Hi Daniel,
Funny you should mention San Jose. I have an article coming out in the IL Magazine in a few months about living in San Jose.
It’s where I live, in a suburb called Escazu, which is about 10 minutes by car from downtown. There are actually quite a few expats who live in and around the city. Some popular neighborhoods include Pavas, Rohrmoser, Cariari, San Pedro, and La Sabana. Some of the popular suburbs are Escazu, Santa Ana, Ciudad Colon, and Heredia.
The biggest attraction is the access to services, great shopping, the best medical care, and ease of travel to other destinations in the country.
The drawbacks are the traffic, noise, and hectic nature of big city life. Of course, some people thrive in that environment and are willing to deal with those inconveniences to have the services and amenities the big city offers.
Of course, you can live in the countryside and come in to the city for the services. That’s why Central Valley towns like Grecia, Atenas, and San Ramon (from 30 to 60 minutes from San Jose) are so popular with expats as well.
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