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[b]My wife and I each have SS incomes totalling $2900. We own our home outright but are able to help a Tico family by providing educational expenses for seven children as well as quite a bit of fruit and ves=getables. In return they help us to find what we need at decent prices[/b].
Wagoneer. What a great way to give back. Congratulations to you and your wife. You are making the world a better place.
Well on 1700 a month you can forget
1.) eating out at the fast foods, Sodas and restaurants
2.) Driving your own car will take up about 70 dollars in gas a week if you have a small SUV.
3.) forget about shopping at Multi-Plaza or Terra Mall even down town will be eating into your budget for cloths.
4.) forget about buying electronics they will be double the price than the U.S.
5.) Health care will have to go onto the public system unless you have insurance or cash in the bank. Should pray that you don’t get sick if you have to to onto the national health system. My mother in-law will have to wait until March until they can look at her enlarged heart.Of course if the dollar strengthens again that will make a difference. But at this moment when my daughter and i go to Macdonald’s and for a happy meal, two cheese burgers and small fries it costs around nine dollars that has become crazy.
I think that many people have a mis understanding that it is much cheaper to live in a undeveloped country or a developing country. This is not always true… it depends on the currency that you are using and many other factors.
And like you are totally right about housing… most people will show you the stuff that is 300,000 or more because prices have shoot up dramatically here in the last six years.
Even our average Tico home in a Tico neighborhood is worth 90,000 dollars more since 2000. In many ways that is good because it shows that Ticos are making more than years past.
Can you live on 1700 a month? Yes you can but you will have to change your life style and understand that things will be a little different here in Costa Rica.
not being able to afford to eat fast food will cut down on your medical bills. i know a lot of people who live on a lot less than $1700 and they are doing just fine, but they also don’t have the typical gringo lifestyle, which is a bit overrated anyway.
I do not yet live in CR but tell me if my impression after 4 years of constant visiting is wrong. I note that although day to day expenses are not that much less than in the States if you insist on eating out a lot, keeping your North American diet and keeping a car, at least the cost of property taxes, certain aspects of health care, such as drugs and dentist and doctor visits, are substantially lower.
Also, you at least have the option in CR of living quite frugally if you must. A healthy diet of rice, beans and fresh produce seems to be very inexpensive from what I have seen of market prices. Add up what you spend in the States for these things and you may average a savings of many hundreds of dollars per month. At least this is my impression comparing what I spend in Miami to what I THINK I’ll be spending in CR.
This seems to say that there is a wider range of life style options in Costa Rica. If you have the wealth, you can live well. If you don’t, you’ll at least do better than you would in the States, RIGHT? You at least have the option in CR of living quite frugally on $1700 a month. I doubt that can be accomplished in most places in North America.
Just the difference in property tax alone would save me several hundred a month for a similar dwelling. Of course, I use the term “similar” loosely. You get what you pay for. The infrastructure in CR is not what most Americans are used to. One has to decide whether or not this is a problem for one’s particular circumstances and expectations.
You could probably do better in Panama on that money, and their government actually welcomes retiring foreigners, unlike Costa Rica. Personally I like Costa Rica better, but I’m not on a strict budget.
Although some expats apparently have managed to live cheaply in CR, my experience has been that I don’t live much more cheaply here than in the US. I guess a lot depends on your lifestyle. For my family of five, our living expenses run about $4,000 per month. Yes, we could live on less but would have to make significant changes in our lifestyle.
As for medical expenses and health insurance, as a permentent resident, I pay the Caja about $15 per month for my entire household – myself, my wife, my mother and my wife’s daughter who still lives at home.
We found the medical care through the Caja to be excellent. Many of the doctors who work for the Caja also have private practices or are affiliated with private hospitals such as Clinica Biblica and CIMA. If you see them as private patients and establish a relationship with them, they can write prescriptions on the Caja and all of our doctors have also given us their cell phone numbers and never charge for phone consults. We almost never use the local Caja health clinics, EBAIS, because of the long lines. We usually go to the emergency room or call one of our Caja doctors and he either sees us at the Caja hospital or in his private practice. Often they don’t charge us even when we see them privately. When we do have to pay, the charge is about $50 to $60.
