Finding an address in Costa Rica is impossible without knowing the cardinal points or directions

Did you know that finding an address in Costa Rica is difficult because we don’t have addresses? We don’t have street names or house numbers. Google Maps calls the road where our office is Carretera John F Kennedy. Don’t try to ask a Tico for this street name, because they won’t know. They’ll only understand our address as follows: 300 Norte y 25 Este de Centro Comercial Paco en San Rafael de Escazu, mano izquierda, tapia blanca, portón café.

Most foreigners use the numbers of the highways in their country frequently. Here, we use only the ones for Highway 27 and Highway 32. Even Highway 1, we call it “the General Cañas” if it is the part that goes from San Jose to Alajuela. Or we call it “carretera Panamericana” if it’s the rest of Highway 1. So don’t ask a Tico for the 121, the road between San Jose and Ciudad Colon, because we call it “the old road.”

A bit messy, right? For Ticos though, it’s logical and pretty easy to follow. See it as the attractive and funny part of learning about the local culture when you move here.

A Joke

My mom sent me this joke that makes a lot of sense if you are living in Costa Rica: While looking at a house, my brother asked the real estate agent which direction was north because he explained he didn’t want the sun waking him up every morning.

The real estate agent asked, ‘Does the sun rise in the north?’ When my brother explained that it had risen in the east for some time, he shook his head and said, ‘Oh, I don’t keep up with all that stuff.’

I just gave you another reason to hire an American European affiliate real estate agent to purchase or sell your house. We all know our way around well and have no problems finding an address in Costa Rica. Our agents know the cardinal points where they sell properties. And if the agent doesn’t, get rid of that agent fast.

Everywhere you go in Costa Rica, it turns around the cardinal points; the Los Angeles Times even wrote an article about it. If this real estate agent lived in Costa Rica, she’d be out of a job. You need to know your cardinal points to find an address in Costa Rica. You will probably need to register your new address at your embassy, too.

Google Maps and Waze

We all use Google Maps and Waze now to find and address. That’s probably the easiest way. BUT, because we have no addresses, you can’t use that to find the address. So ask which known restaurant, bar, store, or other easy-to-find place of reference they can give you. Or, ask the people where you’re going, to send you a pin.

Where to start

For starters, learn the layout of the land. Start to recognize the mountains around you or where the ocean is located. Figure out where the cardinal points are where you live, and you’ll figure it all out in no time.

Buy one of those small compasses to stick on your windshield or use your phone. After living in the Central Valley for a while, you will get to recognize the surrounding mountains quickly. You can use those mountains for orientation, and in most beach areas, it’s even easier. You need to read this blog when you want to purchase or rent Costa Rica real estate.

Street names and Street numbers

You might ask why we don’t have street names or street numbers. There are street numbers in larger cities, such as the North American system: Avenida Primera, Calle 23 = 1st avenue, 23rd street. Most of the street signs disappeared many years ago. In San Jose, it would be easy for me to find an address on Avenida Primera. But if I had to look for 23rd Street, I wouldn’t even know if I’d have to start looking west or east of Central Street.

See the San Jose map below. It shows all the streets and avenues. But if you look at the Santa Ana map below, you will notice that only downtown Santa Ana has the streets and avenue numbers marked. Once you go outside the downtown area, there is no more numbering. If you go in person to Santa Ana, you will probably not find even one sign, as is shown on the map. The problem is that the residents don’t use this numbering themselves.

That is why I am much more comfortable finding an address in Costa Rica that has a landmark.

The Catholic Church

If you have been a Boy or Girl Scout or in the army, you don’t need me to tell you about the cardinal points. Many need help on that matter. One tip I can give you is that almost every Catholic Church’s front door looks out west.

The only reason I could find for that is that the largest windows in the church are always on the east side. That is because the sun comes up in the east and gives daylight inside the church during mass. Another reason seems to be that they’re oriented towards Rome and Jerusalem. Very few churches in Costa Rica are oriented differently. So, you can use the Catholic church to find an address in Costa Rica.

Phones

Do you have a phone? Of course you do; how could you live without one?

Then, you can install a Waze app, which many Ticos use, or Google Maps. The first gives notice about traffic accidents, jams, and other traffic information. People can send you the exact directions to their house or business using those. Several compass apps are also available for iPhones or others, allowing you to easily find an address in Costa Rica.

A landmark

All addresses in Costa Rica start with a well-known landmark:

• a church
• some grocery store
• a factory
• the local soccer field
• a bar
• or even a landmark that was there for years but has disappeared or closed.

It is customary to talk about “el antiguo” or the former and then the place’s name, like el antiguo Higueron or la antigua Paco.

A city block

Costa Ricans measure by “cuadra,” which is a city block. No matter how long a block is, they part from the fact that a block is 100 meters. So, if someone lives halfway down the block, it will be 50 meters. Some streets have blocks on one side that are longer than on the other. Well, you’ll figure it out!

How to find the house

How do you find the right property in Costa Rica? It is not customary in Costa Rica to number the houses like in other countries. Some homeowners might just put any number on their front door or a sign that says something like “Casa Winnipeg.” I strongly recommend doing this so people can find your new house easily. You can also paint your house red or yellow and say that you live in a house of that particular color.

Typically, an address will first say so many meters north and so many west. This will be followed by “5a casa a la izquierda, tapia verde, porton negro con veranera roja.” Translated, this means “5th house on the left, green wall, black gate with a red bougainvillea”.

An easy system

You will hear the weirdest directions no matter where you live, near a Costa Rican beach or in the city. Or at least you’d think they are weird. But you will see how easy it is once you follow the directions.

If you are unfamiliar with a city where you are looking for a specific address or have been away for a long time, you will need a map or a phone to find anything. Not in Costa Rica, where the system is very simple. You only need to speak a bit of Spanish and not be afraid of asking around.

The easy way of finding an address in Costa Rica is to find the city or town first. Then, see if you can find the landmark on your own or ask anybody for the landmark. Once you’ve found the landmark, follow the directions or ask.

You’d be surprised how easy it is to find an address in Costa Rica. It’s one of those interesting cultural differences you must adapt to if you want to live in Costa Rica as a happy person.

Your American-European affiliate agent will show you how to get the “address” to your new home in Costa Rica, so don’t worry.

Are you moving to Costa Rica and plan to purchase a property? We can assist with the whole process, from beginning to end. Ask now for a Zoom meeting and we’ll get you going now.