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I guess there are a zillion answers but some people that come to live in Costa Rica do end up leaving. My question is why?
What are the main reasons that people do leave Costa Rica when they had every intention of living here?
One reason is that the FBI finally caught up with them…
But seriously, living here is not like living in North America. Getting things done can be a big pain. Infrastructure like roads, steady power, phone, Internet, water is hit and miss. I have a business here and depend on these things.
Today and tomorrow (Oct 22 and Oct 23) there is a essentially a protest that will clog up streets and the downtown area. These essentially shut down the phone/electric/Internet companies (they say except for emergencies), but that’s a crock.
If I was to retire here, then I wouldn’t necessarily need to be so uptight about those things. But I work and employ people here, and everyday its something. That tends to grind on you after a while.
Besides money, I’d say there are three areas in which expats have a difficult time adapting.
The first is deficient infrastructure, and jneiman explained, and believe me, he’s being kind. A successful business is fast-moving. But in CR infrastructure problems hinders your every move. Months are lost this way.
The second is overwhelming beaurocracy. The hoops you have to go through for the different government departments steals another few months from your business. This beaurocracy also extends to the government-controlled telecommunications, energy and insurance market, as well as to the various unions which often employ “turtle strikes”. They don’t walk out, they just work incredible slow. These first two areas conspire with each other to take a big chunk out of your efficiency. Give me a list of 10 things to do and in the US it’ll be done in an afternoon. In CR, it may take months.
The third is theft. If you don’t constantly watch your things, they disappear. $200 windshields will be broken for the 20 colon coin you left on the dashboard. Your house will be broken into if you lease it alone. If you’re not paranoid, you’ll become a victim.
In order to be successful, you must develop strategies to deal with these three areas.
1. Get yourself a messenger. They’re ubiquitous on their scooters, and will save you months out of each year negotiating the roads, battling the traffic, and standing in line.
2. Marry a Tica. Every Tico family has “patas” (connections) to help grease the beaurocratic wheels. Without them, you’ll have to follow all the rules, which is impossible. Please note, however, that this intercultural marriage will bring with it a slew of other complications to your life. If such a marriage is not possible, you will forever be a true outsider.
3. Live in a secure condo, so you can leave it alone without fear of break-ins. The only alternative is hiring someone, guard, gardener, maid, nanny, etc, who will always be home to protect your property. The likelihood of a break-in if someone’s home is minimal, unless people know you have very valuable items inside, in which case you’ll need guards.
Frankly, if you have the opportunity to make good money for short stints in the States, that’s a great way to go. The truth is you’ll want to come back and visit anyway, and your time in CR will be worry-free.
People,
get real – last time we visited Cr I was impressed with the fact that a small pueblo in the hills on the outskirts of Atenas had street lighting – we don’t.Wonder if you have been in business in the States?? Once you have dealt with IRS, SS, EEOC, EDD, State Franchise Tax Board,State Board of Equalization and all of the other State & Federal offices that you have contact with running a business here if you would have the same feeling about doing business in CR. We have spent the last 20 months and $50,000 to divide a 40 acre parcel into 4 – 10 (which according to zoining we should have no problem with as it is zoned for 5 acre parcels) acre parcels and it still isn’t done. Don’t look at only the bad side and think it is eaiser here – it ISN’T.
EXAMPLE – We live 10 miles from Palm Springs, CA and cannot get cable TV nor high speed internet –
If you are going to live in CR , stop making comparisons, deal with what is there.We just can’t wait to deal with the problems you deal with daily –
rfcr, it is funny when someone is coming to stay and you have been living here, that person says get real. I owned a business in the US and one in Costa Rica and their is NO comparison. Now some people are doing business illegally here. There is no comparison, staying in Costa Rica does not really compare. Now if you can tell me that it is possible to start a business in the US and you can not get a telephone, then there is a comparison. What Gringotico is saying is true, but if you like it here you can survive. Some people come and they make it for a period of time, then they get to a point that it is not fun anymore.