[quote=”sandymae”] We chose an international insurance that “saved our bacon” when my husband got sick. Medical care is not cheap. The national coverage is great if you have time on your hands. The private hospitals are full of nationals who have opted to pay out of pocket to get the needed service that they might have to wait a year to receive.
As already mentioned $1,700 is tight but doable but be sure to factor in realistic expenses. No, Medicare does not cover you in CR.[/quote]The new law requires you to obtain the national health care (Caja) before you apply for your residency. My wife and I never considered any other option and the cost for us is about $95 per month. Comparing that to the cost of medical insurance makes it extremely reasonable.
You will hear a vatriety of responses regarding the national health care system. Most complaints are:
1 – about the length of time required for attention from those who still have the need for instant gratification.
In our experience waiting times are reasonable but we have learned that there are times during the day when lines are either non-existent or not long when obtaining prescriptions and medical tests.
Doctor appointments are sceduled “in batches” and you may find as many as 5 or 6 patients schesduled at a certain hour but the elderly are accomodated ahead of others with the exception of emergencies.2 – Hospital stays are with minimal ameneties. 😯 Every patient supplies their own personal needs. This is intended to keep the cost of socialized medicine to a minimum and I believe is reasonable.
You get a bed and a sheet but if you need more warmth you supply the blanket. Other items that you supply: pillows, soap, towel, wash cloth & soap, toilet paper, entertainment (music, reading, etc).All in all the care is excellent. I have not found a doctor yet who cannot communicate in English. Nurses and aids as a rule do not speak English but some do and if it is required for communication someone will be found who can assist. Doctors who are educated at the University of Costa Rica are taught in English and generally intern in the U.S. Many others are educated and intern in the U.S.
My wife was diagnosed with breast cancer and and is now cancer free. She was admitted for surgery within three weeks with a one week stay in hospital. Care was excellent and her follow-up care has been excellent and intense with 33 sessions of radiation therapy and at least monthly appointments with her doctor.
She also suffers from diabetes with the attendant neuopathy, fibromyalgia and out of control triglycerides all of which are treated with excellent care and medications (generic) are at no cost. Medications that have no generic equivalent are generally not available through the health care system but can be purchased at the pharmacies which are everywhere.
Needless to say we are very satisfied with the health care system (Caja).:D
[quote=”Jim S.”]Although some expats apparently have managed to live cheaply in CR, my experience has been that I don’t live much more cheaply here than in the US. I guess a lot depends on your lifestyle. For my family of five, our living expenses run about $4,000 per month. Yes, we could live on less but would have to make significant changes in our lifestyle.[/quote]
Ahh, lifestyle. What a concept.
If you require “cosas Americana” you will find that the cost is approximately the same as you would pay in the States.If you can accommodate the local cuisine as we have the cost of food and meals is extremely reasonable.
The local diet consiste of:
lots of rice and beans
smaller amounts of meat, generally chicken and pork
lots of fruits and vegetables
(stay away from the local beef. It lacks fat which generally is what gives beef it’s flavor and is tougher than I like and is relatively expensive)I am totally in love with the local diet. It is far healthier than that in the U.S. I went from a fat 185 to alean 149 during our first year here. Some due to stress but I eat all that I want and am maintaing that lower weight.
Eating out? We generally prefer the local sodas (small eating establishments) and restaurants. The cost can run from the equivalent of $10.00 to $20.00 for two.
JimS
I do not recall what the average middle class Tico household income is but I doubt very much it is too much over $2800 per month. I believe I read an article Scott published here with figures for middle class between $1100 and $2800 per month.
The average US household income is just under $50,000 with an average family size in the US of 3.2. $4000 per month for a family of 5 in the States would put you somewhere well below the exact middle. However, $4000 per month in Costa Rica puts you well above the middle, even with a larger family.
Life style is one of those terms which can only be used in the most general sense. I always wonder what people are referring to when they say they keep a North American life style in Costa Rica. I assume they mean that they buy a lot of stuff and that they do a lot of things that the general Tico population cannot afford. And these are things they would normally do or buy were they back in the States.
