Does Costa Rica live up to hype and expectation? (crime rate, best, country)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Right now Costa Rica is super trending. American and European Expats are buying houses, retirees find it agreeable, people say it is beautiful and safe and cheap.
Are all these things true? Is it really much better than Mexico (which i love)?
Expats buying homes is costa rica is old news. This is nothing new. It is also not that cheap. I have been once. It would not be my first choice personally as someone who likes beach and city vibes close together. I personally liked Panama, Colombia better and Mexico better. Costa Rica beatiful.... but not enough action for me to actually want to live there. Panama, Colombia and Mexico have better shopping and cultural activies/events. Panama seems like a happy medium. Though in general Colombia and Mexico have a lot of action going on ex events, places to explore and variety of activies to do.
Costa Rica ain't cheap. I lived down there in the early 90's and back then it was cheap as long as you didn't insist on fine first world amenities. Today it is not cheap at all, except for perhaps land if you're willing to live among the people and not in an expat community. Food and gas are more expensive than the US, online comparisons be damned. Cars are more expensive and access to quality healthcare outside of San Jose is dicey at best. The food is rather unimaginative and a truly good meal will set you back a nice chunk of change. The roads mostly suck, but are slowly getting better. The crime rate feels higher than anything you might read about online too. However, I feel that way pretty much throughout Latin America. Petty crimes and theft are part of the scenery. For the most part nobody reports such crimes because nothing gets done.
Asking if it is better than Mexico is not an easy question to answer. It really depends on what you're into. It's much smaller than Mexico so there is not as much variety and certainly not as many cultural activities. If you're into nature, hiking, fishing, whitewater rafting, etc, my preference is Costa Rica.
That all said, I still enjoy going there and usually go back there and/or to Nicaragua about every two years. There is a sense of freedom, that Big Brother is not always watching and it is quite liberating.
Costa Rica ain't cheap. I lived down there in the early 90's and back then it was cheap as long as you didn't insist on fine first world amenities. Today it is not cheap at all, except for perhaps land if you're willing to live among the people and not in an expat community. Food and gas are more expensive than the US, online comparisons be damned. Cars are more expensive and access to quality healthcare outside of San Jose is dicey at best. The food is rather unimaginative and a truly good meal will set you back a nice chunk of change. The roads mostly suck, but are slowly getting better. The crime rate feels higher than anything you might read about online too. However, I feel that way pretty much throughout Latin America. Petty crimes and theft are part of the scenery. For the most part nobody reports such crimes because nothing gets done.
Asking if it is better than Mexico is not an easy question to answer. It really depends on what you're into. It's much smaller than Mexico so there is not as much variety and certainly not as many cultural activities. If you're into nature, hiking, fishing, whitewater rafting, etc, my preference is Costa Rica.
That all said, I still enjoy going there and usually go back there and/or to Nicaragua about every two years. There is a sense of freedom, that Big Brother is not always watching and it is quite liberating.
Very interesting. I've heard that Nicaragua now offers a very good experience now also.
Very interesting. I've heard that Nicaragua now offers a very good experience now also.
Nicaragua does not have the infrastructure that Costa Rica has. You'll have to rough it a good bit more there, but it is definitely a lot less expensive. Also, there is a whole lot more clear cutting there so it does not have the rain forest feel of Costa Rica. They'll tell that it's because of Hurricane Joanne, but that's a load of BS. The east coast is semi-autonomous, very corrupt but also offers many unique cultures. Just be ready for some wicked poverty, stuff like people bathing their kids in the river.
If you're going there to live, be aware of the political climate. My friend was there for 25 years running a few businesses. A few years ago the government came in and inventoried his private possessions so he containerized everything and came back to the States with his family.
They turned this country into another Hawaii or Cab. It used to be Costa Rica with mostly Europeans and Canadians with some American back in 1992. It was cheap and relatively safe. Now, it's a zoo. Maybe I shouldn't ave gone there. It seems everyone follows me just like the actor Mickey Rourke. I have good taste and when I give thumbs up, everyone wants piece of the actions that I experienced.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
