Costa Rica's Prime Investment Zones - Pros & Cons

If you're considering an investment in Costa Rica real estate, the most important decision you have to confront is "where."

This post breaks down key investment zones with pros and cons of each, according to the "humble" opinions of yours truly...

Central Valley

This is the area of the GAM (gran area metropolitana), which is where around half the country's entire population lives. It's also home to many mountain communities that are close to the GAM, but consist of small mountain pueblos, away from the hustle and bustle and offering mountain flora and fauna and cool climates.

Pros

- Best climate of the country 
- Big city amenities 
- Great infrastructure 
- Best medical care
- Big city cons below can be somewhat overcome by opting for one of the small mountain pueblos mentioned above

Cons

- GAM has the most serious traffic congestion issues
- Crime is higher in big city 
- Poor air quality 
- High stress of big city life

Central Pacific

This would include the port city of Puntarenas and also popular beach communities like Jaco, Hermosa, Herradura and even Manuel Antonio.

Pros

- Closest beach communities to the GAM
- Good infrastructure 
- Loads of touristic options 
- Good waves (especially Playa Hermosa)

Cons

- Higher prices common in tourist areas 
- Hot climate 
- Crime issues (drugs & prostitution)
- High density development 
- Commercial congestion (especially signage)

Nicoya Peninsula

This includes some of the swankiest (and highest priced) real estate in the county. Popular areas would be those of Montezuma, Mal Pais, Santa Teresa, Samara and Nosara.

Pros

- Gorgeous beaches
- Great waves 
- Very upscale touristic amenities
- Diverse tropical flora & fauna
- Diverse holistic and healthy living options (Blue Zones)

Cons

- Poor infrastructure (but improving in some areas) 
- Hot! 
- High prices 
- Also dry - can be a veritable "dust bowl" in the summer dry season

Northern Pacific

This is the famous "gold coast" area, where foreign investment in Costa Rica first took off. Popular areas would include Tamarindo, Playa Flamingo, Playa del Coco, among others.

Pros

- Good infrastructure
- International airport 
- High end touristic options 
- Great beaches 
- Many living options catered towards expats

Cons

- Hottest and driest area of the country 
- Very high prices on just about everything 
- Some crime issues
- Some social back lash against gentrification

Northern Central & Caribbean Coast

I've lumped these together because the most popular non-beach northern central areas of La Fortuna and Lake Arenal are both on the Caribbean slope. Then over on the coast you'll find popular beach areas south of the Port of Limon, such as Cahuita and Puerto Viejo,

Pros

- Incredible flora & fauna 
- Country's largest lake (Arenal) 
- Great Caribbean beaches 
- That laid-back Caribbean vibe (unique culture) 
- Lots of touristic options

Cons

- Not places you'd go to "beat the heat" 
- Spotty infrastructure 
- Crime issues (especially on the Caribbean coast, near the Port of Limon)
- Real estate on the Caribbean is still a bit like the lawless "wild west" that the rest of Costa Rica once was

Southern Pacific

This is where I live and have my real estate practice. Main beach areas are those along the Costa Ballena and principally would include Dominical, Uvita, and Ojochal. This area also includes the highest mountains in the country (the Talamancas) and the largest metropolitan area outside of the GAM (Perez Zeledon)

Pros

- Superb flora & fauna (year-round greenest part of the country) 
- Mountains and beaches are in close proximity offering great options to beat the heat with altitude 
- Good infrastructure (especially around Perez Zeledon)
- Better prices than other areas of high touristic appeal and rampant development catering to expats

Cons

- No international airport (closest is San Jose, 4+ hours away) 
- Other areas of the country are less accessible (long drive times) 
- Beaches are hot (but mountains are not)
- Some crime and gentrification related issues in coastal touristic areas

Of course I've missed many areas, but those not mentioned would all be in the category of off- the-beaten" path...

They could very well be the subject of a future post!

So, stay tuned.