Hola. For newcomers and those 'considering' the 'move'... for whatever reason; it may be good to hear 'actual' testimonials from those of us who are living here, some for a long time, about the actual weather as opposed to the internet 'nutshell' outline of weather in Costa Rica. And the weather can affect everything you do here, including how it impacts your budget if you have one, daily life, mindset, etc.
I write this because of a recent experience with visitors and I think it may be a good way to 'warn' or 'inform' outsiders of what can and will happen here. In other words, reality. I'm sure that other expats will have their 'own' comments to add.
So... I had five family members, all of them either retired or semi-retired, come for a visit... not just to see me (they knew I wasn't willing nor able to accommodate 5 adults) but to see and experience some of CR. They all spent time, beforehand, looking at videos/etc. to see what and where they wanted to go and do. I'm guessing that rarely do people post videos of not-so-fun or unpleasant things here... and if they do, those videos are not found on page one of any search. My visitors already had a list of what they wanted or would 'try' to do while here.
They started at the beach and enjoyed the Pacific, but commented that it was touristy and crowded (as are most beaches... especially when the 'host' country has school vacation) and somewhat pricey. But they liked it nonetheless...
Then they came inland to see their 'relative' (me) up here in western San Carlos canton... south of La Fortuna. They were shocked at how 'cool' (temperature) it was and that they needed long sleeves at night... but loved how rich and green it was... even calling it lush. I had to tell them that we are not at the kind of elevation here that delivers cool temps year-round... but it just happens to be cool now because of no sun and lots of rain... but that 'green and lush' are a year-round thing because we don't get much of an extended dry season up here... sometimes only a few months. But it was wet and it rained every day they were here... which one of them said 'shouldn't happen during the so-called 'verano' or summer... which is supposed to be the dry season'. Well... I told them that my individual little tiny village had almost 21 FEET of rain in 2024... and that places like the areas around Volcan Arenal can get over 25 feet and ... that there can actually be those rare years when there is no, real, 'dry' season in some places. This is the tropics. CR is covered in Rain Forests... as is Panama, Colombia, and anything/everything close to and part of the greater Amazon basin. And, they experienced mud... and not at their comfy rental with pool, but at my house. I told them that the house is over 60 years old, and nobody has ever lived in this house with a 'car' and thus, no driveway... and no sidewalk out to the road.... etc.
I just laughed and said that it hadn't occurred to me to make access to my home more accommodating... I'm not consumed with being 'ready' for visitors from outside my village... ??? But they applauded the pavement that wraps the perimeter of the houses here (like mine)... so that I don't 'have to' walk in the mud when doing chores close to the house... my brother-in-law said it was baffling that it wasn't the 'norm' in the states... and that a paved perimeter would help to prevent water and ice from compromising foundations and basements. Who knew??
They stayed a few days, we had great visits and caught up on the kids and grandkids and such (who's dead, who's still alive, etc.), and ate some fun meals. They were shocked that the restaurants and sodas in my area were so much less expensive than at the beach... like 50-75% less. Dinner for six of us at a new, nice, Chinese restaurant was $80 including beers... my cousin said they had paid almost 4x that much for 'similar' at the beach... and they loved the 3,000 colones ($6) breakfast up here... including cafe con leche. They didn't even shop for groceries for their AirBnB in Chachagua because it was cheaper to eat out up here. He said they paid $16 for bad pancakes at the beach.
But they got tired of the rain and the mud, and turned in their keys early and headed back south for the beach. My sister wrote, after they got there... "sunny down here, but hot... I miss the cool breezes from 'up there'". I never once scolded them for not doing more homework, or being prepared, or 'trying' some activities IN THE RAIN... I was glad they saw that everything in CR isn't a picture post card... and most importantly, that climate in CR changes in as little as a 15 minute drive, or drastically in a 3 hour drive.
And that is probably a good thing for people considering relocating here to know. You can't leave your brains and good sense on the runway of the airport you depart from... and land here empty headed and bewildered and thus, inevitably, going to hit hurdles and unpleasantries that they aren't equipped to deal with. There are pros and cons to EVERYTHING here. If you can afford the beaches... have them!! Lots to chose from. Or, if you need a tighter budget... live inland and 'visit' the beach for a day trip or a weekend. Housing, food, utilities, daily expenses, and even transportation costs are going to change... depending on where you choose to live in CR. And it isn't too much different from the rest of the world.... ocean view ALWAYS costs more than inland; as do well-healed Urban neighborhoods and suburbs... including breakfast. I'll take $6 pinto con carne and platinos maduros over $16 pancakes, Any Day.
As many expats on this forum will write... "spend some time here first. visit for a few months!! or visit more than once... try 'wet' and 'dry' times of the year."
We can't find (as is requested constantly) anything for you because our idea of paradise, or home, or 'fun' or reasonable, or inexpensive, or perfect weather, or 'safe' is different from each other's, and especially different from somebody still green behind the ears. Learning is part of the adventure. Spend some time here and 'observe' the locals... they only know 'here' and are probably the best teachers you can find.
Hopefully, others can chime in and describe their interactions with visitors, or their own 'experiences' here... We haven't all landed on two stable footings; and many of us don't live in the spot we originally 'envisioned'... as we ourselves have learned the ropes and continue to do so. And weather can and will play a role in those decisions.
It's still raining... but it's beautiful... I'm watching toucans eat my bananas from where I'm sitting in my kitchen. They don't seem to mind the rain; neither do I.
It's exactly what I wanted.
Pura Vida
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