daveandmarcia
American expat in Costa Rica
Forum
287 posts
Contacts
4
About me
American
Registration: 03 February 2023
Activity
recommendations for dental care in San Jose by virginiadodgemarvin
Hhi. My name is Heidi Vardeman, a retired Presbyterian minister who is located in the San Jose area. My husband has a spinal cord injury and uses a wheelchair, so our life in Costa Rica makes a huge difference in his quality of life. I'm going to ...
Here in Grecia, we have a good general practice dentist and her brother who is a periodontist. Their brother is a clinical professor of dentistry at Baylor in Texas. He frequently returns to Grecia and is available for consultation. These three ... Read More
Question- 3 things by LiveWire11C
I thought it might be fun to ask this question of those who have made the move to Costa Rica. Name 3 things: 1 thing you wish you had known before going to Costa Rica, 1 thing you wish you had brought and 1 thing you wish you had left behind.
We use a transhipper who charges $6US per pound to bring things from Doral, Florida to Heredia. That's the total cost. His brother will put your packages on the bus to your nearest bus station for a very modest fee. Bus transportation is widely used ... Read More
How did you decide to be expat? by procella
Hi, i wonder that what kind of circumstances caused you have left your place and become expat? Are you happy with living in your current place as expats? Did you leave anyone as you move abroad?
My wife and I were profoundly offended by Bush the Lesser's, Cheney the Elder's and Ronald Dumbsfeld's pursuit of not one unjustified war but two in Iraq and Afghanistan in 2003 and beyond. For years, I've told people "I'm from Toronto, eh?". To ... Read More
Contacting me
Dottie,This Forum has me blocked out for reasons I cannot imagine, and so far the Moderators have not resolved the problem. Please contact me via WhatsApp at **** or call me at ***/. My conventional email address is: ****Dave Read More
Cost of living in Costa Rica in 2025 by Cheryl
Hello everyone, Every year, we invite you to share your experiences with the cost of living in in Costa Rica, especially in the region or city you live in. Your insights will greatly help members planning their move to Costa Rica or already ...
Thank you for sharing this, Terry. I have two observations to share.First, you have not included anything for the cost of your housing. It's my guess that you own your home outright, as do we, but whether you paid a lump sum at closing or pay on a ... Read More
Hospital Metropolitano Expands Coverage
Hospital Metropolitano, which is based in downtown San Jose, has facilities outside that city, too. They have just announced that they will accept U.S. Medicare Advantage enrollment to pay for emergency care and that they may expand that coverage ... Read More
Recommendations for a Real Estate Attorney/Notary Public in San Jose by jimforjim
Hi there,We're interested in purchasing a condo in the San Jose area and are now looking for an English-speaking attorney/notary public in San Jose that we can use to move the process forward. Can somebody recommend such a person who has done a ...
Nationwide, real estate sales/purchases are recorded in the National Registry which is the domain of the nation's notaries public. Those notaries are required to be attorneys. Since all such transactions are recorded in the National Registry, any ... Read More
Caja payment by Schempf
Is there a way to lower caja payment. I pay $350 a month.I am told to get a dentist appointment is just a waiting experience. I don't trust the hospital I'm told I have to go to. Went there once with stenosis of the aorta( didn't know yhrn what was ...
rainagain, above, you wrote, "Surgeries are typically not included." Actually, at least in some instances that's not correct. We have friends who have had a gall bladder removal and a breast biopsy, both done under the auspices of MediSmart. The ... Read More
Checking things out in March by dennisqdw
Like others, we have been to Costa Rica before, but are now thinking of retiring there. Or maybe splitting time between San Jose and New Mexico, where we currently live. We are coming in mid March to do some fact finding about where the best ...
We've been using SpaceX's StarLink Internet access system for about three months. So far, it has been flawless and, while speeds vary, we've gotten almost 400mbs download sometimes. The most current system is for sale here in Costa Rica for about ... Read More
Question to all the expats wherever you are! by Dina Slider
Hi all! I have a question and would like to hear all your opinions and answers! I appreciate it in advance. we all know how difficult moving countries is. We all know it’s definitely not all roses and sunshine… but if you had someone ...
Bhavna, for the past couple or three days, when I try to login, I'm prompted to request confirmation of my email address which I've had since about 2008. Then, the system replies that it cannot perform that function, so I'm locked out. Are you aware ... Read More
Expat banking in CR by CR Jeanne
Afternnon all:What can ya'll tell me about banking in CR? I'll be a Pensionada temp resident when I arrive in June of next year. Im thinking I'll just transfer auto-transfer my monthly Social Security direct deposit from my US credit union into ...
Uh, "exceptions" to what? Remember, "the government" to which you refer has little clout outside the U.S. If you can think of another country's death records to which SSA has access, please let us know. Read More
Expat banking in CR by CR Jeanne
Afternnon all:What can ya'll tell me about banking in CR? I'll be a Pensionada temp resident when I arrive in June of next year. Im thinking I'll just transfer auto-transfer my monthly Social Security direct deposit from my US credit union into ...
rainagain, above you wrote, "SSA is part of the gov't and 'knows' how to get the information 'out there' ... wherever a person lives." Unfortunately, that is exactly not the case.In the U.S., the Social Security Administration has access to the ... Read More
Importing Electric vehicles by jochsenfeld59
Has anyone imported an electric vehicle? We would like to get an idea of the cost of taxes. The cost will depend on whether we ship or not.
I think I can safely say that Costa Rica is more open to third-world manufacturers' vehicles because the safety and environmental standards are lower or non-existent. Read More
Expat banking in CR by CR Jeanne
Afternnon all:What can ya'll tell me about banking in CR? I'll be a Pensionada temp resident when I arrive in June of next year. Im thinking I'll just transfer auto-transfer my monthly Social Security direct deposit from my US credit union into ...
BNCR is not going to get hysterical about the loss of their fee for receiving incoming international wire transfers. They'll never notice the loss on their bottom line.As regards the postage, it's my understanding that according to the international ... Read More
Questions about Herdia, Heredia, CR by DocPhD
Hello. My husband (age 75) and I (age 67) are a gay married professional couple who are visiting Heredia, Heredia (the city center) next month from Jan. 11 to Jan. 20th. As Americans, we cannot tolerate the idea that DT will soon be back in the ...
If the heat is a health issue for you, then wherever you look, check the altitude. There are altitude apps for iOS and android. The higher the cooler; the lower the warmer (and by "warmer" I mean "hot".) Read More