Shopping Tips
Shopping
There are many shopping malls around the San José area, with stores, restaurants, movie theaters and more!
Multiplaza Curridabat
Multiplaza Escazu
Mall San Pedro
Lincoln Plaza
Terramall
For shopping for essentials on the cheap try Pequeño Mundo Zapote
SIM Cards & Phones
Communication Apps: We mainly use WhatsApp to communicate with each other. FaceTime and Facebook Messenger are other apps our students use to call their friends and family back home.
Cellphone and data options: There will be Wi-Fi at Veritas University, your homestay and nearly any mall, hotel, and restaurant you will be at, but still, the majority of our students want to have Internet access 24/7 everywhere they go, just as they do back home. For us, it is important that you can communicate easily and call Ubers without effort in case you need them. That is why we recommend either to have an international plan with your phone carrier at home or to purchase a Tourist Plan in Costa Rica.
Costa Rica has three different phone and data providers:
Kolbi is definitely the best choice with service all around the country. Once you arrive on-site to start your program, a CIS staff member will take you to Kolbi Store for you to buy a Tourist Plan which will provide you with a Costa Rican Phone number with 100 minutes included for national calls, 5GB to use in all your apps plus 5GB to use in WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram and Waze for less than $25. It usually lasts for 5 weeks depending on your use. The best part is you won't lose your contacts or your American line on WhatsApp, you will just set it up to keep it as it is, but with a Costa Rican sim card.
- In order to make this plan work, you will need an unlocked smartphone (check on this with your phone carrier or ask a friend for an unlocked smartphone they don't use anymore), your passport and $25.
When the 5 weeks are over or you run out of data, you can ask a CIS staff member for help in order to purchase more data under the same plan.
Once your study abroad program is over, you will just need to switch your Costa Rican SiM card for your American sim card and everything will go back to normal with no extra fees.
For more information about the tourist plan please check on the following website: Kolbi-sim-turista
Kitchen Supplies
When staying in a homestay, host moms are generally very protective of their kitchen and kitchen supplies. Students will be provided a space to keep some food in the house, but are not usually allowed to cook full meals. If students wish to cook they will have to get permission from the host mom.
Groceries
There are many local supermarkets and stores to purchase food and snacks:
Electronics
Costa Rica uses 110 volt, 60 cycle electricity, the same as the U.S. Plugs are typically the 2 pronged flat type, so purchasing a 2 to 3 prong adapter is advised. Keep in mind that purchasing electronics in Costa Rica is very expensive, so don't plan on purchasing a phone or computer while on-site.