Kevin K Posted July 17, 2020 Report Share Posted July 17, 2020 I have friends who are seriously considering moving to Costa Rica and as it's been quite a few years since I last spent time there thought there might be folks here with more up-to-date perspective. l I did a lot of business travel in CR (since I was a coffee buyer) and mostly remember lovely people, bland food, lots of natural beauty and a pretty "white bread" culture compared to, say, Guatemala or Mexico. But I do know they have a vibrant democracy (maybe the healthiest in the Americas) and good quality of life. My sense is that cost of llving in the highland cities near San José where year-round expats congregate is at least as high as Lakeside or San Miguel de Allende, maybe higher, but that could be outdated info. Any thoughts from folks who've lived in both places or traveled recently would be appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sm1mex Posted July 17, 2020 Report Share Posted July 17, 2020 Hot humid and rain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeborahM Posted July 17, 2020 Report Share Posted July 17, 2020 A friend of mine lived in Costa Rica for several years, moved here a year ago, and is moving back to CR as soon as it is safe to travel. She would be an excellent person to connect with about this. I will pm you with a way to contact her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vetteforron Posted July 17, 2020 Report Share Posted July 17, 2020 Check out an area called Necoya area I think that's how it is spelled. If you want to live to be over a hundred. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geeser Posted July 17, 2020 Report Share Posted July 17, 2020 6 hours ago, Kevin K said: I have friends who are seriously considering moving to Costa Rica and as it's been quite a few years since I last spent time there thought there might be folks here with more up-to-date perspective. l I did a lot of business travel in CR (since I was a coffee buyer) and mostly remember lovely people, bland food, lots of natural beauty and a pretty "white bread" culture compared to, say, Guatemala or Mexico. But I do know they have a vibrant democracy (maybe the healthiest in the Americas) and good quality of life. My sense is that cost of llving in the highland cities near San José where year-round expats congregate is at least as high as Lakeside or San Miguel de Allende, maybe higher, but that could be outdated info. Any thoughts from folks who've lived in both places or traveled recently would be appreciated. Costa Rica is quite expensive. Cost of living + rent Mexico is 20.91 Cost of living + rent Costa Rica is 35.31 cost of living index https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/rankings_by_country.jsp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kiko Posted July 18, 2020 Report Share Posted July 18, 2020 11 hours ago, Kevin K said: I did a lot of business travel in CR (since I was a coffee buyer) and mostly remember lovely people, bland food, lots of natural beauty In the time I spent in Costa Rica the only negative thing I remember 20 years later is bland food. If you are freaked out by cartel violence I had read that CR is off limits to that violence but I have no clue if that is true. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
traderspoc Posted July 18, 2020 Report Share Posted July 18, 2020 lakeside has more social life and established community, i been to costa rica. i chose lakeside Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johanson Posted July 18, 2020 Report Share Posted July 18, 2020 Me too. And going north a couple of times per year for short visits to Seattle or Vancouver Island,, I found the trip from Guadalajara via air to be much faster than from anywhere in Costa Rica Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guiness Posted July 18, 2020 Report Share Posted July 18, 2020 Extremely expensive compared to here. Costa Rica is extremely clean, they take great pride in their country and everyone seems to respect the environment. We were shocked at the restaurant prices, wine etc is all very expensive. Very very hot and always humid. People are friendly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barrbower Posted July 18, 2020 Report Share Posted July 18, 2020 I've been in every country in Central America and all of western South America. There is not another place that suits our needs quite like this area. We have lived in San Miguel de Allende and I lived in Patzcuaro. I have been in 26 different states of Mexico. Always with an eye out for potential living or retirement. The combination of elements that exist here does not exist anywhere else that I have ever been. If you feel like Ajijic is too much like "gringolandia" then consider places like San Nicolas or Santa Cruz or even Jocotepec. Same weather, proximity to Guad and airport, four hours from the best beaches in Mexico, and Ajijic amenities within a short drive. It can depend on your comfort with the language. There is crime and corruption in all of Latin America as well as in many places in the US. Some folks just love South Texas, Florida, or Arizona. Not our choice though. Half of the fun of expat living is exploring your options...something that much of the world just does not have the luxury of doing. Alan 12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lcscats Posted July 18, 2020 Report Share Posted July 18, 2020 In the diplomatic world Costa Rica is considered a very boring post. Expensive and very bland food. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mudgirl Posted July 18, 2020 Report Share Posted July 18, 2020 Everyone I've ever talked to about Costa Rica always mentions the bland food. I wonder how they arrived at such cuisine when they are surrounded by countries that use spices and have flavorful food. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
