Considering a move to Costa Rica

Hi, there was while I was there but not now, they were part of a manufacturing site start up but have gone home now.
I could answer some questions if you wish we lived there for two years

Hi Annette 24,
I always thought that Irish people spoke English.  I've only been here for four years, but I've never met any Irish expats, but I'm sure there are some in Costa Rica somewhere.  I am just trying to visualize a Costa Rican that has some knowledge of the English language, trying to understand a person with a heavy Irish accent... LOL

Hi
Thanks a lot for getting back and offering to help
Yes we just are curious about general stuff related to safety,lifestyle and generally if there are any obstacles to living there
Thanks again
Annette

Hi Edward
                 I can appreciate what you are saying re language and especially the Irish Brogue!
I think you may have been watching too many US movies where the actors are not Irish at all and make an embarrassing attempt to speak with an Irish accent,I promise you we don't speak at all like that ie begorrah and begosh!
I have you know we speak English very distinctly
How are you getting on there,hard life im sure all that sun and leisure
We are just curious at the minute about general lifestyle,safety and would it be hard to settle in there
Much Appreciated
Annette

HI Annette,

A lot depends on your selves everyone is different. Like if you have lived abroad in a foreign country and language in the past.
Safety: Safest in south and central America. But not comparable to Europe, US, Canada Australia.
People: Extremely friendly and helpful. Lots of America live, retire and work in Costa Rica which is good for contacts
Country: Central valley live in Santa Ana and Escazu areas. This is where most expats live, very safe many conveniences of western countries. Downtown San jose good to visit but stick to main streets and watch for petty crime. Not safe at night. west coast safe to travel. east coast and limon not safe US embassy advises not to travel to east coast. Beautiful, beaches, volcanos and rainforests all relatively accessible. Need to be aware of travel in remote area in rain seasons as roads can wash out.
Lifestyle excellent: locals very friendly great fun very family orientated, plenty of expats, cost of living higher than you would expect 2 levels of cost of living in society high or low.
Frank

Of course there are obstacles, mostly red tape with lots of  bureaucracy thrown in, especially when still waiting for residency, which can take a year or more. One main downfall, if not a retiree and needing funds to help live here, is that you can't legally work until a permanent resident , work on-line or be in a position to have an unusual work skill and possibly  be able to get a work visa....although you can't get a work visa, if you have already are a Temporary resident.

Safety depends on your choice of location and lifestyle. Some choose to live in a gated community which is in many cases, just a subdivision. Others choose to live in towns often with high fences and security bars on their windows, and some in condos. Choices abound...

Petty theft is common, unfortunately.

It is very important to come for an extended period to see if CR is for you, before you pack up, lock, stock and barrel.

Don't base your move on what others say.

Ooops...some mistakes that I couldn't correct in time due to no internet access, one of the obstacles often incountered in some areas...

It should read:

Of course there are obstacles, mostly red tape with lots of  bureaucracy thrown in, especially when still waiting for residency, which can take a year or more. One main downfall, if not a retiree and needing funds to help live here, is that you can't legally work until a permanent resident, although you can work on-line or be in a position to have an unusual work skill and possibly  be able to get a work visa....although you can't get a work visa, if you have already applied for or have already have a Temporary residency  status, such as Pensionado, Rentista or Investor.

Safety depends on your choice of location and lifestyle. Some choose to live in a gated community which is in many cases, just a subdivision. Others choose to live in towns often with high fences and security bars on their windows, and some in condos. Choices abound...

Petty theft is common, unfortunately.

It is very important to come for an extended period to see if CR is for you, before you pack up, lock, stock and barrel.

Don't base your move on what others say.

Before you move come and visit and make sure Costa RIca is what you want. There are so many articals our there saying come retire in paradise live cheaper in Costa Rica .  Costa Rica is pretty but not paradise.   If you are meat eaters you will be disappointed as beef is very poor here and not much variety on food itself it is a rice and bean diet. Although vegetables are very good. so as a vegetarian you can pass.   but no before hand this is what you want and no all there is to know about residency costs as it not cheap to live here ect.  or you can be burned by unexpected things and costs hope this helps .   DO YOUR HOME WORK

Hello Annette 24,

I was having fun with the Irish accent thing, I love the accent.  Approximately 20% of all people who move to Costa Rica end up staying, the rest return to where they came from for various reasons, usually the wife misses the grandchildren, or gets tired of her husband looking at all the beautiful women down here.  If you can adjust your lifestyle "you could make it here".  You've got to be ready for anything, and don't try to understand everything you might experience "as there is no logical explanation".  Also be ready to pay more for everything here, from cars to electrical power "and especially for groceries".  If you go to this website "and watch all their videos", you will learn everything you need to know about life here in Costa Rica.   https://www.youtube.com/user/iCostaRica24

Dear Paul Baker,

You are a rare find in this forum.... a man who tells the truth about life in Costa Rica, keep up the good work.

