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The way many here generalize what is a Tico lifestyle is much to general.
Absurd really.
Condescending too.
Tico lifestyle –
What does that mean?
Financially according to Americans it would mean you are poor. But have you ever been to the San Jose Valley? Lot of expensive cars there, and malls and expensive restaurants.
Financially poor?Reconsider.
Ah you must mean and organic, carefree less ambitious life revolving around simple living and cooking with lena and picking coffee.
Like I said, have you ever been to San Jose?
Oh you must mean a noble family centered honest church going God fearing lifestyle.
Plenty of thieves in San Jose…
Now here is the kicker – you cannot combine all people with many lifestyles and say they have a Tico lifestyle – as if it was one lifestyle.\
What is meant by an American lifestyle… tell me
you have rich poor educated uneducated sick healthy etc etc
Think about it!
If you are single and live in the campo and are frugal and basically live a campesino existence and you have your house paid for you could possibly live on $1000 a month. If you have to pay rent add another $500. Car? much more… wine, entertainment, etc.. where does it end? Travel?
I wouldn’t want to live on a grand a month and that would not be my idea of living.
I would say living with a car and a life and paying rent requires $2,500 minimum…
Kids! That means private school and at least another $600 just for the school…
It aint cheap here. Now if you want to live frugally like a minimalist I think you could live cheaper somewhere in the states,
We never mentioned medical.
Do not for a minute think that your $65 a month caja bill will even come close to giving you medical treatment like you would find in the states. Also you can get emergency quality medical treatment in the states for free if you qualify.
There are so many Caja Horror stories it would give you nightmares… private medicines here is much less than the states but it aint cheap.
If I made under 20k a year i would move to an inexpensive place in the states and use government assistance…
OK got it now. The original “original” post was under “Crime in Costa Rica”.
(Then we experienced ‘topic drift’ and were vaccinated by Scott.)
So as you can see, living a “Tico” lifestyle runs the entire spectrum from the very poor to the fairly wealthy.
I know some young gringos (some even with children) living on organic farms and in intentional communities who live on almost nothing.
They raise nearly all of their own food, live in sparsely appointed homes, buy their clothing at the Ropa Americana, don’t own a car and rely on the public bus system for transportation.
There is little or no medical care available to them. Such a lifestyle does not usually suit the average retiree. Anything beyond this simplest style of living adds $$$ to the cost to live.
In order for one to know if an income (be it social security or another source of income) is enough to support a living in Costa Rica, one needs to visit Costa Rica for a sufficient amount of time and experience for themselves the lifestyle they wish to live.
There are places in the US where the cost of living might rival the cost to live in Costa Rica. Moving to Costa Rica just to live more cheaply may not be a good enough reason to move there.
Most people who move to Costa Rica and who don’t consider ever leaving, do so for many other reasons. A lower cost of living is just the bonus that makes it possible.
I am reluctantly accepting the idea that a move to Costa Rica may be filled with challenges beyond my capacity to handle. With that in mind, it gives me a more realistic consideration than that which I had when browsing through internet sites viewing all the beautiful homes, the promise of excellent and affordable health care, the abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables leading to a long life, and living among cheerful, helpful, optimistic citizens. I will definitely visit, feel the sun and breeze, look into the eyes of the Ticos, and see if I feel a compelling presence or tap into my intuition which might give me the courage to overcome the promised challenges. Not one to give up easily, you may see my five amazing children and me in a market happily chatting away in Spanish one day.
It can happen. Just don’t come here and leave your brains on the plain.. Check it out. In boldness lies genius…
The main thin is that your 5 amazing children be given the chance to excel where quality education is available and getting scholarships are relatively easy.
