Costa Rica Cost of Living Is Not Expensive – I only spent US$158,693.31 last year…

It’s that time of the year to examine my expenses from the previous year and say to myself: “Jeeez! Did I really buy that much salmon, fillet mignon, wine and cigars last year…”

Yes I did actually spend $158,693.31 last year but that includes every dime from January 1st 2006 up until midnight on 31st December 2006…

That amount also includes all living and all business expenses including a new Apple laptop computer, all food, good wines, cigars, lunches at least three times per week with clients and dinners out, all car expenses and a great vacation for my two teenagers in Costa Rica and the cost of their flights from New Jersey plus….

That amount also includes a two bedroom, one large bathroom 1,638 square foot Cypress wood vacation home and the land that it was built on…

Yes! My lady and I designed and built our own vacation home, we have proven conclusively to ourselves, to our VIP Members that if you are willing to do it yourself – and it is very hard work – you can build your own home in Costa Rica for a very affordable price.

How much did the whole project cost?

Our vacation homes is located in a cooler mountain area about 60KM south west of our primary home in Escazu and one hour from San Jose. Included in that dollar figure below are all the hand-made wooden beds and bedside tables, all the dining room and living room furniture, the wood-burning stove, the Whirlpool gas cooking stove, the LG refrigerator and all lights.

We are also including all attorney & architect fees, the electricity study, the electricity meter installation, cables, application for telephone line, building permits, house insurance, all materials and labor. As far as I know, we have included just about every penny in our price below…

We have paid a grand total of US$93,290.17 for all the land and a completed, fully furnished, extremely comfortable and very, very cozy home.

The air is clean and looking out of my mountain home, I can not see a house, a car, a road or a human being, just trees in every possible shade of green, mountains, the sky and at night – more stars that I ever thought possible…

Yup! The cost of living in Costa Rica is ‘expensive’ – he said sarcastically – and as long as people believe that, maybe they will leave us in peace, eh?

PS. I did receive an email from a lady who said that she thought that if we subtracted the cost of my new home, I would have spent about $60K last year, she though that was a lot. Please note that I am not retired. My reply to her was that if anybody that thinks that spending $60K to live and to run a multi-faceted business that generates a good, after tax six figure income is using a very, very strange accounting methodology.

[custom_script adID=97]

Written by Scott Oliver, author of How To Buy Costa Rica Real Estate Without Losing Your Camisa and Costa Rica’s Guide To Making Money Offshore.

Although Scott Oliver does not personally sell real estate, he would be happy to Help-U-Search for your perfect property in Costa Rica.

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.