Source: Kalia Living ROCHESTER, N.Y., Dec. 1, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Elite Alliance, the leader in exchange services for prestigious residence clubs and luxury, professionally managed vacation homes, announced Kalia Living as the newest addition to its growing, international portfolio of vacation destinations. Located in the northwestern region of Guanacaste, Costa Rica, Kalia Living's sustainab...

Beach house in Costa Rica One of the most important steps related to real estate acquisitions in Costa Rica is seldom given all the attention it deserves. A property is not a property unless its description, declaration and interests are documented and recorded in the National Registry. Failure to ensure that a property has been duly registered can result in creating a mess that could be diffi...

Press Release by Linda Negron of the TMF Group - The Costa Rican Department of Social Security (CCSS) has proposed an increase in total contribution to the Disability, Old Age and Death Fund (IVM) from 8.5% to 14%. They have also announced that early retirement will be phased out, while some changes are already in effect beginning this month. Many have cautioned that the Costa Rican pension sys...

By Carol Blair Vaughn The United States Congress is about to enact a new law, H.R. 22 along with Senate Bill 1813, which will allow officials to deny new or revoke existing passports held by U.S. citizens who are more than $50,000 in arrears in their Federal Income Tax (IRS). The new law is expected to pass Congress in early December, and take effect on Jan. 1, 2016. This new law should rais...

Press Release by The Costa Rica Star – November 15, 2015 – Quality of life and stability are just two of the factors that make Costa Rica very attractive for those interested in relocation and immigration. There are various options for residency and citizenship in this Central American nation and one law firm stands ready to assist foreigners as they embark on the voyage of residing in Costa Rica'...

On this day, the good people of the United States celebrate Veterans Day, and in Costa Rica the U.S. expat community often gets together to celebrate those who served in the Armed Forces of their nation, and some of these veterans are from Costa Rica.   Author’s Note: The use of the noun and adjective “American” in this article conforms to the definition in Princeton’s WordNet: (A native ...

Baltimore, MD (PRWEB) November 04, 2015 - The overseas-living experts at InternationalLiving.com are calling on the public to help them decide who should be the overall winner for their “Best Job in the World” contest. More than 1,000 hopefuls entered the competition, which is looking for a writer to travel to one or more of the world’s best retirement havens and report back on the experience. ...

Source: Immigration Experts A foreigner residing in Costa Rica can enjoy insurance coverage extended by a spouse without regard as to the immigration status of the insured. Such was the resolution issued by the Constitutional Chamber of Costa Rica, more commonly known as Sala IV, earlier this year. The Law Office of Immigration Experts Costa Rica has closely followed this case, which was re...

By Carol Blair Vaughn Who’s Happy in Costa Rica? Forbes Magazine asked on November 13, 2014, “Want to Be Happy?  Move to Costa Rica.” Their conclusions were based on the results of a UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center Qualtrics Survey of 40,000 students from around the world in which Costa Rica emerged as – Numero Uno on the Happiness Index. So why do 50-60% of Americans who move to...

Source: Flickr Commons Carrillo, Costa Rica - October 26, 2015 /PressCable/ — CARRILLO, Costa Rica – Every time Terry Lewis looks out the window he is treated to a view most only dream about. From one side of his house he can look down into forested valleys where colorful birds sing and fly about. From the other, he looks at the azure blue of the Pacific Ocean as far as the eye can see and ...

Source: Flickr San José, Costa Rica - October 19, 2015 /MarketersMedia/ — Americans and Canadians alike are flocking to Costa Rica, and not just to visit. A new, free report at WeLoveCostaRica.com looks into the phenomenon, pointing out in particular what these committed newcomers from the north appreciate most about the country's Papagayo region in the province of Guanacaste. North Americans ...

Baltimore, MD (PRWEB) October 05, 2015 -- The retire-overseas experts at InternationalLiving.com are looking for somebody interested in living abroad to spend a month or more in one of their top-rated retirement havens and report on the experience. The prize includes a round-trip flight plus $5,000 in spending money. “We ask that the winner spend a minimum of a month abroad…but a longer stay i...

Despite economic uncertainty in Costa Rica, the luxury real estate development sector has experienced a solid year. This is specially the case in the Gold Coast beaches of Guanacaste, where developers are continuing to build exuberant gated communities in the highlands so that residents can enjoy sweeping vistas of the Pacific Ocean. One such project breaking ground at this time is Las Ventanas de...

