Living in Costa Rica

Last Updated: October 21, 2025 In this series of posts, we answer common Costa Rica questions. Today, we’re talking about something that confuses many people planning to stay long-term: how …

This week we are celebrating 10 years of living in Costa Rica. Wow, how the time has flown! Back in 2013 when we first arrived, we thought we’d be able …

Last Updated: October 21, 2025 Costa Rica’s annual vehicle inspection, known as Dekra (previously Riteve), can make even the most carefree person stressed out. Will the car pass easily or …

Last Updated: October 22, 2025 After purchasing our home in Costa Rica and doing some renovations to the interior, it was time to think about the yard. Even though we …

Last Updated: November 25, 2025 If you’re thinking of moving to Costa Rica, you probably picture your new life filled with endless sunshine and clear blue skies. Costa Rica definitely …

In a recent post, we gave some background on private schools in Costa Rica. We explained about the different types of accreditation, options for types of schools, costs, and the …

Last Updated: November 12, 2025 If you’re planning to move to Costa Rica with your kids or just visit for an extended stay, you’re no doubt trying to figure out …

Last Updated: June 5, 2024 Since COVID, Costa Rica has seen a surge in digital nomads. More and more people are working remotely, making it the perfect time to try …

Last Updated: October 10, 2025 When moving to a foreign country, one of the biggest challenges can be where to buy the things you need. In Costa Rica, it can …

Last Updated: November 11, 2025 Most tourists traveling to Costa Rica can use their license from their home country to drive. But visitors from some countries will need an international …

Last Updated: October 30, 2025 If you’re like most people, your phone is an important extension of your daily life. And while you may be able to turn off work …

Last Updated: October 24, 2025 Those who have gone through the residency process in Costa Rica and received their DIMEX card (sometimes called a cedula) know what a process it …

Last Updated: November 11, 2025 After buying our first house in Costa Rica, we quickly got started on some renovation projects to make it our own. Our initial list of improvements …

Last Updated: November 24, 2025 The process of buying a house can be overwhelming, let alone trying to figure it out in a foreign country. We have been living in …

Last Updated: November 12, 2025 In this new era of work from home that started with Covid, many people are interested in spending extended periods of time abroad. If you’re …

Last Updated: October 21, 2025 Each year, we get many questions about what it is like during Christmas and New Years in Costa Rica. People want to know about the …

Last Updated: October 23, 2025 With its warm weather, beautiful landscapes, and welcoming locals, Costa Rica is a desirable location for those moving or retiring abroad. For many people, building …

This past July marked our seven-year anniversary of moving to Costa Rica. It’s amazing to think how different life would be if we never took the chance. When we first …

For several months, we have been updating our readers on the coronavirus and how it has affected Costa Rica. That post has mostly formal details on the current number of …

Last Updated: June 3, 2025 Moving to Costa Rica with kids can be an exciting adventure. From the hidden beaches to exotic wildlife, Costa Rica definitely has a lot to …

Last Updated: October 15, 2025 More and more people seem to be deciding to give Costa Rica a try as their new home these days. And many are still of …

We’ve done a series of posts in the past about having a baby in Costa Rica. These covered prenatal care, delivering at a small private hospital in San Isidro de …

A half decade (yes, five years!) has passed since we first boarded that plane to Costa Rica with our eight mismatched suitcases and twinkles of adventure in our eyes. When …

Another year update. It seems surreal. When we first moved to Costa Rica in 2013, we counted those first weeks, months, and even years with amazement. “Wow, I can’t believe …

It seems like it was only a few months ago that we were writing our two-year update on living in Costa Rica. But this past weekend, we just breezed by …

Last Updated: June 17, 2020 After spending almost three years in Costa Rica, coming and going on a tourist visa, we have decided to apply for residency. This is a …

Last Updated: October 24, 2025 In our other posts on having a baby in Costa Rica, we discuss prenatal care (Part 1), delivery at a small private hospital (Part 2), …

Last Updated: December 3, 2025 So you’re narrowing down different countries to retire or move to. Or maybe you’re already sure that Costa Rica will be your new home. Beautiful …

In our first post about having a baby in Costa Rica, we shared our experience with prenatal care. We covered public vs. private healthcare, and how we picked our doctor …

Last Updated: October 24, 2025 We’ve mentioned in the past about how it can be difficult to find certain items in Costa Rica. Up until this point, this has been …

Last Updated: November 26, 2025 Moving abroad can be very stressful. We remember what it was like getting ready for our big move to Costa Rica from Boston in 2013. …

With only weeks until our new addition arrives, we thought it was time to start sharing our experience of having a baby in Costa Rica. Moving here, we knew that …

Last Updated: May 10, 2023 When we first moved to Costa Rica, we did house sitting for several years and walked into all different kinds of situations. Sometimes homes and pets …

When we first announced our decision to move to Costa Rica in July 2013, we joked that we were saying goodbye to our typical two week vacations, and hello to …

Last Updated: November 11, 2025 If you’ve read our other posts on this topic, you know what we think about house sitting. We think it’s awesome! When we first moved …

Last Updated: November 18, 2025 We get emails all the time from people interested in moving to Costa Rica. They have been drawn in by the relaxed pace of life, …

Last Updated: December 3, 2025 In another article, we shared about how to save money on accommodations through house sitting. We explained how the process works, the three best websites …

Last Updated: November 11, 2025 You’re probably reading this and saying to yourself, this can’t be true. How can you live somewhere exotic like Costa Rica and pay just a …

Last Updated: November 25, 2025 Over the past 13 months, we’ve lived in eight towns across Costa Rica. From the Pacific to the Caribbean, we dragged our eight suitcases through …

Today marks our one-year anniversary of living in Costa Rica. It’s hard to believe that a year ago today we were arriving in San Jose with nothing but eight suitcases …

Last Updated: October 23, 2025 Since buying a car in Costa Rica about 10 months ago, we have gone through many of the motions of car ownership, including taxes, insurance, …

Last Updated: November 12, 2025 Shortly after moving to Costa Rica in 2013, we read an article about how mold and fungus can start growing inside the lens or body …

Last Updated: November 26, 2025 We originally wrote this post back in 2013, just nine months after moving to Costa Rica with our eight suitcases overflowing with our belongings. At …

Today marks our six-month anniversary of living in Costa Rica. There is a lot we could say about our time here so far but we’re going to lighten things up …

Last Updated: December 4, 2025 In another post, we told you about all of the traditional ways we’re trying to learn Spanish like using books and online learning tools. Now …

We’ve been living in Costa Rica for about four months now and are really starting to adjust to daily life here. We have a routine for work, have figured out …

Last Updated: October 10, 2025 When we moved to Costa Rica, one of our first priorities was to buy a car. We couldn’t wait to be cruising down the road, …

We’ve been living in Costa Rica for over a month now and are gradually adjusting to the changes we mentioned in our previous update. Even though we’ve been here for …

Today marks our two-week anniversary of living in Costa Rica. We truly love it here so far—the people, the relaxed approach to life, not to mention the spectacular natural beauty. …

We have some big news: We quit our jobs and are moving to Costa Rica! After more than two years in the works, we’re making our dream happen and relocating …