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Hi there! We are David & Alicia from Olympia Washington. I am a 50 yr old retired Marine with a very mellow attitude and Alicia is a 25 yr old (yeah, I know… take a minute with that one if you need to, all that matters is that we love each other) with a BA degree in art, currently working in retail management. I have lived all over Asia off and on over a 20 year period and am familiar with living away from the Land-O-Plenty, Alicia is not but she’s an intrepid gal. We’d like to thank Scott for this site and all that he does for people like us who research before we leap. For the moment I have a few questions that someone may be able to help us with. Is it reasonable to expect that we could manage on my pension of roughly $1,300.00 per month if we live simply in a rural area in a smallish rental house on a hectare or two? We could probably live in a Tico style home but would welcome any additional amenities that we could afford. If that income is not sufficient, is it reasonable to expect that Alicia could find some kind of employment doing almost anything (hotel maid, art teacher, waitress, admin assistant… anything) that would augment my income to a survivable level? We are learning basic Spanish and planning a vacation there in the fall of this year which I am sure will teach us much. Last thing… I will be a Pensionado so I can’t work a paid position but I love to grow mushrooms and was thinking of that as a business… Would restaurants and consumers there buy Organic Reishi, Shitake, Enokitake, Pearl and Oyster mushrooms or are they not popular there. These mushrooms are in demand in the Organic/Health food markets here and on a hectare I could grow them in quantity.
Thank you folks for your time, we look forward to perhaps meeting some of you on our trip there.
D & A, Olympia WACould you live here – the two of you – on $1,300 per month – Sure! If you were prudent… And if you owned your home outright.
As for growing mushrooms as a business… Don’t really know if the demand is there but I would have thought it would be a simple matter to find out by asking the gourmet restaurants (and there aren’t that many really fine restaurants) around Escazu, Santa Ana and San Jose…
Whether you would be legally allowed to do that as a business would depend in part on your residency status and that’s a whole different question that I am not capable of or qualified to answer…
Scott Oliver – Founder
WeLoveCostaRica.comAlso, whether Alicia would be legally allowed to work in CR would depend on the type of residency status you obtain. I would also expand the restaurant selection from the gourmet to the Asian group since they use many varieties of mushrooms…Now, whether this could be a profitable business in CR, for that you’ll have to do a feasibility study (even of the most informal kind) so that you can see if there would be a market that would pay you enough to cover your costs and leave you with a profit. The climate sure is optimal in many areas of CR…Best of luck!
Skeptic that I am, I have to wonder how many couples are actually living on $1,300 per month, especially on a hectare or two of rented land. Maybe it can be done, but I wonder if it would be a lifestyle that would suit your emotional needs even if it met your physical requirements.
I’m also skeptical that Alicia could legally work here, and unless you and she are married (did I miss a detail?), she cannot qualify under your pensionado residency, so she might have to be a “perpetual tourist” with all the risks and expenses attendant thereto.
Hi, and thanks for your responses! I have researched the residency requirements and know that I cannot work as an employee for a wage but I can own a business for profit there easily. Alicia can work as an employee for a wage, both of us will apply for residency prior to leaving this country for good. My question was more about the availability of jobs than the legality of working there which I’ve thoroghly checked out. Any additional thoughts on that aspect of things?
Thanks, D & AIf the legalality is not an issue, there would be plenty of work for an art major and someone that is industrious. There are schools where she can teach art or become an English teacher and NGOs that use art as a medium for some of their projects, not to mention selling her own art and many other things she can do, but David of Olympia, I would seriously suggest you speak with the CR Consulate in Washington about the labor/residency restrictions because as far as I know, pensionados are not allowed to work. My sister is a nationalized CR so my residency allowed for me to legally work in the country, but unless you and Alicia can somehow get that type of residency–I don’t see how you will be able to legally work there (even if it doesn’t preclude you from actually finding work…) Also, there are an enormous amount of rural areas in CR that are quite beautiful and affordable—as with everything, it’s going to depend on what will be the best fit for you and Alicia. You’ll know better once you come and take an exploratory look around…As far as living on $15,600/yr in CR, that is feasible as long as you know you will not be living in the lap of luxury and plenty of Ticos live on half of that or less. Everything will be about your expectations. Best of luck!
Please take a look at the Costa Rican web site for residency information. You will find that you will not be able to work under any kind of residency unless you are married to a Costa Rican or a citizen of the country or a family member of a citizen and they will support you.
How ever you might just resort to becoming a illegal tourist working in Costa Rica like many others and that is risky! Costa Rica has kicked out many gringos for working illegally.
