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I belive there is a catch here and if you check out the web site at http://www.costarica-embassy.org/consular/living/residence.htm
“The rentists (and their dependents) cannot work and/or earn a salary in Costa Rica. They can however, administer their own investments but without a salary. In addition, a physical presence in Costa Rica for a minimum of 4 months each year is required.” So this is the gray area “without a salary”.
If you decide to start a company you have to have at least one Tico employed and you have to follow the countrys rules for employment. Like the yearly bonus and other things.
I belived this has changed as of today or very soon. In a article that is placed on amcosta rica it showes the new law will be or is,
60,000.00 for the first member and then 60,000.00 for the secound member and another 30,000.00 per child.“One problem for expats is that the law is ambiguous on the financial requirements for rentistas. In the past a rentista could show a foreign income of $1,000 a month to qualify. Frequently this was nothing more than $60,000 placed in a foreign or local bank account.
The new law seems to require $60,000 for the primary applicant and $60,000 more for a spouse. For each minor child, an applicant would have to show $30,000 more.” as stated in AM CR.
So in this case she would need 150,000.00 to put into a account.
Edited on Aug 14, 2006 17:18
The information that I recived is from the Embasy of Costa Rica in D.C. they directed me to this web site above that will give you the taxes depending on the vehical model and year and other imputs.
It will also depend on the import officer as well and what their mood is and who you know.
They check the condidion of the vehical and make further determinations.Hope this helps
I don’t know if this will help you but a couple of weeks ago I called the Costa Rican embassy abou this issue.
They gave me this web site to get a estimate on taxes for what ever kind of car that you bring to CR.
You just type in the make and modle and it will give you the tax information. http://www.hacienda.go.cr/autohacienda/autovalor.aspxYes, you are right for most North Americans and Ticos dirt floors are not the Majority but it is also not the minority. Many families such as my wife’s cousins in San Ramon do have dirt floors and have 6 kids. They pick coffee and scratch every day for money for food for their family. My brother in-laws wife’s family live in a suburb of San Jose. Their home is made out of plywood. They are not considered a poor family but they are not rich either.
When most North American people come to visit Costa Rica as tourist they leave thinking that life is always Pura Vida in CR. This is why I have to interject a different point of view because of my experience and total respect for ticos and their society.
To think that Costa Rica is a garden of Eden is giving people a wrong impression and sets them up for a fall. You have to give them all of the facts so they can see the good with the bad.
You can simplify you life but you have to be realistic if you are making 3,000.00 a month from the states that can be enough to live on. But it might not be as much as you think if you want to go and buy your cloths at Tommy Hilfiger.
How ever I believe Kote is looking for something other than retirement they are bringing a family down. This makes it more expensive, and as well they have to realize they can’t make a living here working in this society other wise they will be illegal. With the new regulations I believe you will have to make more than 3,000 a month with a family of 3. Remember we have to be legal here in the host country.
Never the less Costa Rica is still cheaper than the U.S. to RETIRE in and is safe.Wow, I hate to say this and burst your bubble. Life in the Real Costa Rica is not that simple. If you really want to know what real life is in Costa Rica you need to talk to my mother in-law. Don’t get me wrong, Costa Rica is a great country but it is not the garden of Eden if you are looking for that. You do have to watch out for the drivers running over your kids and your self.
You can live in a buble here if you have the money but real life is dirt floors and trying to make enough money to survive another day.
If I were you I would suggest renting a home for 6 months before you buy.How ever you can’t just go to any Doc!
This is how it works! The clinics around the MOPT are the only ones that can purchase from the Goverment stamped documents that is filed out from the clinics. After you have your physical done the doctor will fill out the goverment stamped and aproved document that you have to file. Again only certain clinics can purchase these documents and they are around the MOPT. This is to keep control over this system and prevent fraudulant documents.Many of these doctors do this part time to make extra money. ( Can you emagine this in the U.S. hahaha)
A lot of these doctors also work in the hospitals and other clinics.Well Koty,
If you are buying a house and don’t want a mortgage you can buy a home for less than 100,000.0 if you want to live in a tico neighborhood with a tico home.
The cost of living is much cheaper than in the U.S. if you go to the open markets on Saturdays you can buy a water melon for less than a dollar here in Minnesota it is now at 6.99.
Private schools are cheaper than the U.S. and just as good.
My question is what kind of job will you do?
Do you already have a job with the big companys before you come to Costa Rica?
I know that my mother in law lives very well on less than 400.00 a month but she is a Tica and lives a Tica life, how ever she does support her six dogs! hahahaha She does not go to the movies (because she never liked them) She dosen’t travel, She travels from Tres Rios to San Jose every day just to hang out for fun at the family biz. She dosent go to the fast food resturants, just the Sodas around the house, and her house is five years old and paid off.
Now if you go the high end like my brother in-laws they run though about $3,000 to $4,000 a month, have brand new cars, shop at the high end retail and do what ever they want.So again it just depends on what you want. If you go to the brand new Tres Rios mall and shop at Tommy Hilfiguar a shirt will still cost you $30.00 to $80.00 and a plasma screen TV will still cost 1,400. to 3,000.00
The real cost savings is in the property taxes, health care, food (not Dennys! Just tico food)and labor.
