International Living Community

Just wanted to give a bit more info about costs... I have a colonoscopy schedueld for this weekend and it will cost $360 and a mamogram is about $70. A general office visit costs around $45 and I just bought an additional insurance for about $16 a month from INS (Instituto de Seguro Nacional) which should help reduce some out of pocket costs on some procedures. It is much more affordable to pay out of pocket in Costa Rica.

A great question, and thanks for asking. It is not hard to find alternative medicince in Italy. First many "traditional" doctors have some training in homeopathic cures that we would call allternaitive and at time my docs have suggested some "homeopathic" meds first to see if they would work. Also most don't know this but spa massages, and other treatments are available through the traditonal system... Italian docs are much more likely to embrace alternatives than a US doc. Chip

No, Costa Rica is not in the United States. It is located in Central America and borders Nicaragua to the north and Panama to the south. Canadian Passport holders can travel to Costa Rica as tourists for up to a maximum 180 days, no visa is required.

You can find a lot more information on our Visa and Residency in Costa Rica page on the website: https://internationalliving.com/countries/costa-rica/visa/

Hi Aaron,

Your existing credit and debit cards will likely work in Thailand, but using them can be costly.

When you withdraw cash using a foreign card, you’ll be charged an ATM fee of about 220 THB (around $6.12; it will likely appear as part of the withdrawal amount and not as a separate fee on your statement).

Your bank back home may charge its own fees on top of this. Plus, many institutions may give a poor exchange rate and/or charge fees up to as much as 5%.

Credit cards can be used at larger businesses, but some add a fee or surcharge of up to 1.5% , and your bank may apply additional fees and charges.

Before leaving home, tell your bank representative that you’re planning on spending time in Thailand and discuss these fees. You may find that opening an account in a different bank in the U.S., Canada, or wherever home may be, can save you money when you get to Thailand.

Some banks—like Charles Schwab—have special offers for things like foreign ATM fee reimbursement, or better bill paying options, while others (like Capital One) may offer credit cards with no foreign currency fees. You’ll find it well worth your while to research these options exhaustively.

Be sure to check out our dedicated Thailand resource page before you visit.

Hi Gary,

Great choice on visiting Lima. It’s Peru’s business, culinary, and retail hub and is also home to the country’s largest concentration of expats.

Using taxis overseas can be daunting. We all heard stories of people getting ripped off because they don’t know how to navigate the system. But you just need to follow a few simple rules.

First off, it seems that anybody who is unemployed in Peru attaches a taxi sign to the top of their car and becomes a cab driver. Although most are both safe and fairly priced, you should take precautions, especially late at night.

Taxis are not metered so if the price is not already fixed for specific distances, you will need to negotiate. Be sure to agree on a price before you set off in the taxi.

Registered taxis can be recognized by the yellow stripe across the top of their license plates. It’s always better to have your hotel summon a taxi for you, especially if you’re unfamiliar with the system.

And the taxis available from the airport desks are the best option when you arrive. Unlike other countries, prices are more competitive than the ones you will find outside.

Learn more about Peru on the dedicated pages of our website here.