As Escazú has become more and more expensive and crowded, Tico and expatriate builders have looked further west, the towns of Santa Ana and Ciudad Colón. Property owners in these towns have seen the value of their land shoot up along with the construction of gated communities and new single-family homes in what used to be cattle pasture and coffee fields.  

Ciudad Colón retains its small-town feel and is still very much a working service town, with small Costa Rican stores and the inevitable fried chicken – pollo frito – joints. Every year the city (it was recently declared as so, changing its name from Villa Colón to Ciudad Colón) hosts its horse parade, or tope, and everyone gathers along the streets to watch the horses prance through town, owners dressed in their best riding gear.

Santa Ana, meanwhile, is quite a bit more developed, and every day it more closely resembles the suburban sprawl found outside U.S. cities, with its commercial complex, strip malls, expensive restaurants, and shopping. Still, neither Santa Ana nor Ciudad Colón are yet as dense as Escazú. Builders there are focusing on gated communities rather than towers. The cost of living in Santa Ana isn’t too much different from Escazú, and Ciudad Colón is going that way. Local fresh produce markets help keep grocery costs down somewhat.

A big change is likely to take place once the highway connecting San Jose with the Central Pacific is completed. Much of the construction is just expansion of existing routes, but a brand new leg of roadway – to connect the Central Valley with the Pacific by a drive of about an hour and a half – will start in Ciudad Colón, making it a prime site for further development.  Gated communities and low-rise condominiums are going up every month, but there is still land to build yourself, if you prefer. 

As in Santa Ana, gated communities are popular among both Ticos and expatriates in Ciudad Colón. The future convenience of Santa Ana and Ciudad Colón to the new highway and therefore the beach, and their current proximity to the amenities of Escazú have been the major factors behind price increases in the area. Prices vary within Santa Ana and Ciudad Colón, depending on views and quality of land and construction, but in some areas, they don’t differ much from Escazú itself. Land became so expensive in Escazú that developers started building up. This could happen in Santa Ana and Ciudad Colón if planning regulations allow.