Most people who visit Costa Rica promise to return and even return to live at least part of the year. This is a result of the spectacular scenery, incredible climates, great food (including the basic food groups; beer, ice cream, and chocolate) and most of all – the Costa Rican people.

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This is truly a unique culture that has developed over the last 100 + years. Given the above, people want to live here even if it costs about the same as where they are living. A sad fact for most North Americans and Europeans who’s climates are nice a maximum of four months per year is; they cannot understand how wonderful life can be where the temperature is never below 50F and never above 80F (although it does get hotter on the Pacific or Caribbean coast).

The good news for those of us who have discovered this life beyond our best dreams is; most will never find out and make the trip here.

For those of you “Up North” who enjoy wonderful spring and fall days and dare to dream that this could exist in a place all year; there are many counties which offer a similar climate to Costa Rica and many are cheaper for living.

None of them however, have the infrastructure (education, security, medical care), and peaceful attitude, that has evolved here in Costa Rica. So, after they imagine such a place, some may muster enough energy to actually do some research and fewer will muster enough energy to actually come here.

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Some people choose to go to Mexico (maybe because it is slightly closer). I lived and did business in Mexico for 35 years and for me personally, I think it’s horrible compared to life here in Costa Rica.

So, for those fortunate enough to discover Costa Rica; there are many scenarios. A common thread for all, regardless of their financial situation, is they are overpowered by the beauty of the country and many decide to start looking for Costa Rica real estate to buy.

All of us who offer advice to potential buyers recommend: “Rent for at least six months before deciding to buy!”

Nearly everyone who lives here will tell you their area is the best area. When this occurs ask where else they have lived and how property values and finished home prices compare (most, including people who claim to be Realtors, really do not know).

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For those who want and can afford to live in areas that have all of the amenities of the North, gated and guarded perimeters with English speaking neighbors, there are many developers and Realtors who will show them a vast array of beautiful properties and homes which may seem like bargains compared to “Up North”.

For those of us who have a limited amount of capital to purchase or build a home as well as a modest retirement income there is wonderful news…

We can actually get to live in low-cost areas without all the heavy traffic, common crime and rampant snobbery that pervade the high cost areas. There are in fact an unlimited amount of places where one can buy or build a great home with electricity, phone, water, medical services and fairly quick access to San Jose if it’s ever required.

When I first thought of moving here and started to look at Costa Rica real estate, I decided I wanted to buy an existing house because I was totally unfamiliar with contractors, tradesmen, building codes and reliable suppliers. And I was limited to a total of about US$60,000 in cash with which to buy a home.

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I searched the internet for over one year, emailing Costa Rica Realtors and attended seminars. I found absolutely nothing I wanted to live in at or below this price.

Then I found my present house listed on the internet and went to visit it. The owners had retired from California and described the area as “where you will be hugged not mugged“. They had joined the Peace Corps after retiring and were assigned to this area.

After two years working here, they decided to buy a lot and build this house. They only used it for about three months per year for seven years and then due to health problems, they decided they could not continue the travel and put their Costa Rica home up for sale.

This Costa Rica house was totally engineered, it has a great view of the valley and our little town. It also has an apartment that I rent out. I bought it for what I knew to be a good price and have never been sorry.

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Having gone through experience, since no one was showing us lower income people how to live well in this virtual paradise. To help people like us, I started writing articles about our life in Costa Rica and started my guide service.

Now, after eighteen months of exploring and meeting people all over the country, I can assure you there are many options to living extremely well in Costa Rica on a modest income.

The most important aspects of living to me; climate and attitudes are free here. All of the services of owning or renting like; electricity, water, gas, phone, Internet, satellite TV, insurance, taxes, garbage collection and even health insurance total cost is less than $200 per month for my wife and I.

Food costs for super fresh vegetables are embarrassingly low. Supermarket eggs, chicken, seafood, hamburger, (steak and roasts are not always easy to find in more rural areas), cereal and cooking supplies all cost about the same as in the US.

If you like the adventure of visiting the various farmer’s markets, you will find an excellent selection of ultra-fresh fruits and vegetables at great prices.

Costa Rica houses can rent for as low as $85 per month for an unfurnished apartment which is obviously pretty bare, all the way up to thousands of dollars per month for huge mansion like hones.

Remember we always recommend renting before buying. This allows you to see if you really want to live in the area. Some people are bothered by crowing chickens, barking dogs, motorcycles and other trivial, but common sounds.

You could even be close to a busy highway where you will thrill to the roaring of the trucks as they apply their jake brake going down the hill.

There are always many questions about Costa Rica Medical Insurance and Costa Rica healthcare costs. Our CAJA health insurance costs less than $50 per month (that total is for my wife and for me – the two of us)and we are really pleased with the quality and accessibility of it.

We have used the services of private Costa Rica doctors, dentists and hospitals from time to time and are amazed at the level of professionalism and the low cost.

In every case, we have been able to schedule an appointment within two days. So far this has included a heart specialist, an internal medicine specialist, a dentist, ophthalmologist and a pain specialist.

A typical visit to one of these Costa Rica medical professionals costs less than $50. All of them can write prescriptions on the CAJA pharmacies so the prescriptions are free. Accessibility to this service is much easier here in the rural areas than in the San Jose area.

When you are ready to invest in Costa Rica real estate, the question of whether it is better to build or buy an existing home must be answered. The answer is; buy an existing Costa Rica property if you can find what you want, where you want at a cost equal to or less than building.

There are very few pieces of Costa Rica real estate for under $80,000 that are what you would want in a location that you want. If you are not lucky enough to find an acceptable bargain, don’t worry!

You can buy Costa Rica land – How about a very nice view lot of + acre with all the services, within one hour of major shopping and some expat neighbors with convenient bus service for less than $20,000?

You can have a very nice, totally engineered, concrete Costa Rica house built for $25 to $40 per square foot. You can probably furnish this house, including TV, washer and drier for another $5,000.

So, you can have a comfortable furnished, two bedroom, two bath, 1,200 square foot house for under US$80,000.

Of course, you can find lower cost homes, which will not be up to Northern standards, or build a smaller house on a less desirable lot for less.

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If you wish, you may consider building a separate apartment or two while building your Costa Rica house. I have found it quite easy to keep our one bedroom, one bath apartment rented. This adds $325 per month to our income when it is rented and costs nothing when it is not. Another benefit of the apartment is we have met some very interesting people.

There is a comprehensive ‘Costa Rica Cost of Living’ article available on this site with an extensive list of specific item costs. Some small items that I want to mention are a great haircut and shampoo where he shaves my neck and even trims my eyebrows for less than US$2.50. A one hour full body massage costs less than $10…

Now you work the numbers to see if you think you can do this.

Costa Rica – What a country!

Written by our friend George Lundquist, who is the founder of Costa Rica Retire on Social Security. If you are thinking of retiring in Costa Rica, you might want to consider the tour that George offers, his goal is to share his experiences here with you to save you time and money!

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