remember, in this country, or anywhere actually, your comfort level is determined by your income. most of us here do not have young children that we must house, feed, clothe, and educate. those are expenses above and beyond what a retiree living on social security would be burdened with. the internet oftens gives an unrealistic picture of what life is like here — yes, the houses look wonderful, but the house you could probably afford would not be listed, and if money for food is an issue then be sure you move somewhere where there is a big farmer’s market. there was a guy who was once on this board who complained bitterly that where he had chosen to live denied him access to many fresh foods. for someone with 5 children, this access would be one of the most important things about living here. the sad thing is that the cost of living keeps going up up up and most peoples’ income is pretty static. not too long ago, my husband and i spent only about $700 a month for all our expenses (we have no house payment), then it was $800, and now we are close to the $900 mark and there are some fixed expenses that have actually decreased, but the cost of food, gas, etc. have all gone up exponentially. so coming for a visit, and checking out the areas that appeal to you, is the first thing you should do before making this decision. you don’t want to wind up like so many others who come here, discover it’s not for them, and then haven’t the resources to go home. good luck.
When a ‘couple’ retires here, there is usually [b]or will be in their future, two sources of income[/b], not only the guaranteed source required for residency.
[quote=”2bncr”] Also you can get emergency quality medical treatment in the states for free if you qualify.[/quote]
as long as you are not a middle eastern woman driving an Mercedes (and hence, assumed that it is her Duck). The free medical you mention, it is often hard to come by, and hard to connect person-care.
On another thred, you complained about “takers”………would this free care not include taking?[quote=”2bncr”] Oh you must mean a noble family centered honest church going God fearing lifestyle.
Plenty of thieves in San Jose…[/quote]
Plenty of thieves in every country……what is true in many cases in latin nations is a strong faith and family..even if practice often lags behind belief and the ideal…..as a Catholic, I look at my brothers and sister of “hispanic” backgrounds and find much to admire, but often am horrified at the loose sexual morals…great, no contracepting as much as others and abortion….but it seems that the majority of non-married women have children……whereas, strong sexual mores amongst my fellow Europeanized Catholcis, but less family structure, more contraceptive/abortion mentality……..except, with my little church, where we have traditional Latin Mass, a resurrgence of piety and many families have 5-9 kids a piece…..but charity at times, is cold, where hispanics have charity and more joy……so, both can share and learn from the other, really…..
yes, I am one of those rosary saying daily fellows that goes to the traditional latin mass and says his divine office….
[quote=”2bncr”]What is meant by an American lifestyle… tell me[/quote]
well, lets see-for starters and not unilaterally, but as a group, in general, Americans are:
-the #1 obese on the planet
-least likely in the western, white world to learn a second language and
-do not seem to care and
-this leads, amongst the “we are the best” mentality, to look down on and pity other peoples are poor, not educated, lacking,etc..
-the #1 nation in most surveys ands tudies to be depressed, take anti-depressants and in general, the biggest pill poppers in the worl, also
-some of the most stressed people on the planet, often leading to
-highest incidence of crime, esp violent and are usually in the top 5, often #1, in incarcerations. oddly, we seem to lead the planet on murders, rapes and serial killers (exculding communist regimes, Hitler, Pol Pot), but in everyday types of peoples.
-are economy is a dead beast and going to drag the planet down.
-often the most arrogant in terms of foreign policy, military-we think and act like we run the planet and treat others in that fashion…..My recent visit to CR, my wife was flabbergasted that the CR does not have a military…she asked our tour guide “who defends you?” He was rather shocked and perplexed and asked “what do you mean? who is going to attack us?”
I noted to her that CR is like the Swiss or Iceland in some respects…..they keep their noses out of others business, no one screws with them, if they want something in CR, they come and enjoy….
It is a American militarized mindset that has led to our paranoia of “veryone out ot get us” and our tinkering in the affairs of others that has led to us having a large target on our backs…….and the stress, destroyed economy of being the world’s policeman and “super power”, again, a stressful way to live and a perverted mindset that has led us to live arrogantly and distrustful of others…..CR I know has a border dispute w/Nicaragua, but so far, things working out peacefully…
To those of you who discuss the increasing prices in the CR, let me share with you that the prices are also going up and up in the U.S. Increased charges for food, energy, insurance, TAXES are just the beginning.
One place we’re really looking into has fruit growing everywhere and a Sunday morning market with VERY reasonable prices for dark chocolate, baked goods, fruits, veggies, fresh pork/fish/chicken, and homemade, organic soaps/oils/shampoos….all made by people in the area.
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