Full of Curiousity About the Beautiful Country of Costa Rica!

Red tape covers the whole aspect of living here, and it doesn't  magically dissapear, once you gain legal residency. The 'rules' seem to change, depending on who you talk to that day and may change again tomorrow, depending on what that person feels like.
You need to experience 'life' here before making any major decisions and you won't can't do this on a weeks vacation at a hotel..
There is nice scenery but there is also many desolate dwellings/shacks that are seen when you drive thorough the country. As for animals, unless you live in a very rural area, you are not likely to encounter many... except dogs ... as in most countries they tend to avoid to busy and built up places.
You will be in the minority and those you encounter may not understand English, especially in the rural towns and outside of the tourist areas...but for the most part people are nice and definitely not rude which can be a problem in itself, since they don't like to tell you 'no' so you may find out later, that what actually you want is not available or they can't provide the promised service.

Costa Rica is beautiful yes. Many parts lush and green.   But it is not paradise. It has its problems.  It is now the most expensive country in Central America..   Some prices higher than the US. but others are lower so in all it a little cheaper to live here.  Property is still cheap as is renting.  Medical is still good.  Cars and gas are high.  Things do run slow here.  You can wait in a bank depending where you live for a few hours.    The bureaucratic stuff is the same it can take time and effort to get your residency. I have been at mine for almost 5 years.   The people here are different .  Like lawyers they seldom keep you up on what is going on with your case you have to hound them.   The people are friendly to some extent but only so far you still feel a bit out side the social circle except for other expats.   To know if you want to live here I highly suggest to come and visit a view times.   To see for self my experience is personal.  The rains can get to you as the over whelming amount of bugs.   The people here also tend to tell you want you want to hear in their minds so they tell white lies.   Another bad habit is they are seldom on time you can tell them lets say for dinner at 6 they may show up at 8 or latter.  Renewing your passport is a hassle you must leave the country every 30 to 60 days to renew and stay overnight in Panama or Nicaragua.  But in all it is good fairly safe much more so then most US cities.   Patient is the key ..   At times it is frustrating . I would also look at other countries to retire in.  Find what is best for you.  I have had a hell of a time with my residency i came when it was set at 650 for income . I was all set i did what i was told to do.  Sent my papers to WDC then came here. Well after 6 months I called the embassy and they did not have my papers .  They were lost.  Then the amount of money needed went to 1,000 i was in trouble but i read you can have another income I do have in oil but as it is not stated it is for live for they can not .  So may case is up in the air I have been turned down twice, now waiting for the final decision from a judge.    If no I must leave in two weeks after that.    I now with what I know would consider Ecuador or Uruguay . Uruguay is the easiest to get residency but is a bit expensive but still less then most US cities The other bad thing about Costa RIca is the lack of culture . The cities are not so pretty. Other than San Jose there are few really good restaurants.  Arts, or cultural things to do.   hope this helps

yes the read tape does not go away i have been here six years waiting on residency.  what i hate about most ticos they can barely give you the time of day.   my lawyer leaves me uniformed and if i press him well he gets angry the hate aggression here but to some times you have to to make them move.  live is not paradise here nor is it so un pleasant . every year you have to take your car in for inspection yes a hassle.  now you have to leave the country one day to renew passport that is staying over night in panama . it can be frustrating.  other places you may look ecuador and uruguay , the latter is the easiest to obtain residency. nice beaches good food. nice people.   if i had my choices i would over look costa rica.

Hola Sharon,

Although I do agree with about 95% of the previous posts, if you have a mellow personality, you should be fine.  If you are a "type A" personality, I would not waste my time coming down.  I have lived here five years now and have no intention of ever returning to the States.  Life here is easier if you let it be.  Things are the way they are and you are not going to change them.  Life is much, much simpler here.  I love life here.

I prefer not to socialize with Gringos.  As you can kind of see from posts, their favorite thing seems to be to find the faults and complain about it.  I could point out just as many if not more about the States.  Ticos live on average 10 years longer than people in the States - there is a reason.

Yes, there is a lot more red tape, or a better way of putting it, disorganization.  Ticos as a whole seem to lack common sense and don't really want to put the effort in to change the way things are.  As a Gringa/Gringo, you have to adjust to it and just accept it for what it is.  If you don't, you will be like the majority of North Americans who move here and will return within the first year.  Some things might take more time but you take a book and don't worry about it.  Things like obtaining your driver's license and getting your residency is not that big of deal at all.  You hire someone to help you and they take the stress away.  It took me one year to get my residency and pretty much no effort.  I am a permanent resident now, have CAJA (insurance), and am very comfortable where I live.

