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What do you think about that statement? I have met so many people that think Costa Rica is cheap. Some people that are looking also for free medical care. Many people from the US do not understand social medicine.
The one thing I can say with assurance is this, when we get an increase in our SSI it means something to us here. In the US it means nothing. Life styles determine how cheap you live in Costa Rica
Costa Rica is as cheap as you make it…
If youw ant to live in a million dollar home and buy nothing but imported foods and fine wines – you can
If you want to live a simpler life on less than US$1,000 per month, you can do that too…
I have multi-millionaire investor clients (retired couple) who have bought modest homes and they live on about $1,200 per month are a very proud that they do…
They eat lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, fish and chicken, they lost a huge amount of wieght when they cam here because they walked around so much and tell me that they can’t remember feeling better.
Scott Oliver
WeLoveCostaRica.comYes, you can live on that amount if you first of all moved all of your furnishing to Costa Rica. Perhaps this just applies to someone that has had to purchase sheets, towels, pots and pans. There is no Walmart in Costa Rica. I use air freshners and plastic bags, aluminum foil. Things like that. Walking is cheap but if you have to purchase a car, it is not cheap. If you purchased insurance for your home or car it is not cheap. Fruits and veggies, yes they are cheap and I agree with you about the quality of life.
Someone sent me a box and I paid $100.00 for customs and shipping charges. Not complaining just mentioning that Costa Rica is cheaper on many things but it is not cheap.
Many people get discouraged because Costa Rica is not as cheap as they had imagined.
Scott, I am sure your millionaire friends paid cash for their home and shipped most of their furnishings, such as refrigerators, fancy electric or gas ranges, TV’s, washers and dryers.
If most of us lived in Canada or the US like we live here we would live cheaper. When we are at home most of us join a gym, go to the spa and travel about 500 miles per week. Here in Costa Rica we are walking and the bank is just up the street and around the corner.
Im talking to the person that has a pension, their home is not paid for and they can not afford to fill up a container and send it here. They are unable to shell out $7,000.00 for a 10 year old car.
You are correct it is how you live, if any of us practiced the same things in the US that we practice here we would live a lot cheaper at home.
Turkey is $.69lb at home and here it is about $3.00 per lb, spare ribs are about $6.00 per lb here and $2.00 per lb in the US, a lb of butter is a little higher here, cream cheese is higher, eggs are higher, fish is higher. Ice cream is more expensive, wax paper is more expensive. Lobster and Shrimp are not cheap, good quality cheese is not cheap. Now of course we can do without some of these things.
Get me some good corn on the cob, I mean good quality sweet corn, kale, and blue berries at $5.00 bucks a container. If you need sweet and low, bring it with you. Every once in a while I want some grits, where are they. What about good old cornmeal, it is not in the local store. Good quality chocolate is to the roof, sky is the limit.
Your millionaire friends need to add in the cash payment for the house, and the payment for the container of goodies, and the cash they spend to get that top quality beef they want, that is of course unless they are total vegetarians.
If you have money what a waste to live on $1200.00 per month, you an not take it with you. Warren Buffet is giving his away. Let me know where the begining of the line is.
Talk to me, no arguement please, I am not talking down Costa Rica but let’s get real.
Costa Rica is cheaper not cheap, talk to me. Love you Scott
I spent the entire month of February in Costa Rica. I did almost all of my shopping at the feria and one night, out of curiosity, I made a list of everything I bought that day. I’d spent 5100 Colones for the following items — that’s about $10.00. Most of these things were organic, too. I don’t have the individual costs of these items, but next to the item I’m going to list the US price.
1/2 kilo eggs – $3.49
1 head red cabbage – $2.99
2 eggplants – $4.50
1 beet (HUGE) – $1.50
1 head lettuce – $1.79
4 sweet potatoes – $2.50
3 tomatoes – $2.00
1 bunch of basil – $2.50
4 mangos – $8.00
1 big papaya – $5.00+
1 bunch Italian parsley – $1.79
6 bananas – $2.50
2 large plaintains – $4.00
4 carrots – $2.00
2 heads broccoli – $3.50
1 small watermelon – $5.99that’s a total of $55.00+ and I may have underestimated the US cost by about 10%.