Even so, there still has to be a portion of everyones’ income that is spent on basics such as property taxes or rent, utilities and food staples. These things are a lot less expensive in CR than in the States from what I have seen so I have trouble understanding how people can claim that the cost of living is about the same. Is anyone in CR paying $7000 per year in property taxes? How about homeowners’ insurance of $5000 per year? An average sit down restaurant bill for a family of three in Miami runs between $40 to $90. Three movie tickets and a few bags of popcorn can cost $50.
Add up the difference between the costs listed above and what one pays for these things in CR and you have a difference of many, many of thousands of dollars.
I think we’re getting a bit carried away with the numbers here…
From ‘Salaries In Costa Rica 2010 – Private sector increase by 3.96 – 4.2%’ at
[ https://www.welovecostarica.com/public/2626.cfm ]A bus driver who earns ¢7,662 per day will see his salary rise by ¢322 to ¢7,984 (US$15.29 per day*) as of the 1st of July 2010
The 3.96% raise will go to employees in all other categories as defined by the Ministerio de Trabajo which would include all specialized jobs and jobs that require employees with degrees.
A person working in a warehouse now earns ¢221,949 per month which will increase by ¢8,789 to ¢230,738 per month (US$442 per month*).
After the increase:
* A housemaid will earn ¢128,527 (US$246 per month)
* Messengers, porters, building maintenance workers will earn ¢214,204 (US$410 per month)
* Guards, warehousemen, receptionists, telephonist will earn ¢230,738 per month (US$442 per month*)
* Sales agents, accounting assistants and secretaries will earn ¢242,765 per month (US$465 per month)You can download the Spanish language .pdf document for the mid-year 2010 Costa Rica minimum Salaries from the Ministerio de Trabajo y Seguridad Social website at:
[ http://www.ministrabajo.go.cr/sminimos.pdfhttp://www.ministrabajo.go.cr/sminimos.pdf ]
[quote=”sprite”] I do not recall what the average middle class Tico household income is but I doubt very much it is too much over $2800 per month. I believe I read an article Scott published here with figures for middle class between $1100 and $2800 per month.
Add up the difference between the costs listed above and what one pays for these things in CR and you have a difference of many, many of thousands of dollars.[/quote]
As per normal we are abnormal but I can tell you a little about our household and the costs.
We own a harge American style home and are mortgage free.
There is a Tico family of nine that lives in house with us.With seven kids in house as you can imagine the utilities are higher than normal,gas, electric water,
average 140,000 or $280.00Food & house supplies (Our diet is Tico cuisine)
Average 260,000 or $520.00
Total – $800.00 of which the family pays $440.00
Our cost for utilities, food and household supplies is about $360.00.
In many areas around the Central valley American style accomodations can be rented for $400 to $600 per month.Gasoline runs about $5.20 per gallon
I also pay property taxes of approximately 175,000 or $1,500 per year. This can be paid quarterly but there is a charge of about $10.00 per quarter.
So you can see that it is easily possible for two to live on about $1,000 per month if you make a few changes.
I’m sure others can add to anything I have missed.
The salaries are of course “minimum salaries”. Believe it or not, some people make more than that. Much more in some cases.
I always say, “You pay peanuts, you get monkeys.”
[quote=”Scott”]Just for the record, Costa Rica is NOT a “Third World Country” it is considered a “Less Developed Country” or an LDC.[/quote]
“Development” doesn’t necessarily equate with quality of life. Think strip malls, KFCs and McDonalds. Give me the “less developed” Costa Rica every time. I’ve visited twice in the past 1 & 1/2 years. Different, beautiful and interesting. I’ll be back.
[quote=”costaricafinca”]To obtain Pensionado status, [i]one of you[/i] must have a guaranteed pension or SS of at least $1000 per month.
With an income of $1700 you can live well once approved.[/quote]How long does it take to get approved? I’ve not had any replies from the Costa Rican Embassy that I contacted. Do you have contact info for any Costa Rican official who will respond? Also, we have a little Shih Tzu that we would want to travel with. I’ve found enough info on getting her into Costa Rica to be comfortable with that part of the puzzle but haven’t found enough info to be comfortable with getting her back into the states. Any experience with that?
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