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JASON HOLLAND
ParticipantHi Myles,
Great to hear about your upcoming trip… and your desire to learn to surf. I’ve been learning to surf for a couple of years now. My seven year old is much much better. 🙂
As far as destinations, you might check out Jaco or Tamarindo. Both are developed beach resorts with nice restaurants, nightlife, etc. Also good surf for beginners and good and plentiful surf schools. But keep in mind that the Xmas to New Years period is the time when all Costa Ricans go on vacation. Add in foreign travelers and you’ll find both area, any beach areas in the country, very crowded. So make your hotel reservations ASAP.
ParticipantHi Christine,
Solo travel by women is common in Costa Rica and as safe as anywhere. Many single women also move to Costa Rica. There are great expat communities down here that embrace people of all backgrounds – not couples only.
Just take the usual precautions about being out at night, sticking with licensed cabs, and stuff like that. Traveling by rental car is probably the most flexible way to get around but the driving here can be a bit intimidating at times, so that’s something to consider. There are also private shuttles that will get you door to door. And public buses that go just about everywhere in the country.
My suggestion would be to check out at least three but no more than five different areas during your trip. That way you’ll get a good sense of what a place is like and you have a basis for future trips and research.
ParticipantHi Sune,
Great question with a bit of a tricky answer. The official rule is 7-11% of your income. But when I speak with expats they tell me their payments range from $50 to sometimes $100 per month per person even when they have what would seem to be a much higher income. That’s for pensionados. Why this is the case, I’m not sure, and I haven’t been able to get a good solid answer.
I would try to contact this law firm, they help expats secure residence and sign up for Caja all the time: plawcr.com
ParticipantHi Marjorie,
Many local farmers’ markets, known as ferias, do have some organic vendors for produce and other items. Not super common yet, but it is getting better.
But there are also special organic-only ferias in some towns. For example, Escazu in the Central Valley and San Jose, the capital, have sizable organic farmers’ markets. San Isidro de El General, a large town in the Southern Zone, also is known for organic produce and such.
In some of the larger supermarkets you’ll find organic choices on the shelves. And there are also organic co-ops that deliver to your home in some areas. If you’re interested, if you live in the countryside raw milk and fresh eggs are also available. Just ask your neighbors.
ParticipantHi Nancy,
I don’t believe the address of your mail forwarding service changes your Home of Record/state of residence in the eyes of the government. I think the best person to speak with on this would Nick Hodges, who is tax expert who speaks at IL events and is well-experienced with these sorts of issues.
You can reach him here: http://www.nchwealth.com
ParticipantHi Elizabeth,
Great to hear from you and great question. The rule is you must have a return plane ticket out of Costa Rica within 90 days of your arrival, even if you plan to stay six months. So as you say, you will have to leave Costa Rica and re-enter before your first 90 days is up. Keep in mind that when you re-enter you will need a ticket out of the country within 90 days of your new arrival date.
What many people do is buy a refundable ticket for their return ticket so they can change it depending on how much extra time they plan to stay. Not the cheapest option but it is what it is.
As far as a car, yes a someone on a tourist visa is allowed to buy a car. All you need is your driver’s license from home and your passport. At the end of six months you can sell your car. Cars hold their value so you’ll probably be able to sell it for what you paid for it.
Jason
ParticipantHi Carol,
Great question. And sounds like you’ve done a lot of good research already. First, it’s a good idea to get a quad band phone to be sure it can be used in Costa Rica.
As far as 3G or 4G, the 3G network is found throughout the country. 4G is being installed now but is not widespread yet. From my understanding, a 4G phone will switch to 3G if 4G is not available in a certain area. So I think you’re good to go with either type but you might get a 4G so you can take advantage of the higher speed network when it’s available.
ParticipantHi Grainne,
There are some good alternatives to taking the bus. I’ve used two private shuttle services several times. AC, very comfortable. They’ll pick you up at the airport and take you directly to your hotel in Tamarindo and then back again at the end of your trip to your hotel in San Jose. You can make reservations from the U.S. by phone or email.
Grayline : http://www.graylinecostarica.com
InterBus : interbusonline.com
Credit and debit cards are widely used in restaurants, shops, etc. ATMs everywhere. The only place you would need cash would be smaller restaurants and taxis. Don’t worry about changing money at the airport. Just get some local currency at an ATM. Dollars are also widely accepted so don’t worry about getting too much local currency.
ParticipantOf those three, I’ve only stated at the Holiday Inn Express. It’s right across the street from the airport basically. So very convenient for flying and then heading out to Tamarindo if you’re renting a car.