Nadine Hays Pisani is a charming native of New Jersey who knows how to make her dreams come true. She quit her job and moved to Costa Rica a few years ago, and wrote a best-seller plus a sequel about her experience. Her latest book deals with the same topic, albeit with more of a “how-to” style of prose. Ms. Hays has kindly provided The Costa Rica Star with an excerpt of her new book, Happier Than...

Ms. Wilkinson, left. Source: Wikimedia Commons Fans of reality television are bound to get tearful as they watch a new episode of Kendra on Top this week. Kendra on Top stars celebrity Playmate Kendra Wilkinson, a beautiful blonde who is best remembered for her time spent as the one-time romantic interest of the founder of Playboy Enterprises, Hugh Hefner. The latest episode of her reality TV ...

Tamarindo Beach in Guanacaste Costa Rica On the third installment of Kristine Gorman's real estate adventure in Costa Rica, she runs into a snag in her plans of acquiring an investment property in the Gold Coast beaches of Guanacaste. Still, the Boston accountant persevered and is now one step closer to her goal of retiring in our country with her family. You can read Part One here and Part...

Despite inflation being out of control in Costa Rica, our country still manages to attract North American expatriates, and quite a few end up staying here to enjoy their retirement. Such is the case of Jen, a published author who has kindly provided The Costa Rica Star with an excerpt of her eBook Costa Rica Chica: Have you ever wanted to quit your job and “retire early”? Fed up with the “m...

On Day Three of her Costa Rica real estate adventure, Boston accountant Kristine Gorman gets even closer to fulfilling her dream of retiring in our country. On Days One and Two of her trip to Guanacaste, Kris and her family stayed in Playa Flamingo and were very close to making a formal offer on a home on a condo in Tamarindo Beach. To learn more about Kris and her expat mission, read our previous...

Many tourists and expatriate residents in Costa Rica have come to the conclusion that the “Switzerland of the Americas” is called that way not only because of her politically neutral stance or the quiet pastoral scenes in mountain landscapes. Switzerland is known as one of the most expensive places in the world, and Costa Rica can now boast to have that in common with the Swiss Confederation. Than...

Source: Wikimedia Commons A surfer in Playa Avellanas, province of Guanacaste, tragically passed away yesterday despite cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) efforts that lasted more than 30 minutes. National newspaper La Nacion identified the dearly departed as Francis Gianvalbo of the United States, who had reportedly begun to enjoy his retirement in Costa Rica only three months ago. The re...

  Source: Wikimedia Commons Specialized housekeeping and nanny services, on-call chefs who cook on demand at the residences of their clients, limousine transport, and personalized security are some of the luxury services that are going through a burgeoning phase and could see a brighter future in Costa Rica. To a certain extent, these services could be offered by expats who have not on...

Year after year, International Living, Forbes, and hundreds of other publications release a list of the best places to retire. Do you believe that one retirement destination fits all? Where you spend your golden years is extremely personal and variable. One expat-to-be may place a warm climate at the top of their list. Another places cost of healthcare above all.  Ever since I started publishing a...

Immigration Directorate Building in Costa Rica Earlier this week, the Vice Minister of Government Administration in charge of immigration affairs in Costa Rica unveiled a new policy that will rule over the next ten years. Vice Minister Freddy Montero, who has been in charge of immigration since 2013, explained that the new policy is unique in the Americas in the sense that it has been formulat...

Lloret de Mar beach, Costa Brava, Spain Until recently, Costa Rica was considered the best option for North Americans considering retirement or a permanent change of scenery. To this effect, regions such as Guanacaste now boast the highest concentration of expats in Costa Rica. Rampant inflation and a relentless increase in the cost of living is making some expats explore their potential optio...

President of Nicaragua Daniel OrtegaA few years after the turn of the century, Costa Rica stopped being the darling destination for long-term visitors, expats and retirees. Around the time the housing bubble in the United States was about to burst, jaded (and broke) expats started looking for a Shangri-la known as “the next Costa Rica,” a place many believed could be found in the ultra-cheap neig...

This Sora Mountain estate overlooks the Pacific Ocean in Panama. As the cost of living in Costa Rica continues its steady and relentless climb, the real estate market is responding in sync. In 2012, the Inter-American Development Bank labeled San Jose as the city with the most expensive real estate in Latin America, and luxury housing construction in Guanacaste shows no signs of slowing down. ...

