Community matters. Your neighbors. Your friends. The character of your relationships in a place. We consider this dynamic before we recommend a place. It’s one of the great benefits our in-country editors bring to their stories.

Almost invariably, when you ask a happy expat why he loves his adopted home, he’ll talk about the people first. Take Costa Rica, the focus of our cover story. There the climate is warm, the cost of living is low, health care is excellent, the government is stable, and the economy is thriving.

But when asked “Why there?” Rene Aiki, who has lived in the Arenal region for 19 years, says, “Costa Ricans are a gracious people…it’s an easy place to live where you can make close friends.”

See the story below and the rest of the articles from your June 2013 issue. If you’d prefer to read your issue in PDF format, click here.