Moving to Costa Rica, decoded.
Start with the YouTube channel — it’s free and covers the big questions. When you’re ready to get serious, the guides go deep on what actually trips people up: residency, real estate, cost of living, where to live, and doing business here. Either way, you’re getting it from a Costa Rican who’s run businesses in this market, not a visitor with a camera.
Real numbers. Real paperwork. Written from Costa Rica — not from a search engine.
Six guides. One system. Zero surprises you didn't sign up for.
Buy one or buy the set — either way, same rule applies: real costs, real contacts, and the trade-offs nobody puts on the brochure. Every guide is built from what actually happens on the ground here, not what ranks well on a blog.
The Relocation Guide
$39
Everything before you land: what it costs, how healthcare works, which bank will actually open your account, and the 90-day plan that keeps it from going sideways.
The Residency Guide
$29
Four visa paths. Two of them fit most people. We tell you which two before you spend six months chasing the wrong one.
Where to Live
$29
Guanacaste isn't the Caribbean, and the Caribbean isn't Santa Teresa. Here's who each region actually suits — and who it'll quietly disappoint.
The Real Estate Guide
$34
That beachfront lot? The first 200 meters isn't really for sale. Title checks, coastal traps, and what "for sale" actually means here.
The Business Guide
$34
S.R.L. or sociedad anónima. What IVA actually costs you. What Costa Rican labor law expects the moment you hire your first person.
The Healthcare Guide
$34
A practical guide to healthcare in Costa Rica, covering the CCSS public system, private care, insurance, specialists, medications, emergencies, and real-world costs.
Get all six. Stop opening six tabs to answer one question.
Everything, start to finish, at one price that's actually a discount and not just marked to look like one — $60 off vs. buying the six separately. Buy once. Keep the 2026 updates.
- The Relocation Guide
- The Residency Guide
- Where to Live
- The Real Estate Guide
- The Business Guide
- The Healthcare Guide
- Relocation Checklist — included free
Not sure yet? Good — start free.
One page. A clear, practical order of operations to keep your move to Costa Rica organized from the start. Enter your email and I’ll send you the PDF — no sales pitch, no endless email sequence, just the checklist.
Free checklist first. Then a few genuinely useful emails about relocating to Costa Rica. No fluff. Unsubscribe anytime.
Start here.
Organized by what you're actually trying to figure out — not by upload date, the way most channels do it. Start with costs, move to residency, then real estate once you know you're serious.
How Much It REALLY Costs to Live in Costa Rica
Episode 01
Costa Rica Residency Explained
Episode 02
Where should I live in Costa Rica?
Episode 04
Can Foreigners Buy Property in Costa Rica?
Episode 03
Personalized strategy. Real answers. Local expertise.
Whether you're planning a move to Costa Rica or evaluating an investment or development opportunity, these private advisory sessions give you direct, practical guidance based on your specific situation.
For individuals and families who want a clear, personalized plan for moving to Costa Rica instead of piecing one together from guides, Facebook groups and conflicting online advice.
- Two private 60-minute online strategy sessions
- Personalized relocation roadmap
- Direct answers to your specific situation
- Guidance on residency, healthcare, banking, taxes and moving logistics
- Help evaluating where to live and real estate considerations
- Recommendations for the right legal, tax, real estate, insurance and relocation professionals
For foreign investors, developers and entrepreneurs who want clear, locally grounded guidance when evaluating real estate, development or business opportunities in Costa Rica.
- Two private 60-minute online strategy sessions
- Real estate investment & development advisory
- Opportunity and project evaluation
- Market entry & business structuring
- Guidance on permitting, development and local execution
- Help assembling the right team across legal, accounting, tax, architecture, construction and real estate
Álvaro Lachner
I left Costa Rica to study and work in the U.S. and Germany, then came back on purpose — so I've seen this place from both outside and inside, not just the side that photographs well.
I've run hospitality projects on this coast, built and operated companies across the country, and spent years advising people making the exact move you're considering — real estate, residency, cost of living, starting a business, all of it.
Costa Rica Decoded is the version I wish existed for them: the costs, the paperwork, the parts that don't make it into a highlight reel. But guides can only take you so far. When your situation gets specific, that's what a call is for — an actual answer from someone who knows how these decisions play out on the ground.