do that!

How is the weather?
6 months of "high" season and 6 months rainy season. The capital city is some 2000 feet or something above sea level, temperatures vary up to about 30 or so in the high season. 4 months of the rainy season is characterized by sunny mornings, rain in the afternoon, and drying off for the evening. 2 months it rains most of the day. The temperature drops a few degrees in rainy season but is mostly noticable at night. The beaches are obviously sea level, and usually up to about 5 degrees hotter or so on average.

How is shopping for food? How are the movie theatres?
Food shopping is pretty normal except for a few things. Quality meat is difficult to find in supermarkets, but their are some "export" quality butchers in the nicer suburbs. Booze, fresh vegetables and fruits and bakery products tend to be very cheap. Prepared, or canned items (such as campbells soup) is substantially more expensive than you're probably used to.

We have something called The VIP theatre, with leather reclining chairs, and waiters that bring you drinks and food (sushi, among other things). It's an awesome experience. Other theatres vary in comfort and quality, but all in all it's not too bad

How is the internet?
Pretty good in most parts of the capital city. Slow or simply not available yet on most beaches. It is improving on the beaches, but it'll be a few more years probably. In the city I have 2mb/256K cable modems for about $70 a month.

How are the roads?
Fucking terrible. If you can, you'll want to buy an SUV. Pothols are everywhere and some of them can swallow your vehicle whole. Also, people steal man hole covers and sell them for scrap in some places, so you have to watch out for that. Things only get worse as you get closer to the beach. Locals drive like fucking idiots, wherever you can fit a car on the road. Streetlights, reflectors and even lines on the road can be rare. Good luck, you'll need it.

What is typical cost of cars there, what cars are available?
Most types of cars are available here and expect to pay somewhere around 60% more than in the US.

How hard is it to find hookers, and are they clean, look good?
I guess, but try being a man, you don't need to pay for sex. That's desperate.

Is it common for foreigners with money to have maids, cooks, etc as in other countries?
My maid works 3 days a week and costs $50 a week. My gardner comes once a week but has to clean up after 3 Rottweilers, so he gets paid $20 per week. It's quite common and most nicer houses will have built in servant quarters.

:1orglaugh how did you get pictures of my cottage

Webby, can you tell us more about that? I was looking into the rentista category since apparently the $60K for a husband & wife is going to double after August 12th. I don't like the idea of having to leave every 90 days in case they do start cracking down on the perpetual tourists & decide to deny entry.

use Puerto Rico as a jump off point so you can get your feet wet living around this area without having to miss out on any of the american comforts. It's cheap to fly here from NY, cost of living is cheap, and it has plenty of uncrowded beaches...

Earlier this week, I was on the off island of Culebra between pr and vi. Plenty of shit around here like this...If you want, you could just get a small boat and go all over the place.

http://mrnogood.com/images/DSCF0815.JPG

http://mrnogood.com/images/DSCF0817.JPG

Canada is better variant :)

juicy wants some latino heat

Just got into Jaco, enjoying free wifi at a bar on the beach :thumbsup

Hola! You seem to be more aware than I am - I never knew of plans to double the $60K for rentista residency.

At the moment a quick summary of the rentista program is:

(a) Proof of US$1000 per month (the level the govt deems a person can live on for a month here - possible, but not recommended :) ) for at least five years, guaranteed by a banking institution, - alternatively a US$60,000 deposit in an approved Costa Rican bank. In real life this requirement falls into oblivion after 2 or 3 years living here and is not enforced.

(b) Cannot work as an employee, but can own a business/company and take whatever profits/income from this.

(c) Be living in CR for a least four months a year - tho who's counting.

OK.. On the 90 day visa, the *actual* circumstances are that a good number of folks have been living here for 15 years and more on this basis and without formal residency.

It is also legal to simply have a 72 hour departure and have a tour around Panama or Nicaragua and then enter CR for a further 90 day visa term. Visa's can also be extended outside the 90 day term (but not too familiar with that).

Generally, there is no desire to stop entry from anyone who is obviously going to be spending money in the country and the main concern of immigration are folks from Nicaragua where they enter basically similar to the scenario with Mexico and the US.

It is most probable that there will be changes in immigration requirements in the near future - so prob best to get a foot in the door now before that starts.

