It is no surprise, year after year, to see Costa Rica earning top spots on such lists as “Happiest Places on Earth”, “Greenest Countries in the World”, “Blue Zones” and “Most Biodiverse”. International Living has been reporting on the splendor of Costa Rica for over 40 years.
We wanted a country with a stable democracy and an educated population and we wanted to be able to qualify for residency and have the process be reasonably straightforward. Costa Rica has three different, easy pathways to residency and we qualified for one of them, even though we’re not at pension years yet.
The Rosenzweigs began building their Costa Rican home in 2014 and it was finished the following year. They found an architect who spoke English and worked with a tico/American builder couple. “The building process was challenging but, in the end, pretty easy,” says Paul.
When I first moved to Costa Rica six years ago, my real estate broker helped me find a cute, new-build, two-bedroom condo in Hermosa Beach for under $100,000. I loved it and lived there for two-and-a-half years but during that time I realized that there were a couple of things that needed to change…
Here you will find expats from around the world as well as plenty of locals giving this former fishing village a vibrant international atmosphere. One of the driest locations in the country, Coco offers lots of sunshine and minimal rainfall making it a fantastic destination for exploring the great outdoors.
Suburban Santa Ana is nestled in the hills west of Costa Rica’s capital, San Jose. It is conveniently located on the tollway next to the popular upscale suburb of Escazú. Two decades ago Santa Ana was just a small dot on the map in the Central Valley’s mountainous landscape.
Perfectly perched in the mountains of Costa Rica’s Central Valley region, the town of Atenas charms its visitors with an easy-to-get-to location. Just 30 to 40 minutes west of San Jose and just off the modern tollway; eternal spring weather and breathtaking mountain vistas await you in Atenas.
I basically embody the American Dream. I come from a poor family amid a broken home—but I was the valedictorian of my class. I was the first person in the family to ever go to college, working two jobs to pay for my undergraduate education. Then came medical school. Then private practice. Then my own kids and the big house and the fancy cars. You know…success.
In 2013, when my husband Steve and I made the decision to make an international move, I was longing for a slower pace of life. My sales career in corporate America had beaten me up for two-and-a-half decades. I was longing to slow my life down with a leap from the roller coaster—for my sanity and my health. Costa Rica offered that chance to stop and smell the roses.
Linda Lyon and her husband, Dinesh Badouraly, relocated from Dillon, Montana to Costa Rica’s Gold Coast on July 17, 2018, which Linda now refers to as “Landing Day.” Since making the move, she has established a business based on a lifelong passion: dog training and massage.