Coming to Costa Rica

[MrX]

I'll be in Costa Rica from the 24th of February to the 7th of March to check out the possibility of relocating there. If anyone wants to hang out and have a drink or two, drop me a PM.

Also, anyone with good advice or help finding a good house or apartment, setting up a bank account, obtaining residency, or anything else, would be much appreciated and repaid with drinks, good stories, poker lessons, etc.

Thanks.

[SBR_John]

CR is place i used to dread going. Now I dread leaving. Nothing happens fast however. Setting up even a simple bank account is a good litmus test for if you need anger management classes. I was sent home to practice my signature the first time and I'm not bullshlting.

[louis]

Living in Costa Rica

I have family that lives there.

They all say that living there is a lot different than visiting.

The Costa Ricans you meet would love to come to the U.S. and work and live.

The grass always looks greener on the other side.

But if you want to gamble online, the grass definitely is a lot greener in Costa Rica, as long as you don't mind waiting several hours to get something done that take 5 minutes here.

There is a lot more freedom in Costa Rica to do what you want, without having to worry about violating some rule or law. And on an American salary, you can live like a king, have a live-in maid, driver, etc. etc.

There is sort of a "wild west" type atmosphere, any thing goes, atmosphere with out much of an effective police presense. This creates some problems as people drive without any fear of getting a ticket, and having to have bars on all your windows. But you can gamble online as much as you want and do alot of other stuff that would be illegal here, without having to worry much about it.

[707782]

CR is like Panama, both a unsafe place to lived.

Lots of kidnappings, stealing, beating, gangs, robbing, drug dealers going on there.

[operaman]

We should set up an exiled american gamblers club. Even though many of us are moving to different countries I bet we could exchange usefull info. between each other.

For instance I am moving to mexico, but might find cosa rica a better place to relocate or you might find mexico would be better for you.

E.A.G.C. anyone?

[SBR_John]

You could have a great business if you could help gringos get everything done like an apart, phone, bank account, furinture, a TV that had something other than spanish(puke), elect & water, a maid and the other 1,000,000 things.

The 1st couple of months here are pretty messed up.

[durito]

You could have a great business if you could help gringos get everything done like an apart, phone, bank account, furinture, a TV that had something other than spanish(puke), elect & water, a maid and the other 1,000,000 things.

The 1st couple of months here are pretty messed up.

There are a couple companies in Buenos Aires that do this. I think they are pretty successful.

[Sean]

CR is like Panama, both a unsafe place to lived. Lots of kidnappings, stealing, beating, gangs, robbing, drug dealers going on there.

Having lived in Costa Rica for a bit now, I'd rank CR much safer than I would most major American urban areas, based on the above mentioned criteria. As with almost anywhere in the world, major cities have their share of crime; however, as a country, Costa Rica does not have anywhere near the level of crime found in the United States.

Sure, cities like San Jose and some coastal resort towns see a large number of petty crimes, as well as the occasional violent crimes. But, I'd take my chances here anyday over the likes of Los Angeles, New York City, Miami, Houston, etc.

[Sean]

You could have a great business if you could help gringos get everything done like an apart, phone, bank account, furinture, a TV that had something other than spanish(puke), elect & water, a maid and the other 1,000,000 things.

The 1st couple of months here are pretty messed up.

That last line definitely describes our first few weeks in CR. However, as with any new location, there will be "growing pains". It is important in the beginning that newcomers pack an extra change of patience. It's a different culture here (as it is in almost any new country), so it's imperative that you have the ability to "go with the flow". If you can't adapt to the differences in cultures, you'll simply become frustrated and terminally pissed off.

[jjgold]

CR is ok but no America and never will even be close. Almost all natives would rather live in the USA.

Most Americans living in CR are outlaws like SBR-John that are not allowed back in States.

[louis]

Americans in Costa Rica

There are actually A LOT of Americans who have retired down there - hundreds of thousands. They retain their US citizenship and are more than welcome to come back to the States.

Unfortunately the country does seem to attract some who are running away from something. The CR gov't is trying to crack down on this. If you have been convicted of anything - such as domestic violence, drunk driving, driving on a suspended license, you might have trouble getting in.