One of the biggest question I get as a rural Realtor in Ottawa & Airbnb Super Host in Costa Rica is "How's the Internet" The world is so connected by this invisible force and we've come to depend on it for a means of earning a living. Now, I'm not a tech nerd so if you are please bare with me or feel free to email me some TIPS about Costa Rica internet I can share with the readers.
Personally, If I could sell real estate FROM Costa Rica with only an internet signal you bet your ass I'd be there working remotely! I mean, is there anything better than whipping out your laptop and drafting a deal for a client while hearing the ocean crash beside you? I can't think of anything better.....but I digress.
Different parts of the country has different internet pro's & con's so I'll focus on the internet here in Playa Tambor which is pretty much the same in most towns near us like Montezuma & Santa Teresa. The majority of the internet is provided by CABLETICA and it's fastest internet on average is 5mbps UNLIMITED which sounds atrocious but it's pretty decent for a small town. When I am there I do work from the villa and I'm able to video chat, do my emails and phone calls. At night we stream Netflix and yes it does have moments of buffering it is pretty decent. One thing you have to understand about the internet is it can go down at any time for any length of time. Sometimes it's just a few min and sometimes it's an entire day. This is life.
If you plan on being in Costa Rica for a while you can buy a cell phone SIM card and load it up however there are limits to this and if you stream a movie it can go quickly. So I would suggest if you NEED internet 100% of the time to have this as a back up just incase.
You can buy a KOLBI 4G SIM card at our corner store here and load it up for $7,000 CR (about $13 CAD) and receive 25GB for 7 days x 4 if you're there for a month and that's $55 which is much cheaper than many other roaming packages. Also working outside is much easier than inside as many of these villa's are concrete which is hard for wifi signals to penetrate.
Now, Elon Musk may save us all from our internet sorrows with his satellite internet program. It's in the process of being launched and has a $500 investment for new clients so I am curious to see if this will indeed be the solution for world wide internet services. We currently have a deposit to be one of the first to receive the satellite systems when they do launch!!!
Ultimately until Elon takes over the world with his satellites we'll have to survive with our CABLETICA service through our Costa Rican adventures & Tours.
DIGITAL NOMADS -Ask us about our KOLBI Top Up Program for long term rentals of 30 days or more! Best of both worlds -Beach life & Fast Internet!!!
Pura Vida.
Pura Vida
Kristy & Eric
Dog Paws & Sandy Hair Be sure to check out our Villa Rentals.
Thinking of Buying / Selling in Canada or Costa Rica? Feel free to reach out and I'll be able to connect you with a trusted professional in your market.