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LIVING IN COSTA RICA

Disadvantages of Living in Costa Rica

Allen Richa'rd
8 min readJul 29, 2020

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Picture of the beach of Costa Rica with a Red Macaw
Image created by the Author

The Costa Rica Honeymoon

I have lived in Costa Rica since November 2013. It’s fair to say the Costa Rica honeymoon didn’t last long. I guess all the marketing and advertising hype on the internet about Costa Rica… works!

Most people think Costa Rica is a tropical paradise, and depending on where you visit or stay as a tourist…after a couple of weeks, you could leave believing Costa Rica is a fairytale land—longing to return and telling stories of a fantasy world far, far away.

But try living here for a year or two.

I must admit, looking back to when I arrived and reflecting on all that I’ve learned since, would I have stayed in the United States had I known what I know now?

Let’s discuss a few things before I give you my answer, but I will say I love MOST of Costa Rica, but I wished someone had told me about these “Five Disadvantages of Living in Costa Rica” before I came.

#1 Crime — Is Costa Rica Safe?

When we first arrived, you couldn’t help but notice the bars on practically every window. It seemed some houses were built inside the walls of their own penitentiary. My first thought was…

“The crime must be horrible in Costa Rica… hopefully it’s only in the city.”

Author’s image — Typical outside appearance of houses in Costa Rica

Not uncommon to see bars on windows, razor wire, and electric wire on some homes in Costa Rica.

But to my surprise…as we drove further and further south to the small town of San Vito, you’d be hard-pressed to find even a single house without bars on the windows.

It didn’t take long to realize why Costa Rica looked like a country riddled with crime. However, it didn’t have anything to do with what I initially thought.

What would you have thought?

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Allen Richa'rd
Allen Richa'rd

Written by Allen Richa'rd

I’ve been in Costa Rica since Nov 2013 and I still enjoy this tropical paradise. However, it hasn’t been without learning to slow down, laugh and enjoy LIFE!

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