Questions, answered

Plenty of people start that way: US citizens typically get up to 180 days per entry. But border runs are not a residency plan. If you are staying, pick a residency path early.

Pensionado if you have $1,000 a month of lifetime pension income, rentista if you can show $2,500 a month of stable passive income, or inversionista if you are investing in property or a business. There is also a digital nomad visa for remote workers. The investment threshold changed in 2026, so check the current figure with a lawyer before you plan around it. The right category depends on the shape of your income, not the size of it.

For residency and any property purchase, yes. A good one. Ask me for names before you Google one.

Yes, and most expats keep US accounts. You will eventually want a local account or at least local payment apps for rent, utilities, and the places that do not take cards.

In a beach town you can live without one for a while. If you plan to explore, yes to a car, and in Guanacaste a 4x4 earns its keep every rainy season.

In Coco or Tamarindo you can survive on English. You will live better, pay less, and make more friends with even taxi-level Spanish. Start now, it is the cheapest upgrade to your life here.

Yes. Residents pay into the public Caja system, and private care is excellent and cheap by US standards. Most expats use a mix of both.

The Guanacaste coast has solid private and bilingual schools, and homeschooling is common among expat families. Costs are a fraction of US private school tuition.

Yes, and it is easier than people fear. Health certificate, some paperwork, and most airlines handle it routinely. No quarantine.