» Transportation in Costa Rica

Costa Rica Airport Arrival and Transportation

Saturday, December 10th, 2011

Upon arrival at the airport, make sure that you have your Immigration and Customs forms complete. Pass through Immigration and then collect your luggage. Then go through Customs and proceed outside the terminal to the street where the taxi and shuttles pick-up.

EMERGENCY TIP! Ask to borrow a Porters cell phone. Tip them a dollar or two for use of the phone.

It’s about 60 miles from San Jose to Jaco; expect the trip to take an hour and 15 minutes.

  • Car rental – A rental car will give you the flexibility to explore outside of Jaco and may also be convenient during the rainy season to get around. Be warned that you may get a low quote on the internet but insurance charges when you arrive may be high. Below are some reputable rental agencies. Click here to See Driving Directions from the SJO San Jose international airport to Jaco Beach Costa Rica.
  • imageBudget Car Rental: www.budget.co.cr
  • Economy Rent a Car: www.economyrentacar.com
  • Europcar: www.europcar.co.cr
  • Alamo: www.alamocostarica.com
  • Shared Shuttle – These shuttles typically depart from the airport twice a day in the morning and late afternoon and are shared. Typical cost is between $30 and $40 per person.
  • Super Shuttle: http://www.supershuttlecr.com/jaco-shuttle/
  • The Costa Rica Shuttle: http://thecostaricashuttle.com/index.php/transportation-from-san-jose-to-jaco-beach-costa-rica
  • Private Shuttle – an air conditioned van will be waiting for you at the airport for a cost of about $120 for 4 people. They will typically charge $10 extra per person for over 4 people. I recommend Kevin’s Transfers www.kevinstransfers.com.
  • Taxi – A taxi from the airport should cost about $80 to Jaco. Negotiate the price before you get in. Typically the red taxi’s will be cheaper as opposed to the orange ones that work at the airport. If you see a red one driving through the terminal then flag them down. Tell the taxi driver that you are going to “Condominios Las Villas Paraiso – cenquenta metros norte del Beatle Bar en central Playa Jaco. Write down my cell # in case you have any problems 8896-4778 but he shouldn’t have a problem finding the condos. Once in Jaco, taxi’s are readily available and will only cost about $2 to get anywhere in town.
  • Public Transportation – the bus is an option but it’s difficult to take public transportation from the airport to Jaco. The reason is because no buses depart from the airport to Jaco. You first have to take a taxi to the bus terminal called the Coca Cola station in downtown San Jose that is about 25 minutes away and that will cost between $15 & $25. Then you have to wait for the bus to Jaco that departs every 2 hours and the Coca Cola station is not the safest place in Costa Rica. Since you will be arriving after dark I would highly recommend that you take a taxi or arrange a private shuttle that will be about $110. When you return to the airport the buses from Jaco drop off at the terminal and the cost is only about $3 so if you are trying to save month then this will be the most affordable route on the way back.

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in Live from Hannah Rico Fletcher, RE/MAX Newsletter, Restaurant and Business Reviews | No Comments »

Costa Rica Cost of Living

Wednesday, March 9th, 2011

IMG_1005Costa Rica is a great relocation option whether you are an American looking for an international retirement alternative and a slower pace of life, Canadian looking for warmer year-round weather,  or an adventurous spirit.

Almost once a week I have the “Cost of Living” conversation with someone considering the possibility so I have been inspired to share my experience.  Naturally your cost of living will depend a lot on your lifestyle so let me give you a little background on mine with the associated cost:

Food & Dining: The Farmers’ Market (Ferria) is a wonderful place to find inexpensive and fresh produce, plants, meat, and a variety of other items. If you are looking for a Tico (Costa Rican) meal with the traditional rice and beans with meat or fish, take in one of the many sodas around for about $4.

San Francisco 060My husband and I don’t cook! Well maybe once or twice a month, which means that I am your go to girl on restaurant recommendation and that my food bill is my chosen area to splurge. (We spend approx. $1000/month)

Health Care: Costa Rica’s public health care system (CCSS, or Caja) is inexpensive and offers medical care from highly trained physicians. Monthly rates are calculated on a sliding scale depending on income. Paying for medical services out-of-pocket is another alternative, as services are a fraction of what they are in the United States. Private insurance is also an affordable option.

