What are the recent building costs.

If I were at the “. . . thinking about maybe moving to Costa Rica . . .” point, I’d be planning on a cost per square foot in the Central Valley of $100US. You can probably build a pretty nice home for less, but by the time you get here, find property, get plans and permits, commit to a builder, etc, costs will surely have gone up, as Scott says.

If a cost of $100 per square foot totally blows you away, you have two choices: first, plan to build a smaller house that you can afford; second, look to another part of the world.

Our construction expert Tom Rosenberger emailed me saying that “The costs I published are still accurate when building with concrete block and stucco in the central valley. The newer imported building materials are priced higher and require more skilled labor to install. Additionally, it will cost more to build at the beaches.”

And no! Those costs reflect construction costs only and have nothing to do with the cost of the land which could be $1 per square meter or $1,000 per square meter depending on where you are buying and how much land you are buying …

Scott Oliver – Founder
WeLoveCostaRica.com

I am a retired builder from Canada who just finished my own home at Playa Grande, Costa Rica, which is located in Guanacaste on the north Pacific coast. Some neighbours close to me are getting quotes at around $200 per square foot to build which does not include property or pre-construction fees such as surveys, permits and so on. The costs to build in Costa Rica are still dirt cheap compared to other parts of the world. The problem in Costa Rica is that architects, builders and others in the building industry are maximizing their profits by charging outrageous fees for very poor quality work. If you are coming to the North Pacific beach area, visit first and do your home work. All the quotes will be well above the $100 per square foot and your architect/builder will want 50% down. Don’t pay the 50% and get a detailed, I mean detailed written quote from architects, translated to your language of preference, then take it from there. You can build a North American quality home in Costa Rica easily for the $100 per square foot. Keep in mind, water systems, walls, gates, driveways are all extras. Hope this helps. I will be glad to answer any questions you have about building in Guanacaste.

We are building first class home in the Orosi Valley. The cost of construction is about $100 per sq. ft or $1080 per sq. meter. Labor is running about 40% or total cost. Those numbers include a profit of about 10% for the builder.
If a builder quotes less than $90 per sq. ft., then they are leaving out something or will not build the quality you expect. One way they cut cost is to use less rebar than the specifications requires. The home will look the same until the first earthquake.
Scott, feel free to contact me if any questions arises about construction or real estate in Orosi. Best Regards, Steve Riley

Yes, somewhat but not much. Materials and transportation are more expensive in the coastal areas. We just finished a home in Nosara and begin another one soon and the cost ran about 10% more.
Regards,
Steve

Hi Gerry:

Sure, I can meet yo any time you want. Let me know where and when.