One of the biggest dreams for retirees is moving to a warm, sunny place where you can relax and enjoy the “golden years” of life with no stress. Lower costs to stretch your savings and having good quality health care available are also top considerations. In the Americas, Costa Rica continues to be one of the most popular retirement destinations. HelpAge International, an index that measure...

In the province of Guanacaste, the expatriate and seasonal population is growing faster than anywhere else in Costa Rica. Thousands of foreigners from the United States, Canada, Europe, and other regions of the world have chosen Guanacaste as their home away from home, and they are increasingly turning to social media to share their experiences and stay up-to-date on matters pertaining to their ne...

Costa Rica Colones currencyIn the past the Costa Rica Star published about Paypal in Costa Rica, and how it is a good solution for sending money from a bank account anywhere in the world, to Banco Nacional in Costa Rica. One of the numerous things to consider when moving abroad is currency. I’m not trained in finance in any way, nor can I advise you in investments. What I can tell you is, I ha...

Founder and Senior Partner Marcela Gurdian If you would like to apply for legal permanent residency in Costa Rica and have all of your immigration questions answered, contact Marcela Gurdian of Immigration Experts at her email: [email protected] or at her office phone: (506) 2290-8050. According to the recent Census statistics in Costa Rica, there are about 150,000 foreigners fr...

Teaching English is a popular income source for expats in Costa RicaSo, you’d like to move abroad but don’t want to give up the perpetual habit of eating and maintaining a shelter?  No problem!  With some planning, and loads of patience, you can have it all. The five most common ways to earn a living in Costa Rica are: Telecommute Independent Consultant Property Management/ Real Estate ...

Costa Rican Expat, Shannon EneteCuddled in a warm blanket sipping cocoa next to a wood burning fire is amazing, for about 20 minutes. After that, it’s cold, freezing, miserable, and inhumane! Living in a place where the ambient temperature could kill you can be a real drag. Having been raised in sunny Southern California, each winter in Kansas City I asked myself why am I here again? Why did I ch...

File photo of CELAC with the late President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela With just 124,609 of her citizens residing abroad, Costa Rica has the lowest rate of emigration in Central America and one of the lowest of Latin America and the Caribbean. This is in sharp contrast to the overall Latin American immigration phenomenon around the world, which counts with 25 million people and makes up 13 perce...

Cheaper than San Jose? Edmonton. Source: Wikimedia Commons. Comparing the cost of living across international regions is a popular activity among those who seek to retire abroad. Until a couple of years ago, Costa Rica appeared in just about every list of top places to retire -all of which considered low cost of living a priority. That no longer seems to be the case. Popular consumer financ...

Source: Flickr CC UPDATE: we have published a new article answering some of our readers feedback, please read this one below and then CLICK HERE for an updated version with new insights. Author's Note: The use of the noun and adjective “American” in this article conforms to the definition in Princeton's WordNet: (A native or inhabitant of the United States), and the recommendation by the As...

The cost of living in Costa Rica, as with everywhere else, is a frequent topic of discussion. Before relocating here I read as much as I could on the matter, trying to get a feel for what to expect. The feedback varied. Some would say it was cheap, others would say it wasn't. And then there were always those making the "back in my day" statements. In piecing it all together, I estimated ...

Source: Wikimedia Commons Mike Periu, a Miami-based financial expert whose work has appeared in CNN and Yahoo!, recently published a report on the five most expensive places to live in Latin America. Costa Rica occupied fourth place, which closely follows Uruguay, Brazil and Venezuela. It is important to note that Uruguay has a high economic development index and Brazil is the “B” of the BR...

The Big Mac Index is published by The Economist as an informal way of measuring the purchasing power parity (PPP) between two currencies and provides a test of the extent to which market exchange rates result in goods costing the same in different countries. It “seeks to make exchange-rate theory a bit more digestible”. The index takes its name from the Big Mac, a hamburger sold at McDonald’s r...

One appealing aspect of moving to a place where you don't speak the language is you no longer have to hear anything stupid. Living in New York City, where strangers rub elbows and ears together, means that you are constantly overhearing cell phone conversations, 90 percent of which constitute of "I dunno, where do you feel like eating?" and what passes for bon mots on the subway ("No azzhole, ...

One of the best ways retirees can immerse themselves in Costa Rica’s culture and get the most out of the country is to understand its traditions. Costa Rica’s typical food dishes play a large role in its culture and traditions. Probably the first introduction retirees and others have to the country’s cuisine is a dish called gallo pinto. Gallo pinto means spotted rooster in Spanish and the ...