AE Member available:

• Costa Rican Real Estate Group, Patrick Mulheren

East-side San José: Welcome to the “Cool” Side!

Would you like to live in an exclusive area, enjoy a wonderful Spring-like climate all year-round, have embassies and ambassador's residences for neighbors, have access to good restaurants, exclusive stores, and great medical care…?  

Welcome to the Curridabat neighborhoods of Lomas de Ayarco and Pinares . . . in general, the East side of San Jose.  

Property here is generally a better value than on the West side but you enjoy the same conveniences, including great schools and excellent shopping (with three large malls), as well as the University of Costa Rica (which lends a vibrant atmosphere to the area). Here you will find everything from beautiful custom homes, luxury real estate to lovely new gated communities, to modern condos, to more humble and affordable homes.

The East side of San Jose can provide just about any setting you are looking for. The areas of Curridabat, San Pedro, Sabanilla and Tres Rios offer you exclusive gated neighborhoods as well as nice local neighborhoods, with peaceful living but you’re still close to all the amenities... and you’re just a short hop into downtown San Jose.

These areas have a nice mix of Costa Ricans (“Ticos”) and foreigners, although it still predominantly has a Tico “flavor”, since not quite as many foreigners have discovered the East side yet. The stately, older neighborhoods of Los Yoses, Barrio Escalante and Barrio Dent, a bit closer in to San Jose, were once home to the cream of Costa Rican society. If you would like to dive further into the Tico culture, the communities of Guadalupe, Desamparados, San Francisco de Dos Rios offer you more traditional neighborhoods, where the homes may be a bit smaller and closer to your neighbor... but at much more affordable prices.

If you go just a bit further out, you quickly get out into the countryside, from mountain estates, to rolling coffee fields, to the sleepy dairy farms up in the hills.

The climate on the East side of San Jose is fantastic! Being a little bit higher in elevation, it’s a bit cooler than downtown San Jose or the West side.  The daytime temperature averages about 72ºF (22ºC) YEAR-ROUND (being so close to the equator, the temperature at any given location doesn’t vary much throughout the year). So you may leave your windows open 24 hours a day, every day of the year... never needing heat or air-conditioning!

Recently, there has been a great growth spurt on the East side of San Jose. Some of the more notable development include the 125-store TerraMall and the 100-store Multiplaza del Este mall, along with the San Pedro Mall (one of the first malls in Costa Rica), the San Pedro Outlet Mall, the Plaza del Sol shopping center, etc. These malls offer such stores as Tommy Hilfiger, Oscar de la Renta, Kenneth Cole, Benneton, GNC, etc., in addition to 40+ cinemas! New restaurants are popping up all over (Chinese, Japanese, Italian, Peruvian, Moroccan, French, Mexican, World Cuisine, etc.). The largest supermarket/department store chain here, HiperMas, is now majority owned by Wal-Mart and has been a huge success. Having to ask a clerk behind a counter for each hardware item has become a thing of the past with the large Ace and Tru Value Hardware stores, as well as a huge new Home Depot-type center (“EPA”).

Probably the most notable presence in San Pedro and Curridabat is the University of Costa Rica, which is the largest university in Costa Rica. The university defines many of the characteristics of this area. The commercial district that borders the campus is home to the famous (or infamous) Calle de la Amargura, where you will find lots of nightlife and dining catering to the younger set. The nearby Jazz Cafe is especially notable for the high-quality talent it attracts.

Another big advantage to purchasing real estate in this area is the high appreciation you can expect over the next few years. The market study performed for the TerraMall indicated that the East side of San José will experience the highest growth rate within the Central Valley over the next 10 to 15 years. The level of development recently has been explosive, and land prices have not yet caught up.  

One of the big excitements on the East side is a new Thunderbird Casino/Hotel/Resort that is currently under construction near the TerraMall (Tres Rios). It will feature a four-star hotel, convention center, restaurants, shopping, wellness center, etc., along with their newest Fiesta Casino.

With a wide range of interesting living options, access to great shopping, schools, restaurants, activities, good values, fantastic climate . . . the East side really is the “cool” side!