Living in Costa Rica: The Good, the Bad & the Unexpected After 18 Years

What's your biggest concern about moving to Costa Rica? Drop it below — I've lived here 18 years and I'll answer every single question! 👇

"The climate"....there are hundreds of micro-climates in Costa Rica. Samara and Puerto Viejo and Fortuna are completely different. The same week in Samara will be 30+ degrees hotter and exponentially dryer than in Fortuna, where it can be cold and rainy even during the "dry" season.

SHorts? Are not the UV on the high side, turn the skin into leather? Also mosquitos and biting friends.

Hi Dave, just bought in Villareal. We will just be using it as a vacation home for a month at time. My question is without going for residency do you know if we can open a small deposit banking account to pay our bills.

Hi there, thank you for sharing. Born there but I am planning on moving to CR so that I can sell some land that I own and then< God willing, buy a home there or here in the US. I am planning on retiring soon. Do you know where I can look for places to rent a small and cheap house?

I've been in CR 13+ years and I have had enough and am on my way out. When I'm gone I'll make some videos about my experience, but in a nutshell I'll tell people not to move here and definitely not to invest, just visit and go home, and if you are absolutey determined to try it out, then just rent for 1-3 years before committing. This country is just squeezing the people, just trying to wring every last nickel out of their pockets. There is no financial future here, not for anyone, EVERYONE becomes poorer over time, the flattest Maslow's hierarchy imaginable where 90-95% of the people are in survival mode.

You qualified the $3200/month with living in San José, a better, safer neighborhood, and regularly eating out. So, live somewhere else like you do and don’t eat out so much, maybe only once or twice a month, use public transportation. The $2000/month begins to be doable.

I am going to land on costa rica this September for the first time for a work assignment mostly will be here for atleast 1-2 years , can you guide me with safe neighborhood how to choose it and how is software professional job market there if I want to move there and how many years do I need to be there to get Permanent residency
The salary I am going to get will be 4k usd per month post tax which is very strong when compared to my Indian currency so I can save a lot of I can live there for few more years
Also the rent in Santa ana and escazu and how to get tico deal and not a tourist deal 😅

We’ve lived here for 10 years. We were robbed 10 years ago, not again since. 😂 We love it here and hope that people take the cons into consideration. They are all true but it’s still a wonderful place and we hope it is the last place we live.

This is all good information and thank you for presenting it, but you missed one of the most important topics of all - Learning Spanish and integrating into the culture so you can manage everyday things (in another language), getting comfortable & settling in and making new friends & building relationships with Ticos. The idea is to have Ticos welcome you (and I know they’re welcoming people) and treat you like a part of the community rather than someone just passing through.

Great video. Would love to see a farmers market video for Orosi.

Dave, Been here since 1990 Bought my first house in Liberia 8K simple adobe right downtown. Sold bought my current house here in San Jose. LIberia being noice and all but the heat and all just not my liking. Lived on my farm in Turrialba 10 years nice still had my house in San Jose. Lived in Jaco in the 90's and playa del Coco as well. Just getting older and now down sized to SJ area. With all that. Yes I a dual citizen as well. So many of my friends are no longer here some moved back to the states others died. Just facts of life. I would recommend come here you can now sttay 6 months on a tourist visa leave to the boarder and come back in for another 6 months he lives on $2,200. My friend now lives lilke that here and Colombia . He rents a place here in SJ for $600/month.... My wife and i have 2 rentals mostly for Ticos style and income we live on 2K per month. Have the Caja for health insurance, eat out once a week. Have car and to the trip beach or mountains about every 6 to 7 weeks.

I like,

3+ years ago, I was getting 695 colones per dollar from the ATMs of Banco Costa Rica. Now, 445 colones per dollar. 34% drop. ALso, the murder rate per 100,000 persons is more than double here than in the US.

I appreciate you sharing this information, bro. It's very useful. What is the name of the beautiful town that you live in if you don't mind me asking?

Just went there again. Way off my list to retire. Expensive, roads SU CK, not safe

The dollar got to nearly 700 colones. It's now around 450, and in the meantime local stores keep raising their prices. Cost of living is at least 2 1/2 times what it was 4 years ago.

Cars 2x (both used and new) what they cost in the US. Cops focused on Gringos. Gas: today, 6/29/26 $6.30. It's a third world country, daily power outs, horrible roads, polluted rivers and San Jose is the most polluted city in the Americas at higher than first world prices. Many times 3 hours to go 15 or 20 miles. From my place to golfito, 148 miles, no cities, 8 hours the last time I drove it.

Perfect climate? It rains all the time. I have been her 25 years

Great info Dave!

Hey Hello from Nandayure Carmona Guanacaste ❤️, my spending in C,R, is less than $350, a mouth, we have our own House one in Nandayure and in San Jose Tibas, what we or I do is after 175, days I fly back from Alajuela airport at 12:35,am flight back to Fort Lauderdale South Florida airport my hometown, wait till 10:35,am flight back to Alajuela airport with just my backpack and always with my Liga soccer t-shirt on because in the Alajuela airport they are all a

The $3,200 a month, is nowhere close to accurate. With a $2,000 a month income, a single person can live comfortably. I have lived in C R, for 21 years. It took me a year and a half to get my permanent residency. I did it without a lawyer {second time}, and actually went 17 times to immigration, before finally getting my residency in 2002. Dealing with banks, mopt, and the other agencies, can be very brutal.

The earthquakes are generally mild. They will not destroy your house.

Great material!!!!

Great info with pros and cons! Enjoyed it!