Santa Teresa: Paradise or Overhyped?

By Diego Reyes

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Every digital nomad with a MacBook and a dream ends up asking about Santa Teresa eventually. It's become this mythical place—the surf town where you work from a beachfront café, get abs from surfing, and find yourself or whatever.

I've spent enough time there to give you the unfiltered version. And look, I'm gonna be honest: Santa Teresa is both better and worse than you've heard.

The Fantasy vs. The Reality

The Fantasy: Rustic beach town, consistent waves, Instagram-worthy cafés, community of cool entrepreneurs, off-grid paradise.

The Reality: Dusty mess with no infrastructure, one ATM, power outages, increasing theft, and monthly costs that'll make your eyes water.

Let me break it down.

What It Actually Costs (2026 Numbers)

Here's what the "affordable paradise" actually runs:

Let that sink in. A single person is looking at over $4,000 a month for a basic Santa Teresa life. It's 38% cheaper than NYC—but it's Santa Teresa, not New York. You're paying NYC-adjacent money for a town with one ATM.

And that rent number? Good luck finding it. The listings are all vacation rentals. Finding a real long-term place is its own odyssey.

What Actually Sucks

The Crime Problem Nobody Talks About

Here's the thing nobody on Instagram mentions: "Theft and crime have become disturbingly common in Playa Santa Teresa."

Robberies get reported regularly along the main drag. There are known problem spots—ask anyone who's lived there more than 6 months. Don't walk alone on the beach at night. Don't leave anything in your ATV or car—ever.

It's not Panama City levels of danger, but the Instagram version of Santa Teresa as this safe bohemian haven? That's fantasy. Lock your doors.

The Infrastructure is Third-World (Not in a Romantic Way)

• One ATM in the entire town. If it's down, you're driving to Cobano.
• Frequent power outages. The grid wasn't built for the current population. Rainy season especially.
• No sidewalks. Motorcycles and ATVs everywhere, no rules, dust in your face.
• Internet is 35 Mbps. They're expanding fiber, but it's spotty. If you're doing video calls with clients, you need a backup plan.
• Water scarcity. Dry season hits hard. The growing population is stressing the supply.
• Roads are unpaved and impassable in rainy season without 4x4.

One visitor described it as "a messy, ugly, dirty place, dirt and trash accumulated in several places." Harsh, but not wrong.

It's Far From Everything

• 3+ hours from San Jose
• 2.5 hours from Liberia airport
• Major hospital? Don't even think about it.
• The drive from the main highway is an adventure every time

If something goes wrong—health emergency, document issue, anything—you're stuck.

The Gentrification Is Sad

The Ticos who grew up here can't afford to live here anymore. Foreign-owned businesses dominate. There's not much local culture left. It's all açai bowls and surf shops and yoga studios run by people from Venice Beach.

I'm not saying that's your fault if you move there. But you should know what you're participating in.

Who's Actually There

Santa Teresa is Digital Nomad Ground Zero for Costa Rica. The country ranks #3 globally for remote workers in 2026, and a huge chunk of them land in Santa Teresa.

You'll find: - Laptop people in every café (guilty) - Young entrepreneurs who use "hustle" as a verb - Surfers who turned their hobby into identity - Yoga people (though fewer than Nosara) - The occasional lost retiree wondering where the restaurants close at 9

The demographic is young, international, and transient. People cycle through constantly. Deep friendships are hard to form because everyone leaves.

What's Actually Good

I'm not here to just trash the place. There are real upsides:

The surf is incredible. Consistent, powerful waves. Better than Tamarindo, more reliable than Nosara. If you're serious about surfing, Santa Teresa delivers.

The sunsets are insane. Every single day. Not exaggerating.

The food scene is surprisingly good. Yeah it's expensive, but the quality is there. Italian places with actual Italian chefs. Fresh seafood. Good coffee.

The community (when you find it) is real. Once you get past the transient layer, there are people who've been there for years and built actual lives.

It forces you to slow down. No infrastructure means no rushing. You either adapt or you leave. That's actually valuable if you're coming from burnout.

The Digital Nomad Visa Thing

Costa Rica's digital nomad visa lets you stay 2 years. You need: - $3,000/month income (single) or $4,000/month (family) - Proof of remote work - Tax exempt on foreign income

It's a real path to legal residency if you're serious.

Should You Go?

Santa Teresa is right for you if: - You surf and that's a core part of your life - You have reliable remote income ($5K+/month to be comfortable) - You can handle chaos, outages, dust, and uncertainty - You don't need to be near an airport or hospital - You're young and flexible (under 40 helps) - You understand you're paying premium prices for limited infrastructure

Santa Teresa is wrong for you if: - You have kids (healthcare access, schools are limited) - You need reliable internet for work (video calls, streaming) - You're Type A about convenience and efficiency - You're on a tight budget (go somewhere else) - You can't handle petty crime risk - You need a car (ATV or motorcycle is the only real option)

My Honest Take

I don't live in Santa Teresa. I visit, I enjoy it, but I couldn't live there. The infrastructure stress, the isolation, the cost-to-quality ratio—it doesn't work for me.

But I know people who love it. People who've built real lives there. They surf every day, they accept the power outages, they've made peace with the dust. If that's you, you'll know pretty fast.

Try it for a month before you commit to anything. Don't sign a year lease. Don't buy property. Don't fall in love with the fantasy before you've lived the reality.

The gap between what you see on Instagram and what you experience on the ground is massive. Some people bridge that gap just fine. Others are home within 6 months.

Figure out which one you are before you move your whole life.

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Diego Reyes lives in Tamarindo but has done multiple extended stays in Santa Teresa. He still can't believe there's only one ATM.