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Hello
My name is Ava and I am concidering moving to Costa Rica in the very near future. It would be a long haul for me and my husband from Hawaii where we live now. Could someone who resides in Costa Rica please tell me if I wanted to bring my Mac computor and my Epson Printer into the country would the duty on these items be so much as to not make it worth while. I have various needs that are important to my business such as the ablity to buy Printable blank DVDs, DVD cases, inkjet paper,. Are these items readily available and prices comparably to USA. And is there a decent Postal system that will get my mail out from Costa Rica to my customers who live all over the world in a reasonable amount of time. One more thing while I am on the subject we do not know if we should sell our 2000 Ford SUV here first and then buy another car when we get there because we can not get a good handle on how much of a difference there is in car prices and availablity in Costa Rica. Any help would be very much appreciated. AvaAva: I recommend you bring your MAC computer and your Epson Printer with your luggage as the price would be much cheaper even after paying taxes, if they even charge you at Customs. You can claim them as used or personal use items. There is an Office Depot, Price Smart, CompuUSA and several other places you may purchase Printable blank DVDs, DVD Cases, inkjet paper, etc. You would have to buy in bulk in San Jose and stock up if you plan to live in a coastal area as it is harder to find them over there. There are suppliers that might deliver in some areas of Guanacaste and the Central Pacific as well. Prices are obviously higher than in the USA due to import taxes, sales tax and others, but they are reasonable. Car prices are definitely higher in Costa Rica than in the USA as the government places hefty import taxes on them that sometimes reach 100% of the original value. A brand new Ford Explorer might be something like $40K – $50K. Most people purchase Asian cars like Toyota, Nissan and Hyundai as they are cheaper, more fuel efficient and perform better in our roads which are full of potholes in most areas. American cars currently have a great value as the dollar is cheaper than the Yen or the Euro. A good option is to purchase a used car at http://www.crautos.com which is Costa Rica’s version of Auto Trader. Hope that answers your questions. Aloha!
Costa Rica does not have a very reliable postal service, but there are several private firms such as Aerocasillas, MailBoxes Etc. and JetBox that provide PO Boxes, Air Mail and Courier services. If you are planning on living on a coastal area, it depends on which area you are as these services are limited. I believe your best option would be to live on or near Playa Tamarindo as far as mail, beaches, surfing, business, shopping, supplies, entertainment, housing, dining and proximity to an International Airport.
Hello Alvero
Thank you for your kind responce and good information.
may I ask you as well how is the malaria in Costa Rica and the Dngea Fever. I know it exists but how much should I be worried . Do you always need to wear mosquito rpelant and is that even a reasonable way to live. Does it occure on a regular basis. Thank you again. Ava?Ava, Alvero has given you good advice on all fronts. Office supplies are available although prices will be somewhat higher. You can and should bring your computer and printer (although inkjet printers are readily available, so it might be better to save your luggage space and buy a new one). While you are on the plane, you will complete a Customs declaration. Declare the computer and printer, but go through the “Nothing to Declare” line after you’ve claimed your luggage. Let Customs flag you down; then play dumb.
You’ll find few American cars here for good reasons. They are very expensive and parts and service may not be readily available. It’s better to drive something the local mechanics are used to repairing. What’s more, the cost of freight from Hawaii will be very high. And once you get the Ford here, it will have to go through a tedious and complicated Customs and inspection process which can take a long time and be very expensive. What’s more, as Alvero says, you will be charged import duty on the book value of the vehicle, the cost of freight, and the cost of insurance. Bring your checkbook.
You need to say a little more about your business need for postal service. I send some documents to the U.S. from Costa Rica from time to time. If it’s important to me that they arrive, I always use Certified Mail. A regular business-size envelope with a couple or three sheets of paper, sent Certified, costs $1.50 or less, and, given that it’s in the international mail stream, the delay time isn’t bad. I mailed something Certified on June 12 and received notification this morning that it had been received and entered into the recipient’s system for processing. Slower than U.S. domestic mail? Yes, but look at where it came from.
If you need faster or more secure mail, as Alvero says, there are services such as UPS, FedEx and DHL that can do the job. Again, bring your checkbook.
A final note: If it is your plan to ship household goods in a shipping container, then it is possible to put your Ford SUV in that same container for little additional cost, if any. You’ll still have to go through the import process and cost, but you will save some on shipping.
