American Expats In Costa Rica – What We Like

In mid-January 2013, we packed up and hit the road for Costa Rica. Jen had gotten a job teaching fifth grade at an English-speaking international school, and as long as I had reliable internet access, my work would not be affected. Our kids (ages 4, 4, 1) would be enrolled in day care. We didn’t want to wait until the kids were out of college and we were empty-nesters to do something crazy like this, so off we went.
Sixteen months later we’re having hard time saying good bye to many friends we hope to stay in touch with. We’ll be heading back to the States in July. It’s been a great experience filled with lots of family time, lots of great trips and many experiences that would not have been possible in the States. Here’s what I’ve liked about Costa Rica. My dislikes are here.

My Likes
Farmer’s Markets
Access to dozens of fresh fruits and veggies at extremely low prices might be the thing we ultimately miss most about Costa Rica. Every town has a farmer’s market – some are small, some huge. It has become our routine since day one to hit the farmer’s markets every weekend to stock up for the week. Tomatoes (45 cents/lb), cucumbers (35 cents/lb), broccoli (45 cents for a huge head), red peppers (a bag of four or five for a buck), spinach, onions, butternut squash – all cheap. Bananas cost less than 10 cents each; huge plantains are 30 cents; strawberries literally picked hours before being sold are ~ $1.00/lb. An entire bag of lemons or limes is less than a buck. Avocados are 50 cents each, and many fresh spices (Jen is addicted to cooking with thyme) are super cheap. Pineapples are 75 cents each. The list goes on. We’re spoiled, so it will definitely be a huge adjustment when we move back. (I need to do a post highlighting the farmer’s market in Heredia, our favorite market, even after we moved further away)
It’s Safe
This is a reason we came to Costa Rica over other Central American countries. Petty theft is common, but major crimes are almost nonexistent. Several times during our first couple months here (while on the way home from a mini excursion), we had to stop and get directions. Never did my gut tell me I was doing the wrong thing. Never did the little voice in my head tell me: “don’t you dare announce to everyone (via my lack of Spanish and obvious American origin) that you’re lost.” It never happened. I always felt safe on the road, walking around town, at the park, the market, everywhere. Even at the US vs. Costa Rica soccer game – I was warned by a friend from Argentina about the dangers of soccer games in Latin America – I felt completely safe.
Disconnectedness
Someone in Great Britain had a baby…nobody here cares. Someone in the NFL is banging a Hollywood star…they don’t care about that either. Coming from a country that is obsessed with celebrities, it’s refreshing that Ticos literally don’t give a crap. They mind their own business and work hard. The only time a local commented to me about a news event in the US was when Boulder, CO flooded, and that’s because we’re from Colorado and the Tico went to college there – we shared a bond. Otherwise, what happens in the US or anywhere else in the world (gossip wise) is not on Costa Rica’s radar. That’s nice.
Cheap Travel Opportunities
Costa Rica is a very popular travel destination – easily at the top of everyone’s list in Central America – but it’s even better when you live here. We don’t go to resorts during high season; we go at off-peak times and pay a fraction of the prices. High-end hotels that can cost $300/night around New Years only cost us $125, and we’re practically the only ones there. Many times it felt like we had entire places to ourselves, and very often our kids were the only ones in the pools. We’ve traveled all over CR – both coasts and the interior. Because we could pick and choose where we went and when we traveled, we never paid full price and we never had to fight crowds. (Should I do an entire post on all the travelling we did?)
Kid Centric/Family Oriented
Although CR is becoming westernized (fast food, PriceSmart (Costco), etc), much of the country is still old school. It’s not uncommon for more than two generations to live under one roof, and it’s even more common for extended families to live in the same area of town or on the same block. It’s nice. Kids grow up seeing their grandparents daily, not weekly over a computer and a couple times/year in person. And if I had a quarter every time someone patted one of my kids’ heads and said “que lindo” (how cute), I’d be negotiating with my wife that having a forth kids was an investment, not a cost. I’m guilty of moving away from my family in the States (am from Chicago area, moved to Colorado), so I shouldn’t complain. It’s still nice to see families stick together here.
