloud forest, see waterfalls, and so many beautiful and fun places.

There are others but those are the 5 that occurred to me off the top of my head.

I truly enjoyed reading about your blog and positive outlook and coments about living in Costa Rica.  I am planning to move to C.R. sometime this year for the sole purpose of leaving a stessfull life behind. I have done some research and Costa Rica seems to have so much of what i am looking for, peace, nature, simplicity, laughter, beauty, etc. ..... I currently live in California and have been here since i was 18 years old, and i am now 46.  I came to United stated from Romania as a child with my parents.  Living under then a communist regim in Romenia was not exactly C.R., lol.. So i remeber that living was not always easy.  I am grateful to the unted stated for allowing us to be able to come here and give me/us the opportunity to accompish more than i ever would have in Romania.  However, I have reached a time in my life when all i want is some peace and queit and a stresless lifestyle. We are planning to come down to C..R. sometime this year, myself and my two teenage daughters and im hoping the transition for them will be a good one.  I want to enjoy living and be happy.  Maybe i am a dreamer but i have a feeling that C.R. is the place for us.  I just have that feeling.  Anyhow, i thank you for your honest and positive feedback on C.R., and i would just have one question that maybe you could answer for me. Were in Costa Rica should i start, i mean which ares of costa rica to rent in.  Mainly concerned about safety for my girls and access to necesities.  We plan on staying for a while, as long as its allowed to see if C.R. is truly what i think it will be for us.  Thank you very much.  Best wishes, Chrisitna M. Thank you SamRamon.

If you have sufficient financial resources, it can be a great place to live. You realize that you can't easily and/or legally work here for some time, don't you? Are your teenagers still in the school system? Private education is not cheap. and if they are older, know that college and university courses are in Spanish and most are located in the Central Valley.

Come and enjoy a visit and see for yourself what Costa Rica has to offer. You can stay while on a tourist visa for 90 days or the time that is written in your passport.
Good luck with your dreams!

Agree $1500 per month is a good figure, but really depends on where and how you decide to live and if you want to use your own vehicle.

Hello and thanks for your reply, yes, i realize that work is not an option for some time, my girls are both in school, a 10th grader, and the other is in her 2nd year of college, they are both in public schools, and both have taken spanish courses in school, that is not to say that it would be sufficient, but that it would be enough to get started and get by maybe. I also would thing that schools are predominantly located near busy cities, in this case, the Central Valley and that is where we need to be close to.  So, we will come for a while, maybe for the 90 day duration, and just take it from there.  In your opinion and maybe experience, which areas would you recommed to look into renting within the Central Valley please, again, my main concern would be safety. Thank you very much.

I hesitate to recommend any areas in town as I live in a very rural area. For your daughter to enroll in college here, she will be required to apply for  a special visa for students. Public schools may or may not allow a non-resident or one that is not 'in the process' to enroll. By CR law, you are required to present a report card, translated by authorized translators from the Ministry of Foreign Relations as well as stamped by the CR consulate closest to you where you presently live, plus produce medical records, especially showing that all inoculations are all up to date.
Something to take into consideration, is that the student must attend an accredited foreign school for their studies to count towards a high school diploma in the USA,
When you visit, I suggest you check out schools first and the ease of them getting there as classes here start very early in the morning, as traffic can be very heavy depending on where you choose.
Areas that teenagers like, may not be in your preferred budget.

Thank you very much, it seems there is a lot to consider, obviously, when bringing school aged chidren with you. I will do my homework to research our options.
One quick questions, cany ou elaborate on this statement pls? "Areas that teenagers like, may not be in your preferred budget."
Best wishes,
Christina M.

Of course, I don't know whether or not you have a 'limited' or 'money is no object' type budget. .. but many expat  teenagers are so used to living near multiple malls, movie theaters, and fast food outlets similar to those that are located around Heredia, Santa Ana and Escazu, but not necessarily in many of the smaller towns in the Central Valley. And then, there are those who have always lived in a rural community, so this does not apply to everyone.
It gets dark here, year round, at approx. 6 pm, so this too, can put a damper on what and where your teens will be allowed to go...without you.
Check out this other link with the  requirements of living here legally, without having to leave every 90 days.
I, personally, would not live here if I couldn't do it legally, as you could be denied entry...and crossing the border to renew a tourist visa is getting to be more difficult.

Christina, there certainly is a lot to research before you move yourself and children to Costa Rica. Many do it and it can be a great experience, but just make sure you know all the requirements, costs and so on.

Most of us who know Costa Rica warn "Never move to  Costa Rica permanently without living there for a few months first" so you can see how it really is and if you will like it. A short (1 month or less) vacation staying in hotels is a lot different than staying in a house, setting up a household, banking, dealing with utilities and so on. So my advice would be to go and stay for a few months before you decide to move.

I would suggest staying in a town that is inland as opposed to the beach because a) beach life is a little more "crazy" and b) beach living is more expensive.

Two towns I recommend are San Ramon (no surprise there!) and Puriscal. Both of these could, however, be "too boring" for teenagers unless they are used to living in a smaller town. You can find fairly inexpensive rent in these 2 towns and they are very safe. Most any town in Costa Rica is safe once you get outside San Jose. Violent crime is not common in Costa Rica.

The best thing you can do is research by reading many forums and books, maybe subscribe to the Tico Times so you can get an idea of the news and issues going on in Costa Rica. (Tico Times has both an online subscription and a paper subscription available. You can also read the rentals section there to see what prices are - just realize that once you get to Costa Rica you can probably find better deals than what are listed in the Tico Times, since they cater to Americans.

There are also some online sites like the newspaper amcostarica (.com?) and there are plenty of good blogs where you can read about people who moved to  Costa Rica and the joys they had/have as well as the challenges they face. The Association of Residents of Costa Rica is another good resource. Just use google to find them.

In a nutshell, it comes down to be much easier & cheaper for a 'couple' to move here rather than a family. We tend to 'want' less, can adjust a bit better to saying 'goodbye' to those friends left behind, require smaller living quarters usually with no closets and just the one bathroom with  no hot water in the shower, have less problem using the public bus system rather than being chaperoned around, will not starve because they can't get the frozen foods they love, accept the sometimes very slow internet connections.

My advice would be: don't give up your job, sell your home or belongings to 'visit' here for three months to return 'home' and have to start again. It is a known fact amongst those who have lived here awhile that many who make this move do not stay longer than 2 years.

Christina, visit  for the three months and enjoy the people and what nature has to offer....but don't burn your bridges.

Samramon, the Tico Times no longer offers a printed edition.

kohlerias wrote:

Samramon, the Tico Times no longer offers a printed edition.

Wow, I didn't know that! It's been a long time since I subscribed. Thanks for letting me know.

Thank you so very much for all that great advice, i deffinitely dont want to burn my bridges, lol. just found out too that to relocate to C, R. would take me about a year to get the paperwork done, so that changes things a little bit.  There are still so many things to take into consideration so rest assured i wont make a final move until i know for sure this is for us. We will come for a visit and look around and just take it from there.  Thank you again, i really appreciate everyones input.

Once you have made the decision to proceed with applying for residency, you can come here with your daughters and the copies of all the legal paperwork required to start the proceedings. You could stay, but will be required to continue exiting the country, every 90 days or less, to renew your tourist visa and keep you driving license valid. Or you could return 'home' until your 'resolution' is final, which could take a year or more,  and you are required to register with CAJA and wait for a short time to receive your cedulas. This way you can continue working if you presently do so and your daughter is nearer the completion of her high school education.
Good luck!