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i do all of those things except rent a boat, and eat out, which i find very disappointing here in costa rica. oh, and i don’t do tv. i have a beautiful house, upscale by any standards, but then it’s paid for so i have no mortgage, and my husband’s been visiting for 21 days so we’ve been going here and there and we still haven’t gone over the $800 budget. probably our food bills are less than most people because we eat only fresh food, nothing that’s in a box, can, or other cardboard, and we don’t eat meat, so that saves a lot here.
Looking from outside the window is not the same as looking from the inside-out.
Asking about CR from your computer in Houston, TX is not the same as a reply from Desamparados, San Jose
lot’s of English speaking mentalities answering this post, what about “muchos son los llamados pero pocos los escojidos”
IF!! you think you will discover Paradise in CR, think again because the culture shock, language barrier, type of foods and the rest of issues living abroad will be a challenge.
My oldest son was born and raised in CR and came to the USA when he turned 21, got homesick after 18 months and returned to CR. Stayed for 2 years and found out that he had made a mistake. Returned back to the USA and has been here for 5 years now.
This is a Tico that could not live in CR after living in the USA and comparing them both. But this example is for a young person that still has to work 40 more years until he can retire.
On the other hand; after being divorced for 7 years I meet a CR woman in my age bracket (mid 50’s) who has lived all her life in CR and has vacationed in the USA many, many times and we get married. Sha cannot, will not for a multitude of reasons be able to live in the USA for 12 straight months. There has to be 2-3 months where she returnes back HOME, because she misses her family, food, friends and the other things.
And every time she comes back, year after year it is the same story. Crime is growing, unemployment is rampart, prices skyrocketing, etc.
But every year she has to go back HOME in spite of her negative views of CR. FIGURE this one out if you can. LOL
Warren
Interesting article today to be seen at [url=http://www.insidecostarica.com/dailynews/2010/june/28/costarica10062805.htm]Can your marriage survive[/url].
[quote=”moonbanks”][quote=”PuraVidas”][quote=”moonbanks”][quote=”costaricafinca”][b]soldier[/b], thanks for your reply. Again, it is good to hear that you did take the time to check things out, and hopefully you have found your [i]’paradise’.[/i][/quote]
I visited costarica for 5-6 years trying to get a feel for the country..explored the whole pacific coast north to south..way to hot for me even though I love the beach..not the utility bill..Have lived in Atenas full time for the past year.I started in a gated community and really did not like it at all..Moved to a tico neighborhood and have met many people who are great and have had no problems what so ever..I hope it continues. My wife is very active in the community and we have adjusted nicely..
I like being close to the city if I need a change of scenery,food,amenities, etc. I also love living in the country away from traffic,less crime, easy living..
realistic budget of 3500.00$ a month that covers everything..rent,food,utilitys,trips,entertainment,car,caja,medical,etc…its not cheap to live here..
we dont plan on moving back to the states but never say never….tks[/quote]Wow, I could live like a true king on $3,500 per month. My wife and I survive on $600 per month living in the country and $1,000 per mo. when staying in San Jose. That includes everything… rent, food, utility, trips, entertainment, motorcycle, caja, medical, etc. Heck our rent is only 75,000 colones per month in a house with a cold water shower and our idea of entertainment is sitting on the beach with a six pack of cold Imperial and a surfboard. I guess it just depends on what “standard of living” you find acceptable.[/quote]
my question to you is simple…How old are you??how many kids do you have back in the states..what is your medical condition…I live in a tico house,drive a tico car,…I did the surf thing with the beer and no money 40 years ago..work my ass off had 3 heart attacks and got out of the rat race..believe me my budget is yes bigger than yours but I have a lot more expenses than you..I wish I could live on $1000.00 a month..Its not possible..but who cares…puravida my friend live the good life…..[/quote]
I’m in my mid 30’s and have zero kids or debt to support(gracias a dios). We luckily got out of the rat race stateside before it consumed our lives. We are in decent health and actually work and survive on the local economy here. I didn’t mean to come off ugly in my last comment to you. Maybe I’m just jealous that you have a $3500 per month to blow. I could really live it up on that kind of budget.
We’ve lived full time in Northern Guanacaste for 6 years.
Most of our neighbors are form the USA and Europe. We’ve
had a few neighbors leave, but for the most part
foreigners are staying in our area for a long time.It probably depends on where you live in Costa Rica or
other countries. Where you live seems to determine your
length of stay in paradise.Attitude and expectations are a big part of making it a success story.
My friends in CR whom I’ve visited numerous times live in a rural area in the North far (well, relatively) from the Tourist areas. You see a much different Costa Rica here. Most of the people are farmers or work for the big corporate farms. There is a lot of poverty but also a lot of plain hard working folk. Almost nobody lives in a grandiose McMansionm there are no high rise appartments and it is more common to see houses without glass or screens in windows than with. This is the REAL Costa Rica.