A General Lack of Rules/Lack of Regulations
When I first arrived, one of my initial thoughts was: “my goodness, this entire country is one big OSHA violation” – and I liked it. The US has become – physically and mentally – overly politically correct, overly sensitive and overly careful. Four blades of grass are out of place at the local park might cause little Johnny to fall down and go boom. Don’t come to CR if you’re the type to complain about such things. This entire country will annoy you. Deep holes or trenches on the sides of the roads, no crossing gates at railroad intersections, missing storm sewer covers – all little things that remind me I’m in country where people don’t constantly bitch and complain about every inconvenience. And how many injuries/accidents have I heard about stemming from these? None.
We visited the water park in Orotina, where two water slides take riders on high-speed trip down several stories into an open pool. Any life guards? No. Any rules governing how people should act or behave in the area? None of those either. In fact not only were there numerous people standing around in the pool – often only a foot or two from the kamikaze sliders – there was a group of 15 guys who were going down the slides in rapid fire action…one after another after another…boom, boom, boom, they’d hit the water no more than a second apart. It was very entertaining. Then I thought back to the States, where I had been yelled at numerous times for catching my 3-year olds coming down the water slide at the Golden Rec Center.
It’s Old School
Despite the westernization, much of Costa Rica is still old school. Garages are turned into little tiendas (shops) or supers (convenience stores), and living rooms (along with a front deck) are turned into small restaurants. I’d imagine this is what the US was like 100 years ago when families lived above the store. A family run business is truly family run – there are no employees except for the extended family (including kids – I’ve see 10 year old kids working the cash register at several supers). Entrepreneurship, as it relates to surviving, is strong here. It’s nice. I like the resourcefulness.
Pharmacies
If your kid has pink eye, go the pharmacy and get some medicine. If your kid has an ear infection, same thing. Just go to the pharmacy and get some medicine. In the States, you have to make an appointment with your PCP (primary care physician), (this will take time because they will never have an opening right away, and hopefully you don’t need attention after 5:00 pm because you’ll have to wait until the next day), make a co-pay, see the doctor for about 30 seconds and then wait again for the prescription to be called in and ready to go. This extra step – needing to go to your PCP – wastes time and money. I like the system here in Costa Rica. Why can’t Walgreens or CVS have someone on staff who can diagnose simple things? Oh that’s right. The US intentionally adds extra steps to their inefficient systems – all in the name of making an extra buck. Any attempt to change this would result in the lobby for PCPs converging on Washington to make sure it didn’t happen.
School Runs All Year Round
Kids in Costa Rica go to school the same number of days as kids in the States, but there are no super long breaks. This brings continuity to the school year, and teachers don’t have to spend the first two months of a new school year reviewing the previous year’s material because one grade smoothly blends into the next. I like it. The American school year originated when farming was the biggest industry, and kids were needed during the summer to plant and harvest crops – hence the big break. But this obviously isn’t the current state of things – and never will be. I like the Costa Rican school year. School days are spread out over the year with the longest break being about six weeks. It’s much more efficient because less forgetting takes place. It also better simulates what life will be like after school.
Cheap Labor
Continuing the cost theme…labor is cheap. Whether your car needs maintenance, your house needs cleaning or your lawn needs mowing, labor is super cheap. Heck, my kid’s day care (she’s 2) is only $210/month. In the States, day care would cost $1200. We got the brakes replaced on our car. A guy picked the car up at my wife’s school, took it back to the shop to do the repair and then dropped it off by the end of the day. No charge for anything other than the brakes. Even doctors and dentists are very reasonable. A doctor’s appoint here without insurance costs less than in the States with insurance. Coming from a wealthy country, cheap labor is a big benefit to being here.
Jen’s School
After writing this, I decided this deserved its own stand-alone post…check back in a few days.