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Atenas has a very nice bilingual school. The teachers and director are very nice and the children seem quite happy.
For me it hasn’t so much been in comparison to what I paid in the US, which was lower even with air conditioning, its the fact that all my local friends paid less even with large families. I just had to figure out what I was doing so differently, even factoring in the various electric appliances that I have that they don’t. I frankly couldn’t take the fact that they had bills of c10,000 with five people and we had bills of c75,000 with two people.
Once ICE reviewed my meter and said it was working fine and an electrician reviewed the connections then I knew the rest was within my control. I love the fact that I finally understand how to read the meter and how to control my energy spending. The energy bill was always a surprise before. Now I can estimate it to within a few hundred colones.
I do agree with Scott. Whatever it is I don’t know but its really refreshing to be around people who are content, friendly, helpful, genuine and not griping about whatever it is people tend to gripe about. They still think the poll is funny though!
I remember when a similar study came out last year. I asked my local friends if they agreed and they all busted out laughing. See, that produced happiness right there. Actually, I think the study can be credited to the fact that Costa Ricans don’t complain nearly as much as they have a right to. Maybe it comes with experience. I really would like to see the demographics of this study.
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.
Ooooh do you know how to spell hot? Some parts of Costa Rica burns your skin just pronouncing the name of the town. A few visits about the country are a must.
Don’t relocate to work. You’ll wonder why you didn’t stay home. It will be a challenge for even the smartest and most business savvy. You are not playing on the same field as “back home.”
The language is a must. “Yo tengo” es “yo tengo” anywhere. You must learn your verbs. Your life will work much better and you will genuinely feel proud of yourself when you can walk into a grocery store and ask for a pound of bacon (or whatever more healthy item you might desire). We all learn new dichos everyday. The language is quite colorful and expressive. When you can understand and interpret dichos you know you have arrived!
I might as well add another important line item to your budget….health insurance. For some reason many people move here and as one woman told me “chose to stay healthy,” and decide to risk it. Unfortunately, this choice is often out of our hands. Accidents and unfortunate events happen.
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. One man I spoke with while my husband was hospitalized told me he was willing to sell the boat he uses for his fishing business if necessary to cover his emergency medical expenses.
If you are retirement age, sorry, the choice has been made for you, at some time in the probably near future you will need it. 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.
Dear scared2retire,
You have reason to be scared. Read the following:
According to The Washington Post, experts label it “RHS,” or “retired husband syndrome.” Recalling her husband’s retirement, one wife, who had been married for 40 years, said that at the time she thought: “I am going to have to divorce him now. It was bad enough that I had to wait on him when he came home from work. But having him around the house all the time was more than I could possibly bear.”
I trust that was not your wife who was quoted. Sometimes just sharing the silence and beauty of your surroundings, with you bringing her the coffee is enough in itself. Enjoy your new life together!
I don’t know how common it is but its surely a wise decision. After “falling in love” and purchasing a timeshare in Florida, we wondered what toxic drink we swallowed to make such a costly decision. Heck, our home here in Costa Rica is a timeshare. Only we don’t have to share it with anyone and we live it in full time. We all suffer from “love at first sight” but realizing that you can come and visit from time to time and don’t have to worry about renters and upkeep is a wonderful way to vacation and get to know the various regions of the country. Congratulations on being bold enough to change your mind.
[quote=”costaricafinca”][i]Someone recently posted[/i] a link to access a site showing the cost of electricity per klw. but I can’t find it, now that I want to look at it.
Does anyone know ‘where this is’?[/quote]Here are the new residential rates.
http://www.grupoice.com/esp/ele/docum/serv_dist_10b.html#tre
The GrupoIce website is very helpful. There’s a chart showing how much energy your appliances use on the average and tips for saving and my favorite a place to view your upcoming bill. No need to log on to anything. Just put in your NISE number in Consulte su factura pendiente and the amount pops up. I just checked mine and with only less than 2 weeks of implementing my new energy monitoring strategy I cut my bill by 50%. My next full month bill should reflect an 85% saving over two months ago!
After paying frighteningly high bills, 50,000 – 77,000 colones each month, I decided to do my research. First of all how were all of my friends paying less than 10,000 colones a month. What was the difference? A home built to “American standards.” So if I want to live with recessed lighting, a dishwasher, all electric appliances and hot water, I better be ready to pay. Or make some changes.
The first thing I did was learn to read my digital meter. A quick look on the Internet helped me understand that the little flashing dots indicated a rotation similar to the conventional meter. Ohhh…they were flashing like mad. The next think I did was turn off the breaker to my hot water heater. Other than 20 minutes or so to heat water for a shower it is off all day. (You can buy a timer for 34,000 colones at the hardware store if you like.)
I now cook most times on the gas burners that we bought for power outages and avoid using the high wattage lighting. My other big change is not falling asleep with the lights and TV on. A big energy waster!
A friend also kindly checked all my electrical connections to make sure there were no faulty connections.
I set a goal of staying in the first usage level of 199kwh.
The new rates are:
up to 200 – 65 colones/kwh
201-300 – 119 colones/kwh
over 301 – 164 colones/kwhNow for exercise I walk out to the road to check my meter each morning and evening. I’m averaging 6kwh a day with no painful lifestyle changes or expenditures. Victory! My next bill….for the first time in 4 years will be under 15,000 colones. A lowered bill, the dog gets her walk and I’m actually losing weight. A great deal all around.
We know someone who keeps insisting that the “head person” at the Nicaragua/Costa Rica border said one can return to CR on the same day. Has anyone else had this experience? They keep insisting that we go with them. My answer is “If the form ask if you have been out of CR for at least 72 hours there’s a reason. Plus, you go that far, relax and take a vacation.”
