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If you’re from the UK you’ll love Costa Rica – here’s why

The sun shines in Costa Rica, whatever the season

For those of you who are new to the area, it’s important to know that Costa Rica enjoys a typical tropical climate. The average annual temperature is 21 degrees Celsius (70F). The temperatures range from 12 degrees Celsius in the mountains, up to 35 degrees Celsius on the coast.

With plenty of sunshine all year long and a rainy season that lasts between May and November, there’s no real winter here. That said, Costa Ricans do talk about two seasons: the dry season (December to April) and the green season (May to November).

The weather is warm in Costa Rica

The weather in Costa Rica is warm all year round. It’s even warm during the rainy season, and there’s no snow. It’s lovely and hot during the winter months, even up in the mountains. You can experience this warmth in the rainforest by exploring on foot or zip lining through the trees, or you can soak it up beachside at sunset.

The people are friendly

Costa Ricans are very friendly and welcoming. This is true whether you’re a solo traveller or travelling with family or friends. They call themselves “Ticos” and love to chat, especially with visitors – they’re very curious about where you’re from, why you came to Costa Rica and what you think of the country.

We found that even if we just hung out at the beach for a few hours, one of the locals would come over to say hello and start chatting. We also made some good friends in our Spanish class, who helped us settle in after our move here. One of them invited us for dinner – typical Costa Rican food she’d cooked herself – which was delicious.

There is plenty of sport to play and watch

Sport is a huge part of the Costa Rican culture. There are many opportunities for you to play sports casually or professionally, and many events that you can watch. The national sport is football (or soccer), which is played in schools and universities around the country. There are private and public teams that play in the Costa Rican league, and there are expat communities who play at a high level too.

If golf is your sport, then Costa Rica has plenty to keep you occupied with over 50 courses throughout the entire country. While this may seem like a lot, it includes some of Costa Rica’s most spectacular courses – with ocean backdrops as well as mountain views!

Fishing is also big here, with over 900 different fishing spots throughout the country. If you have your own boat then great, but if not there are plenty of charter companies who will set you off onto the water for half or full days at sea – try your hand at catching marlin, mahi-mahi or tuna!

Horse riding, hiking and surfing are also popular past times here in Costa Rica.

You can join an expat community

If you’re worried about leaving your friends and family, don’t! There is a large expat community in Costa Rica.

There are countless places to meet new people, including social media groups and events at bars and restaurants. There are also expat groups in the bigger towns such as San José, Sámara, Herradura and Tamarindo. These communities will be incredibly important if you want to settle into your new home country easily. You may even feel as if you never left the UK!

It will take time for you to adjust to a new culture and language so be sure to build up your support network early on. It’s also a good idea to join a gym or social club where you can meet like-minded people who have similar interests.

You can learn a new language

The official language of Costa Rica is Spanish, but there are plenty of Costa Ricans who speak English too. For those who want to learn a new language, it’s the perfect place to be. In fact, there are many language schools throughout the country where you can learn Spanish in a fun and easy way. Some of these options are online, so you can study from home back in the UK before relocating or while settling into your new life abroad. There’s also an option to learn on site at one of their many locations across the country. These schools can help you with your Spanish whether you’re completely new to it or just looking to brush up on what you already know. You never know, it could even help you get a job at some point!

After all, if your relocation goes well then maybe Spanish won’t be the only thing that stays in Costa Rica…

There are great schools

If you’ve got young children, you’ll be pleased to know that the schools in Costa Rica are excellent. The education system encourages children to learn English, and there are plenty of bilingual schools available too. (Even if your kids don’t speak Spanish yet, they’ll soon pick it up while they’re at school.)

Meanwhile, your kids will also be learning about Costa Rica’s history and culture—something that isn’t taught in the UK. Although they might not appreciate this now, their knowledge of Central America will help them understand their new environment.

There are also international schools available in Costa Rica for those families who would like their children to follow a UK curriculum. These are on par with schools back home—and often come with facilities like swimming pools and sports fields to enjoy.

The health service is brilliant

If you’re moving to Costa Rica from the UK, you’ll love the health service.

For a start it’s free for all Costa Ricans and permanent residents. The quality of care is high, and there are plenty of private hospitals too (including several British ones). There is also a good ambulance service and network of pharmacies and dentists.

You can be active wherever you live

Being an active, sporty person is a great way to enjoy life in the UK.

Unfortunately, if you live in the city or a built-up area, it can be really difficult to get away from traffic and crowds to do any kind of exercise.

That’s why I love living in Costa Rica because you are spoilt for choice for places to be active. You can do pretty much anything: football, netball, swimming, sailing badminton – whatever your thing is!

People here really value being active and enjoying the outdoors. Wherever you live there’s always somewhere close by where you can walk or ride a bike without having to worry about heavy traffic or pollution. And living close to nature instead of concrete jungles means that it’s often easier to keep fit here than it is back home.

There’s a rich and varied culture

For the most part, you’ll be able to visit anywhere in Costa Rica without encountering a language barrier. But if you’d like to practice your Spanish, Costa Rica is an ideal place to do so.

You might already know that Costa Ricans have a reputation for being very friendly people—and when you purchase property in Costa Rica, you’ll quickly see that it’s well-deserved. Locals are happy to share their culture and will help you feel welcome.