Costa Rica Retirement - Yes, You Can Afford To Retire In Costa Rica
Frank Kaiser
After a lifetime of hard work, harder winters - and possibly hard up for money
- how about retiring to a relatively safe place where the temperature's always
in the 70s, complete healthcare costs less than $50 a month for the two of you,
where a two-bed, two-bath house rents for about $300, and the natives love Americans?
Got your attention? I speak of Costa Rica, of course. It's that little piece of paradise lying
between Nicaragua and Panama where democracy and political stability flourish
and violent crime is virtually unknown. Living there for American retirees is
cheap, easy, and fun.
Yes, fun!
Right now there are about 40,000 Americans living in Costa Rica full-time, at
least 11,000 of them on Social Security. When Carolyn and I were there in June
, we spoke with some of them.
To a person, they wouldn't trade their lives in Costa Rica for anything.
“Why would I want to leave this?” asks George Lundquist, 66, a former
Texan. He and his wife have lived just outside the capital of San Jose for about five years. And with the exception of not seeing their grandkids more
often, they couldn't be happier.
George, who offers a four-day, three-night Relocation and Retirement tour, sweeps
his pointed finger at the flowering gardens everywhere and says, “We have
incredible weather, 73 degrees - plus or minus five - 365 days a year [in
the Central Highlands]. Excellent, inexpensive healthcare. Excellent, downright
cheap fresh food, including the basic food groups of ice cream, beer, bread, vegetables,
eggs, chicken, and pork. And you can buy a nice home for fifty grand.
George's only regret is that he didn't get to Costa Rica sooner.
Most everyone with whom we spoke claimed that a Gringo retired couple could
live well there on $2,000 a month or less. Many find they can live on Social
Security alone. A single gentleman we met said that he lives well within his $1,200 monthly check.
But where? With gorgeous beaches on both the Atlantic and Pacific sides of the
country, mist-shrouded waterfalls, dewy waterfalls, breathtaking park systems
and classy suburbs with fine dining and golf, the choice is wide. As one expat
said, “You can live in a fine place by the water, and you can live dirt cheap.
But not at the same time.”
A huge help in deciding where to put your real estate dollar is Scott Oliver's
How to Buy Costa Rica Real Estate Without Losing Your Camisa. When buying property in this foreign country, where laws and procedures are different, Scott's an excellent guide.
This Brit, ex-Wall Street and wealth-management type, fell in love with the “stunning scenery, sunshine and smiles” of Costa Rica, and has been
telling it like it is ever since.
Scott's informative WeLoveCostaRica.com newsletter keeps readers up to date on current trends, ideas, and prices. A recent
issue featured:
Earn $80K per year tax-free living in Costa Rica?
Future Retreat for "Burnt Out" American Lawyers
Rents & Sales Falling & Rising?
Download Your New 124 'tips & Traps' Report
How To Easily Find Your New Home in Costa Rica
Want An Expert To 'Help-U-Search'?
The main thing to remember: Go slow.
To see a lot in a short time, I'd suggest that you take a tour, like the 10-day
Caravan Tour we took in June. Then, once you have a feel for the place,
spend some time in and around San Jose. Rent a car. Go back to places that
interested you. Most important: Keep your eyes open and talk to people.
We stayed at the Hotel Don
Carlos in San Jose. Their staff is extremely helpful. And when we were there about half the guests were Americans investigating retirement to Costa Rica.
Most expats we spoke with recommended that you rent at first. Give yourself ample opportunity to look around for that perfect
place.
Learn some Spanish. Although many Ticos speak English, a little language
effort goes a long way to smooth a path to great relationships.
There are at least two Costa Rican English language newspapers. The Tico Times,
published every Friday, keeps you up-to-date with local, national, and US news.
And the biweekly, Costa Rica Today, is a free paper for tourists. Get them both
if for nothing but the ads.
Mexico, Belize, Panama and others all lure Americans to run away to retire. And
each has its good points. But in my book, there's no safer, friendlier, more
comfortable place to live anywhere outside the US than Costa Rica.
