No matter what kind of rental you get, it will either be furnished or unfurnished. These are loaded terms, and don’t mean the same thing they do in the United States or Canada. For one thing, unfurnished apartments are completely unfurnished. That means they don’t even include basic appliances like stoves and refrigerators. Furnished apartments, meanwhile, are generally decorated very poorly, with knick-knacks, cheap picture frames, and tacky curtains. The furnishings themselves are usually hand-me-downs – castoffs from the landlord’s residence. Shockingly, this is often the case even in pricey properties in the $500 to $1,000 range. Landlords in Costa Rica typically put the bare minimum of upkeep into their properties as well, so before you settle on a place, you will probably view a parade of gloomy concrete boxes with cracked tiles, pealing paint, ancient kitchen and bathroom fixtures, and faded wooden cabinetry, all being rented at absurdly high rates. Newer properties, by the way, won’t necessarily have these same problems, and in all likelihood they rent for the same rate.

If you’re looking for a house rental, your two basic options are stand-alone houses and houses (or townhouses) in gated communities. The former might be cheaper because your landlord does not have to pay condo fees. The latter will be safer, since the condo fees usually include 24-hour security, and your landlord may not ask you to pay them. There are quite a few gated communities in the Central Valley and the surrounding areas, and more are being built every year. That kind of housing is more difficult to find in rural areas, and in beach areas it’s usually targeted toward tourists, and therefore quite expensive.

Apartment rentals are most common in city areas, although you can find them more or less anywhere if you look long enough. Like house rentals, you can get one with or without 24-hour security. Newer apartments come with their own parking spaces in a guarded area, which is something to check on if that’s important to you. Also, when renting ground-floor apartments, you usually also get any garden space that comes with the building. Two final options that are available to renters are apartotels and homestays. The former function something like a hotel, but rent for longer periods of time. They include a kitchenette and are fully furnished, down to the hand towels. The latter is a stay with a Costa Rican family, including meals depending on how you negotiate it. Apartotels are mainly located in urban areas and their rates will be more reasonable (and contracts more long-term) than if you were to simply get a hotel room. Homestays can be a good option if you would like to learn some Spanish or check out Tico home life. You must ask around with your local contacts in order to find one, although they’re fairly common pretty much anywhere in the country.

As a final note on rental options, there is a rather distinct difference between rentals for Ticos and rentals for foreigners. As explained in the chapter on architectural styles, Tico houses and apartments have a rather dreary style that includes block construction, small or no windows, tin roofs, and shabby furnishings. That being the case, Tico rentals also come with a lower price, so if you can handle “going local” for a bit, you’ll get to both experience some of the culture and save money. Also, if you have pets, make sure to ask your landlord about them ahead of time.