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Expat Living

The Costa Rica I Remember From the 1990s

Don Mateo - July 28, 2026

Expat Living

Watching the 2026 World Cup Final in a Costa Rica Dive Bar

Expat Living

A White-Knuckle Taxi Trip Through the Mountains of Costa Rica

Expat Living

Costa Rica Traffic Ranks Second-Worst in the World

The Costa Rica I Remember From the 1990s

Don Mateo - July 28, 2026

Lately I have seen an abundance of AI-generated clips portraying happy scenes of how life was back in the day. One shows Christmas 1985,...

Watching the 2026 World Cup Final in a Costa Rica Dive Bar

Don Mateo - July 25, 2026

Since moving to Costa Rica in 1990, I have not missed a World Cup final. I've watched them from a bar, from a friend's...

A White-Knuckle Taxi Trip Through the Mountains of Costa Rica

Don Mateo - July 19, 2026

With my car doing what it does best– sitting idly in the carport awaiting a part– I walked twenty minutes in the dark down...

Costa Rica Traffic Ranks Second-Worst in the World

Guest Author - July 18, 2026

Costa Rica is ranked as the second-worst traffic in the world in Numbeo’s 2026 Mid-Year Traffic Index, placing behind only Nigeria and ahead of...

Dollar hits record low in Costa Rica for third straight day

The Tico Times - July 16, 2026

If your income arrives in dollars — a pension, Social Security, remote-work pay or rent from a property back home — this week quietly...

Liquid Blue Co-Founder Michael Vangerov Dies in Car Accident

The Tico Times - July 15, 2026

Michael Vangerov, a founding guitarist of the internationally touring band Liquid Blue and a fixture of the live music scene along Costa Rica's South...

Costa Rica Tightens Immigration Enforcement in the Central Valley

The Tico Times - July 15, 2026

If you live in or are passing through Costa Rica's Central Valley, keep your immigration papers on you. Migración has announced a fresh round...

Costa Rica Fuel Prices Rise Today as August Cuts Loom

The Tico Times - July 14, 2026

Drivers across Costa Rica are paying new fuel prices starting Tuesday, July 14, with small increases for super gasoline and diesel but a slight...

Comparing Atenas and Puriscal for Costa Rica Homebuilders

Guest Author - July 12, 2026

For buyers looking to build a home in Costa Rica’s western Central Valley, Atenas and Puriscal often land on the same shortlist. Both offer...

Costa Rica Report Finds High First-Time Vehicle Inspection Failure Rate

The Tico Times - July 11, 2026

More than one-third of the vehicles presented for Costa Rica’s mandatory technical inspection failed on their first attempt during 2025, with excessive emissions, worn...

Costa Rica vs Belize – Why I Sometimes Tell People Not to Buy Property in Belize

Costa Rica Colon Hits Record High as Dollar Falls to All Time Low

Guest Author - July 11, 2026

The U.S. dollar closed the week at its cheapest level in the history of Costa Rica's official currency market, capping a four-year slide that...

Costa Rica Floats Higher Tax on Everyday Food Staples

The Tico Times - July 10, 2026

Costa Rica is studying a plan that could raise the sales tax on basic grocery staples from the current 1% toward the standard 13%...

How Costa Rica Closed an Extradition Loophole Used by Foreign Fugitives

The Tico Times - July 9, 2026

For years, Costa Rica’s ban on extraditing its own citizens created an opening for foreign fugitives who managed to become Costa Rican nationals before...