Those are the people that leave. It took us two years to get a telephone, now I dont know of anywhere in the US that it would take you two years to get a telephone. You can not leave your house empty, we lived in California and had a house in Washington, it was empty for two years. We had no guards and no problems. Ive never taken a vacation in the US and then worried about someone breaking in my house. You have a great concern in Costa Rica.
For my husband and I even through all of the concerns we love Costa Rica and we are enjoying our stay. We do business here and it is difficult, but we accept the fact that we are in another country. Some people can get along with that condition for a period of time and then they decide one day that regardless to the cheaper lifestyle, regardless to the nice weather, regardless to the wonderful people, regardless to the full time maid and gardener, I am going to return to the US.
That is not because Costa Rica is bad, you just get to a point where you’ve decided that you are moving on and you would like to move on in the 21st century.
That is why many people leave, plus divorces, death of spouse, children feel deprived and perhaps unfulfilled dreams. Sudden need to start building a retirement income, loss of investments, you name it the list goes on.
When my husband and I were renters and just living here, no responsibility, things were different. They were more of a honeymoon style, but the day we purchased our property things took on a different meaning. You can come here visit for years and if you do not have to manage property, repair, pay taxes, apply for telephones, then you think nothing a problem this is simple.
That is the interesting part about questions, people want the answer they want. If you talk about the downside you are being negative and if you talk about the upside you are dreaming. So, many times it is hard to answer a question which is asked but the person wants you to give the answer they like or agree with.
So things are problems, miserable appliances, low quality tools, no variety of brands to choose from.
I love it here but when someone ask a question I need to be real. That is our problem, we dont want to hear any negatives. Dont worry, if you move here you will find some things . Usually the one that shouts the loudest is the first one back in the boat headed home.
Costa Rica is a major adjustment and you have to be willing to adjust. Many people read that things are cheaper, yes some things are but many things are not. Chicken cost more here then in the US, bar of soap cost more, cheese, cost more, fish cost more, toilet paper cost more. What is less is this, we dont go any where, there is no where to go. At home we go everywhere, theatre, resturants, video stores (latest movies)sking trips, camping, dance groups. You name it, it is available in the US. I like it here.
If that small pueblo has street lights that is very unusual. There is really no comparison. If you want to take your car to Canada, you dont have to get permission to leave the country with it.
Most of us who respond with information, our interest is to help and not to argue. That guy has over 20 years experience in this area, he has raised a family, run a business and purchased or built a house. You are going to tell him to get real.
Come on over, it is people like you that go back home. Their bubble busted. In the US we have what they call citizen rights, sure they frisk us at the airport, and we get telemarketing calls. You can purchase a 1994 Suzuki for about $1500. and it cost $7,000. here. Insurance on it cost about $300. per year, you only need liability because no one is going to steal it. Here in Costa Rica you need full coverage, you can almost be assured if possible some one will steal it. Guess what they, have no lemon law. Everything you ship into this country over $500.00 cost within a 6 month period, cost you as much as 49% tax on the value. Airwick air freshner cost $5.00 and it cost $1.00 at home.
This is not negative it is a fact. I love it here and dont intend to every move back but, Ive accepted all these things and made a decision that the reward far out weighs the punishment.
So this answer is not for the dreamer it is for the person that really is insterested in the truth about living and working in Costa Rica.
You have to travel Escazu to get collard greens, swiss chard. The cabbage is dry, the beef is terrible, cheese here chews like bubble gum and has no flavor, the sausage has no taste, it is wrapped in plastice. If you want some products we are used to you have to drive to San Jose or the surrounding area. Well that can be a problem if you are in Liberia. These are facts, for some people it has made life interesting. They like a real challenge and then for some it is just to much of a drastic change. People find just as many reasons to leave as they do to come and make this there home.
rf2cr,
Yes, I do have businesses is the U.S., and yes I am also frustrated with local, state and federal government requirements. Just recently we hired a contractor for two weeks. He only showed up half the time, and did a lousy job when he did, so we didn’t ask him to come back. Well guess what, he filed for unemployment and won. Evidently our State regulations on what constitutes an “employee” have radically changed. Technically speaking if you give someone $10.00 for shoveling your sidewalk he’s an employee now.
