About Landed Costa Rica

Greg Thomas

Has lived in Atenas, in Costa Rica's Central Valley, since 2017.

Greg Thomas taught high school chemistry in Portland, Oregon for 24 years before deciding he'd rather spend his second act somewhere with more sunshine and fewer gray days. In 2017 he and his wife, Carol, a retired dental hygienist, settled in Atenas, the Central Valley town known for its famously mild climate. He arrived with a spreadsheet, a box of apostilled documents, and almost no Spanish.

Nine years later, he holds permanent residency, drives roads that once terrified him, and can negotiate with a ferretería clerk in passable Spanish. Greg has lived through the realities that glossy relocation videos skip: a residency process that took far longer than promised, enrolling in the Caja, building a small addition on his home, and learning which shortcuts cost more in the end. He's a numbers guy at heart, so his guides lean toward real costs, realistic timelines, and checklists.

On weekends you'll find him at the Atenas feria buying produce, birdwatching along the river, or helping newer arrivals decode their electricity bills. Greg's philosophy is simple: Costa Rica rewards patience and curiosity, and punishes assumptions. He writes to help you show up with plenty of the first two.

Permanent resident of Costa Rica.