Personally, I don't think Costa Rica is any cheaper than the States.  Prices have gone up a lot in the past five years.  Rent is about the same, depending on where you live, gas is twice as much, electricity is four times as much, property taxes are a lot less, cars are very expensive, about double that of the States, car insurance is 1/2 of what it is in the States.  So what's expensive is offset by something else less expensive.

If you haven't already started learning Espanol, I recommend you begin ASAP.  It's been hard for me to learn but I speak enough now to at least communicate and find what I need.  You will not enjoy life here if you don't speak the language.  The best part of living here is talking with Ticos.  At heart, they are very nice and friendly people.  They are always willing to help.

Yes, Tico's do tell white-lies by our standards.  But again, it is the way it is so you either adjust to it and accept it, or, let it drive you crazy.

As others have said, you have to come down and spend time here before moving here.  The vast majority of people who move here return within a year.  You have to experience it and decide if the lifestyle here is for you.

Hope it all works out for you wherever you end up.

- Dave

sharon8885 wrote:

But need to get an idea of one of my few concerns from all my reading and video watching!   I want to get this one out of the way and later move to the fun and sharing stuff!

I've seen several things that sound like the red tape there is as deep as the ocean, and that scares me a little.      Mainly because I need a much simpler, more pleasant lifestyle.  So my question is this:   Is the bureaucratic stuff overwhelming to some of you on an ongoing basis, or is it just mainly when you have to deal with the basic "set-up" stuff like Visas, car rental or purchase, etc?   

In other words, once you get the things going that you have to do to live anywhere, are you pretty much done with it (except the Visa situation which I already 'sort of' understand)?

The US has gotten to the place where you can't call for the simplest thing and actually talk to a person!  10 depths of voice mail,  websites on your issue that have no contact info, call centers located in India where you do talk to some nice people, but many don't speak or understand English very well, or if you get call centers here, they're rampant with people who just don't care about what you need at all.  Cold, impersonal, or sometimes downright mean, etc..

Then there's the traffic, overcrowding, and superficial life that is now sadly DALLAS.  I love the idea that Costa Rica is about enjoying life and people instead of THINGS.    It sounds so wonderful and peaceful.  And my spirit needs that desperately!!

Would love to communicate with some of you who would just be honest and down to earth so I'll know how far I want to go with this.  I'm fascinated, ready to plan a trip next year to see it, and understand it's best to rent-rent-rent everything at first no matter what!

This sounds like I'm a grouch!       LOL      I'm not.  I love life and love people, love to laugh and have just very simple fun.  Also crazy about beautiful scenery and animals of every kind.   I'm just weary with life as it is right now where I am.

Thanks to anyone willing to chat with me a bit.   Very much looking forward to meeting some of you!

Sharon (Langston)
Texas, USA   

Sharon I feel the exact same way as you about the problems of "life in the USA" and that's one big reason why my wife and I are moving to Costa Rica this year (maybe as early as June).

I have not lived there permanently so I can't really answer the red tape question. I have lived in Costa Rica years ago for 6 months at a time on 2 occasions and have lived in various places for a month at a time over the years, and I still want to move there. That should tell you something.

Yes red tape is a problem but it's a big problem in the USA too!

I honestly think it's less of a problem in  Costa Rica than in the USA but again I haven't lived there lately so maybe I'm wrong. All I do know is I have numerous friends who live in Costa Rica, mostly Americans, some Canadians, and they prefer living there over the USA/ Canada.

It seems that some people who moved to  Costa Rica hate it yet keep living there and those people are very negative about it. Most of them never learned Spanish and hang out with other gringos who hate it like they do, and some of them like to go on forums and complain about it.

Then some just try to tell it like it is and yes there are some things to complain about, and I mostly agree with Expat Dave's assessment of your inquiry.

Over the past few years I have been visiting  Costa Rica a month or more at a time where I do buy groceries and gas and shop for things just as if I was at home; i.e; I don't live in a hotel when I'm there, but in a house and I cook and seldom eat at a restaurant, I use buses and cars and wait in line at the banks and at the phone company and Municipalidad, and so I pretty much know what it's like now, and I also speak with my friends regularly who live there. So I have a pretty good idea what it's like even though I do not live there full time.

I disagree with those who say it's as expensive as in the USA. SOME things are, but many things are not. Health care is MUCH cheaper than the USA; land and houses can be much cheaper unless you go "luxury". Veges and fruits are generally cheaper if you shop at the right places. That said, Costa Rica is not as cheap as it USED to be and that tends to make people over-state how expensive it is imho.

In spite of things like standing in line at banks and government offices and utilities and so on, in spite of work people not being reliable or responsible in many cases, in spite of the negatives that there are, I just know that I always enjoy living in Costa Rica, overall and even my wife noted that I'm happier when we're there - again not just on "vacation" - most of the recent trips have been "work" trips to get things done to prepare for building and moving there.