So, in other words, I know exactly how you feel. It’s funny you should mention street lighting. Costa Ricans claim that San Jose was the second city in the Americas to get street lighting, after New York. I’ve never checked the veracity of this claim, but the story always includes how ambitious the Spanish aristocracy type (for lack of a better term) city leaders were, and how they also brought over the National Theater piece by piece.
As far as making comparisons, I’m not sure how to discuss these things without comparing. It’s the only way to help people understand the differences.
So, in your town there’s no street lighting, cable tv or broadband internet, and after 20 months and $50k spent you still haven’t been able to divide your property. Sounds like you’re well-prepared to handle the frustrations of dealing with some of these same issues in CR. There are others, of course, that will be new to you. Here’s some more detail:
1. Different legal foundations – In the US our society is based on English Common Law and judicial precedent. In Latin America it’s still pretty much based on the old Roman Codes, with numerous and conflicting patches added over time. It’s truly a jumble, and this legal chaos makes it exceedingly difficult for legal frameworks to stand up to constitutional scrutiny. In business terms, this means that there are a hundred ways in which the government can interfere in your entrepreneurial endeavors. The flip side is that Costa Rican MBAs can find two hundred ways to get out of these predicaments, and to take advantage of all the myriad loopholes. The problem is that not many Gringos have Tico MBAs.
2. Bureaucracy: Yes, it exists in the US as well, but in Costa Rica it’s taken to new extremes. Client service in the private sector is pretty bad in CR, and in the government sector it’s even worse. This is a generalization, and certainly some government services are very good, but it is not uncommon to walk into a government or business establishment and wait at the counter for several minutes while the employees chat with each other before they attend to you. If you interrupt or otherwise demand more immediate attention, you’ll get the brush off. On the legal side of things, these bureaucracies exist in the same chaotic legal soup as everyone else, and must navigate complex, convoluted and conflicting operating framework. Look at the state of the department of immigration right now and you can see an example of this.
To give you another example, non-profit organizations must re-file with the government annually to maintain their status. In the US I do that online, and it takes them a couple days to finalize it. In CR it can take up to 18 months, so in fact you’re never truly legal.
3. Unions – The unions runs several of the industries in CR, and if they don’t get their way (i.e. protection from competitive factors), they make life difficult for everyone with their “Turtle Strikes”. This includes port workers, ICE, teachers, and others. Yes, there are unions and strikes in the US, but they seem more common in CR, and because of the small size of the country, the effect is always national. When the taxi drivers go on strike, they block all the roads. This is not an infrequent thing. There always seems to be something in the way of getting anything done. That’s why the joke “Costa Rica Hell” is so funny to people who’ve lived there for a while.
4. Business “Classes” – Costa Rica is historically a more socialistic country than the US, and therefore its economy is more centrally controlled. It is often said that there are around 50 families that pretty much run political and economic life there. If you’re a member of one of these families, it’s much easier to get ahead in politics, or in business. If you’re not, you need to befriend someone with “patas”. If you can’t do that, you’re on your own. Any business is a risky proposition, even in the US. But as long as you have money, the playing field is more even in the U.S.
5. Infrastructure – OK, so you have some infrastructure issues just outside Palm Springs. I would argue that these issues are much more critical in CR. While much has been done recently to improve the main roads in the country, it’s still dangerous to drive faster than 20 mph or so on most rural roads, and San Jose is now in perpetual gridlock. I know, so is New York, but in Costa Rica all roads lead to San Jose. You can’t do business in Costa Rica without spending time (in traffic, and in line) in their sole metropolis.
Internet access is good in San Jose, but bad in most other places.
Electricity is also good in San Jose, but iffy elsewhere. There are lots of spikes, so industrial strength surge protectors, as well as backup batteries are a must for computers. There are many stories of people’s tvs exploding and the like. One interesting thing they do there is put a knot in electric cords – something about making electricity move in a circular fashion that cancels out surges.
