When you move to Costa Rica you really don’t have to worry about missing your favorite TV program from the States. Fox, CBS, NBC, ABC, CNBC News, CNN News, Show Time HBO, ESPN , to name a few, are available here. The company and package you choose will determine what channels you will be able to view.

Here is a description of your options:

Cable Tica and Amnet are the two main cable TV providers. Each offers 50 to 60 English channels plus the local Spanish stations. But Cable Tica does not have some of the major U.S. Networks like CBS. The good news is that both companies do offer high-speed Internet via a cable modem. The cost of cable TV is about $25 monthly. If you want their Internet service you will have to pay another $25.

Sky TV, formerly know as Direct TV, offers a huge variety of programs including many movie channels via satellite. The downside is that they don’t broadcast CBS, NBC or ABC or the local Spanish stations. Also some of their programming is in Spanish for their Latin American audience. The best feature of this service is that you can have it installed any place I the country, no matter how isolated you are.  Sky does not offer Internet service.

They do have an attractive NFL football package so you watch all of the games on Sunday.

Satellite DISH NETWORK is available in Costa Rica. There are few independent companies offering this service here. The programming is superior to Sky TV and includes CBS, NBC, ABC and Fox plus everything else from their U.S. packages. For an extra cost you can view the professional Hockey, the NBA and college football and basketball. Initially, you have to pay around $2,700 to purchase a special receiver and an eight-foot-dish which is made here. You can’t use the small dish as in the states. So don’t try to bring one from there thinking it will work here. When you sign up for this service the local company will open an account for you in the States.

I have had DISH NETWORK for 5 years and love it. I really enjoy having the option of watching almost any program I want from the United States. I also have Amnet Cable to view the local Spanish stations since we are a bilingual household. Serious Spanish students may also want this option so they can improve their language skills by watching Spanish TV programs.

To sign up for DISH NETWORK see www.sunsattv.com.  Also see www.dishnetwork.com to get an idea of what programs and packages are available.

NOTE: You CAN’T sign up for the Dish Network in Costa Rica by contacting the main company in the States. It has to be done through the local company in Costa Rica.

People often wonder what are foods they will miss if decide to move here. When I came to Costa Rica almost 30 years ago there were very few U.S. food products in the supermarkets. I remember making frequent trips to the States and stuffing my suitcase with food from there. Now everything has changed and you can purchase almost anything from the U.S. in Costa Rican markets.

Local super market chains realized that they needed to stock a large amount of products form the United States and Canada because of a growing  expatriate community. Between Price Smart (Costco), Hipermás (Wal-Mart) and the Auto Mercado chains you can virtually find anything you want in Costa Rica. For Example,  at Thanksgiving time you may purchase a whole turkey, Ocean Spray Cranberry Sauce and Stove Top stuffing at any branch of the Auto Mercado.

On a recent trip to the supermarket I was able to buy the following items: Philadelphia Low Fat Cream Cheese, Crest Toothpaste, Lindsay’s canned olives from California, cottage cheese from the U.S., Yoplait Yogurt, Lays Potato Chips, a Sara Lee cheese cake, Arizona Ice Tea, Triscuit Crakers, Snyders Pretzels, French’s Mustard, Pert Plus shampoo, Wrigley’s chewing gum, Purina Dog Chow, Entennman’s pastries, Welch’s Grape Juice and Nabisco Chocolate Chip Cookies. Most of these products cost the same or a little more than they do in the U.S.

The above is a small sample of what is available here. I would be lying if I told you every single U.S. food product may be found in Costa Rica. However,  there are local versions of most packaged foods from the U.S. For example, Costa Rican companies make potato chips, tomato sauce, yogurt, cooking oils, Ice Cream, hot dogs, soy food and non-meat products, cookies and pastries,  dog and cat food, spaghetti and so much more.

An added bonus are the country’s fruits and vegetables which are grown year round. Most are  dirt cheap and plentiful.

What most people do who move here is buy the American products the absolutely can’t live without, purchase the local versions of the foods back home and take advantage of the inexpensive vegetables and fruits the country offers.

