Life in Costa Rica
The standard of living in Costa Rica draws expats from all over the world. Life in Costa Rica is colorful, busy, and full of smiles.
Costa Rica is divided into seven provinces: Alajuela, Cartago, Heredia, Guanacaste, Limón, Puntarenas, and San José. However, these provinces are in five main regions: Central Valley (GAM), North Coast, Arenal/Monteverde Mountain Region, Southern, and Central Pacific.
Most companies, schools, and services are in Central Valley (GAM). Coastal or rural towns like Jacó, Tamarindo, Dominical, Uvita, Ojochal, Atenas, Grecia, and Puerto Viejo are popular with expats.
Costa Rica has a few major highways mainly connecting to the coasts. The government offers Universal Health Insurance; however, it's best for expats to obtain private insurance.
Education in Costa Rica
The education system in Costa Rica is very accessible. If you're interested in sending your children to school in Costa Rica, the process is simple.
Public Elementary, Middle, and High School in Costa Rica are free and mandatory, giving the country an educated population. Five public universities are also free of charge.
Many private educational institutions offer diverse programs and options for those who want to receive more than what they'll obtain at a public school.
When You Arrive
CDS offers families who are new to Costa Rica a warm welcome at various events throughout the year. The CDS Admissions Team are key to new families and welcomes your inquiries. The Parent Association offers a warm welcome via our Buddy Families: existing CDS families act as "buddies" to help new families settle into the school and wider community.
New Family Welcome Events
CDS provides several formal and informal opportunities for new parents to meet the school administration and other families, such as:
- New Families Orientation Day — at the first and second semester
- Coffee for New Parents/Buddy Families — at the first and second semester
- New Parents Welcome Evening at the Director's Home — at the first and second semester
- Back to School Night — at the first semester
- Parent Grade Level Parties — at the first semester
Parent Representatives
Parents volunteer as Class or Divisional Representatives and on the PA Executive Committee. They're an excellent source of information, so do contact them for any questions you have.
Learning Spanish
New families in Costa Rica can take advantage of the city's international language services.
For relocating families that need to learn Spanish outside our school academic program, Costa Rica offers many different options and programs in the city or surrounding areas.
International language services are found in San José, such as Berlitz, the European School of Languages, Centro Cultural, Wizard, Cervantes, Intensa, and others. Also, many major private and public universities offer Spanish lessons all throughout the country.
Many programs tailored to expats and foreigners offer fun language learning options such as "Spanish and Surf," "Do Yoga While Learning Spanish," or "Spanish and Culture."