We have private international insurance. (We spend approx. $290/month)

Utilities: The costs of services such as water, phone, and cable are also considerably lower than those in the United States, although electricity is considerably higher if you run the A/C all the time and have a dryer in our house.

(We spend approx. $180/month Electric, $35/month for 2 Cell phones, $55/month for home phone and DLS- high speed internet, $24/month on Cable TV)

Transportation: Purchasing a car is one of the more costly investments you will make in Costa Rica. Tax on new cars are especially high. The local transportation is not a bad option. For example: Bus tickets from Jaco to the airport only cost $3 and a taxi ride across town will cost $2-5.

My husband and I both work in Real Estate so we invested in new cars which would not be necessary if it was not for our jobs, especially since we live within walking distance to everything in town. . (We spend approx. $310/month for general car maintenance, Car tax and gas for two cars)

charcoProperty: Low property tax rates are one significant benefit when living in Costa Rica. Property tax rates can be as low as 1/25th of the rates of some areas in the U.S. Various regions in Costa Rica have different tax rates for each. \

We don’t live in a luxury condo on the beach. Instead, my husband and I found a small condo within walking distance to town with reasonable monthly fees and low maintenance cost. (We spend approx. $21/month on property taxes and $204/month on HOA fees)

Services: Labor is relatively inexpensive in Costa Rica. You can hire a housekeeper for an average of $25 per cleaning, gardeners, nannies and other skilled laborers are a great way to pour into the local economy and spoil yourself at the same time.

Four Seasons (19)We have a maid come in to deep clean once or twice a month and I firmly believe that a monthly trip to the spa is one of the finer things in life. (We spend approx. $15/month on maid service, $100/month of other services including: Tolls, international P.O. Box, Vonage international phone in our house, dentist, spa treatments, haircuts, entertainment, etc. and $72 on legal and accountant services)

There will be a variance from region to region. We live in Jaco which is known for being one of the most developed and attractive tourist town on the coast of Costa Rica. This means more imported goods, higher property values, higher rent cost, a higher concentration of amenities and more convinces then you would find in comparison to a smaller town in the middle of Costa Rica somewhere.

Let me know if you have any questions or if I can help you find your little piece of paradise.

Hannah Rico Fletcher

hannah@jacobeachinfo.com

714-369-8133 from the US/ Canada

2643-6010 CR office

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Buying Costa Rican Property, Live from Hannah Rico Fletcher, RE/MAX Newsletter | No Comments »

Surf Traveler’s Dream Come True

Friday, September 10th, 2010

2010 has brought many positive changes for the surf traveler coming to Costa Rica. For the adventurous surf traveler there are still parts of Costa Rica that require four-wheel drive vehicles to get to your surf destination. However, much more of the country is now accessible by good paved highways. If you are coming in the rainy season between May and November, it no longer means the surf traveler is cut-off from great surf beaches like Dominical Beach.

There have been two big changes this year; for over 30 years the various governments have been promising a new highway from San Jose to the Central Pacific. Under the administration of President Oscar Arias, the highway was finally completed. It is now possible to drive from San Jose to the Costa Rican beach town of Jaco in an hour. Over the past year, the road crews worked hard to complete the paved road between Manuel Antonio and Dominical. In April, the highway was finished and now the drive between the two towns in only half an hour without any potholes.

And here is more good news; a brand new bridge has replaced the old ferry that was required to get to Pavones. You can now drive from Playa Dominical to Playa Pavones in three hours. That means one of the longest “left” point surf breaks in the world is at your fingertips. Rides of two minutes or more are possible when Pavones is really firing.

You can still find remote surf beaches in the Guanacaste and on the Caribbean side, where you will encounter bridge washouts and potholes capable of swallowing your car. However the roads to the Central/South Pacific Coast are brand new and the surf beaches are waiting for you. It’s a surf traveler’s dream come true.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Activities and Interests, Live from Hannah Rico Fletcher | No Comments »