Living Abroad in Costa Rica

by Erin Van Rheenen

Imagine yourself living in Costa Rica. You stroll home past lush vegetation after a long day of surfing. You know the locals and speak Spanish with ease. You show visiting friends around with the confidence of one who belongs. Author Erin Van Rheenen shows you how to make your dream take shape. She left her life as a guidebook editor in the San Francisco Bay Area to make a home abroad in Costa Rica. While some give up—daunted by the financial, bureaucratic, and decision-making issues that accompany a move so extraordinary—you'll be led step-by-step through the information you need on visas, money, jobs, housing, safety, language, culture, and history. Erin has done the research and made the mistakes—so you don't have to. There's a place that matches your budget, needs, and perhaps it's an impressive new condominium in the upper-class San José suburb of Escazú, a wooden house on stilts in the isolated Caribbean coast town of Tortuguero, or a mountain retreat with a view of the Arenal Volcano. You can make it happen. With Living Abroad in Costa Rica, it's easier than you think.

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction

424 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

Erin writes fiction and nonfiction that explores family dynamics, cultural difference, and the power of place.

She earned an MA from City College of New York, has spent many years living abroad, and is now based in San Francisco. Her work has appeared in publications like Atlas Obscura, BBC Travel, The Sun, and Bellevue Literary Review. She has taught English and writing in universities, high schools, and in the San Francisco Women's Jail.

Kirkus Reviews calls her novel, You Could Be Happy Here, "a beautiful homage to family that urges readers to rethink what “home” can really mean." Her live-abroad guide, Living Abroad in Costa Rica, was a best-seller, and her bilingual children's book, The Manatee's Big Day, is beloved of all who love Costa Rica, tropical ecosystems, and manatees.

Reviews

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pretty much anything I read comes from the Peace Corps library in the volunteer lounge at the office, and so did this book. I grabbed it because I thought I could give it to the expat who lives in my town. I don’t think he’ll like this one since this seems to be geared to retirees with more money, people who build dream homes on the beach, stuff like that. Anyways, the book wasn’t really useful for me but it wasn’t horrible either. It seems geared for artsy fartsier folks who have money to retire here in a certain level of comfort.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book to have lots of great information for a potential move, from the big stuff like what different parts of the country are like for expat living, to the nitty-gritty like renting versus buying a home and how to do either.

I am surprised by the other review here - I didn't find an anti-American bias in the book.

[Laurie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not actually planning on living full time in Costa Rica, but this is also a great book for those who want to learn more about the country. I've traveled to CR often but still learned more about day to day living and the laws and culture of the country from this book.

[Beverly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lot's of useful information except for the part about bringing traveler's checks. Banks don't want to cash them since they've become a popular way to launder money.

[Marie PH · Rating 4 out of 5]

helpful for a trip to Costa Rica

[David C. Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book helped me successfully move to Costa Rica and create a life there. I highly recommend it. It was a great road map of how to find my place in a new land.

[Hedgebrook]

Synopsis:
Author Erin Van Rheenen left her life as a guidebook editor in the San Francisco Bay Area to make a home abroad in Costa Rica. Now she invites readers to visit the beautiful and fertile Meseta Central, the endless beaches of Guanacaste, and the wildlife-filled south Pacific coast to enjoy the best the country has to offer.

[Luisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Somewhat helpful, but not so much for those who already have jobs and housing lined up. This was more geared towards those who have just begun to think about moving to Costa Rica and are still in the beginning stages of planning where to live, what to do once there, etc.

[Dave Mulholland · Rating 1 out of 5]

Anti American bias

You expect a pro Costs Rican bent on a book geared towards potential expats but the unnecessary, and often incorrect, anti American bias made reading this book quite aggravating.

[George · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great guide for prospective ex-pats.