Hi. Sorry for the delay in responding. My computer went on vacation. I have lived in the Central Valley of Metro-San Jose for almost nine years. I moved down here at age 62 when I retired.Â
The pros are the culture, the large majority of people, the climate, and I met a woman who is the most patient mellow woman I have ever been with.Â
The cons are the culture, a very small minority of people, the climate and traffic and the cost of living.
To explain a bit, the culture is friendly, easy going people who live a life appreciating their families, their jobs and everything else, including their soccer teams, local and national. Costa Rica has a lot of poor people. They work on average 45-48 hours a week. They have a happy outlook on life and are always willing to help another person in need. The con about their culture is they are raised not to complain about their governments or much else. The result can be frustrating for gringos who see issues that could be a lot better but no one will raise a voice to help make it so.  The key to a happy life for a gringo here is acceptance. One has to accept the good with the bad and appreciate the overall things that make living here a better more relaxing place than where one comes from.
The people call themselves Ticos or Ticas if female. Because there is so much poverty, middle class americans look rich.  There is some crime of opportunity by some poor people. Violence is rare but when it occurs, it usually involves someone from Nicaragua who are referred to as Nicos. They are by culture a more aggressive people. Some Ticos fall into this category, mostly young men.
The climate is a dry season, usually from mid December to April 30th and a wet season from May 1 to November 15. During the dry season it is almost always sunny and little if any rain.  During the wet season it usually rains every afternoon with heavier down pours in the August to end of October stretch. This stretch can be overwhelming and I usually leave at least the entire month of October. May can also be a bit too wet for me.
Traffic is crazy in the Central Valley. The car dealers continue to sell cars every year and the government doesn't have enough funds to continually make more and wider roads. ( who wants another LA? ) I plan my life around rush hours as otherwise one is stuck in traffic from 20 minutes to 2 hours potentially, depending how far one drives.I rarely drive before 9:30am and finish my errands by 3:00pm.Â
The cost of living is a little complicated. The government's main source of revenue until a year ago was and is import duty on everything ! Ranging from about 55% on a new car and up to 100% on everything else. If you like to exist on beans, rice, eggs and fresh vegetables, one can live cheaper than in the US. If one wants to eat good cuts of beef, chicken and buy products they want from the US, food will cost more than living in the US. Rent is probably cheaper or was until mid 2022 when gringo money began flowing down here again into real estate.
Hope this helps.Â
