Costa Rica Expat Living Idea: Live in the Mountains – Visit the Beach

I realize that ocean views are really…really…nice. Don’t get me wrong, I like’em too! It’s also nice to be able to grab your board (the surfing variety) and be out in the waves in minutes.

Sure, I get all that.

But, for me, I prefer the following Costa Rica expat living idea: live in the mountains – visit the beach.

I know what you’re thinking. That I have some particular economic, or other, bias, in leading you up the hill rather than down. Truth is, however, I really don’t. I’m a real estate agent for Coldwell Banker in Dominical. That’s the beach. I live in San Isidro. That’s the mountains. I cover both and can just as quickly sell you a house down there as I can up here. I want you to be where you will be the happiest.

I am simply suggesting the following Costa Rica expat living idea: live in the mountains – visit the beach.

I know I’m repeating myself, but that helps with SEO and also to get the point across.

I think the best way to convey this idea is to take it through the screen of the 4 C’s framework. That is, to evaluate the idea based on the 4 C’s of Costa Rica expat living: Climate – Culture – Convenience – Context.

Climate

Unless for some weird reason you just like to sweat, all the time and not just when at the gym, then perhaps the beach heat and humidity will be just right for you. As for me, I prefer the cooler and less humid temps one finds at elevations above 800 meters. For that you need the mountains. Where I live in Quebradas, a mountain community just minutes from downtown San Isidro de El General, the altitude is in that “Goldilocks Zone” of being not too hot and not too cold…it’s just right. There are many other mountainous communities in the area where you can have the same.

Culture

This is a more subtle one than climate. It might not become apparent right away. However, for me anyway, the culture of the mountains wins hands down over the beach. For one thing it’s decidedly tico. In San Isidro, while we do have quite a few expats who “get it” and live up here, the tico culture still predominates.

Many expats come to Costa Rica wanting to immerse in a new culture, only to run as fast as they can for a gringo enclave and its corresponding “bubble culture.” For instance down along the Costa Ballena there is somewhat of a bubble culture. That is, the expats down there tend to live in a “bubble” that separates them in many respects from the locals. That can give rise to cultural resentment. And that can give rise to culture clash. Like I said, up here in the mountains we just don’t have that…yet…and hopefully never will!

Convenience

The ocean view is great. Finding what you might need at the beach isn’t always. Sure there are some nice shopping places down there…with prices that will lighten your wallet faster than you can whistle dixie. San Isidro de El General is the second largest city outside of the GAM of the central valley (the area that includes San Jose, Alajuela, Heredia and Cartago). Here you can find anything you need. We have the largest farmer’s market in the region. Expats at the beach find it necessary to make frequent trips to San Isidro for provisions or services they cannot find at the beach. In short, living within minutes of San Isidro, in a charming mountain community like Quebradas, or one of the many others, is simply much more convenient than living at the beach.

Context

Now here’s where the decision becomes harder. I believe the mountains win fairly decisively with regard to the above 3 C’s. However, this one is much more subjective.

What do you want your life to look like in Costa Rica?

Do you want to live the “bohemian” beach life, or a more rugged and authentic tico-like existence? If you want to be that “surfer dude”, yogi, or open a vegan bakery…you catch my drift…then maybe the beach is a better choice for you. If you want to eat, drink, shop, pay prices, and essentially live like a tico and immerse in authentic tico culture, then, in my opinion, the mountains are a better bet.

To conclude on a very bright note, here’s the coolest thing about Costa Rica’s southern zone: you can have your cake and eat it to! Here the highest mountains in the country are only an hour, or even less, from the beach.

Therefore, the following Costa Rica expat living idea: live in the mountains – visit the beach, is one that can become your reality in the southern zone of Costa Rica.

Now all of the above simply represents the opinion of one lowly expat…and you know what they say about opinions…like a part of the anatomy that I’ll neglect to mention, we all have one.