Not to say there aren't problems. Just a lot fewer in Costa Rica.
Once there, you'll probably agree with George Lundquist: “Nothing could
get us to move back north!"
You Need To Know.
Government Requirements: You need to prove an income of $600/mo. You must
be a “legal resident” to be eligible for their generous healthcare plan.
Healthcare: $25 - $50/couple for all doctor visits, prescriptions and hospitalization.
Physicians are excellent, most trained in the US.
Roads and Infrastructure: Certainly not as good as the US but better than
other Latin American countries.
Getting There: Currently, the roundtrip airfare on American Airlines Miami/
San Jose is $115 plus tax.
Getting Acquainted: Even old hands, tourists who have visited Costa Rica
several times, recommend Caravan Tours (1-800.227.2826) at $995 for 10 days, all
meals, activities, hotels transfers, transportation, excursions, even tips included.
Plus air. We found it perfect for seeing as much of the country as possible in
a very short time.
What to Wear: Climate varies from the temperate central highlands of San
Jose to the much warmer Atlantic and Pacific coasts. Remember, you're only
about 10 degrees from the Equator here. Caravan recommends a sweater or light
jacket. Carolyn and I each chose to take a lightweight hooded poncho-style raincoat.
Plus shorts and loose shirts. A pair of jeans. Casual. Washable. Comfortable water-resistant
shoes also are a must. Although the pacing of the tour is excellent and never
rushed or strenuous, there is a lot of walking, often in the rain (forests). Laundry
service is available at all hotels. And don't forget your swimwear.
Money: As of August 25th 2005, the exchange rate is 482 colones to the
dollar. Conveniently, the once almighty greenback is still powerful in Costa Rica,
accepted almost everywhere, as are most credit cards. ATMs are found in major
cities.
Eating & Drinking: Caravan provides purified water at all meals and
free bottled water on the motorcoach. Water is safe to drink in most touristy
areas. Breakfasts are usually buffet-style featuring many fresh fruits and eggs
cooked to taste. Lunches and dinners generally provide the choice of beef, fish
and chicken with local side dishes.
Toilets: Never a problem.
E-mail: All hotels, except those in the rainforests and La Fortuna (where
there are five Internet cafés in town), have high-speed Internet connections,
often free.
Language: Spanish is the official language, but we found that English is
spoken in all the stores in which we shopped.
Proof of Citizenship: US citizens need only a current US passport valid
for six months after your date of entry.
Fishing: Costa Rica is a fisherman's dream, with snook (averaging
14 pounds), tarpon (averaging 80 pounds), red snapper, king mackerel, amberjack,
yellow tail, deep-water tuna, Dorado, even sailfish and marlin. Fly fishermen
will enjoy catching blue gill and drum fish. There's good bone fishing as well.
Staying in San Jose: We enjoyed our little gem, the quaint, charming,
artistic and historic downtown Hotel
Don Carlos. $70 - $80 double room including breakfast. (1-866.675.9259)
Ask Steve Constantine for Room 29.
Individual Tours: Write me at frank@suddenlysenior.com
Other Resources:
George Lundquist's “Retire
in Costa Rica on Social Security” is a great place to start. His
four-day, three-night Relocation & Retirement Tour is customized to your needs.
You can buy Scott Oliver's book and subscribe to his excellent newsletter
at http://www.welovecostarica.com
The Association of Residents of Costa Rica is a help to some. Others advise taking it with a grain of salt.
EscapeArtist.com provides information on a number of overseas retirement destinations
including Costa Rica.
Costa Rica Tourism Board (1-866.267.8274).
Toyota Rent A Car, San Jose and Liberia airports. Approximately $400 a
week for a 4x4, automatic or manual. (011-506.258.5797)
For more tips on senior travel, go to http://suddenlysenior.com/travelpage.html.
© 2005-Frank Kaiser
Our thanks to Frank Kaiser of Suddenly
Senior for this wonderful article. Suddenly
Senior is for everyone over 50 who feels way too young to be old.
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