Hello David
SO nice of you and alvero to respond to my questions. I am a yoga teacher and I sell yoga dvd from my web site. It generally costs me 1.31 for stamps to mail from here to mainland USA. and the envelope is can vary in cost depending on where I buy them. It takes 4 to 5 days to arrive in USA. I ship all over the world but it varies then how much time it takes. I do not recieve much mail so that does not concern me. We would sell the car and purchase there. May I ask could we get a decent used car there for $3000 to $4000. We also were just ooking on a site that mentioned that there is Malaria and other mosquito delivered diseases in Costa Rica, is this so. I am very much loved by mosquitos I think they like my fruit feed blood so I am a little concerned.
The old world atmosphere that seems to exist in Costa Rica is what appeals to us because Maui has become impossibly expensive and housing is going to become almost none existent in the very near future for those who are not rich. Costa Rica seems like a more affordable yet naturally beautiful enviroment. The weahter in HAwaii is almost perfect and so the proximity of Costa Rica to the equater is a little troubling The extream heat and humidity but everything is a balance of attributes and no place on earth is perfect. I am simply trying to find out the real conditions we will face when we get there. Of course it would be better to visit first and then decide to move there or not but we may not have the time to do that. AvaoAva, I’m skeptical that you can get a decent car here for $3,000 to $4,000, but then my standards are pretty high. On the other hand, if you sell the Ford SUV, and save the shipping costs and the costs of getting it made legal in Costa Rica, you’ll have more than that available to convert your Ford SUV in Hawaii into a replacement in Costa Rica.
Three quarters of the residents of Costa Rica live in the Central Valley. There, climate is primarily dependent upon elevation, not latitude. We live at about 4,100 feet above sea level. Our typical year ’round extremes are overnight lows in the low 60s and daytime highs not more than about 82 degrees. Lower, it’s hotter; higher, it’s cooler.
Misquito-borne illnesses are a problem in the warmer areas; however, it seems that warmer-climate animals (including insects) are being found at higher elevations. Perhaps that’s due to subtle climatic changes. If there’s malaria or dengue in your neighborhood then, yes, you need to take it seriously. The government is trying to control misquitos but it’s an uphill fight everywhere.
Whatever else you do, for Pete’s sake take your time! DO NOT move to Costa Rica sight-unseen! There are substantial differences between the U.S. and Costa Rica which no one can prepare you for via e-mail or public discussion forums. You have to see this for yourself. It’s not an option.
A choice you might make would be to take a tour that’s designed for folks considering making the move. We took George Lundquist’s tour and would recommend it to anyone thinking of taking the leap. I’d then spend as long as possible here getting the lay of the land before I began to seriously consider moving here. You can look at various areas, price cars and housing, investigate health care, shop for daily necessities, and generally get a sense of what the place is like.
Marcia and I love it here, but it’s not for everyone.
ava…..Amen to David. You really need to visit C.R. and take a good long look. As David said it is not the U.S. or Hawaii. Not that it is bad but very different. I was there for 3 months last year from Texas and going for 5-6 months this year to really be sure this is what I want to do. I love it there but while it is much smaller it is like trying to decide if you want to live in Michigan, New York, Texas or California. Not only that but even in local areas the weather and temps can really vary. You really do need to see and feel it for yourself. Indeed you need to experience areas by Rainy seasons, dry seasons and again the difference in various parts of the country. May I ask, what is the rush?
Terry From TexasThank you everyone for your very thoughtful responses. I understand the nessesity of taking a look for ourselves. There is no rush really I meant that it is hard to take off work to explore and very expensive but I realize there really is no other way. The misquito thing is daunting I admit but as you said it needs to be experienced. I am in love with the old world nature of Costa Rica at least what I can gather from web sites and other reserch I have done. Thank you again and maybe my husband Steve and I will embark on aa trip to Costa Rica as soon as 6 weeks from now. I am thrilled to have your frank emails because it reenforces my feeling that we should go and explore. If anyone has any questions about Hawaii I would be happy to help in return. Warm regards AVA
Hi Terry
Thank you for your instructions and again my husband and I are not in a real hurry it is just amatter of cost. The longer we go on vaction the more it would cost us but there is no other way. I teach yoga at a resort outdoors next to the beach here in Maui. I am so spoiled that teaching indoors would be such a let down but the mosquito problem is something I take very seriously. The land here is being developed at a phenomenal rate and they are bringing in a ferry system that will run between islands in September, this is sure to make things even worse. I have visited the Bahamas and the British and American Virgin Isand and found them too small and not as beautiful or majestic as Hawaii. I.m just hopingthat Costa Rica has the combination of attributes that will keep us there for a long time. i will heed your advise and thank you again for your time. AvaAva, the more you talk about your impressions and your aspirations the more firmly convinced I am that you need to give this serious thought and investigation. Despite what you may have read, Costa Rica has little in common with Maui and less in common with Disneyland. You’ve used the term “old world charm” a couple of times. I don’t know what that means, and I’ll wager you don’t know how it relates to Costa Rica. There are a number of frustrating (to me) factors that you need to be aware of. Here’s a partial list . . .
