If you visit the beach in Costa Rica, it is not uncommon to see foreign retirees spending their time sunbathing or taking a stroll around town. What makes Costa Rica retirement so popular? What are the laws regarding retirees entering the country? Should you buy or rent? Will you have access to proper health care?
The laws about entering the country are quite simple. The US and many other countries are granted 90 days stay in the country without getting a visa. If this is the case, all you need to do is travel to a neighboring nation and get your passport stamped, after which you are free to stay for another 90 days. Visitors from certain countries Read more
Some of the main questions for those considering living in Costa Rica are: Will I be able to find my favorite foods? Can I feel safe drinking the water? Where should I go if I get sick? The answers are simple and will probably put to rest any doubts about living in Costa Rica.
Will I be able to find my favorite foods?
When it comes to finding your favorite foods here in Costa Rica, it really depends on where you live. Stores like Pricesmart and Hipermas, located in the Central Valley, are very similar to Costco or Sam’s Club and sell bulk items. Other local supermarkets like MaxiBodega, Jumbo and MegaSuper, offer many popular foreign foods and goods. You
Real estate investment in Costa Rica is quite a project, but by keeping a couple of helpful tips in mind you can successfully venture jump through all the hoops and end up purchasing your own little plot of land in paradise.
In recent years more and more fradulent real estate dealings and investment scams. Therefore, it is important to keep your wits about you and don’t give anyone the benefit of the doubt. Many foreigners come to Costa Rica expecting things to run just as smoothly as they do in the States when it comes to business dealings, and sadly, that’s just not they way it is down here.
So, how can you protect yourself from being subject to a Read more
If you are white, and especially if you have blond hair, there is very little you can do to not stand out as a foreigner in Costa Rica. However, there are a number of things you can do that will make you seem more Costa Rican and not call attention to the already obvious fact that you aren’t a Tico.
When you greet a person, touch your cheek to theirs and kiss the air. Main mistake made by foreigners: actually kissing the cheek. To remember:Men kiss women, women kiss women, but men do not kiss men.
At smaller parties and gatherings greet everyone this way and do the same when saying goodbye. Main mistake made by foreigners: Only greeting the
The amount of time I could spend talking about the things you should or shouldn’t do when thinking of relocating are endless. I have been trying to shorten my list to include a few essential do’s and don’t’s for those considering making the move to Costa Rica. Here is what I have come up with.
DO take your time in deciding where you want your home in Costa Rica to be. (Or if you want to stay here permanently at all… this is not something to rush into.)
DON’T buy the first piece of land or first house you see.
DO Rent a place in that area before you buy!
DON’T expect things to be the same as they are
When I first got to Costa Rica many foreigners told me that I needed to buy a dehumidifier. I didn’t really see the importance since I was home a lot at first and I didn’t notice any problems with mold. Then one week I left for only four days and upon arriving back home I found mold had grown on all my clothes, wood, couches and basically anything made of cloth. After that I decided to get myself a dehumidifier and it has been a life saver and a killer.
One reason I love the dehumidifier is I noticed when I mopped the house the water would not dry on the floors, now with the dehumidifier I don’t have that
Most of what we do in a bed is sleep. Yet we all know how hard it can be to find the right kind of mattress. Though mattresses are cheap in Costa Rica it is not going to be any easier finding a bed here than it is in the United States.
For example when you buy a bed here in Costa Rica you will find that it comes covered in plastic that they use to ship the mattress. I would recommend not removing the plastic from the bed after you purchase it. The reason is when you buy a frame in the United States normally there are metal cross bars that hold your bed up. In Costa Rica instead Read more
Sometimes you may find that it is the little things you miss when you come to Costa Rica. One thing I missed terribly when I moved to Costa Rica was bed sheets. Though you are able to find bed sheets at low reasonable prices the material used is different than what I am use to. I even paid for custom made sheets just to find that they felt stiff and like plastic.
The best way that I can think to explain it is that bed sheets in Costa Rica are made of a material that feels like window drapes. This may not be true in San Jose but for your smaller communities you will probably find that this is Read more
Ask around in the expat community, there are plenty of gyms to choose from in Costa Rica. If you want to just pump some iron, then look around the barrio, more than likely you will find a small gym without any cardio equipment, just some free weights and benches, no membership fees and all the sweaty buff Ticos the place can hold. (Not suggested for women looking to get fit!)
If you’re like me though, you need more motivation than just looking at other guys with muscles twice the size of yours flex in the mirror. I need the energy found in large commercial gyms with trainers, good looking women barely breaking a sweat on treadmills, and TV screens on Read more
When I arrived to Costa Rica, I saw a lot of signs on various businesses that state “Express” or in Spanish “Domicilio” which means service at your door. In the United States, express generally denotes speed. Yet, in Costa Rica this word means delivery.
There is a wide variety of items that can be delivered in Costa Rica. One of my favorite services, other than pizza delivery, that I can regularly take advantage of is is Dry Cleaning. Though I have heard of others having issues with dry cleaning companies such as; damaged clothes and lost items. I, on the other hand, have never experienced any problems.
What I have found is that since many do not use the dry Read more
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