Water is an issue. The quality is very high, but even in parts of San Jose there is rationing during the dry season.
Telephone lines are easy to get in some areas, and impossible in others. Sometimes the lines are saturated as well, and you can’t get through.
One time we lost phone, electric and water all at the same time at our house (where I based my business). Life gets interesting. I remember I went to the ICE office, stood in line for an hour, after which they gave me a number. Another hour passed and my number was called. I went to the desk and said that my phone service was out. They told me I had to call that in. I repeated that my phone didn’t work. They told me to call from the public phones outside. I tried – they were broken… This is the endless cycle of chasing your tail in Costa Rica that gets frustrating.
6. Theft – As I and many other people have said, it’s rampant and endemic. Budgets for security are huge. The walls people build around their houses cost more than the house. If you live in a house, unless you have live-in help, you quickly become a slave to that house, as you can’t leave it alone even with that big wall out your window. In the business world, this means extra budgets for guards, as well as contracting with a securities transport company. The last thing you want to do is routinely carry money to the bank. Business security measures in San Jose are as extreme as the worst inner-city neighborhoods in the U.S.
7. Soccer – When Saprisa and La Liga are playing, don’t count on making your efficiency quotas that day. When La Selección make the final cut internationally, you can pretty much forget getting any work done at all.
8. Holidays – There are only a few more official holidays in CR than in the US, but unofficially the day before and after are taken off by many as well. This gets extreme during Semana Santa, when San Jose becomes a veritable ghost town for a week.
9. Language – If you can’t communicate, don’t expect to be able to transact business well. 1.000 is really one thousand in CR, and 2/9/06 is September 2nd. Hand gestures are wildly different as well, and you can easily insult people if you don’t use them properly. Rudimentary Spanish 101 will not empower you to talk to people very well. As in English, writing and speech are very different. When you get better at it you can talk to people, but you still won’t know what they mean because people are so indirect – you have to read between the lines.
10. Culture – What motivates a Gringo is vastly different than what motivates a Tico. Gringos are highly competitive, and can deal well with a drill sergeant type boss. Ticos are not, and such a direct approach will not work. Obviously, cultural differences are huge, and it takes more than a lifetime to learn it all. This puts the Gringo entrepreneur at a tremendous disadvantage.
I could go on and on (it appears I already have), but in the end the differences are profound. It takes a truly committed person who speaks Spanish WELL, has spent a LOT of time in CR to come to understand it better, and has social connections to help negotiate the bureaucracy, to build a successful business. I would venture to say that the vast majority of Gringos fail within a few years.
This is why I say that earning your money in dollars, either from the US or through professional services geared towards the expat community, is a MUCH more realistic plan than “starting a business” in CR to earn your keep. If I ever do it again, I’ll make sure it’s more of a hobby, and I won’t have to count on its success to survive.
Rf2cr,
There are some impressive things in CR. The beauty of the nature, the abundance of magnificent birds, butterflies and flora. The weather can be a nice plus, especially in the central valley. I enjoy some nice restaurants at good prices. Maid/gardener service is very affordable.The ugly side is your neighbors septic tank overflowing and creating a stench (there are no real sewer systems, never mind a single public sewage treatment plant in the country). The constant dog barking in the neighborhood and dogs running loose. The reams of garbage along side the roads and clogging the rivers. The belching of black smoke from 50% of the cars and trucks that I follow into San Jose nearly every day. The very inattentive drivers and bad road conditions that make for a ‘white knuckle’ comute.
If and when you do come here to live permanently, then I think your unfortunate experiences near Palm Springs, California, in the great ole U S of A will benefit you tremendously.
And if you decide to leave, I know a guy who makes his business buying the household stuff of expats who couldn’t take it anymore.
Hard to do business in the US? You’ve GOT to be kidding! Or maybe you are in a business you should not be in.