If you’re taking the bus, you’ll want to likely be in downtown San Jose, which is near the bus terminal to Tamarindo. No bus from the airport to Tamarindo unfortunately. The company is called Empresa Alfaro, by the way. There is no one central bus station in San Jose. Instead each route / company has its own terminal for its buses. But they all are located in the same area. This area, known as Coca-Cola, isn’t in the best neighborhood. Not that it’s dangerous necessarily. Just the type of place that you have to keep an eye on your bags at all times.
I would suggest staying at the Tryp Wyndham on Paseo Colon. You get there by taking a taxi from the airport. About $25. This is in a nice area of San Jose, near the park and the pedestrian shopping avenue called Avenida Central. Rates are pretty good. Last time my room with two double beds was $80. Then you can take a taxi to the bus station quite easily. It’s a short drive. But keep in mind that there are only two buses a day (1130 am and 330 pm) to Tamarindo so they fill up. Tickets are $9 each. But you can’t buy tickets online or over the phone. So either the day before or morning of your trip to Tamarindo, you have to go to the bus station and buy your tickets in cash to make sure you get all the seats you need.
ParticipantA good question. An issue faced by all families traveling in Costa Rica.
You are perfectly welcome to bring a car seat on the bus. But not all buses have seat belts to strap them down. You can also bring car seats into taxis, which all have seat belts.
What we’ve done is not use car seats at all unless it was our own car or a rental car. The baby would be strapped to us in Ergo carrier or sitting in our lap. I know it’s not exactly “safe” if there was accident but that’s how things are sometimes in Central America.
The movies on the bus… sometimes in Spanish, sometimes in English with Spanish subtitles. I found iPads loaded with movies to be handy.
Jason
ParticipantHi M.R.,
There are certainly are spiders and snakes in Costa Rica, just as there are in every tropical country – not to mention probably every country in the world. In Costa Rica we have snakes, tarantulas, other types of spiders, scorpions, and more.
I can certainly understand phobias about creepy crawlies of all types.
But it’s not a huge issue for most expats in Costa Rica. You get used to the small and big bugs and critters alike. And it’s not like snakes and such are everywhere all the time. It’s just something you stay aware of.
ParticipantHi Mike,
First, on the Caja payment. It’s not quite that simple. The payment is based on your reported income. I would recommend you contact this law firm, who specialize in expat matters like this, for more details: http://www.plawcr.com
As far as bringing your stuff… this is really a personal thing. Some people decide to start from scratch and simplify their life when they move to CR. Others bring a container full of stuff from home. Neither way is necessarily better.
When you ship items to Costa Rica, you pay a customs duty based on the value on top of whatever you paid to have the items physically shipped. That can be quite pricey. But if you really want your books, furniture, etc. … it might be worth it.
On the flip side, buying a whole household full of those same items can also be pretty pricey, especially considering that consumer electronics tend to be more expensive in CR than the U.S.
It boils down to this. You have to look seriously about what you really need, how much it will cost, and make your decision.
Personally, I brought down stuff on the airplane only and had some family and friends bring stuff too later when they visited. Then we’ve made do with what we’ve bought in CR. We definitely have less “stuff” and feel liberated by that.
By the way, you can find a bunch of info on shipping goods here: https://internationalliving.com/country_clubs/costa-rica/moving-to-costa-rica/
ParticipantHi Grainne,
I’ve made that trip with my then 6 year old and 1 year old. It’s about 5 hours. Everybody has a seat on this bus. So it’s not crowded. They even play movies. But I know that until he fell asleep my 1 year old was pretty restless. There’s only one rest stop on the way. So it’s really up to you. Think of it like a 5-hour plane trip.
Jason
ParticipantHi Grainne,
I haven’t heard of any expats with businesses like this. But it could be possible. I think you might have a tough time though. With labor costs so low, most people rely on local contractors and builder for renovations. Your husband would not be able to charge what he would in the U.S.
Here’s another issue. Technically, foreign residents are not allowed to actively “work” in a business. They are legally allowed only to be managers of local employees. Do expats work in their own businesses, say in a restaurant or store? Yes. Technically illegal but it’s kind of a grey area. Something to keep in mind.
I would also encourage you to ask people you might during your scouting trip to get their take on this situation and the possibility of an expat renovation company.
ParticipantYou’re good to go with those companies. It’s good to get a variety of real estate people. And, of course, always do your due diligence on any property. You might also try HiddenCoastRealty.com.
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