Real estate prices in this area are very reasonable. Lying a few minutes to the west of the Juan Santamaria International airport, this area is popular among local commuters who find affordable housing here and are able to easily reach their jobs in the Central Valley. Expatriates also are attracted to the area for its rural charm.

This area is coffee country and you will find a nice variety of real estate at affordable prices. There are some new homes and gated communities built with the expat in mind. If you would like to build your own home, plenty of lots with panoramic views are available. If you want privacy or space to grow your own produce, then many charming small farms are available in this area.

Grecia

Grecia is the first city you come to on the Pan American after the airport, driving west and is known as the cleanest city in Latin America. The people of Grecia are famous for their friendliness and are mostly farmers. Sugar is the main crop here, closely followed by coffee, and vegetables. Grecia is a huge area with many different altitudes. If you sit in the park and gaze at the famous metal church, you will see farmers gathered talking about the price of sugar, or cabbage, and kids playing and eating ice cream. Grecia is one of the most laid back cities in Costa Rica. It has a very successful market for fruit and veggies, meat, cheese, and fish. Other shops offer a wide variety of goods and services. There is a hospital right in the center of town. Feria day is big too, with everyone coming early to get the freshest produce and the best deals. Grecia is also home to lots of recreational areas for camping, hiking, and picnics.

Grecia is only 20 minutes from the International Airport. It is also only 45 minutes to the southern Pacific coast, Jaco, some of the best surfing is one of the first beaches you come to. Just off the highway, it is easy to go into the city for lunch, or shopping, and to the beaches in Guanacaste. Grecia is home to lots of foreigners, and offers a cinema and a mall.

Sarchi

Sarchi is truly the heart of the artist community of Costa Rica, and is nestled in the mountains midway between Grecia and Naranjo. Officially known as Sarchi Valverde Vega, it is home to the most famous woodworkers in the country. Nearly all of the souvenirs in Costa Rica originate here. You can still see the artisans working on the famous Ox cart wheel, or go to the Alfaro's workshop and see how it was done before electricity, with water! Residents of Sarchi who aren't into woodworking are mostly coffee farmers, as there are also lots of coffee plantations.

Sarchi is about 15 minutes off the Pan American and 35 from the International Airport. It is the gateway to Los Bajos de Toro, a recreation area north of Sarchi which opens up to the great North, and San Carlos. It is also in the center of the country, which gives convenient access to both.

Naranjo

Located just off the Pan American highway, only 25 minutes from the International Airport, Naranjo is conveniently situated in the heart of coffee growing country. The word Naranjo means orange grove, and you can still see lots of orange farms as well as coffee plantations all over the area called Naranjo. With a population of around 30 thousand, it boasts a bustling central market and two outdoor farmer's markets, or "ferias". The altitude is 1800 meters which offers a cooler but still tropical temperature year round. Naranjo is one of the most Tico experiences available in the Central Valley, it still has the small town feeling yet is only 1 hour to downtown San Jose. Each of the 13 districts offers different views mostly of the Central Valley, and the surrounding towns. Live in the real Costa Rica, learn Spanish, and buy your fruits and veggies from the locals.

Only 5 minutes off of the Pan American highway, easy on easy off when going into the city for lunch, or shopping, and to the beaches in Guanacaste. If you want to go north to the plains, or the volcano, Naranjo is the gateway, the principal road winding up though the mountains offering breathtaking view after view, you are only 2 hours from Arenal Volcano, and 1.5 hours from Poas. Naranjo is truly the center of the country.

Your Grecia GoDutch Specialist

Brooke Bishop

Brooke has been in Costa Rica since 1999 when she came as a volunteer for a small organization aimed at reforesting old coffee Plantations in Sarchi. She fell in love withe the country and the people and married her husband Alfonso from Naranjo in 2000. Both are happy to help locate the perfect place for you in Narnajo, and offer any relocation issues you might have.

Brooke is fluent in English and Spanish.