This is only my experience so far - basically residency is "flexible" depending on who you know and who your lawyer is blah. I've been offered residency by lawyers in the govt for just having a car as an asset. Other lawyers are exteremely rigid. Others in between can arrange residency based on a company being formed. The "official" view is in the various forms of residency published around the next - and the rentista program is one of them. Bottom line - it's basically down to who you know here.

I've not found it to be a big deal with residency - all they need is a current and clean police report (dated within six months), passport details, fingerprints for an Interpol check and around $1500 in fees and company formation stuff.

You may have a lawyer already for this, but recommend being "all ears" with him and seeing what he has to offer. If that does not suit - change the lawyer until you get one that presents a scenario for residency near to what you want.

Once your residency application has been lodged with immigration, they will take time (a long time!:) ) to process this and you are free to leave and enter CR without problems.

Another factor is... you will not be paying any taxes in CR for any income or funds pulled into Costa Rica. Example.. you may have a net company in Panama and withdraw revenue from that company and pull it into CR has no taxes applicable. (And neither does the Panama corp).

Not sure how familiar you are with CR, but it's not rigid as with industrialized countries and *almost* anything is possible one way or other :)

Hope this helps! :thumbsup

I move there in 6 weeks bro, I'm PUMPED!!!!! You're welcome to come chill and look for a place anytime ;)

I Must Write This In Caps..... I Lived In Cr For Over A Year.... I Have Found The New South American Oasis.... Much More European Than Cr... Better Looking Whores..... Better Restaurants.... Better Banking.... Better Everything......


More Info Coming Soon.......

Costa Rica sounds nice but I think Id rather do Sau Paulo.

Why is everyone picking Costa Rica? It seems to be the pornographer/casino owner place to be right now.

It's just a kinda nice country PW... underneath it's a democratic and politically stable country - even more so than several other claimed democracies and has a prime consideration over individual rights - above almost all else.

A quick example of this was in a recent proposed taxation change where tax filings would be made and checked off by an employee of the taxation authority. Normal stuff you may think.

This was later abandoned and one of the reasons given by the Supreme Court (Sala IV) was that a tax employee would have to read a citizens tax filing and this was a violation of their privacy and against the constitution.

There are casino operations and laws/permits granted. Only me, but I don't see why CR has many casino ops because other countries have more infrastructure - eg... the UK has no problem with gambling and has major cabling to Europe and the US.

CR is not really a pornographers world - there are obviously a few folks here, but it's not a place to actually "do" business in the adult biz - more a location for a lifestyle enabled by the net.

There are an increasing number of "gringo camps" - sometimes known as "gated communities", but they do not represent CR in any way. They are basically comprised of moving a lump of Florida to Costa Rica. The real Costa Rica offers a lot more than gringo homes and latina girls.

As "pornographers" we are currently engaged in a couple of relatively large projects here and not simply to earn more money, but aiding and preserving the "real Costa Rica" via ecological means and with support thru several international organisations - and also by providing homes within these eco communities without messing up the landscape.

The eco aspect of CR is .. well.. just amazing and rarely seen by the average tourist who gets preoccupied by whores and beaches. Late last week I was on the project land which has beaches and had 17 dolphins in the water and one humpback whale swimming around. On shore there are three species of monkeys, toucans, red McCaws - around 350 bird species in total - and, kinda unusual even for there - a 9 foot boa wanted to cross the road (harmless). This is the kind of area that is extremely rare on the Pacific coastline and obviously needs looking after. (Can't remember the exact quote but National Geographic described it as "The most intense eco area still existing on the planet..."). No way are we having "condo complexes" in this region - but low density homes with some "environmental lifestyle" are fine.

So... it's not all just casinos and pornographers, but plenty folks with an interest in eco within CR. :)

That sounds nice but I'm more interested in the "Latina girls and gringo homes."

Hell, that's what I'm interested in no matter where I live. LOL

:1orglaugh :1orglaugh Oh.. both of them are not far away :winkwink:

Then check out the Guanacaste area (Liberia) - it's full of gringo homes and there is some flesh moving around as well. :thumbsup

It's does not exactly represent much of CR but has beaches and stuff - plus loads of development going on and the usual malls blah.