Staying fit is of paramount importance to many people. Costa Rica’s great climate is perfect for working out year round. So, you really won’t have to worry about staying in shape if you move here. The country offers many activities from which to choose: cycling, running, tennis, swimming, hiking, kayaking, Tai Chi Yoga and much more.

Costa Rica is a great place if you like to walk. I purposely try to walk as much as possible instead of using my car. There are several hiking clubs here for outdoor enthusiasts. I have a couple  friends  who belong to these groups and really love their weekend excursions.

Multi Spa is the largest chain of gyms with branches in areas like downtown San Jose and the upscale town of Escazú.

If you are a “gym rat” then you have come to the right place. Most major cities and some towns have gyms. The best ones are found in San Jose and the surrounding suburbs. Most gyms have weight training, aerobics, yoga, personal trainers, spinning, Pilates, martial arts, Tae Bo and virtually everything their counterparts in the States have. There are even programs for children.

Gym rates vary. At the high end of the scale  there is the new Pro Fitness Gym in Heredia’s Paseo de las Flores Mall. Everything is state of the art here. They didn’t spare any expense creating a world-class gym.  They offer over twenty different types of exercise programs including spinning and cardio kickboxing. They even have a pool when you swim against a current as part of resistance training.

Fitsimons, across form San Jose’s  Sabana Park, has a wealth activities to keep you in shape and a store that sells equipment like dumb bells and athletic clothing and shoes.

Gyms may also be found at some hotels like the Holiday Inn, at the Costa Rica Tennis Club and at the Cariari Golf Club. The latter boasts a 50-meter Olympic size swimming pool where you train.

The bottom line is that you won’t have to sacrifice your present exercise program by moving here. About the only activities you won’t be able to practice are winter sports  like  skiing, sledding and snowboarding. We do have ice skating at the  Castillo Country Club above Heredia.

Let’s look at how you can reduce your expenses by moving to Costa Rica.

I live in 2000 square foot home in Heredia. On the average I pay about $12 dollars per month for water and about $35 dollars for electricity. I was spending less but recently there was a 20 percent hike in the rates.  I don’t need air conditioning or heat where I live which is a real savings. I do have ceiling fans but rarely use them.

Gasoline is expensive here, but you don’t really need a car because Costa Rica’s public transportation is dirt cheap. Buses go virtually everywhere in the country.  In fact,  it costs less than $10 dollars to travel any place in Costa Rica. The rates are controlled so that everyone can afford this popular form of transportation. In San Jose there is a commuter train with more routes in the works as this form of transportation becomes more popular. Taxis are also affordable and easy to find.

I leave my cars in the garage during the week  and travel mostly by bus. I purposely get off the bus far away from my destination to walk more. This way I stay fit. Some of my friends think I don’t own a car because they always see me on foot. One of my wife’s friends thought I was poor and couldn’t afford a car because she always used to see me walking.

One of the main factor that is driving foreigners to Costa Rica is the quality of health care they are receiving in the U.S.  People are being priced out of the market and wind up with no medical insurance. Costa Rica is the solution for these disenfranchised individuals.  I have talked to people want to move here but are afraid they won’t receive the same care they do in the U.S. They are completely mistaken.

Not only is medical care affordable here but we have some excellent doctors. One of them is John Longworth who works at the Clínica Bíblica Hospital in San José. At first people usually say, “His name doesn’t sound Spanish.”  The are right. Dr. Longworth is Canadian but was raised in Costa Rica.
He is a consummate professional. During an appointment he really gives his patients the attention they deserve.  Time doesn’t seem to be a factor no matter how many patients he has waiting. The doctor is almost always accessible in case of an emergency and returns calls. He is soft spoken but make no mistake about it he will scold patients for not losing weight or following a specific treatment. You’d be hard pressed to find a doctor in the U.S. with the same bedside manner.

I am talking from first-hand experience about doctor Longworth. He has been my personal physician  for over ten years and I don’t have one complaint about him. In fact, I have recommended him to other foreigners and all of them seem to be very pleased with the service he provides.

Dr. Longworth is just the tip of the iceberg. Costa Rica Rica has many fine doctors. Nevertheless when choosing a physician talk with former patients and get several recommendations from other doctors before making your choice.