Shopping for the right house in Costa Rica is something that requires time, especially if you are the kind that believes that if you look carefully you can find the perfect balance between luxury, comfort and price, and you are right; just like with almost anything else in life if you do your fair amount of research and take your time to look and compare you will find the perfect house for you at the right price.

First, let’s define luxury. When we talk about luxury in Costa Rica we are not necessarily making reference to opulent homes (although you can find these too); luxury here defines a modern and beautifully designed home, built with high quality materials, surrounded by nature, in an exclusive community and with breathtaking scenic views; luxury is living in paradise, with the perfect weather, fresh air, the right amount of elegance, and most importantly integrated as one into the environment.

If this is what you are looking for, your first challenge is finding the right location, mountain, city or beach, or a combination of elements, check out our article on the  Best Places to Live in Costa Rica, so you can get a general idea of the place you’d like to invest in.

Another aspect to consider is how your house is built, if you want luxury at a reasonable price it is also important that you take into consideration the maintenance involved. If you buy a house at a great price but have to end up putting a lot of money into it to fix different things, it could end up not just being more expensive but also becoming a long term ongoing problem.

Modern contemporary homes can also be found at great prices. Just like with modern appliances, a home that is built considering its surrounding environment and are Eco-friendly will at the end save you a lot of money. Always inquire about the construction details of the house you are purchasing, the materials and design of a home built in Cartago are completely different from that of a home in Guanacaste or San Jose; you should always consider this.

Areas such as Grecia, Atenas and San Ramón in Alajuela, are great choices if you want to be close enough to the city of San Jose but in a more relaxing environment, wonderful views and perfect weather is what you’ll find in these cities; finding luxury homes at reasonable prices is not difficult here.

Believe it or not you can actually find ocean-view properties in Costa Rica on a budget of under $200,000.00 USD; Santa Teresa and Montezuma in the South Pacific (Puntarenas), and Nosara in Guanacaste are also excellent alternatives for beach view properties that are both affordable and luxurious.

Start doing your research, check out this Free Discovery Tour, as it may be just the right place to start your search, Kalia Modern Eco-Living is the largest private property development and management company in Costa Rica,