← Back to resourcesResource · Vocabulary

Tico-Foreigner Glossary

This is not a complete dictionary of Costa Rican Spanish — it's the practical list of terms you'll hear in your first 6 months that can change the outcome of a conversation, a procedure, or a purchase.

We organized it by context. If you come across a term you don't understand day-to-day, look it up here or write to us to add it.

Bureaucracy and paperwork

DIMEX: Documento de Identidad Migratorio para Extranjeros (Foreigner's Migratory Identity Document). The ID card you receive when your residency is approved. Without DIMEX you can't open a permanent bank account, register with Caja, or convert your license.
Caja (CCSS): Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social (Costa Rican Social Security Fund). Public health and pension system. As a resident you're required to contribute monthly; the amount depends on your immigration category.
Hacienda: Ministry of Finance. Equivalent to the IRS, HMRC, or AFIP. Manages taxes, VAT, income tax, imports.
Tributación: General Directorate of Taxation, part of Hacienda. Where you register if you're going to invoice in CR.
Sinpe Móvil: Instant transfer system between Costa Rican banks, linked to your phone number. In CR everything is paid via Sinpe — from the corner store to the rent.
Apostille: International certification (Hague Convention) that validates a foreign document in another country. Without an apostille, your birth certificate is useless at Immigration.

Real estate and property

Folio real: Unique identifier for each property registered at the National Registry. When you request a 'folio real study,' you get the complete history of the property.
Plano catastrado: Official plan registered at the National Cadastre with number, area, and boundaries. Every legitimate property has a current registered cadastral plan.
Servidumbre (Easement): A right that encumbers a property in favor of another (passage, water, view, no-build). Easements are registered in the folio. A property with a right-of-way easement does NOT fully belong to you.
ZMT (Maritime Terrestrial Zone): The first 200 meters from the high tide line are state property. They cannot be sold as private property — only granted as concessions for 5 to 20 years. If someone sells you 'beach,' there is fraud.
ASADA: Community aqueduct management association. In rural areas, ASADA provides the water service. The ASADA availability letter is MANDATORY before buying.
Escrow SUGEF: Fund custody firm registered with the Superintendent (SUGEF). The purchase money NEVER goes directly to the seller; it passes through escrow.
Sociedad Anónima (SA): Corporation — a common legal structure for holding properties. Historically: anyone could have an SA with anonymous shareholders. Today: mandatory beneficial owner declaration.
Corporación inmobiliaria: A phrase some sellers use to make something formal that is just 'agent with a business card.' Costa Rica does not require a real estate broker license.

Money, banking, and daily life

Colón: Local currency. CRC. In 2026 around ¢510 per dollar. You'll pay in colones for almost everything (the dollar circulates but isn't legal tender at supermarkets or gas stations).
BCR / BNCR: Banco de Costa Rica and Banco Nacional. The two public banks. They accept tourists for temporary accounts with a passport. Slower but more accessible.
BAC, Promerica, BCT: Private banks. Better digital banking, faster service, but may require DIMEX to open an account.
Pulpería: The neighborhood corner store. More than a business: it's a social hub. The pulpería knows who's sick, who came back from abroad, who's separating.
Soda: Family restaurant serving typical tico food. Casado, gallo pinto, olla de carne. Eating at a soda is cheaper and more authentic than any tourist restaurant.
Casado: The typical lunch plate: rice, beans, salad, ripe plantain, and protein (chicken, beef, or fish). At a cheap soda: ¢3,000–¢4,500 (US$6–US$9).

Everyday speech

Mae: Equivalent to Mexican 'güey,' Spanish 'tío,' or English 'dude.' Used among friends and acquaintances. Don't use it in a formal meeting.
Pura vida: Greeting, farewell, agreement, expression of well-being. It's not just tourism: Ticos say it 30 times a day. 'How are you? — Pura vida.'
Tuanis: Good, nice, cool. 'Está tuanis ese carro' = 'That car is cool.'
Diay: A universal filler word meaning 'well...,' 'it's just that...,' 'so what then?' Impossible to translate.
Vos: Second-person pronoun used informally in CR (not 'tú' or formal 'usted'). 'Vos sabés,' '¿vos qué pensás?' Costa Rican voseo — different from the Río de la Plata version.
Carajillo: Coffee with a splash of liquor. Also: 'small mischievous child.' Depends on context.
Brete: Job, work. 'Estoy buscando brete' = 'I'm looking for work.'
Tata / Mama: Dad / Mom. 'Voy donde mi tata' = 'I'm going to my dad's place.'

Geography and zones

GAM: Gran Área Metropolitana (Greater Metropolitan Area). San José and the surrounding cantons (Heredia, Alajuela, Cartago). Where most of the population lives.
Valle Central: Plateau between mountains where the GAM is located, along with towns like Atenas, Grecia, Naranjo. Temperate climate year-round (18–26°C / 64–79°F).
Pacífico Norte: Guanacaste. Beach, sun, pronounced dry season. Tamarindo, Nosara, Sámara, Santa Teresa, Papagayo.
Pacífico Central / Sur: Jacó, Manuel Antonio, Dominical, Uvita, Ojochal. More jungle, more rain, less mass tourism towards the south.
Caribe Sur: Puerto Viejo, Cocles, Manzanillo, Cahuita. Afro-Caribbean culture, different rhythm, much more rainfall.
Zona Norte: Plains and volcanoes: Arenal, San Carlos, Upala. Agriculture, cattle ranching, ecotourism.
Zona Sur: Pérez Zeledón, Buenos Aires, Osa. More rural, more isolated, cheaper. The least touristy CR.

Missing a word?

If you heard something you can't find here, write to us. We add terms every quarter based on community feedback.

Want us to notify you when we update this?

These resources change every quarter. Subscribe to the book and receive updates by email — no spam.

Subscribe with the book