Mansions and residences destined for tourism are taking over the beachfront, coastal hills, and the highland cantons, where excessive pressure on natural resources has not yet arrived. The cool climate of Tilarán and the rural views of Bagaces are now also options in the growing list of places to be commercialized for tourism.

In the last ten years, 17% of the homes built in Costa Rica are over 150 square meters. However, in Guanacaste, this figure rises to 26%. 

A province with a significant housing need is building homes over 150 square meters. This is clearly not aimed at the 70%-80% of the population, who are left unable to afford such housing,” says Franklin Solano, an urban planning and housing researcher. He is one of several expert voices sharing their insights in this special report.

At the same pace as urban development grows in Guanacaste, the housing crisis worsens. There are houses, too many houses, but they are unattainable for most of the residents. There are subsidies, at least some, but the high cost of land makes it impossible for these subsidies to be of any real help to those who need them the most. As a result, people are pushed into forming settlements, living informally in Guanacaste.

In our special report, “Guanacaste: between tourism and the roof“ we explore the contradictions of housing access in the province, revealing data, stories, and perspectives that complicate the statistics framing Guanacaste as a “hub” of development.

In these three reports, an unavoidable reality is brought to light: behind the numbers, there is a struggle between those who want to live in the province and those who can finally afford to do so, with a state acting as an intermediary that is being overwhelmed by the pace of urban growth.

Housing then becomes a privilege and a commodity, displacing its other essential characteristic: the home as a human right.

Delve into this special feature with these three reports and uncover the dilemma of living in Guanacaste:

A tourist’s paradise with empty houses