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My husband and I have been seriously considering moving to either Costa Rica or Panama and have visited at least twice a year for the last 8 years.
During all of our visits we try to talk to as many expats as possible. Last time, while visiting Dominical/Uvita, we really noticed that it didn’t appear that many people who move to the area last more than 2 or 3 years. Wrong impression?
Would love to hear some thoughts around how many individuals actually make it beyond a couple of years.
As far as I know – and believe me I have been looking for ten years – there is NO exact data on the number of expats that “live here.”
And what does that mean anyway?
Live here legally?
Live here as perpetual tourists?
And the definition of “living here” means for how long? Six months or more? One year or more?
So if there is no exact data on how many people live here, how can we know how many people leave and at what time they leave?
And forgive me for being flippant but who cares?
Let’s be honest here – The vast majority of people live bloody miserable lives so does that mean you want to be amongst the vast majority?
Scott is right on all counts. Search this forum and other sources and you’ll see all sorts of numbers quoted. Problem is, no one (no one) has a shred of data to back any of them up. Impressions? Guesses? Hunches? They abound. Facts? Not so much.
The greater question I think you should ask is what are the profiles of those who stay and those who leave? What are the critical factors that go into making a successful transition here and what factors doom the deal to failure?
This forum has enough active participants who have made successful transitions to life in Costa Rica to garner some sense of what it will take and whether you’re up to it or not. And there may be some still hanging around who have thrown in the towel and gone back to wherever they came from. Maybe they’ll share their thoughts both positive and negative.
There is another Costa Rica website, that I will not mention here; that contains some figures; I do not know how accurate the numbers are, and how the data was compilled. I would assume it would be impossible to keep accurate numbers. If you would like the website, please contact me by email.
Sorry, I must disagree that [u]no[/u] data points exist. In planning the shipment of personal items I personally spoke with movers (e.g. Ship to C.R, ABC Mundanza, etc.) and asked that question.
Of the people whose belongings they shipped to C.R., how many did they move back (or advise to sell their stuff and only move the really important stuff)? “Over half” was the answer, and those were reportedly within the first few months to a year.
Scott is right that there is no firm (or even squishy) data on the “three suitcase” folk moving here, perpetual tourist or not. Those folk have the latitude to arrive and leave on a whim. We meet them, but after awhile learn they’ve “moved” or “left” but that is all hearsay.
Those committed enough to spend money moving their “stuff” are a data point though. It costs to bring it, and costs to take it back with you. And even if the movers were being very general, that’s between 40% and 60%, or 35% and 65%. That’s still a rule-of-thumb average of 50%. That’s not an insignificant number and much better than hearsay.
We know several couples who are trying [u]desperately[/u] to sell their houses so they can move back, and have been for months. In one case they haven’t even unpacked most of their boxes. In another they remain isolated, sitting in the house they built, waiting/hoping for a buyer. Missing the “joys” part of C.R. that brought most of us here.
We also know many couples in various states of joy and adaptation, some who’ve lived here for years. It is different here, and it isn’t for everyone. On the other hand, those differences are as often good as they are distressing. It depends upon what you’re willing to accept.
It all reinforces the [b][u]strong[/u][/b] suggestion that you spend months (i.e. at least 3-6), not weeks, here and experience the “real” challenges (and joys) first hand. Reducing the likelihood of being on the wrong side of the 50% estimate is a great idea. Particularly [u][b]before[/b][/u] you buy [u]anything[/u] or move your stuff.
Sorry Scott, but saying there is no data lets people dream that all is rosy when we all know folk who came, stayed awhile, and high-tailed it out of here. Often losing great sums on their goods or real estate purchases.
Good luck!
CDI wish that most americans would get the heck out of costa rica. I myself am an american and have lived here for over 10 years.. and most of the perks that have attracted me to costa rica are all slowly changing. much due to the U.S. migration here and all the attention that it brings along with that migration.
what a sad time
it may be time to look for anotehr country.
hey who knows.. maybe in a few years nicaraugua will be the place.. or maybe chile.. any suggestions for a future home
I was more or less [i]’cross examined'[/i] when I stated that between 50-60% returned to their home country, [url=https://www.welovecostarica.com/members/cfmbb/messages.cfm?threadid=D9EA8EE9-24E8-5ED2-F1A8BEBEE5B89781]Canada pensions[/url] on this forum.
