Is Costa Rica Safe? What Six Years as an Expat Family Has Taught Me
The version of Costa Rica crime that American media presents is dramatically different from the version we actually live.
Latest
Roof Types in Costa Rica: Every Option Rated, Compared, and Explained
The roof is the most important element of a house in Costa Rica and the one most people spend the least time thinking about.
Building Materials in Costa Rica: What's Available, What It Costs, and What Lasts
Every client asks about materials. The conversation is always the same: yes, you can get almost anything in Costa Rica. But whether you should is a different question.
Average House Price in Costa Rica: What Things Actually Cost in 2026
A national average house price in a country where costs vary by 300 percent between regions is a number that describes nowhere. What matters is the price in the specific market you are considering.
Steel Frame Construction in Costa Rica: Cost, Benefits, and What You Need to Know
Steel frame and concrete block are not better or worse than each other. They are different tools for different situations.
Retiring in Costa Rica: The Honest Guide for Americans (2026)
The retirees who do well here are not the ones who came for the price. They are the ones who came for the life.
Best Places to Live in Costa Rica for Expats and Families (2026)
Every American who finds out I live in Costa Rica asks the same question: Where should I move? My answer is always the same: it depends on who you are.
Tropical House Design in Costa Rica: What Works, What Doesn't, and Why It Matters
Good tropical design is not a style. It is a set of decisions about orientation, ventilation, shading, and materials that determine whether your house works with the climate or fights it every day.
How Much Does an Architect Cost in Costa Rica? (And How to Choose the Right One)
You can find an architect in Costa Rica who will do your plans for $5,000. You can also find one who will charge $150,000. The difference in what those drawings produce is enormous.
Building a Rental Property in Costa Rica: Design for Maximum Returns
The difference between a rental that earns $55,000 a year and one that earns $35,000 is rarely the location. It is the layout, the spec, and a dozen decisions locked in before the first block was laid.
Costa Rica Residency: Pensionado, Rentista, and Digital Nomad Visas Explained
Laura went through the Costa Rica residency process with two kids and a half-unpacked house. Here is what the process actually feels like — and what nobody warned her about.
How to Hire a Contractor in Costa Rica (And Avoid Construction Scams)
A Costa Rican contractor with 12 years on the Pacific coast explains how construction scams work, what red flags to watch for, and what a good builder actually looks like.
Investment
Airbnb Rental Income in Costa Rica (2026)
The average Airbnb listing in Costa Rica grosses about $1,700 a month. That number shows up in market reports, gets repeated in listing pitches, and sounds like a reasonable return on a $250,000 property. It is also the wrong number to make a decision with. That $1,700
Investment
Buying Land in Costa Rica as a Foreigner (2026)
Most foreign buyers underestimate their closing costs by about half. They budget 2%, maybe 2.5%, because that is what they are used to back home. Then the notary hands them a number closer to 5% of the purchase price and the conversation gets uncomfortable. That gap — between what people
Living
The Real Cost of Living in Costa Rica: A Monthly Budget Breakdown
Every cost-of-living article about Costa Rica gives you the same range: $1,500 to $3,000 a month. Then it calls it a day and moves on to a paragraph about pura vida. That range is so wide it is useless. It covers everything from a single retiree renting a
Investment
Best Areas to Invest in Costa Rica Real Estate (2026)
Every broker in Costa Rica will tell you their market is the best place to invest. I have talked to dozens of them. What I have rarely heard is an honest answer to the question that actually matters: what is the net return, after all expenses, on a deal that
Living
Moving to Costa Rica from the US: The Honest Guide
Six years in Costa Rica, the unfiltered version — visas, cost of living, schools, healthcare, culture shock, and what we gave up to get it.
Investment
Should You Build or Buy a Home in Costa Rica in 2026?
The build-or-buy decision in Costa Rica is not mostly about price. It is about what you can verify in a finished home, and what the climate does to whatever got cut on the way up.
Design
Prefab Homes in Costa Rica: An Architect's Honest Guide (2026)
An architect's honest guide to prefab homes in Costa Rica — real costs, permit reality, and why the 'prefab is cheaper' myth does not survive contact with scope.
Construction
How Much Does It Cost to Build a House in Costa Rica in 2026
The real cost of building a home in Costa Rica in 2026 — from $850 to $5,000 per square meter, with a full breakdown of what the construction quote covers, what it does not, and how costs layer from raw materials to move-in ready.