Part one · 3 steps
Visa & residency
Start the Pensionado (Pensioner) residency path
Costa Rica's route for retirees. Plan on roughly $1,000/month of provable income — pension, Social Security, dividends — and expect the consulate to want it documented. The current read:
From our Escazú research
Pensionado requires proof of a lifetime pension of at least USD 1,000/month (US Social Security, government/military, or corporate plan); as of 2025 the same $1,000 covers a spouse as a dependent — among the lowest income bars of any retiree visa. Temporary residency renewed every 2 years; must spend 4+ months/yr in-country and convert/show the income locally. Alternatives: Rentista ($2,500/mo for 2 yrs or $60k deposit) and Inversionista ($150k investment).
Read the full Escazú profile →Get key documents apostilled + certified-translated
Birth/marriage certificates, background checks — start early; it's slow, and every residency application wants them.
Our visa paperwork guide →Decide who runs the move — you, or a concierge
Part two · 3 steps
Healthcare
Map your care in Escazú
Know where you'd go before you need it — the hospital for something serious, the specialist, the pharmacy that speaks English. Here's our current read:
From our Escazú research
Among the best in Latin America for expats. CIMA San José, in Escazú, is JCI-accredited with ~200 doctors across specialties and has been the American expats' favorite since 2000; Clínica Bíblica and La Católica are minutes away. Large English-speaking, US/Europe-trained staff. Private GP visit ~$50-80, specialist ~$80-120. Public Caja (income-based, ~7-11% of declared income) covers everything with no copays but has waits; most expats pair Caja with INS or international private cover for speed. World-class acute care is local, not a flight away.
Read the full Escazú profile →Know what Medicare does — and doesn't — cover abroad
Original Medicare generally doesn't cover care outside the US. Whatever your plan becomes, it has to answer that gap.
Medicare abroad, explained →Compare international / expat health insurance
See what international health plans actually cover — and what they cost.
Part three · 5 steps
Money & taxes
Pressure-test your Escazú budget
A comfortable month in Escazú runs about $3,317 for a couple, at current exchange rates. Build your own version on top of that base — your rent tier, your healthcare, your flights home — and see what's left over.
Build the real monthly number →Understand US taxes as an expat in Costa Rica
You still file US taxes abroad, and FBAR applies once foreign accounts pass $10,000. The country side matters just as much:
From our Escazú research
Territorial system: foreign-source income — US Social Security, pensions, 401(k)/IRA, investments — is fully exempt from Costa Rican tax regardless of residency. BUT there is no US-Costa Rica income tax treaty and no totalization agreement, so US citizens still owe US tax on worldwide income and rely on the Foreign Tax Credit/FEIE; no treaty relief on Social Security.
Read the full Escazú profile →Set up low-fee international money transfers
Bank wires quietly cost 3–5% in bad FX; specialists are far cheaper.
Have someone check the retirement math before you commit
Plan day-to-day cash + card access (and a backup card)
Check your cards' foreign-ATM fees before you go, and carry a backup card on a different network in case one gets swallowed.
Part four · 4 steps
The scouting trip
Book the Escazú reconnaissance trip
Not a vacation — a rehearsal. Rent in an ordinary neighborhood for a few weeks and live a normal week: groceries, buses, a doctor's appointment, a quiet Tuesday. Getting there and back:
From our Escazú research
~20-30 min from Juan Santamaría International (SJO). Abundant non-stops to the US: Miami, Houston, Newark, Atlanta, Dallas, NYC (JFK), Orlando, Fort Lauderdale, Chicago, Denver, LA on American, United, Delta, JetBlue, Southwest, Frontier, Avianca, etc. Miami/Houston ~3 hrs. About as US-connected as Latin America gets.
Read the full Escazú profile →Compare trip insurance for the scouting trip
Read the safety picture for yourself
Escazú sits under a US State Department Level 2 (“exercise increased caution”) advisory. Check the current one before you book, then weigh it against the on-the-ground picture:
From our Escazú research
US State Dept Level 2 (Exercise Increased Caution due to crime), as of 2026. Costa Rica is calmer than most of Central America, but a Nov 25 2025 US Embassy security alert specifically named Escazú (with Escalante and Rohrmoser) for rising drug-related shootings, and flagged break-ins/armed robberies at expat homes and vacation rentals plus ATM/"express kidnapping" coercion. Petty theft and home burglary are the everyday risk; violent crime is usually not aimed at expats but spillover exists. Gated communities and normal precautions are the norm.
Read the full Escazú profile →Test the season, not the postcard
Every place has a month the brochures skip. If you can, scout in the worst one:
From our Escazú research
Central Valley "eternal spring" at ~1,150m: days ~24-26C (75-79F) all year, cooler evenings (a light sweater some nights), moderate humidity — never beach-hot. Real caveat: a pronounced 6-month green/rainy season May-Nov with heavy afternoon downpours (October is very wet, ~500mm); Dec-Apr is the dry, sunny stretch.
Read the full Escazú profile →Part five · 6 steps
The move itself
Rent first — live a full season before you even think about buying
The single biggest regret-saver. The market isn't going anywhere.
Book a short-term furnished rental for your landing
Give yourself 1–3 months to find the right neighborhood.
Decide what to ship, store, or sell
Shipping a household is expensive; many movers regret over-shipping.
Re-home your US mail before you go
Banks, the IRS, Medicare — the mail keeps coming after you leave. Keep a US address you check from anywhere, or hand the whole job to a service.
Sort pet import + airline requirements early
Timelines for vaccines and paperwork can be months.
Our pet-move guide →Scan and cloud-back-up every key document
Passports, prescriptions, insurance cards, the marriage certificate — one folder you can open from any phone, anywhere.
Part six · 4 steps
Settling in
Find your people in Escazú
Loneliness is the #1 reason people move home — build the community before you build anything else. What's already there:
From our Escazú research
One of Costa Rica's densest, most established expat enclaves — long popular with Americans for its US-style malls (Multiplaza), international restaurants and services. English is widely spoken in Escazú thanks to the expat population and the multinational offices in the corridor; you can function in English day-to-day, though Spanish helps with bureaucracy and outside the bubble.
Read the full Escazú profile →Join the expat community before you arrive
Start the conversations months before the flight.
Our community guide →Set up a local SIM + home internet
If your phone's unlocked, an eSIM can cover you from day one; sort home internet once you have an address.
Start the language — even 20 words changes everything
Spanish is what your daily life will run in — the clinic front desk, the market, the neighbors. A head start pays off from day one.
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