Thanks i was drawn here by lies and half truths.  People need to know Costa Rica is not paradise and has many problems food costs inconveniences ect.  It i now fast becoming there is no cheap place on the planet to live except perhaps back to nature if you want to go that way.  But costs are going up and up I looked at Ecuador till I realized there to prices are soaring .   So if you move abroad move because you just love the country and people not because it seems cheaper.

Annette 24 wrote:

Hi we are an Irish couple looking to move to Costa Rica
Are there any Irish out there we could chat to
Thanks a lot

Never ever met an Irish person in Costa Rica! But maybe there are a few. Not many British either; some French, Swiss, etc. Mostly Americans and Canadians it seems to me, though I haven't done a survey. ;-D

As others have said and as I always tell people "GO THERE FIRST! Live there for at least a month in a house or apartment, not a hotel. If you can swing it, live there for several months in different areas before deciding to move there. It's NOT for everyone.

There are no reliable stats but my opinion is that 25-40% return home after moving to Costa Rica.

The MAIN reason - again, no stats but in my opinion - is that they never learn to speak Spanish and do not assimilate into the culture. Also "type A's" who can't learn to have patience and deal with long waits for stuff - especially when first moving and getting "set up" with phone, electricity, banking, residency, car, etc etc. - are prone to hate Costa Rica. It is a challenge to put up with their loosey-goosey way of business if you're from the USA or Canada or Switzerland etc where things are more "professional" and when someone says they'll be there, Tue at 9am they'll be there close to that time and day. The "mañana" attitude is alive and well in Costa Rica. Though if you ask around to other expats you can often find Ticos who ARE punctual and reliable. But not always.

Like ANY and ALL countries Costa Rica has its challenges; some stuff you'll like and some stuff you won't...

That said I like the people, I love the nature, and it IS cheaper to live than most desirable parts of the USA for example. People often speak of living on $1500/month (I know people who live on $1000-1200/month) and I don't know where you can live on that in the USA. Prices are rising all over the world!

We live in the USA now but have property and are moving to Costa Rica soon. I was telling my wife today that I used to wash my car here in the U.S. for $6, then $7 then $8.... now it's $12 - $15! WTF?! I know there's a water shortage but 2.5 times the price!?

Same with lunch: used to be an average lunch was $4, then $5, then $6 ... now it's $6-8 just to get "fast food" at a USA Del Taco or Taco Bell, McDonalds etc.

What is cheaper in Costa Rica are tomatoes, papayas, avacados, mangos, many fruits and veges... health care and dental work... coastal or ocean view properties... medicine... doctors... construction... cell phone service... some hotels... buses... taxis...

What isn't cheaper:
cars, gas for cars, beer, cheese, milk, canned food and other stuff imported from the USA, electronics...

Those are some ideas...

Visit for as long as you can afford to, shop for groceries and stuff, look at prices of things you'll need...  get an idea of the costs and the lifestyle and the people and the bureaucracy... THEN decide.

But there aren't really any better places to live that are cheaper, from what I've seen. Mexico: dangerous; Panama: a police state; Nicaragua: dangerous; Guatemala: dangerous; USA: expensive and increasingly fascist and on the verge of bankruptcy; Canada: cold and following in USA footsteps... I'm open to cheaper better places to live than Costa Rica if you guys know of any!

Truth is often a matter of perspective. It's like the elephant being described by 5 blind men, one feeling the trunk, one feeling the leg, one feeling the ear etc. Also the "truth" is also a matter of whether you see the glass half empty or the glass half full.

Some here are very negative re all things Costa Rica and some are very positive and some are in between.
So anyone trying to gather info from this forum has to consider the source as to how they see things.

Hello Annette;
There are a lot of books covering the concerns you have...first is Happier Than a Billionaire" about an American couple who up and moved to CR - available on Amazon; then there is "From Gringo to Tico" an informative e-book about moving to CR..buy from the website fromgringototico.com.  You can also follow th Facebook page for From Gringo To Tico..for lots of good advice.

I moved to CR from North Western Canada a few years ago, and have a friend from Ireland as a neighbour!

At the end of the day...the transition to living in Costa Rica depends more on your sense of adventure, ability to cope with change and learning new things.  How resilient are you?  How do you cope with change and things not being the way you think they should be?

These are the most important questions to ask yourself...and then all the rest will go from there.

From where in northwestern Canada did you move?

Alberta..and I lived most of my life in the north part...and northern British Columbia. The part of Costa Rica where we live, has a LOT of Canadians living here...

I am from Calgary and spending about half time in Tamarindo.  There are many Canadians here as well.  What part of Costa Rica are you in?

Although most recently...the last time I was in Canada, and my now - husband is from near the Calgary area...Cochrane.

the southern Zone...Ojochal

We live in a Canadian developed community called [url=http://www.altigua.com/]Altos de Antigua[/url, it is located near the hamlet of Alto la Palma which is 17km S.W. of Puriscal.  The original developers (who both live here) are from Calgary, Alberta.  We are about 80% Canadian, 15% American, and one Danish family and one local family.
My wife and I are originally from British Columbia, and then Moved to Red Deer, Alberta before we retired here.