Common Issues when You Move into a New Home in Costa Rica

If you are moving abroad to Costa Rica to live it is important to ensure that your arrival and living arrangements will be problem free to avoid adding extra stress onto an already stressful endeavor. Whether you will be renting a place to stay or purchasing a home for your self and your family to live in once you get to Costa Rica there are sure to be some things that you encounter that are not as you expect. For instance, when you get in your new place in Costa Rica you may be a bit confused and even frustrated a little at first because there is a pretty good chance that there will be some things that will not work the way that you expect them to or the way that you are used to them working in your home country.

Utilities are the most common area that expats encounter issues with. It is important to remember that things in Costa Rica are not always the same as in your home country. One thing that you will certainly want in your rental or home is a telephone and telephone service. In this United States this is as simple as calling up the local telephone company and waiting for the service to be turned on. Unfortunately this is not quite so simple in Costa Rica. The telephone company in Costa Rica is state owned which means you cannot switch to a new provider for better service, etc. It is also rather difficult if not impossible to get a telephone line installed. For this reason it is very important to make sure that the place that you will be living already has a working telephone line installed.

Internet service is available in dial-up, DSL or cable depending upon where you live. You can also access the internet at cafes and the post office.

There are virtually no electric stoves in Costa Rica as gas is used for cooking. However, it is not as simple as having a gas stove hooked up - you have to have a gas tank! This is similar to the tank you would have for a gas grill. You get gas tanks in Costa Rica at supermarkets and local neighborhood suppliers. When you go to get a gas tank you will have to leave a security deposit.

Electricity costs are according to usage. The current costs are around $0.10 per kilowatt (kw).

Not all areas in Costa Rica have water meters. If you live in a more remote, rural area you will more than likely have to depend on a well for water. If you are lucky enough to have a water meter the current rate is around $0.25 per cubic meter.

Utilities in Costa Rica are typically paid by bank draft. You are able to go to the actual office to pay but this is a very time consuming option.

Some expats also find a bit of strangeness in dealing with property taxes. If you own property in Cyprus you can pay your property tax at the local municipality. And your tax will be 0.25 percent over the declared value of the property.