When visiting another country, sometimes we can not help ourselves and we indulge a bit by picking up a local newspaper if not to see what fellow expats are thinking about life in that country.

Here in Costa Rica there are a plethora of online English news sites however when it comes right down to it, there are only three of them that have earned the title of being in our Top 3 English Language Costa Rica Newspapers list.

3 Kicking off our list we have the infamous AM Costa Rica. Established in 2001 by Jay Brodell, it has always been an online ONLY news publication.

am costa ricaThis web site has become quite popular for a number of reasons including its eccentric owner and chief editor Jay Brodell. It has become common-place for articles appearing in this publication to serve a self-serving agenda of its owner in an attempt to maintain top billing as the best online English news source in the country.

As a result the news publication has become know for it’s leftist views against development throughout the country despite accepting ad revenue from the many developer and real estate agencies advertising all over their web site.

Ultimately if you’re looking for the local rag-mag of Costa Rica…pick up a computer, tablet or your phone…oh wait…their primitive web design does not support mobile viewing. So I guess you won’t be reading AM Costa Rica while sipping cocktails on the beach.

Site: www.amcostarica.com

2#2 on our list is Inside Costa Rica. Although suffering through recent hardships with regards to finances, this online English news source still remains a reliable source for up to date, original news and events within the country.

inside costa ricaCurrently boasting over 38,000 monthly readers, Inside Costa Rica has blossomed in to a formidable competitor to the “other” online newspapers. Unlike others though, ICR offers up regional news also from throughout Central and South America.

The 1st edition of the online publication was launched to the public on November 17th, 2002 and in 2012 was acquired by a group of investors for which it is currently still operating under. The senior editor and partner of ICR is Timothy Williams who’s shifted the direction of the publication from its previous path — translate original Spanish language news to English and re-purpose — to providing real up to date unique material from a team of on the ground reporters from around the country.

Site: www.insidecostarica.com

1Topping our list is the world renowned Tico Times – the forefather of English language newspapers in the country. In fact it is the only one on this list that, until recently, actually had a print publication.

the tico timesFounded in 1956 by Elisabeth Dyer, the Tico Times began as a student newspaper out of Lincoln School in the capital of San Jose in the Central Valley. The publication thrived through until 2007 when it would fall victim to the housing bubble here in Costa Rica and would quickly find a huge cut in advertising revenue as advertisers – largely real estate oriented – would rapidly come and go.

September 2012 was a historic day for the Tico Times where it announced that they would no longer have a print publication and as a result would be forced to layoff 16 volunteers in the print department of the once thriving newspaper.

However in January of 2014 the Tico Times would see a revitalization of sorts with the recent incarnation of the now ONLINE ONLY news publication which is what can be seen today.

With a much leaner operation in place it appears the newly revised version is being well received. Sure locals miss the idea of a picking up a copy and browser all the expat stories and left wing opinions on developments around the country but for the most part it appears people are welcoming the change.

Site: www.ticotimes.net

So there you have it, our Top 3 English Language Costa Rica Newspapers. We hope you enjoyed our review and hope to see you soon in paradise. Pura Vida!