Swap Your Tie For a Deckchair in the New Costa Rica

Nice office, huh?

International Living Postcards--your daily escape

Monday, April 16, 2007
San José, Costa Rica

Big changes in Costa Rica since my last visit a few years ago. Sitting across the aisle on the flight from Atlanta was a group of college students who were headed to Costa Rica for spring break. (Spring break in Costa Rica? When I was a kid, I was lucky to make it as far as Florida.)

The students told me they were going to Costa Rica's Central Pacific beaches, long known to avid surfers but only recently discovered by amateurs and students on spring break. "We hear it's about the best surfing this side of Waimea," said Mike, referring to the Hawaiian beach famous for its high and treacherous waves.

They planned to first spend a few days with a relative in Escazú, an upscale town in the Central Valley not far from San José. I'd always thought of the Central Valley as a haven for American retirees, but Mike explained that his uncle is far from retired--he runs a website consulting service from his home in Escazú and has clients all over the world.

It's not unusual for a web consultant to work from home in Escazú or a dozen other cities here. Costa Rica continues to attract retirees, but also North American and European business people…young people who like to work from home…and investors who see big opportunities in this country. Many work from home, thanks to the availability of high-speed Internet connections, and others are part of a growing high-tech sector that has benefited from investments by foreign companies such as Hewlett-Packard, Intel, and Microsoft--just to name the giants.

The change is reflected in the property that's available and real estate developments in the works. A house on the market today in the Central Valley is likely to include a room that can be used as an office, and newer developments often have playgrounds and parks designed for families with children.

That's true not just in the Central Valley but also on the North and Central Pacific Coasts. Sure, crime is still a problem in San José (I have my own crime story about this city I'll share another time) and some other areas, but that isn't stopping expats of all ages from living in Costa Rica for all or part of the year. The climate is near-perfect, property is reasonably priced, and health care is excellent.

Don Ediger
For International Living

P.S. In Playa del Jacó I met Mike from the plane again. Jacó used to be a charming little town on the Central Pacific Coast. It's still charming, but growing fast, thanks largely to the availability of houses and condos on the beach, some for less than $200,000. Mike had a bandaged arm from a surfing accident, and so was checking out condos for his parents. With his aunt and uncle already living in Costa Rica, Mike thought it wouldn't be hard to convince his folks to buy a second home here: "My dad is an architect, and he could do a lot of work from home."

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