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I was wondering what everyones packing list looked like when you moved? What are thing you brought that you wished you left behind?
What did you not bring that you wished you had?
Please share!
I wish I had left behind my car. We brought furniture, clothes, household goods, yard tools, personal effects, etc. I am glad we moved our things. trying to buy everything all over again would have been a hassle and more expensive. However, with the car, if I had to do over again, I would have bought here. It’s a long story, but you’ll have to trust me on that.
Where in Costa Rica are you moving to ? I have alergies here I never had back home, maybe some alergy pills, they are expensive here. I bought a 100 pill bottle at Walmart, pretty cheap, it works for me. I also wear contact lenses, Renu is expensive , twice the price back home. Also vitamins are expensive , if you take them.
I don´t know what your plans are , but maybe you can rent a place with some furniture in it and scope out the areas before you bring any big ticket items here if that is what you are thinking about. The list you are asking about is too big , only you know your personal tastes, come visit and stay awhile first and check out the prices of things you are considering to have before shipping anything here.
If you currently own anything that’s important to you (art, family heirlooms, etc) that is of any volume at all, then moving a container here will be your best bet. There are 20- and 40-foot containers available.
If you do the math, you’ll soon see that moving your belongings and paying the (typically minimal) Customs duty turns out to be much less expensive than getting rid of everything in the U.S. and replacing it here. If you get rid of everything, you’re talking about garage sale prices or giving things away and trying to take a tax deduction. Then, you move down here and replace everything at prices which may or may not be less than U.S. prices, as the reply above rightly points out.
Once you’re committed to a container, the moving cost is fixed. When you think about the cost of replacing all your kitchen stuff, linens, furniture, tools, sporting goods, etc, you’ll soon see that what you own today would cost a fortune to replace. And, again as rightly pointed out above, the hassle value of chasing all over Costa Rica trying to find things will drive you crazy.
I would recommend against bringing appliances or automobiles. In both cases, repair parts may not be available and cars are given a lengthy bureaucratic treatment on their way in that can be expensive and time consuming.
I would disagree a little about bringing in a container. It really depends on your plans. Your life style can change dramatically once you settle in here, and what seems important now, may not seem as important even six months from now. We had the luxury of having a friend that lived here and once we knew we were moving down we started bringing two extra suit cases during visits and leaving them with our friend. We have no regrets that we sold everything before moving and did not go to the expense of shipping a container. I definitely agree with not bringing a car. Availability of items such as small kitchen appliances and household items are much more readily available than even two years ago when we first arrived. So it really is not an issue finding comprable replacements at comprable prices. The most expensive items can be electronics. Replacing stereo and TV equipment can cost you as much as 2 or 3 times what they are in the States. If you have the opportunity to come and rent a place for even just 6 months, it will give you a better perspective on what you need and what you feel is important.
if your intention is to retire and experience the culture and beauty of CR, it makes more sense to minimize stuff you think you need. if you are prepared to live a more simple life, you can buy most things locally. except for beddings, linens, drapes and a few handyman tools,we stayed local. a lot of the stuff important to me can be transported in suitcases, if it cannot, i probably don’t need it. always remeber that this may not be your last move. the less stuff you bring, the easier it is to ge rid of it should you move again, not to mention potential losses.
I am truley convinced that one needs to rent before deciding where, when or to buy or rent when making the BIG move….my question is how have people done this? do u arrange to rent before going down to CR or find something when u 1st get there….do u stay at a hotel and look for an apt or house? who do u contact to find a place to rent with a price in mind?
did u all just go or plan for years? do u have contacts and how did u make them
if it were up to me, i’d leave tomorrow…(un)fortunately, my husband is a bit more practical
deniseEven linens and tools are much more redily available than they were even a few years ago, so it really depends on how much stuff you have that has sentimental value, etc. to you. A big factor is what kind of life style are you planning on living down here and the type of house. What your budget is going to be is a factor. If money is not an issue, and you are planning on having a larger modern home then you can buy quality furniture down here. Yes, modern furniture too. We have a simple home near the beach and prefer a more rustic type of furniture for the most part. Unless you have furniture you are particularly holden to, it just doesn´t make sense to do the container route. Some people spend $12K or more shipping a container. You might consider a shipping crate type instead. Our friends here in Esterillos shipped a 200 sq foot crate for around $2500. They brought their tools and a lot of personal items, but no furniture or bigger items.
actually that might have been cubic feet. Can find out if anyone wants more info on the crate route.
I shipped a 40 ft container last October for $6275 including taxes on the household goods. My container was basically my household furnishings and my car. Note that the $1,500 in taxes did not pay for my car import taxes… Shipping something smaller can make sense depending on where you are moving from. We shipped from Tampa, so obviously shipping from a city on the water (Port City) is cheaper than shipping from inland USA.
Just as an FYI to anyone researching this, I just got a quote from Ship Costa Rica (see article posted on this site) for $5490 for door to door service (pick up at my house in Richmond, VA and deliver to my house near Tilaran) exclusive of import duties for a 20 foot container (roughly 7’8″ wide by 7’10” high by almost 20′ length). This does not include the loading or unloading of the container itself. I hope this isn’t considered a commercial post since Barry from this company has an article posted on this site, and have no connection with this company whatsoever.
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