It's also a place to earn money in real estate as well. A friend is into "hardcore development" there and selling 1000 plots at $50K each - and has moved 85% of them in seven months (with a revenue of $42mill).

sounds like you have it sorted

i thought it was a no no to produce porn there?

There is a law which is designed to stop pedos photographing/filming kids - that is a big no no.

Other than that, it's no big deal. Basically nobody cares and the police would really appreciate watching the shoot and drooling :)

The flip side is - everything in balance. If a load of porn shooters ended up here and this became something which "appeared" out of control - chances are the govt may want to stop it. But.. again... they are pretty open and may prefer to let it continue, but the major factor being that they don't want Costa Rica to be known as a porn production unit.

More questions:

What is initial cost to move to CR?
What is housing pricing like for lease, meaning 4000+SQ FT homes?
How is security, do you need to hire guards?
You are able to get good A/C's at your house, 5ton'ers?

Thanks, Webby! Great info, as always. I've been reading a ton over at the Association for Costa Rica Residents board (www.arcr.net) & apparently the new law regarding the rentista category was passed at the beginning of the year & but they won't begin implementing it until August 12th.

Since I don't have a pension or any way to prove that my income is over $1000 per month, depositing $60K & getting a bank letter seems easiest. After August 12th it will be $60K per person, so for a husband & wife (or family) it's a pretty huge change. Singles won't care though. :)

Question 1 - Not sure what you mean by that. Depends where you are moving from and what stuff you are shipping etc. Otherwise nada, but air flights.

Question 2 - In a reasonable area - between $1500 - $2500/month average with pool, but can go up to $10K+ if you wanted to spend that. It's a buyers market and prices are usually negotiable. BTW a "reasonable area" can be either a gringo area or something with more character outside towns - there is a lot of choice in that.

Question 3 - Security is fine in any reasonable area and normally no need to have guards. I've never had any problems here - either re home or on the street. Crime rate is no different to elsewhere, but people are very willing to step in and help if there is a problem.

Question 4 - Sorry - not familiar with the "A/C" term so can't say - what is it?? :)

Damn - Small world! :winkwink:

One of our lawyers is the President of ARCR - gotta see him soon so can ask and get a fill-in of the background. ARCR is an excellent place to get advice and info on anything to do with residency or any issues related to living in Costa Rica.

They also hold monthly seminars for anyone who wishes to attend and these cover a range of subjects which would interest potential residents. They also provide a monthly newsletter to any country of the world (tho think there is a subscription for this).

It would be wise to use ARCR as a "base" for information or legal stuff - there are plenty lawyers here, but basically need to be vouched for or recommended to avoid problems. ARCR have around seven lawyers to cover most legal aspects and all are safe to deal with. Unfortunately, as far as residency is concerned - they are also among the most "rigid" in residency applications, but it would be well-worth chatting with folks at ARCR before you decide on the type of residency - they will give good advice.

Looks like it may be worth lodging a residency application soon! :winkwink: :thumbsup

what is holding you back - GO

A/C = airconditioning :pimp

Damn... did think of that, - the plural put me off :)

Yep, there is A/C tho sometimes it's not necessary depending where you live. On the coast it's a *very* good idea to have this, but in Central Valley (where the capital San Jose is and most of the population live), the temp is always around 72 ish and comfortable.

Despite CR is only about 8 degrees off the equator, it has a few microclimates offering different temperatures. You can live in "Switzerland" in the Heredia mountains - complete with Swiss chalets and cows and a Swiss temperature to match. Down towards the coastline it obviously gets warmer.

Do you know the lodge at the top of that mountain, called I think Tirol or something like that? They have a kick ass 5 star French chef and he just simply rocks. Check it out.

Yea.. been up there a few times - Excellent French cruisine and informal aura :thumbsup

I was amazed the first time we went up there - just could not believe ya could find Switzerland or Austria near the equator!! :pimp

Webby or Warchild etc - My main questions about CR.

1. Best way of pulling in money from the web into the country to avoid the taxes? Ie if you do a panama company are you having to deposit the money there and then pull in, or are you able to deposit at a bank in CR no problems etc?

2. As far as land/housing goes, do you need to purchase a place cash or is there financing available to foreigners or residents if I go that route?

Thanks in advance.