Edited on Aug 13, 2006 09:22
Yep, if you want when you go down town san jose to get your drivers license. On the courner right accross from the entrence of the MOPT (Moter vhiecle license center) building this is at Ave 18 between street 5-7, is my brother in-laws biz. I belive they have 8 doctors now working for them, Ask for Rafa Benavidous or Carlos. They will help you personaly, tell them Scott& Rebeca sent you. Then if you are hungry ask where the Soda is and they will point you to a good place to eat just down the block.
If you want to see a picture of them they are on the photo book of this site.
They have the biggest biz on the block and I will see them this Tuesday and tell them to give you guys a good deal!If you need a drivers liscens and you are in San Jose. Go see my brother in law.. jajajajaj.. . They are on the corner and its the biggest biz on the block. Tell them Rebecas husband sent you.. They might give you a deal… jajajajaj
Hey butch,
My expriance is that you have to get your police report legalized here in the U.S. as well as the other documents. I am did mine while I am in the U.S. but mine is relitive of a Costa Rican I don’t know it that is any different.
Terry you are absolutly right about the National association of realtors only in the U.S. Unfortunatly some North Americans feel safe with the knowlage that their realtor is affiliated with them. This is a false cense of security since it all depends on the ethics of the realtor.
When I talk to the agenscy in Costa Rica I keep in mind that they are trying to clean up the real estate market. This is why I ask if they screen out the illegal realtor because I belive if they are living there illegaly than I don’t know if I would be able to trust them in a real estate transaction. If in the states a realtor committed a crime they would lose thier practice, even if it was not related to real estate.
One of the reasons why working with the illegal realtor’s would be wrong is, they are not following the Costa Rican Law. What would that say about their ethics? I also don’t belive in taking jobs and money away from the ticos since they are the host nation.
You are right many ex pats move to Costa Rica and want to change it to fit their values. In fact its not just the expat’s, look at the bookies that were put into a U.S. jail when they infact were not U.S. citizens?
Today I just checked and the second one is too.
I was supprised but CCBR is listed under the National realtors in the international section.
I am looking at joining Global but I don’t know if I want to drive all the way over to Guanacasta for classes. How ever it would be a nice vacation!
Well you know even here in the states Ethics is hard to control just imagine in CR where they don’t have a liscens to take away. This is why they need to push the goverment, but I belive they have a larger problem and that is people working there illegaly! When I talked to Marta at Global she said that is why they check the realtors documents to make sure they are not tourists.
This is where the wild wild west of Costa Rica and the U.S. meets. There is no MLS and No Realtors Association like in the U.S.
Unlike in the U.S. none of these organizations have teeth that control Realtors.In Costa Rica there are two or more groups of real estate organizations.
Costa Rica Global Association
http://www.costaricare.netCosta Rican Real Estate Association (CCCBR)
http://www.camaracbr.or.cr/The first organization is in Gunacasta they have classes in english but screen the agents to prevent illegal workers.
The CCCBR is located in San Jose and is primarly spanish speaking. Their classes are in Spanish and that weeds out most illegal workers.
None of these organizations are regulated by the Costa Rican Goverment and have no teeth if a agent does somthing wrong. How ever they are both trying to clean up the real estate market and pushing for regulation and liscensing.
For the qualification to be apart of the U.S. national board of realtors all they need to do is follow the regulations of the country and attend classes as well as pay the 60 dollars a month dues. This doesnt mean they have any education or liscens in real estate law in Costa Rica.
How ever picking a agent you might want to look for one that is associated with any one of these because they will more than likely be legal and knowlageable about the Costa Rican ways.
This is a very interesting thought that you brought up about shipping the problem to another country.
The difference is if you start up a development for senior living you could use the lower cost doctors to be full time staff as well as the other employees. You would be giving back to the economy by hiring these people. Even if you had to pay more for private hospitals in Costa Rica it would far out weigh the cost of the U.S. system. You can ask my brother in-law that employees eight doctors to do medical exams for drivers. The doctor only receives 45 percent of each payment that is made; the rest goes to my brother in-law.
A person that is living on SS from the U.S can afford paying $100.0 dollars in Costa Rica’s health care versus the $1,000 in insurance monthly payments that they would pay in the U.S. You know Medicar and Medicade won’t be around for ever!
The Costa Rican health care system would love to have U.S. citizens come to help out with the payments on the health care system versus the problems that they have with the northern neighbors that don’t pay anything.
Trying to change the health care system in the U.S. will take centuries due to the high wages and many other issues that plague that system. Just subsidizing the U.S. system won’t help when everyone wants more money! If anything this is like a blank check for the health care system to keep raising the costs! You have to stop the bleeding and that means puting caps on everything in the health care system. The government would have to put caps on everything from wages to bed pans. This would be a very unpopular choice for a president to make since the U.S. believes in free economy. Again this is why Costa Rica is a great alternative! I am sure the bed pans in Costa Rica don’t cost as much and the U.S. bed pans!
