Questions about moving to and living in Costa Rica?

Question

My wife and I are considering moving to Costa Rica. We will be spending several weeks there to see if we should temporarily move. We would like to stay/live near the beach with not as much rain as other places. We like the heat. We're moving from America. We've heard about earthquakes. Are there many? Can they be destructive/dangerous? Also we've been researching residency and it seems difficult if you don't have a pension or a lot of money. We were wanting to maybe work on a boat or maybe at a resort. We are not opposed to investing in opening a business but what would work there?

Answer 1

come and see. i live here and is great. don't know how much money you are planning to come with but anything here is possible. i have a friend from colorado, she came here to wonder didn't brought much money and now she have her own business. she bought a small boat a little place to settle and she opened a tour desk with other people. earthquakes here we ignore them. here and there but is easy. come and anything you need just ask'

Answer 2

You can rent a small apartment for between $250 - $300 a month around Quepos that is on the West side of Costa Rica and right on the beach and 29 minutes from San Jose by Sansa Air - for $98.00 round trip!

And for $600.00 a month you can live like a king!  Everything is about one third cheaper than it is here in the States!

Going to Quepos latter part of June and have been doing so for the last twelve years!

If you visit Costa Rica you can stay there up to 90 days on one of their visas without having to establish "residency".  At the end of the 90 days you would have to leave the country for one day - and then you could return the day after that!

All "residency" does in Costa Rica is that it allows you to remain there as long as you want without having to leave the country for a day, after the expiration of 90 days!

Your best bet is to go there and shop around to see what endeavors would work for your and your wife there!

Good Luck!

Answer 3

buy the book "living abroad in costa rica" i will answer qall your question

Answer 4

You are smart to try out  the  place before moving.   Guanacaste (NW) is the driest part of  the country.  All of Central America is an active volcano/earthquake area and quakes can be destructive.  In general, construction is designed to minimize damage (tin roofs, no tall buildings etc).  Is it appreciably more dangerous than California?  Probabably not much more.  

Although many work illegally on boats and in resorts, a foreigner cannot legally get work that a Costa Rican can do.  So unless you managed a resort or captained a ship,  you probably cannot work legally.  Residency requires a lot  of paperwork, but the money requirements are low compared to some countries.  Depending what you invest in, you may need as little as $60k a piece.  costaricalaw.com is a good site for immigration information.  I think tourism and agriculture require the least investments.

Answer 5

i have a suggestion. there are 2 very helpful yahoo groups that is more like the support groups for foreigners palnning and have moved to costa rica. it is called Costaricaliving, and GalloPinto. search it on yahoo groups, and trust me, they have been very helpful. they helped me get a job, get adjusted well, and most of all, made new friends that is very helpful for me to make the move a lot easier for me emotionally, mentally, and even financially (i got my first job here in costa rica from a friend there) !!!!!!

Answer 6

Ok here's my answers

Beach and no rain??? definitely Guanacaste, summer is longer there than other places in Costa Rica, I suggest Tamarindo Beach.

Earthquakes... sure!!! but don't worry, there is 1 really big every 8-10 years, not necessarily destructive but some glasses broken.

If you're planning to buy a house, north american people doesn't have credit record here, so the option is to buy cash... you can rent nice house on the beach or live in a little hotel... and yes in Costa Rica property and cars are very expensive if you want to buy, something like 40% above US average. it´s better to rent a house that is cheaper comparing to US.

Thinking of business??? a small hotel or restaurant / bar will guarantee extra bucks for sure.

(sorry the poor grammar)