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Costa Rica Blogger

Costa Rica's Cost of Living - can I really live on $700 a month?!

A reoccurring question about Costa Rica from those considering moving, retiring or buying a second/vacation home in the area is, "What is the Costa Rica cost of living?"

In this post there are two monthly budgets shared by native U.S. citizens that now live in Costa Rica.  As you will see, there is a wide divide between what each contributor considers a comfortable lifestyle ... which of course, greatly effects the...


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We spotted a real life Chupacabras (or maybe we're just going batty ;o)

The Costa Rica house we live in is named Villa de Chupacabras

So what is "Chupacabras"?  Costa Rican's and other Latin American's know, but this gringo had to look it up and it was a little creepy.  Let's just say it's an animal of folklore you wouldn't want to meet in a dark house ... which leads me to my real life story:

Last night we got home after dark and as I made my way to the nearest light switch I thought I felt something swoosh near my head. 

Soon after turning on the lights I spotted a real life...


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Costa Rica - Tourism and the Economy

Many have asked if Costa Rica is suffering economically from decreased travel or investment and home buying as cash-strapped foreigners deal with world-wide economies suffering from high oil prices and other regional issues such as the U.S. home mortgage crisis.

It should go without saying that Costa Rica is definitely concerned - especially with fears of a full-blown economic recession in the United States. After all, Americans accounted for 54% of the 1.9 million visitors that traveled to Costa Rica in 2007.

Just recently the Costa Rican Institute of Tourism...


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Visiting Costa Rica with Children - Bring Permission to Leave

Costa Rica as a government has in the last few years worked to improve its processes in preventing child abductions. This is obviously a good thing! The primary target of Costa Rica law is men leaving the country with minor children.

Entry into Costa Rica as a male with a minor child or children is not an issue. However, when a male attempts to leave Costa Rica with a minor the authorities will often challenge for adequate proof that the mother has granted permission for the minor to travel. Even if the minor is traveling to Costa Rica with both parents, bring these documents ...



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Costa Rica Gas Prices

I was driving home last night when I noticed cars clustered around the gas station nearest my home (cars don't line-up in Costa Rica ... they cluster and wedge). Mentally checking the day and date I couldn't figure out why so many drivers were waiting for gas at the same time - after all, it wasn't a traditional Costa Rica pay day.

This morning I read in the newspaper that gas prices had been raised in Costa Rica overnight. This move in gas prices must have been planned for so many people to be aware of...


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How to Navigate Costa Rica by Car - with a GPS Device and Costa Rica Digital Map of Course!

Like many Costa Rica visitors and people that have made the move to Costa Rica, finding my way around the twisting, turning and unmarked Costa Rica roads was a daunting task. Although I do enjoy many of the discoveries that come with making a wrong turn … getting from point A to point B in a timely manner can become a priority when the destination is a business appointment, a child needing to be picked up from school, etc.

In order to put away my marginally effective Costa Rica paper road map and car compass,I decided to purchase a GPS unit and Costa Rica digital road map...


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Spirit Airlines announces major layoffs ... flights to Costa Rica could be affected.

Spirit Airlines, a popular discount airline with service to Costa Rica announced May 31, 2008 in a letter to union leaders that up to 60 percent of its flight attendants and 40 percent of its pilots face layoffs due to operating losses attributed to unforeseen rises in fuel costs.

Exactly how these potential cutbacks will impact the many Costa Rica, Latin America and Caribbean travelers that rely on Spirit Airlines for discounted flights remains to be determined.

If you already have Spirit Airline tickets booked for future flights...


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Things to do in downtown San José, Costa Rica; Museums, Parks and even a Cow Parade

Junior and I walked around San José, Costa Rica this past Saturday.  Our travels took us to; Parque Zoológico Simón Bolivar (the San Jose Zoo), Museo de Oro Y Numismática (the Pre-Columbian Gold and Numismatic or Money Museum), Museo Nacional (the National Museum) in the old Costa Rica army fort known as the Bellavista Headquarters. 



We were also fortunate enough to view the limited time showing of...



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Cost Rica Car Security - Protect Yourself, Your Investment and Your Valuables with an Alarm System, Physical Locking Device and Common Sense

Automobiles in Costa Rica are quite a bit more expensive than in the U.S. due to high import taxes on such 'luxury' items.  Additionally, theft of all kinds are part of living in Costa Rica due to the wide-divide between the "haves" and "have nots".  Put all this together and it is no surprise that car robbery and car theft are issues in Costa Rica.  This does not make Costa Rica any more dangerous than many areas of the U.S. or other countries ... just a fact that must be recognized as a Costa Rica car driver and ... 


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Costa Rica Daily News Feed added

Toward our goal of providing a REAL source of honest and unbiased information on Costa Rica, Costa Rica Blogger has added a daily news feed from A.M. Costa Rica within the left-sidebar of our site.  A.M. Costa Rica is an online English weekday news source that unapologetically tells its readership what is going on in Costa Rica.
IMPORTANT:  Sometimes news is depressing because the good things that are happening at the same time don't make it to print - watch your own local or national news to understand (ie: April 30 2008, CNN.com - "Chicago...

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