I stand by what I wrote and totally agree with CountDown.As an afterthought, maybe, those who actually [b]live here full time[/b] could respond to this post, as I would [i]’think'[/i] that most posters here have intentions of moving or live year part-time.
just in my little enclave 30% of the people who moved here with the intent of living here til they died, who built houses, and spent a lot of money shipping their goodies, have left already. all within the first two years, often less.
i can predict with uncanny accuracy who will make it here and who won’t after only a few conversations. some people just don’t belong in a foreign country — they want all the things they had back home and continually grouse when they can’t find them or have to pay a premium to get them.
the folks who refuse to learn spanish, or think the Ticos should accommodate them because they are spending dollars in their country, also have a high return rate. the people who constantly compare costa rica to wherever they hailed from are also dooomed. this is not like any other place; it is not small town america, it is not LA, NY or SF. it has its own rhythm, it’s own cultural structure, and its own mindset of prejudices and history.
if a person refuses to embrace those things, they can never function in this society. then there are the peeps who hate any kind of insect and who squirm and scream at the site of all kinds of creepy crawlies at the onset of green season. get over it! the gringos who insist on hanging out with only gringos often find that they are thrust into a circle that they would never have joined in the States. they find that the only common denominator is that they are living in a Latin country.
the ones who refuse to make Tico friends wind up being isolated and view the Ticos with suspicion. another ingredient in the recipe for failure. the shipping companies love to tell people to bring ALL their stuff, even though many people have stuff that isn’t worth the price they are going to pay to ship it somewhere.
when it molds, falls apart, or otherwise becomes completely unusable, they bitch and moan that their 18 year old sofa was just fine when they had it in the States. my next door neighbor fled CR on the cusp of a nervous breakdown. he couldn’t wait to get out of this place, even after romanticizing before he got here that this was the perfect place for him. he sunk almost all of his savings into building a house that he will probably never live in, and which is now rented.
then there are the folks who think they will come here and earn some money. forget it. if you don’t have enough to live on without earning one sou, stay home. and once people figure out that this is not the cheap place to live, unless you want to live like an unskilled worker, where if you want all the electrical goodies running 24/7, you can expect to have a $250 a month ICE bill.
i have one neighbor whose ICE bill is nearly $500 a month. the ones who scurry home came here with unrealistic expectations. they say they like the rain, but when it rains day and night for ten days, they are ready for Prozac.
they also seem to not know that with lots of rain comes lots of mud, lots of cleaning up the mud, and the constant battle against the things who would like to move in with you.
i am currently working on an article for the new central american magazine called Neotropica. the thrust of this article is the unrealistic view of paradise, and how it is sold as a concept to people who refuse to do their own research on what the reality is here. when reality finally does sink in, the results can be disastrous — suicide, alcoholism, divorce, financial ruin. this is truly where caveat emptor rises to the occasion.
Maravilla, that is a great post! Lots of personal experience and insights. We all know folk who’ve come and left (often having been reduced their meager savings in the process.) Your examples are excellent.
We definitely should not mask the fact that there is a substantial failure rate. Whether that’s 40%, 50%, or 60% that’s an exposure for anyone considering C.R.
CD
you’re lucky i inserted punctuation!! jejeje i could’ve made it all one sentence! i met a woman just last week at the beach who told me she had read my article on the suicide of that woman who came here last summer. she admitted she was lucky that she hadn’t committed suicide because of all the horrid things that had happened to her here, including being robbed multiple times and having 5 different dogs poisoned. she also admitted she hadn’t heard any horror stories before she came here; everything seemed perfect, but in reality it was anything but. i must have a dozen or more stories just like that one. having said that, i admit to being one happy camper here. i love costa rica, warts and all, but then i am anything but a typical gringa.
I think David has posed the most important questions here so far:
“The greater question I think you should ask is what are the profiles of those who stay and those who leave? What are the critical factors that go into making a successful transition here and what factors doom the deal to failure?”
Apart from the fact that some people may have encountered financial hardships that may have forced them to liquidate, (and thanks to Maravilla for some terrific feedback) would anyone else care to expand on what they believe to be are the character traits of people who have successfully made the transition?
[b]Rent, rent rent! [/b][i][/i]
At least you have a [i]chance[/i] to try somewhere else if your [i]’piece of paradise'[/i] turns into a complete disaster because of a circumstance that you never anticipated on your previous vacation, if you even came to Costa Rica before you moved, ‘lock, stock and barrel’ as the say.
[b]Maravilla[/b] said it very well.
I ‘chuckled’ when I read the article on [b]Christy and Kevin Carpenter[/b] on your home page:
[i]”Be prepared to share your house with ants, lizards, frogs, and the occasional bird. And don’t think you can get away with cleaning your house one day a week; you will need a maid at least part time to keep up with the dirt here.”[/i]
I was standing quietly outside yesterday on the porch for 2-3 minutes waiting for a bird to retrun to a plant to take a photo, when I felt a ‘tickle’ on my toes. I looked down and was a 6″ scorpion on it…
As they say [i]”Be prepared”[/i]This young scorpion certainly woke me up one morning when he stung me as I put my hand in my dive bag…
Painful? Yes! But as I understand it, unless you are allergic, the scorpions in Costa Rica are really no more dangerous than a serious wasp bite but of course some people can have very strong reactions so it’s probably wise to seek medical attention, just in case.
[img]https://www.welovecostarica.com/members/images/Scorpion1.jpg[/img]
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