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[quote=”Laverne”][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?[/quote]
Laverne,
You should contact George Lundquist- http://www.costaricaretireonss.com. He can answer any questions you have. He offers a great informational tour to folks considering retirement or residence in CR.
George Lundquist is happy to help people with questions when they book his tour but I can guarantee you he doesn’t have the time to answer the same questions of thousands of people.
There are hundreds of Discussion Forum threads on this website about residency and about bringing in dogs, please find them because we cannot repeat the information everytime a new members joins…
For taking your dog back to the US I would have thought it would be best to ask someone in the Department of Agriculture in the USA, these rules and regulations are constantly changing …
About how much should my husband and I budget for a 1-3 month visit (with our little 10 lb. Shih Tzu)? Approximatly how often do travelers have problems getting their small dogs into Costa Rica and then back into the US? We’ve only been to Costa Rica twice on shore excursions. Once to Dole Banana Plantation and another day trip to the Rain Forest. On our next visit we only want to bring our pet and clothes. We would appreciate recommendations — and contact info if available — for safe, clean, and affordable short term accomodations.
Please note this thread is about “living on social security” and not about vacations, dogs or short term rentals
Your budget depends on your standard of living surely?
Could be $2,000 per month or it could be $10,000 per month, without knowing who you are none of us can give you an accurate number.
It is rare that people have problems bringing their dogs to Costa Rica, you do have to plan in advance and much of that information is already on this site in the form of articles or already in the Discussion Forum, please search for it.
And you want us to recommend short term rentals all over the entire country of Costa Rica do you?
[quote=”rluikaart”][quote=”Laverne”][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?[/quote]
Laverne,
You should contact George Lundquist- http://www.costaricaretireonss.com. He can answer any questions you have. He offers a great informational tour to folks considering retirement or residence in CR.[/quote]
Thanks so much!
[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]
Cmon Scott, never heard of a LDC! I have been going there for 15 years and have always know it to be a ‘Third World Country’.
The Banking Dictionary defines a Less Developed Country as:
“Country whose state of economic development is characterized by a low national income, a high rate of population growth and unemployment, and dependence on commodity exports. The majority of nations in Asia, Africa, and Latin America, fit this model, which is why they are known collectively as developing countries or third world countries. LDCs generally pay more for the goods they import from more economically advanced nations than they receive in payments. To make up the shortfall or deficit in balance of payments, these nations must resort to bank loans from private banks and from international credit sources, such as the International Monetary Fund.”
[quote=”dstar”][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]
Cmon Scott, never heard of a LDC! I have been going there for 15 years and have always know it to be a ‘Third World Country’.[/quote]
Anyone who’d refer to Costa Rica as a third world country has never been to a true third world country and says much more about yourself than it does about Costa Rica.
[quote=”sandymae”]Once you decide you wish to move here start the residency process. Do it while you are in the states. Leaving the country every three months is inconvenient and costly. A couple can expect to put out a minimum of $400 just to cross the border by bus and stay at a so-so hotel for three days. A great way to sight-see but once again a hit on the $1700 budget.[/quote]
Our regular trip from Manuel Antonio to David, Panama cost the two of us $159 last time…total. We take the bus, stay at a very nice hotel just off the square in David for 3 nights. A lot of it is knowledge. Eat in sodas, don’t pay anybody at the border for extra help, use buses not taxis, and it’s cheaper if you have gray hair!!! We even traveled to other places while there, including Boquete. The largest expense, or course is lodging, so check around, ask for discounts. You can rent a nice house for $250 a month just North of David and food is so cheap, we always over-budget for it. We’re going to stay a month this time, and our savings will allow us to spend more when we come back home to Manuel Antonio.We own our home (European style 2 story villa, not Tico style, in case you’re thinking cheap) here, but, easily live on what I used to pay in property tax for a year back in the U.S.. Of course we don’t own a car (though we rent one occasionally and have an ATV)and only eat out 2 or 3 times a week. Also, we don’t use AC. That and a car will eat up a big chunk of colones.
All I can add is that in Samara there is no giant shopping mall for my wife to shop at on a regular basis; therefore, we live more inexpensively than we did in the States!
