[jamal-kumar]

The first thing I did was check for Costa Rica's new digital nomad visa, which they don't list on this site yet because it just got signed into law a few days ago:

https://ticotimes.net/2021/08/11/costa-rica-signs-law-to-att...

Highly suggested! This country is the best, I've been here for the better part of a decade now and can't recommend it enough. There's fibre to the home rollout in more of the country than I've seen in north america, I don't want to strangle anyone here and the people are so open and friendly, the weather is great as long as you can stand some 15-60 minutes of heavy rain every day during the rainy season. Bring battery backup for internet on a 4g modem and you're good to go for a couple of hours of power outages before the cell tower battery goes out too (Rare that it's out that long!)

Personally I'm up in the mountains instead of the beach because I prefer the climate but it's crazy how little I pay comparatively on rent and food in this part of the world. The most expensive thing here is honestly just electronics -- Bring them in from out of the country because they tax those like mad. People ask me if it's dangerous here, and whenever something bad happens to Puerto Rico my inbox gets flooded with people asking if I'm OK (haha check a map for once!) but pretty much as long as you stay the fuck away from the 10$ grams of cocaine you'll be fine. Don't do that shit in any country, they grind up the bones of narco victims into the cut and it's just a general bad karma magnet. It's my first bit of advice to anyone in the country asking me if it's safe because 95% of the problems I see people encounter have to do with them not being able to heed this type of advice.

[MrRiddle]

Excuse me but you're talking how the country is great then go on talking how they grind peoples bones into cocaine? WTF

[jonfw]

Every country would look pretty terrible if we judged them by the bottom of their barrel

[jamal-kumar]

haha yeah don't do that stuff the world would be so much better without it in general

it's actually incredibly easy if you just hang out with locals and avoid tourists/expats

[isenhaard]

Nice! I’ve actually read an article about Costa Rica recently saying that it’s a really good place to live. But that article actually pointed out that living costs are a bit high there and are more of a downside of the country. But you’re now saying they are low? Have to say that I’m from Germany, so depends what is the comparison. But Germany is not really cheap, and that article was from a German author.

Another thing that I'm always wondering about with tropic countries is: How about malaria and other diseases there? Is that a problem?

Because actually two weeks ago I had to kill seven mosquitoes in one single night here in my flat in Berlin/Germany. So I’m wondering how this would be if I lived in Costa Rica lol

[vaidhy]

I have been thinking about CR.. Does Spanish become a requirement for daily life? I am sure I can pick up a smattering of any language as long as I live there.. but I do want to get through the first few months :)

Edit: One other thing - How about international/English schools for middle school kids?

[jamal-kumar]

Yeah it's pretty good to learn the language of any foreign country while being there. It's not that hard to just power through a book or two and pick up pronunciation by making friends with people who barely speak English. If you REALLY want to accelerate it get into a relationship with someone who barely speaks your language, actually - I have a lot of fun dating girls who are trying to learn English but my Spanish is good enough to give me some better chances starting out

Response to edit: Yeah the international schools here are really good, I actually have a friend teaching at a German language one for kids which is well renowned so there's even options outside of English immersion

[vaidhy]

Thanks.. I do not think I can convince my wife that I am dating girls to learn the language.. but I will power through the books..

CR has been my top retirement destination for long.. between the forests and scuba diving, it would be my ideal country.

[jamal-kumar]

Yeah you're a family man, that's great, I've met a lot of people who have actually moved their families out this direction to do stuff like start businesses, and many of them are quite happy. Feel free to make some local friends though, really the best way to get to know the language in any case

[maerF0x0]

Hooked me with talk of Costa Rica and it's safety, got a free lesson about drugs along the way...

[sureglymop]

So are you working a remote job? Or why is it so inexpensive to live in this specific country for you?

[jamal-kumar]

Of course

Currency in my home country is crap, USD stretches out really far in any country that's not in North America or EU

[zebnyc]

Any recommended resources / tips on how to go about buying real estate in Costa Rica? Am also a fan of the mountains.

[jamal-kumar]

Yeah for sure! You want to consider foreclosed properties purchased through the bank in order to mitigate risks that you might face if you just go through some shady real estate agnet or whatever:

https://www.bnventadebienes.com/

My best advice is to be competent in Spanish before starting any business negotiations here and that includes buying properties.