utilitus Posted July 18, 2020 Report Share Posted July 18, 2020 Gallo Pinto, CRs' national dish, even when made with good L&P Worcestershire sauce rather than fresh spices, is so simple and delicious. See https://hispanickitchen.com/recipes/gallo-pinto/ It's said that CR was very thinly populated with indigenous communities when it was colonized, resulting in more European genes per customer. So maybe bland taste is genetic, though I once participated in a poll on a bus in the Bolivian Andes that determined that white kids from around the world favored Mexican. Here in California, that was certainly true 50 years ago, but as Asian influences jumped the border, Thai, Indian, Sichuan, Hunan and all manner of hot stuff has been easily assimilated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slainte39 Posted July 19, 2020 Report Share Posted July 19, 2020 A lot of Ticos of African ancestry on the Caribbean side of the country, especially Puerto Limon. They migrated there from the Islands and their food is more that style. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mudgirl Posted July 19, 2020 Report Share Posted July 19, 2020 Well, I've been to the Caribbean and didn't find the food there to be bland. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slainte39 Posted July 19, 2020 Report Share Posted July 19, 2020 2 hours ago, mudgirl said: Well, I've been to the Caribbean and didn't find the food there to be bland. That´s what I meant by saying it was different. I think the bland food comments are meant about San Jose and the tourist areas. Seafood is not bad all over the country but beef is mostly Brahmans and Cebus. Imagine the worst steak you ever ate in Mexico. When I lived there 40 years ago, the most popular restaurant was a Mexican restaurant on the main street in San Jose, and Mexicans were referred to as "Andales" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johanson Posted July 19, 2020 Report Share Posted July 19, 2020 I haven't been there for almost 20 years. Do you remember the San Jose suburb called Escazu? It" is often referred to as “Little America,” thanks to its huge population of English-speaking expats," It is sort of like Ajijic if it were a neighborhood in a larger city. San Jose's population is about 400,000 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rassabossa Posted July 20, 2020 Report Share Posted July 20, 2020 On 7/18/2020 at 9:42 AM, Guiness said: Costa Rica is extremely clean, they take great pride in their country and everyone seems to respect the environment. Things must've changed since I was there last. I even took a picture of the "tira la basura por la ventana" sign in one of the buses. Clean bus, highways littered. My tica wife didn't think twice about throwing wrappers and other trash on the ground. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slainte39 Posted July 20, 2020 Report Share Posted July 20, 2020 On 7/17/2020 at 10:58 PM, Kiko said: In the time I spent in Costa Rica the only negative thing I remember 20 years later is bland food. If you are freaked out by cartel violence I had read that CR is off limits to that violence but I have no clue if that is true. No cartel violence but a lot of petty crime like pick pockets, purse snatchers, domestic help theft, etc., etc. Even entering the country, Aduana is legalized theft. And unlike Mexico where cartel crime doesn´t have much to do with tourists and foreigners, in CR, it´s all about tourists and foreigners. Not dangerous, but aggravating and time consuming, replacing passports, credit cards, and other vital items travelers carry. Never, never leave anything in a hotel room that you might have to replace. I had a friend that spent a couple of years there and came back fairly recently, and said, "never again". They weren´t the most careful about not leaving things lying around that you didn´t want to come up missing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
utilitus Posted July 20, 2020 Report Share Posted July 20, 2020 Don't remember littering as a prominent feature of CR (especially compared to, say, Bali), but the lack of both (tax-expensive) police services and road maintenance did result in a different kind of environment than gringos are accustomed to. At night, a sort of petty-criminal demimonde seemed to emerge, and several years ago anyway, the law sanctioned 'squatters rights' to the point that house invasions and appropriations could and did happen (after a few years of owner neglect), compelling foreign owners to employ caretakers. My overall impression of the Ticos was very favorable - went out to the very edges of different cities and towns (looking at real estate), and even shacks seemed to have all the basic utilities, and bespoke a modest but decent and casual sub-tropical lifestyle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kiko Posted July 20, 2020 Report Share Posted July 20, 2020 8 hours ago, slainte39 said: No cartel violence but a lot of petty crime like pick pockets, purse snatchers, domestic help theft, etc., etc. Even entering the country, Aduana is legalized theft. Por el dinero baila el perro,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin K Posted July 20, 2020 Author Report Share Posted July 20, 2020 Thanks everyone for the very helpful feedback. I'll pass it along to my friend. Costa Rica would definitely be too bland for me, culturally and culinarily. And I have a feeling their tourism-dependent economy is going to suffer as much or more than Mexico's from the pandemic. But one has to admire the many things they do right as a country, wish them well and dream of other countries learning from their efforts to preserve nature (and democracy). Thanks again! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slainte39 Posted July 20, 2020 Report Share Posted July 20, 2020 8 hours ago, Kiko said: Por el dinero baila el perro,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, y por pan si se lo dan !!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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