Secrets to Living Your Best Life in Costa Rica Revealed!
Secrets to Living Your Best Life in Costa Rica Revealed!
Do you want to move to Costa Rica with your family? While pristine beaches and epic surfing are the common draw for most tourists in Costa Rica, you should consider other factors if you’re thinking about moving with your family.
In this guide, we’ll explore thriving expat communities, ideal climates, and convenient airport access—all crucial for a smooth transition to a fulfilling life in paradise that puts your family’s needs first.
Your Family’s Gateway to Pura Vida
Finding a new home in Costa Rica with your family in tow? Your top priority might surprise you: it’s not the surf waves or the breathtaking ocean views (though we’ve got plenty of those!) but choosing the right private school for your kids. Once you’ve got that sorted, finding a place to live nearby becomes your next big step.
If you are a parent, the best area to move to in Costa Rica will be an area very close to schools. Surprisingly, I know parents who, above all, are focused on getting a good surf spot or who want to get that property with a spectacular ocean view. I think that can be very painful because there are so few school options available in a given area. If you look for that perfect view and then force your children to go to the closest available school, you will soon find that they are miserable and you will have to find an exit strategy, which can be difficult in Costa. Rich, to say the least.
It’s easier to focus from the beginning on finding the best private school for your children, the one that fits their needs, and then look for a location that allows them to live nearby.
Thriving Among Expats
If your priority is to find a vibrant expat community, if you want to have a social life and daily engagement with other people from North America, then there are only a few areas of Costa Rica that will really work for you 365 days a year.
The area surrounding the Guanacaste airport would be one of those centers where you could find enough social activity to have daily interaction with expats all year round, you will also find another center near Nosara and there is a rapidly growing expat center in the Pacific Central, Jaco and its nearby beaches.
There are also some places in the Central Valley, like Atenas, etc.
But in general, if you really want to have a social life and your priority is being able to interact with other people, that may be the limiting factor for you, since Costa Rica may seem small on paper, but it is the size of West Virginia.
If you don’t end up living near a good enclave of people you can identify with, it can be difficult to go out and find another social enclave.
Chasing the Ideal Climate
If tossing and turning in the heat isn’t your thing and you’re chasing cooler climates, elevation is key.
And I’m not just talking about a 300-foot-high hill near the ocean. I mean going up to the Central Valley of Costa Rica.
If you want to live near the beach and have access to surf, ocean, etc. I don’t think you’ll find a high enough hill within an hour’s drive of any beach where you’ll find significantly colder temperatures.
Ease of Travel: Staying Connected
Frequent flyer? Whether it’s business trips back to the States or visiting family, living near one of Costa Rica’s airports can save you a world of time.
If your priority is going to be maintaining a lifestyle in the United States, Canada, Europe or whatever your country of origin is, coming and going from Costa Rica, then it is absolutely necessary that you look for places that are close to one of the two airports current of the country. There is one in San José, from where you can quickly reach Jaco and there is another in Liberia, Guanacaste, from where you can access many beaches.
If you plan to live that lifestyle where maybe once a month you have to report to a corporation in the US or you want to go see your grandchildren frequently, you should start by immediately looking for one of those airports to do your life easier. . Because very few people like to travel to Costa Rica and then drive another six or seven hours to get home.
Take action now!
Costa Rica offers a diverse landscape, vibrant communities and a relaxed lifestyle. Whether you’re immersing yourself in an expat community, seeking a cool mountain climate, or ensuring easy access to airports, by prioritizing your family’s needs you’ll be able to find the perfect place to embrace the “Pura Vida” spirit.
