Conveniently located just a few miles off the Pan American Highway, less than an hour from San Jose and only 30 minutes from the Juan Santamaria International Airport, you will find the beautiful mountain paradise of Grecia, Costa Rica.

Grecia, like most other “pueblos” in the Central Valley of Costa Rica, boasts a near perfect climate with temperatures in the mid 80’s durning the day and the low 60’s at night.

This extraordinary climate is due to Grecia’s elevation which ranges from 3,000 feet to well over 5,000 feet above sea level.

Retirement in Costa Rica. Grecia is an affordable paradise video.

So what makes Grecia Costa Rica’s Affordable Paradise?

Real Estate in Grecia, Costa Rica.

One of the major factors for many expats who choose to live in Grecia is the affordability of its quality real estate.

Grecia has several communities and neighborhoods that have become popular with the expat community including El Cajon and San Isidro. San Isidro is often referred to as the Beverly Hills of Grecia and is a short 15 minute drive from downtown.

The area offers stunning views of the Central Valley, San Jose and the Poas volcano, green pastures, coffee plantations, amazing forests and crystal clear mountain streams.

San Isidro also features several gated communities such as High Valley Ranch as well as large free stand estate style properties. Quality homes in the area start for as low as $150,000 and go to well over $1,000,000

The median price for a 2-3 bedroom, 2 bath, view home is around $250,000 View lots range in price from $50,000 to over $150,000 for 1-2 acres, with utilities in place, ready to build.

This area is a great alternative for those looking for a good value, often times 30-50% less other popular expat communities such as Escazu, Santa Ana and Atenas.

Living Healthy With Fresh Food

The lush mountains and rich soil around Grecia is a virtual Garden of Eden. Not only does the area grow high quality coffee and sugar cane, but top quality produce as well.

Every Friday and Saturday you can take advantage of Grecia’s HUGE “feria” or farmers market, which offers the freshest produce that can be found in the area at bargain prices.

In addition to quality produce, you can find homemade artisan breads and baked goods, jams, jellies, homemade cheeses, yogurt, sour cream, farm fresh eggs and herbs. Also, vendors offers some great deals on ornamental plants for the garden.

A few weeks ago I stopped in and picked up a weeks worth of fruit and veggies for around $25! Here is a sample of what I got for my money:

3 pineapples, $2
1 large bag of tangerines, $1
10 bananas $.50
2 heads of curly red leaf lettuce $1.20
4.4 lbs of green beans $2.80
4.5 lbs of carrots $1
6.6 lbs of potatoes $2
5 red bell peppers $1
5 ears of sweet corn $1
3 lbs of onions $1.50
1 large cauliflower $1.25
10 large chayotes $1
2.2 lbs. fresh cheese $4
1 package fresh cinnamon rolls $4.60

Low Property Taxes in Grecia, Costa Rica.

Like most other areas of Costa Rica, property taxes in Grecia are extremely low compared to what most people from the United States, Canada and Europe are used to paying.

A typical 3 bedroom, 2 bath home with 2,000 s.f. on a one acre piece of land with nice views can expect to pay under $400 per year.

Vacant land is also very inexpensive when it comes to property taxes. We recently had a client tell us they were paying about $30 per year in property taxes on a beautiful 10 acre tract of land.

Low Cost of Living in Grecia – Utilities

Utilities in Costa Rica are typically a great value with the exception to electricity.

Electricity in Costa Rica often costs more per kilowatt hour than in the United States. Why? It’s clean energy. Most electricity produced in Costa Rica comes from natural sources such as hydro (dams), geo-thermal (heat from volcanic activity) and wind (turbines).

Recently we asked clients turned friends who own a beautiful 3,000 s.f.home in San Isidro de Grecia to give us a breakdown of their monthly utility bills. This is what they came up with:

Electric, $80 – $90
Water, $5 – $7
Phone (land line), $7
Phone (cell), $7 – $10
Gas (for cooking and hot water) $24 every 3 months
Cable/Satellite, $49 (packages run from $25 – $99 per month)
High Speed internet, $60 (depending on speed, rates run from $25 – $60 per month)

Low Cost, High Quality Domestic Help and Skilled Labor

If you are like most retirees the idea of spending as much time as possible having fun in Costa Rica will be your top priority.

Skilled labor is also easy to find and depending on the craft/trade, you can expect to pay $4-$6 per hour for quality work.

This will virtually eliminate the “honey-do” list leaving more time to enjoy the beauty that abounds in Costa Rica. Hiking, golf, tennis or fishing perhaps?

World Class, Affordable Health Care in Costa Rica.

It is no secret that Costa Rica boasts one of the best health care systems in the world. Grecia is less than an hour from many of Costa Rica’s top ranking private hospitals such as Hospital CIMA, Clinica Biblica, Hospital Clinica Catholica and Hospital Metropolitano in the capital of San Jose.

In addition, Grecia has many private doctors, dentist and clinics as well as a small public hospital, San Francisco de Asis. A good friend of ours who lives in the area recently used the Grecia hospital and was very pleased with the results.

You see, our friend “Bob” fell down the stairs of his home one morning, busting his head wide open. The Red Cross ambulance was called and quickly rushed him to San Francisco Hospital in downtown Grecia.

Bob was attended to immediately and received 30 stitches. After a few hours he was back home and when all was said and done his medical bill totaled just under $50!

Needless to say not only was “Bob” impressed with the care and service, but was blown away by the low cost. If this had been an emergency room visit back in the States, the bill would have easily been a few thousand dollars.

If you are looking for your own piece of affordable paradise in Costa Rica, then we highly recommend you taking a look at Grecia. Grecia boasts all the wonderful amenities and charm that many of the other expat towns offer with the added benefit of VALUE.

Properties in Grecia are often priced 30-50% less than in areas such as Escazu, Santa Ana or Atenas.

With a convenient location, stunning views, quality homes and world class amenities, Grecia is quickly becoming Costa Rica’s Affordable Paradise.

Where To Retire in Costa Rica? Grecia is CRAP! (Costa Rica’s Affordable Paradise) Free video.Article ID Number 4021

For more real estate for this region at the WeLoveCostaRica Atenas listings page, click here

Andrew Makarik

to@welovecostarica.com

Andrew Makarik is the main editor of WeLoveCostaRica, a fan of this sunny country. He is also a loving husband and a has a lovely daughter. By being a devoted family man and the biggest Costa Rica fan, he wants to make more people feel at home there. WeLoveCostaRica unites people and helps them find new home or a new travel destination. This website is a friendly community where everyone can find not only information, but also new friends and travel pals. Andrew is also passionate about IT and programming, so he himself maintains a friendly atmosphere in this cozy environment of WeLoveCostaRica.com.