Recently I've been looking at rentals because we'll have to rent until our home gets built. I've found beautiful homes online for $400-500/month. We're looking to pay less and I can almost guarantee you we will find a nice place for $350 or $400. Not sure how much rent is in Dallas but here in CA you can't find a good rental for that price. Also if you ask around when you're there - as opposed to looking online - you are likely to find a better deal. I found a Tico place already for $225 but I have to look at it first and I doubt it will be up to our standards. But if you're willing to rent a Tico home you can often find a very cheap deal. A Tico home will likely have a "suicide shower", can't flush toilet paper, poorly insulated, that kind of thing... I've lived in Tico homes before and it's not that bad and some are better than others.

You can't find any  apartment or home to rent in southern CA for the above kind of money. Minimum $850 for a tiny one bedroom, and $1100 for a bigger one br in an okay neighborhood. I'm sure you can find cheap deals in Kansas or Oklahoma or Arkansas etc but you'll deal with cold and snow in those cheaper areas. You'll be forced to buy expensive insurance policies, and now you're forced to buy Obamacare as well. (Or pay a substantial fine. We'll pay the fine this year and it will be our last!)

I've noted over the past 25 years of living in and visiting  Costa Rica that I generally feel better when I'm there and enjoy myself. Yes I get angry sometimes when I'm in Costa Rica but also in the USA - I do have a low tolerance for bureaucracy and stupidity though I am trying to learn to deal with it better here as well as Costa Rica.

There's a famous and very good book called "Wherever You Go, There You Are" and it means that you are you and you pretty much face the same challenges wherever you are because you are always still you, carrying around the same "you" baggage... This is important to consider when you contemplate moving to another country. You aren't going to suddenly be a different person and your life isn't going to suddenly be paradisaical.

On the other hand as I mentioned, I do tend to enjoy my life more when I'm in Costa Rica and there are reasons for that - primary among them being - for me - that there's more nature, people are generally friendlier, it's a slower-paced life (except maybe in San Jose'), and it's a healthier more active lifestyle especially if you live outside a city or in a small town.

Personally I much prefer it over the USA and my numerous friends who live there also do and have for some time, 10-20 or 30 years in some cases. (see my new thread on "the countries with the happiest people")

I would have to agree with samramon's post 101%. Great commentary and advice.

Living in any area before building or buying is important, as even a long vacation is not the same, when the rainy season is upon you. Some areas are well known to have low clouds where you can hardly see anything for months at a time where during the dry season you may have a great view. 'Samramon', I'm sure, already knows that some areas around San Ramón including Los Angeles, Berlin, and El Empalme have cooler temperatures, with more clouds, and more rain than in other areas in or near San Ramón.

kohlerias wrote:

Living in any area before building or buying is important, as even a long vacation is not the same, when the rainy season is upon you. Some areas are well known to have low clouds where you can hardly see anything for months at a time where during the dry season you may have a great view. 'Samramon', I'm sure, already knows that some areas around San Ramón including Los Angeles, Berlin, and El Empalme have cooler temperatures, with more clouds, and more rain than in other areas in or near San Ramón.

Exactly.
Costa Rica has many micro-climates and one end of San Ramon is different than the other end, for example.
Sometimes it has to do with altitude, other times it has to do with weather patterns based on mountains or cloud forests or wind...
So wherever you are in Costa Rica, don't expect it to be the exact same a mile or two away!

Considering the fact that the American government is presently hiring 40,000 internment officers to eliminate a large percentage of it's population, I think it would be a wise idea for American's already living in Costa Rica to make efforts to lure more of their relatives to also live there, and the sooner the better.

http://www.goarmy.com/careers-and-jobs/ … alist.htmlhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGJDfX79NbM

Edward1958 wrote:

Considering the fact that the American government is presently hiring 40,000 internment officers to eliminate a large percentage of it's population, I think it would be a wise idea for American's already living in Costa Rica to make efforts to lure more of their relatives to also live there, and the sooner the better.

http://www.goarmy.com/careers-and-jobs/ … alist.htmlhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGJDfX79NbM

I haven't seen these sites/videos yet but I generally agree with you based on other future scenarios that I see coming down the pike in the USA that are not good for anyone but the ultra rich.

I tell all my friends to consider moving SOMEwhere safer (with  Costa Rica being at the top of my list), to avoid the future problems the USofA is moving towards.

Hello Samramon,  These sites will show you that there will be an exudus to Costa Rica from the US some day soon.

http://mrconservative.com/2014/01/30924 … -near-you/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxIoMWS2B0g