I read a post by Scott Oliver on welovecostarica.com that made a good comparison about murder in Costa Rica. I know a lot of expats are concerned with safety when they’re living in other countries. I’ve heard the same thing from a lot of people who I’ve told about Costa Rica, most of them say the same thing “isn’t it dangerous there”. I always answer no. I feel more comfortable in the places that I’ve been to in Costa Rica than cities like Houston, Miami or even New York City. I think petty crimes exist every where and Costa Rica is no exception. I think it’s usually up to you to be aware of your surroundings, and try not to put yourself in situations that could be dangerous. However, sometimes, situations are unavoidable and as we say in the southern USA, Shit happens. As you’ll see by the charts below Costa Rica as a country, has as lower murder rate per 100,000 than most major US cities.

via welovecostarica.com (password protected)

It’s always nice getting the point of view from someone who was born and bred in the country that you’re interested in moving to. In this case, Josue Salazar lives in Costa Rica and blogs about it. He also has a nice collection of photos which you can see here.

There’s a blog called Tenfootsquare that has some good info for folks traveling to Costa Rica and other parts of Central and South America. Two really good reads are

• Top Historical Spots in Costa Rica
• Top Cultural Facts in Costa Rica