International Living Community

Hi Raymond,

Are you looking for the north/central/south Pacific coast? Have you tried any FB pages?

Does anyone here have a rental in Costa Rica they went to share on this thread here in CR?

If you are looking for a specific place, you can post in the Costa Rica chat and see if anyone has anything available.
Bekah, IL's Costa Rica Correspondent

https://internationalliving.com/my-favorite-places-in-costa-rica/
Did you guys see my article about my favorite places?
Which one do you want to visit first???
-Bekah, IL's Costa Rica Correspondent

We had a great conference last weekend. I met lots of people interested in Costa Rica. Remember you can email me for more info or with questions or post right here to chat and share with others! I am here to help you.

Dan said they would be available a week or two later... so soon. You should be informed by email.

So I have A LOT of favorite places here in Costa Rica. I was just looking at some of my pics on Google Photos and saw my favorite volcano in Costa Rica-- ARENAL.
This vocano has such a magestic energy for me. I LOVE it.
Do you have any volcano pics to share? Add a comment below with them... they can be anywhere in the world!

Hi everyone. Just doing a roll call.
Who will I see in San Jose this weekend???
Comment below to let me know!

Personally, I don't have any experience in this area.
It does seem like dementia is a growing concern in the country.

I would try contacting people here to look for more info: https://findahelpline.com/countries/cr/topics/dementia-alzheimers

https://www.alzint.org/member/asociacion-costarricense-de-alzheimer-y-otras-demencias-asociadas-ascada/

a nursing home: https://nursinghomescostarica.com/ & https://verdeza.com/

Good luck and let me know if you have any other questions.

What stands out about the two countries to you? I live in Costa Rica and am IL's Correspndent.

I know a good amount of artists. I just met a man who is a fine artist in Ojochal on an editorial trip.

And this is a new gallery that is pretty popular in Guanacaste by Tamarindo (https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61568438617057)-- one of my friend's Johnny has his art there- https://www.solgallery.cr/artist/johnny-coopwood?fbclid=IwY2xjawJ-cHdleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBicmlkETFuRkJYREY2NkpNRWtJZjFzAR75ya20koowP77MK4TWRi5p3i61RYnQcPd-4ARwvkr5GPKYgmKmGikXFPBvjw_aem_RxJfZubODKh_X5k7zu0u3g

There are a lot of new pottery places in the area, like this one- https://www.instagram.com/almanos.ceramica/

There are people who do Sip and Paint nights which are pretty popular. And Lindsey just started opened her own gallery https://www.facebook.com/LindsayArte and a kids club art- https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61564976650338.

Junior Rodrigues also has a place in Tamarindo - https://www.instagram.com/artgallerycafejr/?hl=en

Enjoy your trip! THat is the best thing to do... go check out areas and see what they feel like to you!

-Bekah Bottone, IL's Costa Rica Correspondent

It all depends on your credit card coverage. You really need to talk with your credit card to see what your options are. I always get all the coverage becuase I get nervous about the WHAT IF?...

Collision Damage Waiver (CDW) itself isn't technically "mandatory by name," but basic third-party liability insurance ("Responsabilidad Civil") is.

Most rental companies in Costa Rica bundle CDW into your quote anyway, making it seem mandatory because they won’t let you leave without it unless you can prove (with a letter) that your credit card fully covers rental CDW specifically in Costa Rica.
Even then, some agencies still require you to buy the basic liability from them.

I am in Guanacaste. Let me know if you are in my area and we can try to meet up.

I also suggest joining Facebook pages in the areas you are interested in to get more info and connect with people.

And hopefully people here will comment and share their experiences in CR.

In general, I suggest spending a month and staying in each of the places to really get a feel for them and check out the vibe for yourself. But heading to different areas to get a feel for them is a great first step.

I don't have anyone in particular that i can recommend for tours.. but I met this man on an editorial trip and he is starting a group to help people- https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61574689898866&rdid=q4twgfg5Z2gaIxih&share_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fshare%2F1B6pbpgsTY%2F#

The best healthcare is in the Central Valley, so keep that in mind. The best equipped hostpitals and most specialists are there. Often times, a specialist will visit a clinic in Guanacaste once a month. So it isn't as conveninet.

An important factor to consider is the weather. What temperatures do you prefer? It rains everywhere, yet some places have more rain than others.

The beaches
Hot and humid, and I love them!
Guanacaste is the driest part of Costa Rica. The Central Pacific receives more rain.

Lake Arenal
Cooler (temperature) than the beach.
Nuevo Arenal gets about 50% more rain than Tronadora, located just across the lake.
Tronadora is much windier.
La Fortuna and the surrounding towns like Chachagua are drier and warmer.

The Central Valley
Cooler temperatures - especially from the variety of elevations available.
I always recommmend reaching out to FB groups and asking questions. I use those groups to learn about differnt areas and connect with new people all of the time. FB groups are very active here and worth using as a resource.

These FB pages might be a good start:
Arenal
https://www.facebook.com/groups/712758082803982
https://www.facebook.com/groups/270122543035935
Guanacaste
https://www.facebook.com/groups/297720547030161
https://www.facebook.com/groups/3442610169117243
Jaco
https://www.facebook.com/groups/290260966853843
https://www.facebook.com/groups/711552235579574

There are lots of expat groups too:
search 'Expats in... '

This group posts about a women's would be a great place to get insider info for Guanacaste. https://www.facebook.com/groups/663758784658197

Many people find staying in an Airbnb a good way to check out a community, more so than a hotel.