Hi again… Thanks to Rebaragon for your response, we are accustomed to living what most would describe as a frugal, near minimal lifestyle so your post encourages us. Scotbenson, I appreciate your input and opinion, but I guess I didn’t make myself clear,… I have researched the Costa Rican laws on several web sites, however, I did as you suggested and found the following: Under Law No 6982 of 1984 (known as “the Retirement Law”) a foreigner may acquire residence in Costa Rica if he can show a sufficient income whether from investments or from a pension and irrespective of whether the income is sourced locally or abroad. Residence obtained under this law allows an individual to work in Costa Rica but does not allow him to work in areas which would have the effect of displacing indigenous workers. A resident under this law is expected to reside in Costa Rica for at least 4 months in each calendar year.
Residence permits obtained under Law 1155 of 1950 (known as “the Residence Law 1950”) carry no restrictions on the sorts of economic activity that a resident permit holder can engage in. However permits under this law are granted on a very selective basis and only to businessmen and professionals.
Again, I thank you all for your input and I’m sure that our vacation there will answer a great many of our questions. We are looking forward to our trip and perhaps someday make a viable contribution to the economy of something other than GW Bush and those who follow him into his office.
Enjoy! D&A Olympia WAHey David! It sounds like you’ve really done some thinking about this whole thing! Great! And your attitude and lifestyle will serve you well in Tico culture. I have to ask (perhaps I missed it)… are you and your lady married? The whole residency issue isn’t as complicated as you might think, but I think you need to clear up the relationship issue. A 25 year old girlfriend is not going to be covered in your desired status and pension. As your wife she would. As for the whole working issue… that’s another can of worms. I would NOT plan on finding work to support yourselves, legal work that is. You can always start a business (Mushrooms is a pretty cool idea) and pay yourselves a salary from that adventure if it works out.
I don’t want to ruin a dream but I’d have to say that $1300/mo is pretty tight for even the most fugal of lifestyles, even here in Costa Rica. I’m a pretty fugal guy and don’t need much… and a total budget of $1300/mo is tight for a couple in my opinion! If you owned a home and property outright it would be more reasonable… let us know how things go… I’m sure we might even be able to help direct you to an area that is a good fit for your lifestyle and budget.
David, I’m not sure you’re fully understanding Costa Rica’s residency laws and the restrictions on foreigners’ ability to work legally. If you’re headed for Costa Rica anyway, what you should do is consult a knowledgeable attorney, one who specializes in residency matters. If it would help, I can refer you to one.
Hello again, and thanks for the info. You’re right David, I don’t understand them thoroughly yet but I’ve been going over them and will continue to do so until I am convinced one way or the other that a move there is, or is not feasable for us. The marriage issue isn’t a complicated one for us, we have lived together for years, marriage is the plan and we may or may not marry before this move. We have no intentions of working illegally… We know that residency is obtainable and we can file for that as a couple or independantly. Working there as a foreigner was never the issue. Hiring an attorney to ensure we take the right path through the maze and cover all of the bases is the only way we would embark upon the journey. We have no desire to live in an expensive, gated, all-american community or in a leaky shack on a mountainside. There is a place in between where we can live happily and we’ll either find it in Costa Rica or we won’t. I’ve learned a great deal already and I have unlimited time to learn more. The first thing I learned about living abroad twenty seven years ago was that there are as many opinions and viewpoints from helpful people like yourselves as there are questions to ask them. The second thing I learned was that if there is a way, I can and will make it work. The world is a big place from my perspective of living all over it and there are many places I would enjoy living permenantly, Costa Rica was my first choice to research and I’ll dedicated the first year of my search to visiting there and talking to the widest variety of people I can to get the clearest possible picture of life there.
Thanks again for all your help!
David & AliciaDave it seems you REALLY have the perfect attitude to do well in Costa Rica. Should you find a place be sure the first things you do is make Tico friends and become a part of the community! It will serve you well and make your dream possible with the resourses you’ve indicated. Find your niche and develop a small business, even something that just breaks even and pays for itself. There are many areas of CR that are a perfect fit for you… many over looked by the usual expat… I wish you the best! If up near Arenal give me a shout!
David & Alicia
It sounds like you have the same dream that all of us on this site have or had, to retire to this beautiful place. There was one hitch that wasn’t mentioned in the previous posts. If you are not married when you apply for residency, Alicia will have to deposit $60,000.00 USD in a Costa Rican bank to meet her residency requirements. She then has to convert $1000.00 monthly into Colones. That money is held for 5 years at a time or until her status changes. A pensionado only requires a guaranteed income such as social security or a pension of $600.00 converted monthly to colones, with no deposit required.
I’m sure you will be able to work everything out, if it’s the right move for you. Best of luck to you both.
Pura Vida,
PegWell Peg, that settles it then. I’ll marry the girl before we apply, but that begs a question: Do we marry here so all five of the people we give a damn about in this country can be there or do we marry on a Costa Rican beach or by a waterfall with all you folks in attendance so you can pay for our nuptial hangover?
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