Blog / Living Near the Nicoya Blue Zone: Guanacaste's Longevity Lessons for Your Move

Published · November 2, 2026

Living Near the Nicoya Blue Zone: Guanacaste's Longevity Lessons for Your Move

When people picture life in Tamarindo, they usually picture the beach, the sunsets and the surf. But the peninsula Tamarindo sits on has another claim to fame that has nothing to do with waves: the Nicoya Peninsula is one of the world's five original Blue Zones, places where researchers found people living unusually long, healthy lives.

If you're thinking about a home on the Gold Coast, it's worth knowing the story. Not because a new address comes with a guarantee, but because many of the habits behind Nicoya's longevity are woven into everyday Guanacaste life, and they're easy to adopt.

What is a Blue Zone?

Blue Zones is the name National Geographic Fellow Dan Buettner and his research partners gave to a handful of regions where people tend to reach 90 and 100 in good health. The original five are Okinawa (Japan), Sardinia (Italy), Ikaria (Greece), Loma Linda (California) and Nicoya (Costa Rica).

According to a review published in the American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine (available through the U.S. National Library of Medicine), Nicoyans are more than twice as likely as Americans to reach a healthy age of 90, while spending about 15% of what the U.S. spends on health care.

Tamarindo is in the canton of Santa Cruz, on the Nicoya Peninsula. The longevity research focused mainly on the peninsula's traditional rural communities, so think of the Blue Zone as your neighbor and your inspiration rather than a feature of a specific property.

The habits behind Nicoya's long lives

Researchers who spent time with Nicoyan centenarians kept seeing the same patterns. Here's what Blue Zones highlights:

1.
A plan de vida. Nicoyans talk about having a plan de vida, a reason to get up in the morning. Elders feel needed and want to contribute. Many people who move to Guanacaste find their own version: volunteering, a local business, surfing every morning, learning Spanish, or simply having more time for family and friends.
2.
Family and neighbors come first. Centenarians in Nicoya tend to live with or near family, and they get frequent visits from neighbors. Costa Rican culture in general is warm and social. Say buenos días at the soda, learn names at the farmers market, and you'll feel it quickly.
3.
Simple, plant-forward food. For most of their lives, Nicoyan centenarians ate a traditional Mesoamerican diet built on the three sisters: corn, beans and squash, plus plenty of tropical fruit. That's still the base of a classic Costa Rican plate. A casado (rice, black beans, salad, plantain and a small portion of protein) is about as Blue Zone as lunch gets. Nicoyans also tend to eat a light dinner early in the evening.
4.
Move naturally, every day. The longest-lived Nicoyans didn't train in gyms; they did physical work they enjoyed, every day. In Tamarindo, natural movement is built into the day: walking the beach at sunrise, paddling out, biking into town, gardening in the dry season, or a yoga class with an ocean breeze.
5.
The water story. One of the more surprising findings is about water. Researchers noted that drinking water on the Nicoya Peninsula is unusually high in calcium and magnesium (so-called hard water). A 2015 study in the Costa Rican journal Tecnología en Marcha, which analyzed water from 425 aqueducts across Guanacaste, found a positive association between harder water and longevity rates among people over 80. It's an association, not proof, but it's an interesting part of the region's story.

What this means if you're buying in Guanacaste

You don't buy a home for a statistic. But when buyers tell me what they're really looking for, it often sounds a lot like the Blue Zone list: more time outdoors, a slower pace, real community, fresh food and a sense of purpose.

A few practical ways to keep that in mind when you shop:

Walkability matters. Being able to walk or bike to the beach, a market or a café makes natural movement effortless.
Think about community, not just the house. Some buyers love a lively condo community with neighbors around; others want a quiet lot with space for a garden. Both can work beautifully.
Visit and live the routine. Spend a few mornings here doing what you'd actually do: coffee at a local spot, a beach walk, a trip to the feria. You'll learn quickly which neighborhood feels like home.
Ask about water. Every property has its own water source, whether a local ASADA (community water association), the national water utility, or a well. It's a standard part of due diligence, and a good agent and attorney will help you check it.

The bottom line

The Nicoya Blue Zone is a reminder of what makes this corner of Costa Rica special: purpose, family, good food, daily movement and time with people you care about. Plenty of people come to Guanacaste for the beaches and end up staying for exactly those things.

If you'd like to talk about which Gold Coast neighborhoods best fit the life you want to live, I'm happy to help, with no pressure and at your pace.

Talk it through

If you want to talk about which Gold Coast neighborhoods fit the life you have in mind, I'm happy to help, with no pressure and at your pace. Adam Nicholson, Coldwell Banker Tamarindo.

Adam Nicholson · Coldwell Banker Tamarindo / Gold Coast Guanacaste
Email: adam@cbtamarindo.com
Phone: +506 6061 8500
WhatsApp: https://wa.me/50660618500
Site: adamtamarindo.com

Adam Nicholson, Coldwell Banker Tamarindo