In the US anything, ANYTHING can be had tomarrow with a phone call or by placing an order online. There is almost no place in the lower 48 where you cannot call a concrete plant and have as much concrete as you desire TODAY. . In Costa Rica you have to find someone with a license to take rock, sand or gravel from a stream and have it delivered to your site. Then you pay several laborers to mix the concrete in small batches by hand or with a portable machine. Hey. . those little machines LOOK like they mix a lot of concrete but it takes nearly a week to mix as much as one truck load in the US.
Yep, in the US there are some places that have no utilities and may never have. It is a very large country with some very wide open spaces. But you make a CHOICE of location.
In the US if I need office supplies, references on ANY subject, an automatic machine tool or all the tooling for it, a fork lift, Oxygen bottles, almost any chemical imaginable. . just a phone call away AND I will have choices. In Costa Rica you MIGHT find what you want in San Jose’ but you probably will not have a choice. Not only will the price be high but there will be a long wait to get it. If you are not in San Jose’. . . there are a couple small towns with a variety of suppliers in CR but in most they cater either to the local farmers or to the tourist trade.
Yep, and if you like real cheeses or light California wines you had better bring it from the US.
I’ll admit I hate the IRS and my state taxes are just as confusing changing every year. I will NEVER operate a business in the US where I employ someone because of the Federal paperwork nightmare. But as others have noted, in CR things are often done illegaly unless you know the right people and how the system works. In the US the systems WORK. You may not like the results but they do work. In CR the bureaucracies are all mostly broken. It took a friend of mine 4 months to get a container of machinery through Costa Rica customs because they tossed some flea market chairs in the load and nobody in CR could put a value on them. AND despite what you would think, nobody offered to make a “deal”.
I have met a few American’s that were leaving CR and the main reason was they expected it to be just like the US but a little “quaint”. CR is notheing like the US. AND they never managed to fit in. Mostly they could not get along with their Tico neighbors. And it IS a fact that if Tico’s do not see any value to their Gringo neighbor in their community they will try to push them out.
CR is in many ways like the US of the 1950’s. But in other ways it is the worst of any big city of the 20th century. In many ways it IS Paradise but in others it can be Hell. If you have no patience and expect logic from a bureaucracy then it will be Hell. If you act as if you have all the time in the world and value the climate and scenery over access to commodities then it can be Paradise.
Some excellent information, It should help.
The one thing a person should get an understanding about is when someone tells them how cheap it is. You need to ask that person how they live. You may not want to make those type of sacrifices. A lot of people go home because they are unable to live on the budget they planned
Great posts. More sincere than all the positive, but not so sincere stuff I have read on most sites with information on Costa Rica. I am living in Spain, visited Costa Rica in September (2006) with my wife. My wife´s native language is spanish and I speak it fluently after 7 years in Spain. My wife looks like a tica. We visited Costa Rica to check whether it would be a good place for us to live. After so many positive stories from friends we thought this could be a nice country for us to live in. After 8 days some very bad guys (2 men and 1 woman in a car) started following us in our car (rental, Budget). It was a Thursday afternoon in September in Escazu, close to the big mall there. First we thought we were paranoid. At 4pm with daylight and much traffic this was crazy we thought. But they didn´t let us go. It was wild 30 minute chase, close to our hotel they managed to pinch our right back tyre, but that was only 1 minute away from our hotel in La Sabana. We were lucky, nothing happened, they chased us till the hotel parking space, which was very secure to our luck. Not a very pleasant experience and I think this was no coincidence, the security issue is a real BIG worry for anyone considering living in Costa Rica. After this incident we inmediately booked a flight back home and are now warning everybody on the risks of visiting Costa Rica. Just wanted to post this, because we are e.g. not in the statistics of crimes in Costa Rica, simply because I didn´t feel like searching 4 days for 1 of the 20 policemen (and 5 police cars (if they work)) they suposedly have in San Jose. Sorry to sound negative, I am a very positive guy, but I can´t stand reading all the one-sided positive information on Costa Rica. This is not good for people trying to decide whether they could live in CR 🙂 Best regards from Barcelona, Spain!
Hi tutis!