But for $10.00 I had all the fruit and vegetables I needed for two people for a whole week in Costa Rica. I also bought some fish and chicken and spent less than $6.00 for both. I buy raw milk at the pulperia and pay $.60 for a two litre bottle. From that I make a small amount of butter, yogurt and kefir. I buy my cheese from the local farmer and that costs about $3.00 for a huge chunk of queso palmito. I also buy a pound of fresh-made butter for less than $2.00. I figure that my total food costs in Costa Rica for two people for one week will be about $35.00. One of the largest ferias in Costa Rica is in the town where I live, and I can buy almost everything I eat there. I buy no packaged food of any kind (not even here in the States), and I don’t use plastic bags or aluminum foil or air fresheners and the only things I buy in the supermercado are olive oil, wine and other condiments, and toilet paper, which is about $.15 a roll if you buy the bio-degradable brown stuff and not the high-end Charmin’!
I realize that everyone has their own level of comfort for living in Costa Rica, but I’m figuring that we can easily live on $1200 a month and that includes the maid and the gardener, and have money left over to save. Our house is totally paid for. Property taxes are $78 a year; utilities run about $15.00 a month or less. I’m shipping as little as possible to Costa Rica and am allocating $8,000 to completely furnish the house. I’m only shipping linens, artwork, cooking pottery, and fine china and crystal. Everything else can be bought or made in Costa Rica for a fraction of the cost of buying furniture here so for me, it doesn’t pay to ship anything other than what I can’t replace. I live the same way here as I do in Costa Rica — the only problem is it costs a FORTUNE to live that way here in Colorado! I personally wouldn’t spend $5.00 for blueberries when you can buy a kilo of moras for a buck or so, and they are just as high in antioxidants as blueberries for a fraction of the cost. I think one of the keys to living cheaply in Costa Rica is to eat like the locals and not be buying Ding-Dongs or Ho-Hos or chips or any of that packaged stuff they charge an arm and a leg for at Perimercado.
Marvilla,
It is so wonderful to hear from you. You were here for the month of February. Well, the discussion is not about veggies. It is about toilet paper, paper towels, foil, soap, appliances. Now if all a person needs in Costa Rica is vegetables then sure it is cheap. Not ding dongs or chips, I am talking about living here in Costa Rica. Coming here for a few days retreat and living here are two different things.
My hope is that people are realistic about life here. Perhaps my needs are different then yours, junk food is not my need but a good sausage and quality steak are a desire of mine. Someone coming here has that desire. Your list of cheap veggies has nothing to do with that fact that Draino is twice as expensive here as it is in the US. That toilet paper is expensive and wax paper is cheap but the quality is questionable. Not complaining about Costa Rica but having a reality check. Talk to me after you start purchasing things to live here. The subject is that COsta Rica is cheaper but not cheap.
So many books we read said how cheap it was and we were shocked that a good hotel room cost over $85.00 per night. Cheap to me is that everything is cheap. The taxi ride is cheaper, bus fare is cheaper, but gas is not. We just do not travel as far. Sheets for beds are not cheaper, good quality bath soaps and lotions, hair shampoo and deoderant are not cheaper. Let’s compare apples to apples.
Housing is cheaper but most of us from the US would not live in the neighborhoods we live in here. Can you imagine Bill Gates living in a community that is just a few minutes from a local slum. Never would it happen, in making comparisons, I believe those of us who are living here need to be honest.
It is cheaper for me not because of ding dongs, I can make my own. It is cheaper because of the fact, I have a staff, gardner, cook, and maid. In the US it would not be affordable. Many people are not coming over here and hiring a staff.
It is cheaper to run my business but it is not cheap. My last trip to the US, I purchased over $500.00 for things that if purchased here they would have cost me double the amount and some things are not here, so you do with out. If we want sugar free syrup we have to drive 70 km round trip. Count the cost of gas and that bottle of sugar free syrup is not cheap.
Those sorts of things are important to some people and they may not be important to you.
If you know where we can get quality sheets and towels cheaper, please do not keep it a secret.
As you mentioned “Life styles determine how cheap you live in Costa Rica.” It would seem that you discuss with yourself a little saying it’s not that much cheaper and then prove yourself wrong …?
