What to Take to Costa Rica

You are moving to Costa Rica and the question comes up….What do I take with me?  The answer to this question varies with everyone.

If you are a family with children, you are of course going to want to bring more than if you are an individual traveling alone.

The cost to replace a house full of furniture and household items can far exceed the cost of bringing down what you already have in the States.  This is a rule that fits a larger family.  If you have a family of 5 for instance and a house with say 4 bedrooms.  The cost to bring it to Costa Rica from most locations in the US will be far less than the cost would be to replace all that you have with the same quality of items once you get to Costa Rica.  Shipping your household items, while it may seem expensive, is not near as high as the price of quality furniture, electronics and appliances in Costa Rica.

Now, if you are single and light on baggage, shipping your personal items down might not be such a good idea.  The above example was a 40′ packed container.  Usually a single person can’t fill even a 20′ container.  If you are a person of simple means and only need a one or two bedroom home/apartment, you can furnish one less expensively than you can ship a container down.

What to take to Costa Rica really depends on who you are and what your needs are.  Maybe this will give you a basic idea of which way to go.