- Brent

Hi Brent!

No problem on point one. You can just pull whatever you want into a Costa Rica bank and there is no taxes. There can be advantages to a eg Panama corp, but that's not necessary just to pull net earnings into the country.

On point two... It is vastly better to have external funding for real estate purchases (cheaper) tho noticed there are a couple of companies trying to offer financing at US levels - so that is still possible.

On point two... that is possibly where a corp can come into play. If you purchase a property it may already have a corp included in the package. This is fairly common here and basically means it's a non-trading corp that holds the asset (home) and all shares in your name and under your control. In effect, it's a method of asset protection, but also saves land transfer taxes should you wish to sell.

Excellent advice Webby!

Ok so as far as the banking goes, in theory I could just have checks sent in my name to me in CR and deposit straight into a bank and that would be kosher as far as the taxes are concerned since it was not made from a CR company?

Thanks for the advice on the financing. Seriously considering a move there next summer so trying to get a feel for the regulations!

Thanks again!

- Brent

Webby - whats your ICQ? I have a few questions to ask you when you have moment

usually when you're a handsome puerto rican in his early 20's they are whores in a candystore...

I love CR.

On the beach.

;-)

Yes.. no problem with what you said. There are no taxes applicable on earning or any funds from outside Costa Rica - there are no forms or any tax returns to file and the bank simply processes any checks and wires. As a general procedure banks normally have to clear any funds in excess of $10K, but thats a formality thing and just a vague form filling at the bank and they funds are available immediately - it's the "know your customer" stuff.

Mmmm... :) thinking.... OK, if it was the case you needed to accept checks from a Costa Rica corp and it was a few each year - nobody is bothering and no tax problems. If it was substantial biz via a CR corp - that's where it's probably better using eg a Panamanian corp and directing the checks there - then bring the funds in to your personal bank account in Costa Rica. (It's surprising how many Costa Rica folks have a Panama corp :winkwink: )

Excellent!! It's a nice place and a lot of people moving in at the moment - and no signs of this decreasing. The downside to that is it is pushing up property values, but thats most likely to be continuing for ... guessing.. a safe four/five years ahead and would be a good investment anyways. Currently real estate is increasing on average 40-60%/year on the Pacific coastal area and buying anything there is likely to gain a capital appreciation equal to the investment value in around two years or so - so probably a better investment than any stock or bank could offer.

The regulations are not too bad - it's fairly laid back and nada problemo world :winkwink: There is rarely a problem which can't be overcome.

I think ARCR was mentioned on this thread earlier - know a few of the lawyers there, so if you need one - no problem in recommending a good guy. (They are all OK - but specialise in differing areas and ARCR is a useful base for contact and help on anything - from a TV repair guy to home purchase).

Ah... one thing worth noting. There is now a change in immigration laws - but, not one hope in hell of implementing them in reality for... possibly a year ahead. But may be wise to lodge residency paperwork as soon as you get here.

Hitting you up dissipate!

Thanks again Webby - Much appreciated

I'm not much of a beach person so can you tell me more about the Heredia mountains?

Hola Corona - Costa Rica can be anything you want - literally. There is a choice of climates, terrain, temperature, mainly due to the number of microclimates.

Heredia is actually one of seven provinces of Costa Rica and probably the smallest, but extends from Central Valley up to the border of Nicaragua. Even within Heredia there are changes of microclimate, but generally tropical.

We work with one organisation which is based in Heredia, INBio, the National Biodiversity Institute, - http://www.inbio.ac.cr/en/default.html. Also in Heredia - may sound odd - is Intel.

Here's a couple of descriptive segments on the Heredia area:

http://www.govisitcostarica.com/region/city.asp?cid=222

http://www.worldheadquarters.com/cr/...tions/heredia/

BTW.. the "Switzerland" area is the mountains of Heredia - even that can go from one extreme to the other - eg if you really want a home with the clouds flowing thru the living room, - that's a possible too :winkwink:

Prob feel much the same as far as beaches are concerned, but Costa Rica is much more than that - it's almost like a compression of a few countries into one and is different any direction you take.

we dont want anymore Gringos here. Stay away

How about a $500K gringo tax deal Roger? We may have to go 50/50 with the govt - but, hell - anything is possible :1orglaugh