I met with an American a few months back who stayed in a hotel in San Jose for $7 per night – that’s cheap. it’s probably disgusting but it is cheap.
I use the most effective and cheapest deoderant available – milk of magnesia and can assure you that the local BioLand shampoos are A: Excellent and B: Damned cheap.
Many peope have moaned about “quality steaks” here… I have no idea why… I buy “quality steaks” and great veal chops (for tonight’s dinner) every week in AutoMercado.
Yes! You may pay more for Draino (whatever that is – I have managed to live without it as well as any kind of syrup) but when you factor in NO heatings costs, lower utility bills and a property taxes that are a fraction of what you would pay in the US….
Plus as you so elquently point out; “I have a staff, gardner, cook, and maid. In the US it would not be affordable.”
Sounds to me like you are actually savings THOUSANDS of dollars per month and don’t realize it.
Scott Oliver
PS. Don’t think Bill Gates is representative of too many people moving to Costa Rica.
Hola Jenny:
Costa Rica will never be cheap, or even cheaper, if people move here and expect to have all the things they had in the States. The key to living in any foreign country is to go local — and that means buying locally made products. I bought a locally made stove and fridge — cost for both was less than $800. I could’ve spent twice that and bought a US brand, but why should I? The best soap I’ve ever used is by Bio-land — it is organic and not laden with carginogens as are all the American brands that most people covet. I think it costs about $.70, or less, a bar. What do the Ticos use when their sink gets stopped up? Surely they have a remedy that doesn’t cost what Draino costs. Cuz on $300 a month salary, they ain’t buying Draino. Toilet paper IS cheap if you buy the local brand that isn’t full of chemicals and perfumes; you know the stuff I mean — that horrid brown paper that is totally degradable and great for your septic tank. You should’ve seen the customs agent when they opened my suitcase and found nothing but toilet paper and coffee! Some of the best meat I’ve ever eaten was in Costa Rica — when I hear people complain about the beef I cringe because I know that what they’re used to eating is corn-fed beef that is highly acid — not grassfed beef which has a whole other flavor, and is 100 times better for you. No, it’s not aged, but then what is aging besides the beginning of decomposition? There’s an American woman near San Jose who raises her own pigs and then makes organic sausage — it is to die for, and very inexpensive. But you won’t find it in Perimercado. I have no idea what sugar-free syrup is — but it’s got to be loaded with chemicals such as aspartame. My first choice would be to use locally made honey. Or make your own syrup from all those fabulous fruits, such as blackberries or strawberries. As for cleaning supplies, there are very few commercial things that I buy here in the States and I doubt that will change when I’m living in Costa Rica full-time. I do buy laundry detergent and dish soap, but for all other cleaning supplies, I usually make my own. I simply won’t spend $4.00 for a bottle of 409 when vinegar and water works just as well and is kinder to the environment. I’ve heard the horror stories about sheets and towels and have therefore stocked up on those items, but surely someplace in Costa Rica, maybe Escazu, there are good linens, or does everyone in Costa Rica bring theirs with them? As for staying in expensive hotels, I can’t even imagine paying $85 a night in Costa Rica — the B& B I usually stay in on my first night of arrival costs $25.00 and it’s a fabulous place to stay — it’s like being at home. I’ve stayed at wonderful places at the beach and never paid more than $30 a night. As for the bad neighborhoods — where I built my house is certainly not a slum, nor is there a slum next to it. The neighboring Tico community is comprised of small, nicely-kept homes with lovely gardens and trees. They obviously have pride of ownership, even if they’re poor. Even the Nica family that tends the cane fields keeps their house neat and tidy. During the month that I rented a house in Costa Rica I had to buy plenty of items to survive, including cooking utensils and some pans. My favorite cooking pan was a cast-iron grill that I bought at the local hardware store — it cost $11.00 — I just saw the exact same thing in a store here in Colorado — the price $23.00. A good part of the reason I’m moving to Costa Rica is to form relationships with people who produce my food — I want to know every farmer I buy from. I want to visit their farms and get to know their farming practices. Even now I buy all my food fresh, nothing in a can, box, or package, so for me, Costa Rica means I can really indulge myself and shop til I drop at the local feria, knowing I can have all those fruits and vegetables for a pittance compared to what they cost here. And here in the States, food is my biggest expense after the mortgage. There is not one food item that I cannot get in Costa Rica that I eat here and I expect to spend 1/4 of what I spend here to eat really really well. I’ve made all kinds of lists for my expenses in Costa Rica, and even with all the indulgences, I have a hard time spending a thousand dollars a month — and if anyone knows about extravagances, c’est moi! So, for me, life in Costa Rica will definitely be cheaper AND cheap compared to where and how I’m living now. Oh, and did I mention the price of coffee? I just spent $9.89 a pound for organic Costa Rican coffee — the very same stuff I pay $3.00 a pound for in Costa Rica. Also turkey costs $2.59 a pound here, so even that isn’t inexpensive. But I’ve found chicken and fish to be dirt cheap in Costa Rica compared to stateside prices. I think the bottom-line is that you can choose to spend as much as you want in Costa Rica but it doesn’t mean your life will be any better than those who spend much less. As for Bill Gates? I live in a neighborhood that’s full of people just like him — people with more money than God (but maybe not more than Bill) — and to be quite honest, I’m trying to get the hell away from those people! So thankfully, they won’t be my neighbors in Costa Rica.
