daveandmarcia
American expat in Costa Rica
Forum posts
364
Contacts
4
About me
American
Registration: 03 February 2023
My expat journey
Costa Rica
USA
Activity
Crime in Costa Rica by snoutoz
Dear All, I have got a job from a recruitment company to relocate to costa Rica, I am Egyptian in nationality with my family , wife and two babies. I am soo afraid to move there because i hear about criminals and that costa rica has a high crime ...
Interestingly, if you drive up our side of the Poas volcano from Grecia, you'll find that road totally bounded by homes. Costa Rican people seem to like to live close to the street.If you look closely, you'll find that there are houses with walls ... Read More
Thinking about moving from Puerto Rico to Costa Rica by Joseph jacopelle
hello everyone please you can call me Joey I'm pretty informal I'm new here so I introduce myself you guys feel free to introduce yourself I could use some expat help that's for sure I'm clueless I know a little bit of Spanish from Puerto Rico just ...
Social Security Disability Insurance benefits, based upon the applicant's disability, are only payable until the recipient reaches age 65. Then, he or she must apply for Social Security Old Age Insurance benefits. It is for this reason that receipt ... Read More
Crime in Costa Rica by snoutoz
Dear All, I have got a job from a recruitment company to relocate to costa Rica, I am Egyptian in nationality with my family , wife and two babies. I am soo afraid to move there because i hear about criminals and that costa rica has a high crime ...
@Gerald TwomeliiPretty much like anywhere outside Antarctica, there is crime in some parts of Costa Rica and little or none in others. We have lived outside Grecia for twenty-one years. We have no gate, no fences, no bars on our windows and doors, ... Read More
Moving as a family to Costa Rica - all advice welcome! by brogan6
Hi friends! My husband and I currently live in Colorado and we are hoping to make the move to Costa Rica in January. We have a 1.5 year old and another baby on the way. We are trying to decide on a place to live as well as the best way to get ...
@Gerald TwomeyCouple of things . . .First, if you become a temporary legal resident or a permanent legal resident you are REQUIRED to join and pay for the national health system - the CAJA. It's not optional.Second, the Costa Rican government DOES ... Read More
Moving as a family to Costa Rica - all advice welcome! by brogan6
Hi friends! My husband and I currently live in Colorado and we are hoping to make the move to Costa Rica in January. We have a 1.5 year old and another baby on the way. We are trying to decide on a place to live as well as the best way to get ...
We have had Starlink for more that two years and are very satisfied. Just this morning, using Speedtest I got over 330mgs download. Read More
Moving as a family to Costa Rica - all advice welcome! by brogan6
Hi friends! My husband and I currently live in Colorado and we are hoping to make the move to Costa Rica in January. We have a 1.5 year old and another baby on the way. We are trying to decide on a place to live as well as the best way to get ...
Think about reversing the project. Rather than coming here to look around, which would take longer than you're planning, first make two lists: first, your needs; second, your wants. As a young couple with two small children, your needs and wants ... Read More
Moving as a family to Costa Rica - all advice welcome! by brogan6
Hi friends! My husband and I currently live in Colorado and we are hoping to make the move to Costa Rica in January. We have a 1.5 year old and another baby on the way. We are trying to decide on a place to live as well as the best way to get ...
If you're thinking of staying in Costa Rica long-term, your best approach will be to apply for temporary legal residency, then permanent legal residency when you qualify. To be sure, there are some administrative/legal humps to jump, but in the long ... Read More
Anything like a cashier's check / money order available in Costa Rica? by wondering9
Hello everyone, newbie here, writing on the off chance that someone might have a clue on this --I'm currently in San Jose, trying to gather my US documents for a residency application. (Yes, I know that's not the ideal way to do it, but it is what ...
This post is living proof of Americans who come to Costa Rica to make their life harder and more complicated....It is just the beginning... - @edwinemoraHaving been here for over 20 years, I can attest to the fact that Costa Rican bureaucracy, both ... Read More
Anything like a cashier's check / money order available in Costa Rica? by wondering9
Hello everyone, newbie here, writing on the off chance that someone might have a clue on this --I'm currently in San Jose, trying to gather my US documents for a residency application. (Yes, I know that's not the ideal way to do it, but it is what ...
wondering9, your dilemma is a real one. The simplest thing would be to get a friend or relative in the States to "run" these errands for you. That might involve chasing around to the Post Office or their bank for payment, but you could be confident ... Read More
Starlink subscription by janswhite
I鈥檓 living here in ciudad colon and thinking about Starlink subscription I鈥檓 an American and would like to know can I get it all in English and is it possible to make a link into the US so I can get all my streaming because they all come ...
Trying to sort this out . . .Your Internet Service Provider (could be Starlink, Kolbe, etc) gives you access to the Internet. From there, the router that's part of the Starlink "kit" connects to the Internet. Once you're connected to the Internet, ... Read More
Thinking about moving from Puerto Rico to Costa Rica by Joseph jacopelle
hello everyone please you can call me Joey I'm pretty informal I'm new here so I introduce myself you guys feel free to introduce yourself I could use some expat help that's for sure I'm clueless I know a little bit of Spanish from Puerto Rico just ...
My understanding is that your SSDI benefit will expire when you become eligible for your Social Security Old Age benefit. Since your SSDI benefit is not guaranteed for life, I think it will not qualify you for legal residency as a pensionado. Then, ... Read More
Costa Rica Rentista Visa: Need U.S. CPA for the income letter by gnostic
Hey everyone, I am currently pulling my hair out over the Rentista visa paperwork and hoping someone here has a solution or a contact.I easily exceed the $2,500/month income requirement through passive investment cash flow from my U.S. brokerage ...
I don't know if this will help or not, but it's worth investigating. Instead of trying to get a U.S.-based accountant to provide the document(s) you need, how about trying a "Public Accountant"* here in Costa Rica. The last time we went through this ... Read More
Lets crack a joke in this stress life by Guest6847
Many of us struggle with stress鈥揳t work and in our personal life. Like any problem, stress requires a strategic approach to conquer, or at least manage. Stress is real, but we always have a choice鈥搘e can let it consume us or we learn to ...
Rene Descartes walks into a bar and orders a martini. "Would you like an olive with that?", asks the bartender. "I think not", replies Rene and POOF!!, he disappears. Read More
Relocating with art - paintings and pastels by kathleentitus
I would like to move to Costa Rica from Michigan and my most important belongings are my large oil paintings and pastels. I am wondering how safe it is to ship fragile, sentimental items like one's own oil paintings and pastel with a mover? I am ...
In 2005, we moved from the beach in North Carolina to Costa Rica. That move was contingent on being able to bring our artwork, rugs and Labrador retriever. I did all the packing except for Max. It was a lot of work, but everything arrived intact. I ... Read More
Visiting CR at end of March 2025 by bpwald
Hi, my husband and I live in the Washington DC area and are considering retirement locations. We're looking at not-too-hot and humid places like the central valley in CR. Anyone with suggestions of towns to consider, places to go during our visit, ...
The fact, if it really is a fact and not yet another figment of edwines' vivid imagination, that a third of Costa Rica's population are Mora only serves to prove that even the least among us are, nevertheless, good at something. It certainly has ... Read More