12/02/2025
Back in 2002, when I decided to spend more time here in Costa Rica, being a newcomer was a whole different ballgame—no internet, no Facebook groups, and certainly no Reddit threads full of self-proclaimed experts debating the best places to buy peanut butter. If you had questions, you couldn’t just fire them off into the digital void and wait for 137 responses (half of which would be completely contradictory). Nope, we had to do it the old-fashioned way—I paid a whole thirty bucks for a massive softcover book about Costa Rica, which took over a month to arrive, probably by mule. Fast forward to today, and anyone considering the move can just hop on Google or Facebook and instantly find an avalanche of advice, warnings, and unsolicited opinions from fellow expats who are eager—sometimes too eager—to share their wisdom. The typical questions haven’t changed much: “What should I know before moving?” “How different is it from the U.S.?” “Where can I find expat-friendly communities?” And of course, “Will I survive without Costco?” The answers come from a few distinct species of expat: First, the experts—because Costa Rica is a country overflowing with experts. I used to sell vacation packages and confidently presented myself as a Costa Rica guru, and it seems like everyone else has done the same. Watch any local news show, and you’ll see nutritionists, agronomists, and meteorologists all introduced as experts, and the expat Facebook groups are no different. If someone has been here for three months and successfully navigated the residency process (or at least found a good taxi driver), congratulations—they’re now an expert too! But for every expert, there’s an equally passionate group: the whiners. These folks complain about everything—the heat, the rain, the potholes, the price of avocados, the slow internet, the crime, the corruption, the lack of fluent English speakers (imagine that, in a Spanish-speaking country!), and most of all, how ridiculously expensive everything is. Ironically, they usually live in the most expensive areas, sipping imported wine in gated communities while lamenting how Costa Rica isn’t as “authentic” as they expected. Their interactions with locals are often limited to their housekeepers and the guy at the hardware store, but that doesn’t stop them from being deeply dissatisfied with all things Tico. So yes, moving here is a lot easier today, but some things never change—there will always be experts, always be complainers, and always be people just trying to figure out where to get a decent burger.