Great, discussion. Perhaps my age has a lot to do with it. Ive always had lots of hot water, use of an electric dishwasher, washing machine and clothes dryer. My point is that many things are more expensive then they are in the US. Many people are coming here who have never been out of their country. US are available here.
Discussions about the economy and discussions about how we are living will help them see and perhaps get a better understanding. Thanks for sharing with me, of course we have a difference in age of about 20 years and what you are willing to sacrifice is so much different then what I am willing to sacrifice.
The one fact that I know for sure, in Costa Rica I can afford employees to assist me, whether I have a business or not. Without a doubt many very important things are cheap. but many important things are not cheaper. It is just according to life style choices.
Clothing is cheaper in the US and better quality, but you can get clothes made cheaper here,then in the US. Of course here my fashion statement is different.
Scott, your taste in meats is different then mine. In fact since living here, I’ve given up eating beef. If you run into some smoked hamhocks call me. I like smoked turkey wings.
Ive met some people that love certain foods and at home in the US they are cheap but in Costa Rica those foods are expensive. For me making adjustments is not a problem, I’ve lived in many countries. Many people reading this forum have not been outside of Canada or the United States.
Some people have come here and find that they can not make an adjustment. So I think having discussions like this will help open their eyes, so they can understand life is not the same and cheaper it is but there is a difference and cheaper.
If a person can not adjust they need to realize living outside of the US is an adjustment.
Thanks Scott and Marvilla for responding
Hey, Jenny — I think you and I are very close to the same age, maybe just a year or two apart. I’ve lived in other countries as you have, so I know things can be very different in other places. In fact, you’ll go crazy trying to replicate life as it is in the US in a Third World country. They ain’t gonna change so we either adapt and learn to live in another culture, or we should just stay in the US where we can get Desperate Housewives and a Dominos Pizza. I haven’t bought a washer and dryer yet, but that’s next on my agenda. I don’t even use a dryer here in the States because I prefer to hang my clothes on a line to dry. If it weren’t so damn humid in Costa Rica, I wouldn’t buy one at all except that I want it to dry out my down pillows and bedding! As it states on The Real Costa Rica website, 40% of all the people who move here leave within the first year or two because they cannot transition to another culture. The culture in Costa Rica is about customs and traditions. It’s so much more than just speaking Spanish. And I have to honestly say that it really rankles my ire when people complain about all the things they CAN’T get in Costa Rica (not referring to you, btw) when if they shifted their focus to what they CAN get, they would have an easier time living there.
Thanks Maravilla,
That is exactly what I am talking about. We had a guy who came here from TN and he is a good ole southern boy. He loves grits and gravey, cornbread mush and many other dishes he said were a very imporant part of his life and also his wife. I was going to AMercado in Escazu and he asked me to get some corn meal for him. When I told him how much he owed me, I thought the guy was going to have a heart attack. He ans his wife did not last long. They had hoped that in coming here to live they would be able to save on their increasing medical cost. You see most people from the US do not understand social medicine. We do not understand having to wait up to a year for an operation. Medical coverage and medicatl care is cheaper. If you want the best service and on time service you have to pay or have medical insurance.