I talked with Nick when in Nuevo Arenal and he rent out an Airbnb.
https://internationalliving.com/from-deaths-door-to-thriving-in-lake-arenal-costa-rica/ (https://www.airbnb.ie/rooms/40036748?source_impression_id=p3_1719933875_P3ic3CyJiPWB-oYF)

Good luck on your travels. Let me know if you have any more questions.

I have 2 contacts for Real Estate in the Central Valley
Carol Prado - KW | Costa Rica. You can send him a message on WhatsApp message (‪+506 6345 7251‬) or email (Carol.prado@kwcostarica.com) to connect with him.

And Brooke Bishop +506 8311 5336.

And Mariana with KW in Tamarindo +506 6155 5265.

Although Costa Rica is getting more and more expensive, I have met plenty of people living on a fixed income over the past few years.

The postcards section at IL shares the experiences of others who have made the move and is a great way to check out success stories. https://internationalliving.com/category/daily-postcard/

I suggest spending a month and staying in each of the places to really get a feel for them and check out the vibe for yourself. I recently visited Atenas and Grecia in the Central Valley and you might want to check them out if being close to health is necessary. I will be talking about them at the San Jose Conference in July 2024. Are you planning on joining us online or in person?

The best healthcare is in the Central Valley, so keep that in mind. The best equipped hostpitals and most specialists are there. Often times, a specialist will visit a clinic in Guanacaste once a month. So it isn't as conveninet.

An important factor to consider is the weather. What temperatures do you prefer? It rains everywhere, yet some places have more rain than others.

The beaches
Hot and humid, and I love them!
Guanacaste is the driest part of Costa Rica. The Central Pacific receives more rain.

Lake Arenal
Cooler (temperature) than the beach.
Nuevo Arenal gets about 50% more rain than Tronadora, located just across the lake.
Tronadora is much windier.
La Fortuna and the surrounding towns like Chachagua are drier and warmer.

Many people find staying in an Airbnb a good way to check out a community, more so than a hotel.

I talked with Nick when in Nuevo Arenal and he rent out an Airbnb.
https://internationalliving.com/from-deaths-door-to-thriving-in-lake-arenal-costa-rica/ (https://www.airbnb.ie/rooms/40036748?source_impression_id=p3_1719933875_P3ic3CyJiPWB-oYF)

The Central Valley
Cooler temperatures - especially from the variety of elevations available.

I met three people living in the Atenas/Grecia area on my last editorial trip in April 2024. Karen lives on $2000 a month, Mike on under $1400 a month (he spends six months here as he is Canadian), and Lynda spends about $1500 a month. This shows that living in Costa Rica can be affordable, hopefully giving you peace of mind about your financial situation.

I suggest posting in Facebook groups to ask questions and get more on-the-ground information. I post in the groups in the areas I will visit to connect with people for my editorial trips and find specific places to visit. Most of the time, people are very helpful.

I am not sure which areas you are most interested in, but you can start by checking out these groups:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/209258083597577
https://www.facebook.com/groups/128010388878472
https://www.facebook.com/groups/579515763190243
https://www.facebook.com/groups/178568066214136
https://www.facebook.com/groups/450171628439598

I suggest searching Facebook for the town/city you want to visit to see what results appear. Facebook is widely used down here for community sharing and support.

Let me know if you have any additional questions about Costa Rica.

• Bekah Bottone, IL's Costa Rica Correspondent

I always use Enterprise, not sure why, but I had a good experience the first time and just kept going back.

-Bekah Bottone, IL's Costa Rica Corresspondent

DEE.DYKSTRA said:
Thanks for this! I'm coming to the conference in May, and enjoy learning about all the variety of climates there. See you there!

Excellent. I look forward to answering any questions at the conference!
-Bekah Bottone, IL's CR Correspondent

ESC7PAR said:
Hi, how easy or difficult is it to trans money from the US to purchase a house in Cosgta Rica?

Transferring money from the U.S. to purchase a house in Costa Rica is relatively straightforward but requires planning. Remember, Pura Vida!

1. Transfer Methods
   Wire Transfers: The most common method. Banks like Banco Nacional, BAC, and private escrow services accept international wire transfers.

Money Transfer Services: Services like Wise, Revolut, or Western Union can be more cost-effective than banks.

International Bank Accounts: Some U.S. banks (like Charles Schwab or HSBC) offer international transfer services.

2. Know Bank & Government Regulations
   U.S. Regulations: Large transfers ($10,000 or more) will be reported to the IRS for anti-money laundering purposes.

Costa Rican Regulations: Banks may require documentation (such as a purchase contract) to justify large deposits, especially when more than $50,000.

3. Exchange Rate & Fees
   Banks usually charge higher exchange rates and fees.

4. Escrow & Legal Support
   It’s recommended to use an escrow service in Costa Rica to ensure secure transactions.

If you use a reputable bank, escrow service, and attorney, the process can be smooth. Delays happen if documentation is missing or if the bank requires extra verification.

-Bekah Bottone, IL's CR Correspondent

You can go through all the pages here:
https://internationalliving.com/community/category/
If you look at the top of this page, you will see this recording!
-Bekah Bottone, IL's CR Correspondent

If you look at the top of this page, you will see the recording!
-Bekah Bottone, IL's CR Correspondent

If you look at the top of this page, you will see the recording!
-Bekah Bottone, IL's CR Correspondent