Folks that want to succeed her need to ask themselves if they have ever had a conversation with an Hispanic (other than an employee) in the U.S in Spanish OR English? Have they tried SOME Spanish words when ordering in a Mexican restaurant? OR do they think they are above these hard working immigrants and never do more than place an order or make a complaint in English? While these immigrant folks are the hard working poor in the U.S. they are much better off financially than many Ticos. If you can’t converse or sympathize with these folks (due to fear, shyness, racism or social standing) then you are going to have a VERY difficult time in Costa Rica. In Costa Rica YOU will the funny talking immigrant, a minority and social outcast as far as the Tico’s are concerned. They are a polite people and will not voice this opinion but it will be what they are thinking.
I suspect this is the root of the problem. Making friends, establishing working relationships at local businesses in order to adapt to the local way of life. Being willing to do so in Spanish or a mixture of languages is the important. Folks who can do that will overcome the other differences.
The number of folks with this attitude is probably less than half of those that retire to CR. If it were not so then you would not have all the real estate scams.
COST OF LIVING:
During my lifetime I have had significant financial ups and downs. At one time it was not unusual to charter a small jet to take the family to an event or buy a new car every few years. Paying bills was never a problem. But today I drive 15 year old cars and save all year to visit friends in CR. I carefully juggle the bill paying. I currently live on less in the U.S. than what I will get in Social Security. If someone told me 25 years years ago that I would have to live on 1/5 of what I was making then I would have said NO WAY!
If you need $5000/month to live in the U.S. and you don’t change your life style it may cost the same or more in CR. But if you can afford to live on less than $1000/month in the U.S. you can probably do the same in CR, especially if you own your home and do not pay rent.
Here in the U.S. we eat out about once a week and costs about $20 for a couple including tip ($35 if we splurge on a special occasion and get a bottle of California wine). But you know we could easily spend $100 or more at a pricier place (and probably not get better food). That is a five to one difference. It is no different in CR. There are some very nice small places where the Ticos go and $20 would be a pricey tab for dinner for two. But in San Jose you could just as easily drop $100 or more just the same as in the U.S.
No matter how much money folks have they tend to use it all up. Some live within their means, some do not. Give the same folks that can live on $1000/month double or triple that amount and they will find a way to spend it all. This is true no matter where you live.
though this post is old, I’d be curious from the view of the long time residents as to what “perks” are ruined by migrating Americans?
Is this the change of American influence on CR culture? Just curious[quote=”hrichards”]I 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[/quote]
the cost of living in costa rica has more than doubled in less than 5 years, gracias to the influx of gringos coming here and flashing cash, and letting the ticos believe they are big spenders so of course the prices have risen accordingly. but i’m not referring just to certain food items (eggs for instance are three times the price they were three years ago), but land as well. now every cab driver and campesino has some high priced land to sell a rich gringo. and there is a subtle shift in attitude — hard to explain, but as things get more and more expensive here, it impacts the Ticos who can’t help but resent the pinche gringos who come here, raise the prices, and then don’t even want to learn spanish. you’d have to have been here 6 years ago to understand the subtle changes. and they’re not for the better, as far as i’m concerned. the biggest shift i see is from a latin american country to one that is trying to become a mirror image of the place i left. bleeccch.
It’s not only the cost Marvalla (which is a growing problem) but honestly it is also the trashiness of the “new crop” of people retiring here. Not everyone, of course, but I don’t like the people I’m seeing coming here: those who sit in their homes in gringo-ized communities all day, never interact with the Ticos and don’t integrate much into the community. They complain if they cannot find their beloved gringo foodstuffs, bitch about simple things that they have no control over, and simply want to live aloofly. Sure, we all complain about some things but at least some of us are also willing to get out there, be a part of the local community, and try to communicate in THEIR language with the locals. I know many who do not. Unfortunately, the downturn in the U.S. economy and other countries is forcing people to move a perceived less expensive country like Costa Rica and I for one am glad the government raised income requirements for residency. Gringo immigrants should not become wards of the state here.
I think you make an excellent point, Andrew. Not long after we arrived here, we encountered some newcomer wannabes. They explained that Dallas had become too expensive to maintain their lifestyle so they were headed for Costa Rica. “Why should we compromise?”, was the explanation.
Well, “compromise” is the name of the game here and anyone who can’t accept that is in for a lifetime of disappointment.
gee, andrew, i would’ve said what you did, but i decided to tone it down. but i couldn’t agree more with you or with david. most people put out some effort to assimilate; it’s the ones who don’t that i pray will get fed up and hightail it to wherever they came from as fast as they can. they usually do, too, because life becomes too much of a chore here without some modicum of language mastery, but it’s mostly the attitude that does them in — “I’m spending dollars, so THEY should learn English, or do my bidding, or slave away for hardly any money, or put up with my arrogant attitude, etc. etc..”
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