Maraville, the books they are writing about Costa Rica are hitting on some key points but not in detail.
About that couple they stayed here for 3 months went home then loaded up on more things, returned to Costa Rica and stayed for only 2 months. They had to leave, they could not afford to stay here. You see in the US their income level grants them some offset in cost for medical expense and for housing. If you are above that income level, is when the problem starts.
So, you and I discussing some of these things will help. Just like a lot of people do not realize that there is more to Costa Rica then the beach. In fact some of them dont know that same fact about Florida.
Costa Rica is a lovely country, but if you can not afford to pay the expenses you need to pay for living here, it can be difficult, if you do not adjust.
My sister came to visit, and she enjoyed her visit, but said she could not live here. Her comment was that she would have to make to many sacrifices.
I think it is sort of great that when I visit the US and go shopping in the grocery store, most of the aisles in the stores are not necessary.
One thing we can mention is that organic foods are cheap. You can purchase organic meats and vegetables just a little more expensive then the regular meats and vegetables. In the US an organic tomato cost $2.00, that is crazy.
Maravilla, I am 63 and have been collecting my check for 2 years. Coming here and the life syles choices my husband and I have made, we believe will extend our life.
Our primary plan was just to ride around in a motor home until we could not do it anymore. Just one RV park to another. Well, coming here made a change in those decisions. Not only finding things pleasant, we found that we could share our life experiences with people, and in doing so it is helping to change lives, ours and theirs. We are really enjoying our relationships in Costa Rica. My hope is that more people come with the thought of what they can do for people here rather then what can be done for them.
“We had a guy who came here from TN . . . . He loves grits and gravey, cornbread mush and many other dishes he said were a very imporant part of his life . . . . They had hoped that in coming here to live they would be able to save on their increasing medical cost”
Oh, boy, these people have no business leaving the US! The reason they have increasing medical costs is because of the junk they are eating. If they don’t want to give up that which is killing them, well, there ain’t nothing that will help them. He could save on his medical bills by coming to Costa Rica and getting healthy, eating all that lovely fresh fruit and vegetables, lots of fish and chicken, and getting out to enjoy the beauty of Costa Rica. I know someone who moved to Costa Rica and for the most part has adjusted, except for his consumption of margarine, which he said was better than butter because it didn’t melt in the heat. Sigh. I hope he sees his next birthday with all the heart problems he has now. I am really lucky because I’m not giving up anything by moving to Costa Rica. In fact, I’ve gained a tremendous amount. I have a house totally paid for, something I could never have in the States, and I have enough income to not have to worry about money and the best part. . .I love most everything about Latin culture. I’ve lived all over the world, and had a jet-setting career in my former life. There’s nothing I wish I’d done. Now I get the privilege of living in Costa Rica, gardening all year long, growing orchids, growing my own food, and soaking up Pura Vida! One of the best books I’ve read about moving to Costa Rica is Erin Van Rheenen’s book “Living Abroad in Costa Rica” because it hammers home the concept that this is a different culture; you ain’t gonna change it, and if you want to live here, you have to embrace it with all its foibles and count your blessings that you’re not living in Baghdad!!
Wow! What a great discussion! I can’t believe I missed this earlier in the week. It’s great to hear the different viewpoints.
Maravilla, that book (Living abroad in Costa Rica) is also one of our favorite books about life in Costa Rica. We must own a dozen or so books about Costa Rica, attempting to soak up all the experiences possible.
I can’t agree with you more about being thankful (or is just “hopeful”?) that the most of the spoiled, self-centered people from the States aren’t running to make the move to Costa Rica. I hope that Costa Rica will maintain it’s own wonderful culture. We are so hoping to become a part of her, to become an adopted local, if possible.
Thanks to all of you that took the time to share your experiences. I for one (reading them to my wife, which couldn’t stop laughing at times) absolutely loved reading them. We hope to hear more . . .
Keith,
Thanks for writing your comment. My hope was that more people who are living here would share their experiences with people like yourself that want to know how life really is here in Costa Rica.