I enjoyed your point of view; so sorry to hear about your experience. I think that we should all keep our comments unbiased if that’s possible (as you stated). Some people are just so excited about a new place that tend not to see any negatives; kind of like when you first fall in love. We were in Costa Rica for sixteen days this time last year and visited the central valley, as well as the Pacific Southern Coast and never had any trouble at all. But we know that it does happen.
Just out of curiosity; “How is it to live in Spain, Europe, etc.?”
Just wandering why you were thinking of relocating? If I’m not being too nosey? What would it be like for someone to move to Spain? Difficult to get residency, etc.? Sorry, but I’m just curious. I have never been to Europe.
Boy Tutis one bad experience and you fled the country? I mean there are many reasons not to move to costa rica but one isolated incedent, what happens if you get robbed in Spain to you leave for Sweden and warn everyone about Spain? I don’t mean to sound rude but this is silly…
Thanks for your input and you are right about dicussing some of the facts about crime and very little police action in Costa Rica. It seems like none in comparison to Spain, my husband and I spent over 10 years in Europe and we traveled all over. Late night driving was not a problem, but is is here. I think they know for sure anyone out that time of morning is a tourist.
The question was why people leave, and we have mostly stated why we like it here. There are many issues but then those of us who are in love with Costa Rica have sort of overlooked all the obstacles.
One – No police protection
two- You can not leave your home unprotected
three- The fear of having some one break in while you are at home.
four- going out late at night can be dangerous
five – car theft is very highWe have not had school shootings nor terrorist bombing yet. So most of us look at those things and consider Costa Rica a pretty safe place to live.
In the USA they have a lot of police and many other security forces, but still criminals go unharnessed it seems.
So most of us that stay look at a lot of comparatives.
Each country has it’s own demon, when we lived in Okinawa, they use to rob houses while you were asleep. They put ether in the A/C system. Entered your house and robbed you while you were asleep. That was very scary.
I’ve visited Spain several times and your country in comparison, does have police protection. Germany, Austria, Sweden, France and the others have some problems but most people can drive late night and even walk on the streets late evenings. You noticed I did not say Italy, crime is very high in Italy. In certain areas of the country it is very safe but in the more popular area it is not safe to park a car, walk the streets late nights and many other things. That does not make the entire country unsafe.
In Costa Rica about the only people that are up late are the crooks or some unsuspecting tourist. One of the things I would advise is that before visiting any country, check with that country and find out what some of the problems are and also when visiting a foreign country you should try to stay close to the customs of the people.
I am very sorry you had that experience but you should not let it determine the fate of others by using your experience as an example of the security in Costa Rica.
All areas are not the same. Escazu is considered city, Escazu has a lot of money, and just as in New York City, Miami, Chicago and other big cities crime is higher. Escazu is not in comparison but then it is, because it is considered as a city of influence. Criminals are drawn to these areas regardless to where you live in the world.
You must have read something good to want to come to Costa Ric and there are so many things nice about this country. The people are some of the most hospitable people we have ever met.
Most Costa Ricans care enough about you to warn you about dangers in their country. When we first came we road a bus to Ezcasu and we were trying to get back to the bus stop in San Jose for our ride back to Grecia. We got off the bus in the wrong, I mean wrong area in San Jose. We saw a policeman and asked him to direct us. Instead he called one of his young trainees and had him to escort us to our bus stop. So, these are the things that made us stay.
Try the Central Valley North of the airport and join us in the small quiet towns. That is where so many of us are living.
Seeing Europe is a must, it is just wonderful. We lived in Germany for 10 years and I want to return so very bad. Perhaps one day soon. My husband and I were going to purchase proptery in Spain and the year we were thinking about doing that the taxes in Spain jumped almost 40%. So I would say perhaps Taxes in Spain would be one of the driving forces to flee the country.
Spain is beautiful, it is a must see, when we were there the beachs were just beautiful. The mountains are beautiful and they have some of the best shoes in the world. We enjoyed the people. We enjoyed Spain, but that was in 1987 – 1990. Since that time Spain has gotten expensive.
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