Published by Hardy Real Estate Group | September 2026 | Herradura, Costa Rica
Estimated read time: 6 minutes | Category: Relocation
More families now ask us about living in Costa Rica full time. They have visited three or four times already. The children keep asking when they go back. Somebody at the dinner table has started running the numbers on remote work.
Living in Costa Rica full time raises a different set of questions than a second home does. Where do the children go to school. What happens when someone needs a specialist. Whether the internet holds up for video calls. How long the airport drive really takes on a Tuesday.
Hardy Real Estate Group helps families answer those questions first. The answers often change which neighborhood fits. Here is what a normal week looks like around Herradura and Jacó.
Living in Costa Rica Full Time Starts Early
Costa Rica gets up early. Sunrise lands between five thirty and six all year, and daily life follows it. School drop-offs happen early, contractors start at seven, and the beach is at its best before nine.
Afternoons slow down, especially through green season when rain arrives after lunch. Families here build the day around the morning. The middle of the afternoon goes to work or school. Then the last hour of light belongs to the pool.
Sunset lands close to six every day of the year. That makes evenings predictable in a way northern families come to appreciate.
Schools Sit in Jacó and in the Central Valley
Jacó and Herradura have several private bilingual schools. They cover primary and secondary grades, and the choices keep growing with the coastal population.
Some want a set program, such as the International Baccalaureate or a US diploma track. They often look at the Central Valley schools near Escazú and Santa Ana. That means a long commute or a second home base.
The Costa Rican school year runs from February through December, with a break around July. Plan enrollment against that calendar. Visit campuses in person. Ask where their graduates go next, then talk to parents already in the community. We can introduce you to families who went through it recently.
Healthcare Runs on Two Levels
Costa Rica runs a public health system called the Caja Costarricense De Seguro Social. A strong private sector sits beside it. Residents pay into the Caja and use public clinics and hospitals. Most expat families use it for routine care and carry private insurance as well.
Everyday care happens locally, through clinics and pharmacies in Jacó. Pharmacists here handle a much wider range of questions than they do in the United States or Canada.
For specialists, imaging, and surgery, families drive to the private hospitals around San José. Those sit roughly ninety minutes away on Route 27. Several are accredited abroad, and many of their doctors trained overseas. The Jacó emergency room stabilizes patients and sends them on.
Internet Supports Remote Work Reliably
Fiber service reaches Herradura, Jacó, and Los Sueños. Speeds handle video calls, big file transfers, and streaming with no trouble. Most remote workers keep a backup anyway. A mobile hotspot on a second carrier covers the odd hour when a storm cuts service.
Power outages happen a few times a year, mostly during the biggest storms. Many hillside homes run a generator or a battery. Solar is becoming common too. Ask about backup power if your work depends on staying online.
The Drive Shapes Where You Settle
Route 27 connects the coast to San José and to the international airport at Alajuela. The trip runs about ninety minutes to two hours, depending on traffic and weather. It is a modern toll highway for most of the distance.
That drive decides a great deal. Families who fly often prefer the Herradura side, closer to the highway entrance.
Weekend traffic builds toward the coast on Friday afternoon and back toward the city on Sunday. Drive the route once before you choose a property. A weekday morning gives you the truest picture.
Shops and Services Cover the Basics
Jacó has full grocery stores, hardware stores, and banks. You will also find vets, dentists, gyms, and plenty of restaurants. You can buy imported goods here, and they cost more than at home. Produce, coffee, and fish are excellent and inexpensive, and the weekly feria brings farmers into town.
Most households hire local help for cleaning, gardening, and pool maintenance. Costa Rican labor law sets real rules for that. You register the worker for social security and pay an annual aguinaldo. Your attorney or accountant will set this up correctly, and that matters more than new arrivals expect.
Community Forms Quickly
The year-round crowd here mixes Costa Rican families with expats who arrived long ago. Business owners, surfers, and remote workers fill out the rest. Children meet through school and through sports. Parents meet through their children.
Surfing, fishing, football, and horseback riding all give kids something structured to do. The beach and the jungle handle the rest. Families who arrive wanting to learn Spanish and join local life settle in noticeably faster.
Residency Takes Months, So Start Early
Living in Costa Rica full time means dealing with immigration. The country offers a few routes. Pensionado suits retirees with a qualifying pension. A second route, rentista, asks for steady investment income. Property buyers usually look at inversionista.
Applications take months. You will need apostilled documents from your home country, so gather birth and marriage certificates plus police records before you move. Work with a Costa Rican immigration lawyer from the start.
A property purchase can support an investor application. Your attorney will confirm whether your purchase qualifies under the current rules.
Frequently Asked Questions: Living in Costa Rica Full Time
Can foreigners live in Costa Rica full time?
Yes. Foreigners can own property outright here. They can also apply for residency in several ways. The routes cover retirement income, investment income, and a qualifying purchase of property or a business. Tourist entry allows only a limited stay. So anyone living in Costa Rica full time should file for residency with a local lawyer. The process takes months and needs apostilled documents, so gather the paperwork before you move.
What are schools like near Jacó and Herradura?
The area has several private bilingual schools for younger and older students. Choices have grown with the coastal population. Some families want a set program, such as the International Baccalaureate. They often pick Central Valley schools near Escazú and Santa Ana. The school year here runs from February through December. Visit campuses in person and see where their graduates go next. Speak with enrolled parents before you commit.
How far is Los Sueños from San José airport?
Los Sueños Resort in Herradura sits about ninety minutes to two hours from the airport in Alajuela. The route follows Route 27, a modern toll highway. Weather and weekend traffic change the timing. Traffic builds toward the coast on Friday afternoons and back to the city on Sundays. Many owners hire a private driver for transfers. That airport access is one reason the Central Pacific attracts buyers who travel often.
What does healthcare cost for expats in Costa Rica?
Residents pay into the public Caja each month, based on what they declare. That opens access to public clinics and hospitals. Most expat families add private insurance or simply pay for private care. The same care costs far less here than in the United States. Good private hospitals sit around San José, about ninety minutes away. Jacó covers routine care and pharmacy needs.
How Hardy Real Estate Group Helps Families Relocating to Costa Rica
Our team works with buyers whose questions go well past the property itself. We connect families with immigration lawyers, school directors, and doctors. We also introduce parents who made the move recently.
Neighborhood matters a lot when you are living in Costa Rica full time. So we ask about your schools, your travel schedule, and how you want to spend a Wednesday. Listings come after that.
Tell us what your family needs, and we will help you plan an exploratory trip around it.
Contact Hardy Real Estate Group: hardygrouprealestate.com
Families who thrive here do the practical research first. Then they let the place work on them. The mornings are wonderful. The community welcomes people who show up for it, and most arrivals find the logistics easier than they expected.
Living in Costa Rica full time starts to feel ordinary faster than you would think. Come and spend a week inside that ordinary version before you decide.