Living in Costa Rica

Immigration

Costa Rica welcomes foreign residents, but “just show up” isn’t a plan. Most of our buyers enter under one of these paths (figures per Fragomen, one of the firms we recommend):

• Pensionado, retirees with a lifetime pension of at least $1,000/month
• Rentista, $2,500/month in stable income for 2 years, or a $60,000 deposit in a Costa Rican bank
• Inversionista, investors putting $150,000 into Costa Rican real estate (or $200,000 into a business or securities)
• Digital nomad, $3,000/month in remote income ($4,000 with dependents); a one-year stay, extendable once

Residency applications typically take 6–12 months; cards are valid 2 years and renewable, and temporary residents can apply for permanent residency after 3 years.

What we tell every buyer: start the residency conversation early, keep your documents (birth certificate, background check, income proof) apostilled and current, and don’t confuse a tourist stamp with the right to live here full-time.

Immigration attorneys we recommend: Marcela Gurdian at Immigration Experts (IEX), with offices in Tamarindo, Coco and Nosara, she’s our Guanacaste pick; Michael Salas Guzman at Fragomen (Escazú); Laura Gutiérrez Rodríguez at Zurcher Odio & Raven (Escazú/Tamarindo); Marco Abellán at BLP Legal (Flamingo). Talk to us and we’ll make the introduction.

Renting by Area

Before you buy, rent. Spend a month in the area you’re considering, rainy season and dry season feel like different countries, and the only way to know a neighborhood is to live in it.

Buying a Home

Buying in Costa Rica is straightforward when it’s done right, and expensive when it isn’t. We’ve turned everything we tell our buyers into a complete step-by-step guide: building your team, searching title, making the offer, due diligence, closing costs and closing day.

Financing Your Home in Costa Rica

You don’t have to liquidate investments, and trigger a painful tax bill, to buy in Costa Rica. Costa Rica Vision works with Second Street, whose American-style mortgages bring familiar financing to Guanacaste:

• 70% financing on new purchases (60% on refinances), 30-year fixed rate
• No prepayment penalty, buy now, sort out assets at home later
• Closing in about 4–6 weeks, with payments to a US loan servicer, no monthly international transfers
• Mortgage interest deductible on your US tax return
• Free online pre-qualification, so you know your budget before you shop

Loans run $200,000 to $2,000,000 for US citizens and permanent residents (720+ credit) on titled single-family homes and condos.

Financing provided by our partners at Second Street (mysecondstreet.com).

Presales

Buying pre-construction in Guanacaste can mean better pricing and first choice of lots and floorplans, including opportunities like our Los Robles development in Playa Potrero. Here’s how our presales work:

• Staged payments, not one lump sum. You pay a deposit at signing, then fixed payments tied to construction milestones, permits and site prep, foundation, structure, finishes and final delivery.
• Your money is protected. Every payment sits in independent escrow and is released to the builder only when an independent inspector certifies that stage is complete.
• Financing fits in. Second Street can finance your final payment at closing, and potentially refinance deposits you’ve already made.

Moving to Costa Rica

The move itself is logistics. Here’s the shape of it:

Shipping your household goods. Ocean freight is the standard for a full move, a 20- or 40-foot container all to yourself, or shared container space (LCL) for smaller shipments. Budget roughly $3,500–$14,000 for a 1–3 bedroom shipment from the US, and 4–8 weeks door to door (customs can stretch it to 12–14). Air freight is 5–10 days but far pricier, save it for the essentials.

Customs and taxes. Expect about 14% import duty on the shipment’s value plus 13% VAT, though laptops, tablets and books come in at 0%, and retirees/investors under Law 9996 may qualify for exemptions. You’ll need your passport, a detailed packing list translated into Spanish, the bill of lading, and a declaration of value.

What to bring vs. what to leave. Bring the electronics, books and quality kitchen gear that’s expensive or hard to find locally. Leave the wooden furniture (termites love it) and the big appliances, most expats sell the bulk at home and buy or rent furnished here.

Shippers: International Sea & Air Shipping (internationalmoving.com) does full packing-to-delivery overseas moves; Relocately (relocately.com) helps compare overseas shippers.

Buying a car: outside the cities, you’ll want your own wheels, public transport thins out fast in coastal and rural Guanacaste, and a 4×4 or all-wheel-drive makes exploring the country far easier. A few things to know:

• You don’t need residency to buy, a valid passport is enough. But you can’t just sign over a title: Costa Rican law requires a Public Notary (a licensed attorney) to draft the bill of sale in Spanish and register it.
• Budget 5–8% over the purchase price for transfer tax, registration, and notary fees.
• Cars cost 25–50% more than back home thanks to import taxes, but they hold resale value remarkably well. Roughly: economy cars $8k–$15k, mid-size SUVs $18k–$28k, heavy-duty 4x4s $35k–$55k+.
• Stick to Toyota, Suzuki, Mitsubishi, Hyundai or Kia, parts and service are everywhere. Rarer brands mean waiting months for imported parts. Electric and hybrid vehicles carry zero import tax.
• Get an independent inspection ($50–$100) before buying, odometer tampering happens, and a passing DEKRA sticker isn’t proof of soundness. One Tico Times writer nearly bought a DEKRA-passed SUV that a mechanic’s scanner revealed had nine fault codes and a disconnected check-engine light. Bring a trusted mechanic, not just the paperwork.
• Think twice about cars that lived their whole life in a beach town: salt air hides corrosion. And when shopping used, head to Grecia, its highway is lined with dozens of lots, the country’s biggest selection.
• Marchamo is the annual circulation tax plus mandatory liability insurance, due at year-end.

Services like WheelsCR (wheelscr.com) specialize in guiding expats through the whole process, reputable dealers, Spanish paperwork, registration, for a flat fee.