Costa Rica has virtually no land use planning or control. Houses are built (literally) shoulder to shoulder and as close as possible to the roadside. Interspersed with a row of houses, you can find a welding shop. It ain’t a pretty sight.
Too, many Costa Ricans are utterly insensitive to the matter of trash. The roadsides in too many areas are awash in it. I don’t know if Hawaii keeps the roadsides clean, but Costa Rica does not. And solid waste disposal has been perfected to a standard common in eighteenth century Europe.
Some roads here, while “paved”, present a substantial obstacle to travel.
The national health care system (CAJA), while affording care to everyone enrolled, has many of the worst attributes of an American for-profit HMO. It was recently reported in the newpapers that one of the main hospitals was scheduling ultrasounds for pregnant women ten months hence. Not all drugs are available.
Consumer goods you may be used to are either non-existent, difficult to find, very expensive or some combination thereof.
Costa Ricans cut their beef into cuts which we do not recognize. If you like good beef, it’s going to be very expensive (in the better restaurants), and the cuts you’re used to will be hard to find.
There’s plenty more . . .
All that said, for us this was the best move we’ve made, but it’s critical that you not dive blindly into this. Come and see what’s here without a lot of preconceived notions and then decide. And Terry Cook is right. You need to see Costa Rica in the rainy season. It’s different.
If you want to talk in private, e-mail me at daveandmarcia@racsa.co.cr.
David’s comments are right on. Costa Rica is NOT disneyland, and it’s certainly NOT Maui — far far far from it. I don’t know about that old world charm either unless you mean that Costa Rica reminds me of what the US was like in the 50’s! At best, most of the bureaucarcy in CR is inefficient. Patience (and a good book) is absolutely required to navigate the simplest bureaucratic task. Some people never get used to this system and leave in a year or two. I lived in the Bahamas. Nassau’s gov’t is a well oiled machine compared to CR. There are something like 50 different micro-climates in Costa Rica. One of them may be right for you, but you can’t know this without setting foot on terra firma. As for getting a car — I know people who bought little Geo Trackers (or its equivalent) for around $3000 – $5000, so it can be done. Gas is expensive and with all the mountain driving your gas bill will easily exceed your food costs if you get some big gas guzzler. I’ve spent time in Hawaii and I wouldn’t even compare CR to the islands — they’re two completely different worlds.
Before I get “flamed” by someone who is involved with http://www.therealcostarica.com let me explain my comment above. There are some aspects of this site that are very well updated…the news site, etc. I base my comment on, for example, 2005 rates on DSL and cable service, etc. As with many Costa Rica sites (including this one, unfortunately) they don’t date their articles, so something could have been written two days ago…or two years ago. All I’m saying is that there are some topics that are very frequently changing (as in any other country) and you shouldn’t make any decisions or form any firm opinions based on an article you read on a website. ‘Nuf said.
ava. You keep mentioning musquitos…while I know for sure they are there, I spent 3 months in C.R. including walks throught the jungle and varios parts of C.R., Never used insect repellent and never got one bite or saw one. If you look at the stats available on this site in Search you will find it is really not that big of a deal. As to expensive to go to C.R. I have stayed in many areas and have booked this 5 month trip with all “green hotels” ie. I will stay in Puntarenas on the beach clean and nice hotel $175 Month..Dominical by the beach $100.00 week or $350.00 mo., Cahuita on the caribbean side on the beach private cabin with living room,kitch.bath and bedroom very nice and clean with restaurant facility and all $175.00 Month…Yes it can be done
There are wonderful little places to stay…Last year I stayed in Coco for $10.00 night and at Volcano Arenal for $6.00 night..clean, nice private bath and view of the volcano. You Can stay at the Hilton or do some searching and do it very very reasonable. I went to a place in San Jose at night called Pacos Bill Bar and had dinner like ribs,salad,rice..$1.65 plus of course the manditory beer.
Yes it can be done real reasonable…bus across the country maybe 5 bucks or less.Terry From Texas
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