[quote=”DavidCMurray”]And to expand a little on what sandymae has written above, in order to maintain your legal residency status, now you must be continuously enrolled in the CAJA, the national health system. That’ll be another expense to take out of your $1,700 per month.
You might opt to try the “perpetual tourist” route instead and leave the country every three months or travel to Immigration in La Uruca and pay to have your tourist visa extended. Trouble is, either of those options, too, will eat into your $1,700 and neither will gain you any material benefit.[/quote]
David, I’d like more information on paying to extend your visa. How much does it cost? Where is La Uruca is Immigration, at the embassy?:?
My understanding of the new residency law, which became effective March 1 of this year, is that there is a provision that would permit a tourist to travel to Migracion (a ministry of the Costa Rican government), pay a fee ($100, I think) and renew their visa for one month. If I recall correctly, one can only do this a month at a time, and there may be a total time limit. And I have not heard that this opportunity is actually being offered yet. Maybe someone else can fill in the gaps?
La Uruca is a “suburb” of San Jose. It’s about eight or so kilometers north of Sabana Park and immediately off the General Canas autopista (Route 1). You can see the Migracion office from the autopista. Seems I’ve heard that a tourist cannot extend his or her visa anywhere but at Migracion. That is, you cannot go to Banco de Costa Rica where you can do other similar business. Maybe I’m wrong.
Well, for some of us, we can not do some of these things now. At present my health insurance is taking up 29% of my gross, and I am working part of the year in my retirement. With deductibles and copays, I ended up spending 34% of my gross (including some unemployment) which is ridiculous.
I probably go “out” at a low cost restaurant maybe 10 times a year, haven’t been to the movies in years and have not had TV since it broke 4 years ago.
I gross about 1700 a month now, working part time post-retirement. I will feel rich when I can start collecting Social Security! But there is no way that I can continue paying this outrageous cost for health services. I am in an HMO right now and often wait for appointments, so CAJA and INS sound pretty good to me.
I know I will make sacrifices, but I make them now… water heater broken for 5 months now due to no money to pay for a new one, no AC even though we run between 90 and 110 all summer, old car, … When I can sell my house without taking a loss, I will be out of here!
After a lifetime of working, I can not afford to live in the US at this point in my life. I know I will live in a modest place, but I live in one now. I have no illusions about living in one of the palaces shown on most websites – why should I? I don’t live like that now!
Janet. Hang in there. You will make it. I read from others in this forums, they save around 15% compared to when they lived in the US. I am sure the savings can be even more, maybe 25-30%, by being thrifty and creative.
I have read of others in these forums who are living in CR well with limited means. Take care and best of luck.[quote=”janetdw”]Well, for some of us, we can not do some of these things now. At present my health insurance is taking up 29% of my gross, and I am working part of the year in my retirement. With deductibles and copays, I ended up spending 34% of my gross (including some unemployment) which is ridiculous.
I probably go “out” at a low cost restaurant maybe 10 times a year, haven’t been to the movies in years and have not had TV since it broke 4 years ago.
I gross about 1700 a month now, working part time post-retirement. I will feel rich when I can start collecting Social Security! But there is no way that I can continue paying this outrageous cost for health services. I am in an HMO right now and often wait for appointments, so CAJA and INS sound pretty good to me.
I know I will make sacrifices, but I make them now… water heater broken for 5 months now due to no money to pay for a new one, no AC even though we run between 90 and 110 all summer, old car, … When I can sell my house without taking a loss, I will be out of here!
After a lifetime of working, I can not afford to live in the US at this point in my life. I know I will live in a modest place, but I live in one now. I have no illusions about living in one of the palaces shown on most websites – why should I? I don’t live like that now![/quote]
It is shameful that people can spend a lifetime working and still have to struggle into their retirement. I don’t give a good crap how other countries fare compared to the US…it is shameful that it happens anywhere.
There is no need for all the luxuries but if you want to live in a country where the society spends most income in consumption of these luxuries, you will feel out of place unless you are able to consume at the same level. A whole lot of older US citizens do not have the wealth to do that and retirement must become an ostracizing experience for them. And for many more, it is not even a matter of being able to maintain a level of over consumption just to fit in. For many, I read that it is difficult to even survive.
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