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Building a Home

Building a House in Costa Rica, Permits, Costs and Codes

I’m sure that no matter where you live, the homes in your neighborhood were a lot cheaper in the 1980s than they are now. $250,000 would buy a heck of a house in 1980 anywhere in the world and would have bought you a mansion in Costa Rica. Now, $250K buys you a nice condo in Florida and a nice house in Atenas, Costa Rica, but not a mansion.

The perfect house does not exist

When house shopping in Costa Rica, you need to keep an open mind.

Why the perfect Costa Rica house does not exist

When house shopping in Costa Rica, you need to keep an open mind.

Picking the right engineer to build your home

Building a house in Costa Rica can be as simple as you want it to be and it all starts with hiring the right professionals.

Shipping container house turns cargo into casa

Not everyone looks at a shipping container and thinks, “I’d like to live in one of those.” But Dave and Shannon Playfair are no ordinary folks: They are the husband-and-wife proprietors of EcoVida Properties in Playa Bejuco, Puntarenas, on the central Pacific coast.

Getting off the grid

The idea was simple: build a house on the land where I grew up, but responsibly. We weren’t going to cut down a single tree or bush. We would do everything possible to not only have a carbon-neutral, but also a carbon-negative footprint, and be both environmentally responsible and self-sufficient.
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Costa Rica Prosecutors Investigate Pico Blanco Plane Crash That Killed Five

Prosecutors in Costa Rica have opened a negligent homicide investigation into the November 2024 crash of a commercial passenger plane on Cerro Pico Blanco,...

Prison Cases at Costa Rica’s Constitutional Court Jump 124% Amid Crackdown

Prison-related cases at Costa Rica's Constitutional Chamber rose from 2,130 in 2020 to 4,780 in 2025, as tougher prison rules collide with the state's duty to feed and treat inmates.

Fire Chief Says Fernández Gave No Order on Ambulance Deal, but a Memo Cites Her

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