We have so many differing outlooks, I am a married woman, retired (sort of)my husband and I started a B&B here in Costa Rica on accident. This was not our plan, we have been learning by doing and it has been great. Many people that come to Costa Rica anticipate the same thing we did, cheap things. Well perhaps since we are primarily from the midwest and have spent time on the east coast our thoughts of cheap are very much different then many others. If you talk to a person from North Carolina and then talk to someone from California you hear a totally different version of the prices in Costa Rica.
For example we have 15 acres of prime land in Alabama, we could not sell it for the prices that they are asking for acerage here in Costa Rica. So for many people coming from some locations in the US the property here is not cheap. For a person from the east coast and some parts of the west coast, the property is cheap.
Things made by hand in Costa Rica seem to be cheaper then things that have been prefabricated. I was going to get prefaricated cabinets because I thought they would be cheaper and they are far more expensive. You can get granit for almost the same price as the formica. That is the reverse in the US.
We were surprised by the cost of labor, labor cost are what drives the prices up and then people who work do need to get paid.
I do not think Costa Rica will become an US or Canada but they are going to improve their ecomony and when they do some prices will rise and some will fall. Currently in every town there are people who are craftsmen. That is not so in the US, it is nice being able to get cabinets made.
The part about being able to design things you want, the way you want them. My kitchen has cabinets I designed according to my specifications not according to what someone thought it should be. Those things are nice and you can only experience the feeling for yourself.
Stop reading and come on to Costa Rica, you will love it here.
Hi Jenny,
Thanks again for taking the time to share your experiences. Yes, it does help to hear all the things people have experienced first hand, without the hype of the internet real estate ads.
My wife and I read the article you wrote about you and your husband living in Costa Rica, we really enjoyed it. In fact we were so impressed with the photos of your B&B that we thought we might try to make reservations for the next time we come down.
My wife and I are very involved in our church and are very much wanting to come to Costa Rica and get involved with some of the missionary work there. We fell in love with Costa Rica and the people, and reallly hope we can become a part of her. Your article actually got us to thinking about the possibilities of opening a B&B to help offset some of our expenses. This is something we hadn’t seriously considered until reading your article. Your place looks lovely!
We are middle class conservative americans (old-fashioned christians that really care about others). We have been doing our homework on Costa Rica and this forum and website have been of great assistance. Scott seems like a genuine “real” person that cares about others as well; much like you and others on this site.
We’re so glad to have the input of so many caring people. We are hoping and praying that we will be able to afford the move and the residency for my wife and I and our eight year old daughter. We don’t want to move unless we can pay off our land, home and vehicle and have a couple of different means to earn a living there.
Thanks again for all your help! Hopefully we will meet someday in beautiful Costa Rica!
Owning a B&B, well that part I can share with you, it sounds great but it is not easy nor is it inexpensive. Yes Keith, toilet paper, paper towels, soap and cleaning supplies are expensive. We use air freshner and things to reduce mold. It is also according to the standard you set.
Is a commitment . and consume a great deal of your time for at least a few years before you get it rolling. It cost money, for advertising, web pages, employees and upkeep.My suggestion would be for you to go and visit with a B&B and ask the owners can the give you some ideas on various on going expenses.
If we were in the US we could purchase a lot of items in big bulk at discount prices. We have a place by the name of Pricesmart here in Costa Rica but it is not a discount price store.
This year we are hoping to see a little less red ink but then to we are not using any monies as our income. We have been reinvesting our money, purchasing better supplies and equipment. So, as we earn, we reinvest, that is difficult to do when you are looking for an income. Perhaps someone else has a different experience then we have had and they can share that with you. You may want to look up some of the B&B’s on the web, send them an e-mail asking them questions about operating a business such as a B&B in Costa Rica.
My husband and I were not experienced, we have made many mistakes but then we could afford to, we are on a pension. Our business came by accident not by intention. So our strategy has not been the model business plan.
Do some research, just another little project for you (smile). People in business love to share experiences and they enjoy helping others who want to go into business. Gather some information and make sure to pick the right spot. Location, location that is so very important., find out what tourist planning Costa Rica has, what things they expect to develop in the next 5 to 10 years. If this business was going to be our income we would have done things differently. Charles and I just opened the doors and we used our people skills, along with our travel experiences. This is how we put our business together. If I would have selected a business I would have chosen to open a coffee shop or a BBQ shack
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