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Is “INS” the Government healthcare system? When I think of “Government” healthcare I think of long lines…hours and hours of waiting…months to see a specialist…etc. which is why I’m differentiating between that system and the availability of private insurance.
Like you, I am diabetic and in the event I decide to explore living in CR I want to be able to have the ability to see not just an endocrinologist every 3 to 4 months but a retina specialist..podiatrist…etc. I am very “proactive” when it comes to my care because I feel that’s the best strategy to avoid complications and that involves the discipline of going to these various specialists on a regular schedule which I have here in the US. If that is not a realistic option in CR then it makes my decision making process very easy.
Thanks for the feedback.
[quote=”waggoner41″]
With a falling housing market in the U.S. and renting cheaper than owning in the U.S. …..[/quote]Actually the rental market is starting to become on fire in the U.S. due precisely to all the people being kicked out of their homes and jobs. In Southern CA. for example if you buy a $300K home and financce $250K of that at 5.00% for 30 years the monthly payment is around $1,350.00 If you wanted to RENT because you can’t qualify or any other reason then $1,350 barely gets you a dumpy 1 bedroom apartment. Many of my clients are seasoned real estate investors and they have been buying rental properties in large numbers.
I would also not omit as an option the idea of renting in Costa Rica. Seems to be no shortage of rentals at very affordable prices and also gives you the flexibility of not being tied down if for whatever reason you wanted to move. The Costa Rica real estate market is very “inefficient” so probably a lot easier to buy but selling is likely an altogether different thing. Renting allows you to pack up and leave anytime you want.
I believe I or another poster (or both of us) may have previously mentioned this on another thread but if you have a Schwab account they will reimburse you for all fees whcih other banks charge when you withdraw from their ATM’s, including those in Costa Rica. Other than that my guess is that most other banks probably all charge around the same typical fee $3 – $4 or something like that.
[quote=”maravilla”]how fast do you want the internet? mine is fast enough to stream first-run movies from chile without a problem.
if nicaragua is still on your list, perhaps you haven’t been following the recent frontera dispute. it does not bode well for nicaragua or daniel ortega who is up for re-election in january. don’t think for one minute that the political climate of a latin america country will not affect you, or your money. right now laura chinchilla wants to bring the colon down to C400 to $1.00 — if that happens there will be many many many gringos who will not be able to afford to live here any longer, and it will keep a lot of them from coming in the first place, which is probably a good thing in the end. as it is, i know several people who are bailing because of the devaluation of the colon from the high 500’s to 505 or below. everything just got more expensive and it is only going to get worse. wherever you move, if there is a pocket of gringos, the cost of life will increase dramatically. i went to the local feria to buy food for thanksgiving. i wound up paying C1000/kilo for potatoes — that makes them about $1.00 a pound, 30% more than what i paid for organic potatoes in the states last month. eggs have doubled in price in the last 5 years. factory-produced eggs are now nearly $3.00 a kilo. i was buying organic free range eggs in the states for less than that, and now i buy all my eggs from a neighbor and they are still $2.40 a kilo, but at least they aren’t full or hormones and antibiotics. chicken, meat, and fish are all about the same price as stateside, unless you go to the docks and buy it fresh off the boats. do you speak spanish? if not, i’d start learning it now. otherwise your options are very limited. you will be relegated to only hanging out with other gringos, you’ll be at the mercy of shopkeepers who probably won’t speak any english, and there is no way you can immerse yourself in a latin culture without good language skills, which is what i thought living here was all about.[/quote]
Damn!!! Sounds like you could live a whole lot cheaper in Detroit…:)
[quote=”bogino”]Is Lipitor (the actual brand Lipitor) sold in C.R. and if so does anyone know the cost i.e. for a 30 day or 80 day supply (40 mg.). Are there other alternatives to Lipitor sold in CR that are considered equally effective but more economical? Thank You.[/quote]
TYPO–I meant 90 day, not 80 day.
FYI–Lantus is definitely NOT fast acting insulin. It is long acting and is taken once a day in many cases in combinaation with fast acting insulin such as Humalog. Lantus is sold in vial form as well as pens (Lantus Solostar). The pens come 5 to a box. If the package he showed you was a package with 5 Lantus pens and that box cost $30 that’s pretty good considering here in the US 3 boxes of 5 (90 day supply)thru the mail order pharmacy costs somewhere around $400. If, on the other hand the package contained just 1 pen then no bargain at all.
Sounds like the “tech” was not very knowledgeble.
[quote=”grb1063″]Even California, the most liberal state in the nation, who actually voted for Jerry Brown 30 years later (most of who voted for him were probably not there 30 years ago) defeated legalization of recreational use of marijuana on Tuesday.[/quote]
Yeah……Not even Uber Liberal George Soros could help California pass prop. 19.
I suggest you act quickly on establishing Plan B and Plan C. If you’ve never been to Costa Rica or the southern pacific zone, from what I’m reading you may be out of luck. If you’re driving I don’t even want to think about what the road conditions are between Quepos and Dominical, unless they’ve finally paved it.
I considered buying a house in Dominical several years ago. My intent was to use it as a vacation rental and then eventually live there myself when approaching retirement. The problem I had with that idea was this: Dominical and the areas around it are rather “remote”. There are very few realty firms there let alone property managers. It comes down to sheer numbers. Dominical is a much smaller community compared to, say, tows closer to San Jose. I came to the realization there is not a great selection of full time property managers in that area and if you find one and then they leave a year later then you have to go through the hassle of starting your search all over again. I love the areas around Dominical…Lagunas..Ojochal…Playa Ventanas and would not hesitate to own a home down there if I were living in it full timee but being far away and only visiting once or twice a year in an area like that may be asking for trouble.
Costa Rica is LOADED with rental opportunities. It really just comes down to how committed you are and how patient you are to seek out the best possible deal. I have been leisurely looking at both buying or renting in CR in different parts of the country and after viewing a multitude of properties over the last 4 years I’m quite astounded at some of the incredibly affordable very nice rental opportunities.
[quote=”Scott”]Want cool?
My vacation home is at 7,230 feet… During the day it is gorgeous and hot and in the evening it can go down to 60 degrees…. For me that’s perfect sleeping weather ]
Scott[/quote]I just viewed that magnificent cabin of yours and was thinking how the day before yesterday it was 113 (an ALL TIME record) here in L.A. and what the HECK am I doing here!!! Really does look like Paradise. Be back in C.R. in 8 weeks and may want to discuss with you.
Buy me a ticket from L.A. to San Jose and I will customize your tours and vacation and drive you wherever you want to go. Been all over…From Dominical to Quepos all the up to Tamarindo to Arenal & Monteverde and all the way down to Puerto Viejo and Gandoca on the Carribean side. I know my way around…speak Spanish and Portuguese and work Cheap!
Seriously though…if you’re comfortable driving in a foreign country and you PLAN AHEAD getting around on your own is not that difficult and probably a LOT more enjoyable and relaxing.
