Construction
Finding a home builder in Costa Rica as a foreign buyer. How the market works, what to look for, how design-build firms differ from independent contractors, and what the process looks like.
Design
Interior design in Costa Rica requires different thinking than temperate climates. An architect's guide to materials, finishes, and design decisions that perform in a tropical environment.
Investment
Gated communities in Costa Rica offer security and amenities but come with HOA fees, restrictions, and trade-offs worth understanding before buying. An investor's honest assessment.
Investment
Real Airbnb occupancy rates in Costa Rica by region for 2026. Tamarindo, Nosara, Santa Teresa, Uvita, and San José compared. What the data says and what it means for investors.
Living
International schools in Costa Rica by region — Central Valley, Guanacaste, Nicoya Peninsula, and Southern Pacific. Real school names, curricula, costs, and what families need to know.
Construction
The questions that protect foreign buyers before signing a contractor agreement in Costa Rica. What to ask, what the answers should sound like, and what to walk away from.
Living
Living in Santa Teresa means world class surf, a tight expat community, and prices that have moved fast. An honest guide to daily life, costs, and who the town actually suits.
The roof is the most important element of a house in Costa Rica and the one most people spend the least time thinking about.
Every client asks about materials. The conversation is always the same: yes, you can get almost anything in Costa Rica. But whether you should is a different question.
Every American who finds out I live in Costa Rica asks the same question: Where should I move? My answer is always the same: it depends on who you are.
The real cost of building a home in Costa Rica in 2026 — from $850 to $5,000 per square meter, with a full breakdown of what the construction quote covers, what it does not, and how costs layer from raw materials to move-in ready.
The guide to building and living in Costa Rica
The best architecture firms in Costa Rica for foreign buyers, Studio Saxe, Salagnac, SARCO, Studio Octava, Zurcher and more. Who to hire and why, from someone who knows the market.
Building an Airbnb in Costa Rica costs more than a primary home and needs a different design brief. An architect's breakdown of real costs, the pool question, and what actually earns back.
Best areas to buy land in Costa Rica in 2026 depend on what you're building and why. James Caldwell breaks down Guanacaste, Nicoya Peninsula, Southern Pacific, and Central Valley.
Foreigners can build in Costa Rica with the same rights as citizens on titled land. A contractor's guide to permits, process, managing from abroad, and taxes when you sell.
Living in Uvita means green, quiet, and genuinely off the beaten path. An honest guide to life in the Southern Pacific, costs, schools, community, and who it suits.
The costs that break Costa Rica builds aren't the ones people budget for. An architect's honest breakdown of import taxes, design changes, and the real price of building remotely.
Guanacaste real estate in 2026: where the boom has stalled, where prices are holding, and why buyers are looking south to the Nicoya Peninsula.
Living in Nosara means active outdoor life, strong community, expensive homes, and dusty roads. An honest guide to what daily life actually looks like.
Best construction method for Costa Rica depends on your site and design. Contractor Carolina Vargas breaks down concrete block, steel frame, hybrids, and the rest.
A 90-square-meter house with a beautiful terrace, good ceiling height, and quality finishes will make you happier than a 130-square-meter house where every room was shrunk to fit the program.
A good property manager makes your investment work. A bad one lets your property deteriorate while collecting a fee.
The difference between a 9-month project and a 16-month project is rarely the construction itself. It is what happened before construction started.