|
|
|
|
Costa Rica is one of those few countries that can offer the baby boomer retiree all the amenities, the perfect climate and a low cost of living all at the same time. Many who will not even be ready to retire for years to come are already looking to buy their retirement home or apartment ahead of the rush on Costa Rica.
Though Costa Rica offers all the amenities you are used to back home, the cost of living is a lot less than wheat you are used to. Besides, Costa Rica has the huge advantage that you can choose to live in a mild climate where the weather makes even the depressed people happy. Below, you can find an explanation of the cost of living in Costa Rica. Mind though, that this depends a lot on your personal habits. If you are willing to learn some Spanish, you’ll be able to read the Spanish labels on the products in the grocery stores for example, which will allow you to purchase at a lot lower price than when you would buy imported products in with labels in your own language.
|
|
Water, power and telephone are still very cheap in Costa Rica. For a family of 4, the monthly bills will normally be:
- Water: $20 per month
- Power: $ 40 (without air conditioning, heating pool)
- Internet: $ 15 RACSA (state ISP) Unlimited home user plan
- Internet: $30 Amnet Cable Modem • Cable TV: Amnet or Cable Tica
|
|
By law, the phone company ICE (state owned) is and will always be the owner of the phone lines. GoDutch Realty will not sell any house that doesn't have a phone line, since they are very hard to get sometimes, especially in areas like Escazú. When you buy a house, the phone line will probably still be in the original owner’s name and will always be. So forget about having your name in the phone book, though that also has its advantages. If you really want to be in the phone book, order a new phone line and tell them to take the old line as soon as they give you the new line, you might even keep the same number.
When you plan to rent, be ready to pay a deposit of $500 - $1,000 so the landlord can be sure you’ll pay your bills. If you don’t, the landlord will lose his phone line and will never get it back.
You need a residency permit to be able to apply for any phone line, even a cell phone. For now, cell phones are readily available, but that can change any moment. Though the phones are cheaper in the U.S., a local invoice must be shown to get the cell phone connected, so buy it locally. We recently converted to the GSM system, but you can still get the TDMA system. International roaming doesn’t work here yet, so you can’t use your cell phone out of the country yet. If you don’t have residency yet and you need a cell phone, talk to your attorney and have him get you an S.A. (LLC) which is a local entity, so you can get a phone in the name of the corporation. Once you are ready to buy property, you can purchase through the same S.A.
|
|
|
In general, spare parts are more expensive here and sometimes difficult to find. On the other hand, labor is cheaper. So a trip to the mechanic here might cost about the same as what you'd pay in the U.S., depending on the damage to your vehicle.
Cars are still seen as a luxury article; therefore they carry a high import tax. Generally it’s not worth it to bring your car, since you’d still have to pay the high taxes when you get it through customs. Sell your car at home and buy another one here, it saves a lot of time, effort and money. The SUV type car is a very handy car here, though roads are in much better shape than they used to be, many people love to take the car off road during the weekends.
|
|
|
One of the great things about living in Costa Rica is that you can afford to have a maid and/or a gardener for very little money. By law, you must pay your maid $140 per month, plus food and lodging. In return she must only work 12 hours per day (up to 16 hours if you pay overtime). You must give her 1 hour off each day, to coincide with a meal time. You also must give her 1 half day off per week, a half day off on holidays and 15 days of paid vacation per year. You should also enroll her in the Costa Rica Social Security (Caja Costarricense del Seguro Social) system, so you would deduct 9% of her salary for this tax, but you must also pay 11% to the "Caja".
|
|
The rule of thumb for groceries is that your bill will be about 2/3 of what it is in the U.S. A lot depends on what products you buy. Some products have price controls under what is called the "basic food basket". Products imported from Latin America and other countries under free trade agreements, or products grown locally or considered local cuisine (rice and beans) will have a lower price than imported "luxury" items.
- 1 kilo onions - $1.10
- 1 head broccoli - $1.14
- 400 grams Mozzarella Cheese - $3.00
- French's Dijon Mustard 340g - $1.87
- ACT II Extreme Butter Microwave popcorn - $.58
- 3 kilos RINSO laundry detergent - $6.40
- 1 can Refried Beans - $1.13
- Kraft Sandwich Spread 215g - $1.28
- Natilla 300 ml (light sour cream) - $.52
- 40 Panadol tablets (acetaminophen) $1.09
- 2 liters milk Dos Pinos - $.99
- Case of Cerveza Imperial (national beer, not including bottle deposit) - $15.14
Like we have said in other parts of our website: learn as much basic Spanish as you can. That will help keeping your cost of living way down. You can purchase North American imported products but most of the time you can find the same product that is locally made or in another Central American country, much and much cheaper. For example if you want peanuts, you’ll find Planters peanuts or another North American brand twice or three times more expensive as a local brand. The difference is that the packaging will say “mani” instead of “peanuts”. Also shopping for fruits and vegetables on the local farmer’s market will save you tons of money. Ask your Tico neighbors where they shop. Your customs are bound to be different, but you’ll definitely find lots of savings if you go where they go.
|
|
|
Insurance If you have had a health insurance in your home country all your life, ask them if you can keep it when you move to Costa Rica. You’ll find that most won’t cover you here, unless you’re a veteran. There are several ways of getting insurance here:
Through the I.N.S., (Instituto Nacional de Seguros) which is the Costa Rican Insurance Company.
They are a state monopoly and officially you are not allowed to purchase a foreign insurance in the country. They carry very decent priced health insurances. Ask your GoDutch realtor for an agent referral. They also carry home insurance, car insurance and others.
Through the Caja Seguro Social (CCSS), where you can insure yourself for an insignificant amount of money, though my personal opinion is that this is not the correct way for a person who just moves to this country and hasn’t paid into the system for all his life. It’s like the Mexicans in the US taking advantage of the social security and welfare system.
Foreign insurances like Danmark (http://www.ihi.com/english.asp) cover you in Costa Rica as well as on your travels. For more info, email Isidro Gonzalez at seguros1@racsa.co.cr
|
|
- Lunch for 3 at Lukas en El Pueblo - $31 (includes tip & taxes)
- Week night at hotel Costa Rica Morazan - $ 59 + tax
- Cerveza at your local "cantina" - $ 1.10 (includes tip & taxes)
- Single room at Best Western San José - $60 + tax
- Cerveza at Hotel del Rey in San José - $ 2.50
- Villa Caletas near Jacó - $165 double per night + tax
- Special Menu at La Solera in San Pedro - $15.25
- Hotel Capitan Suizo in Tamarindo - $180 - $200 double per night
- Blue Plate Special Downtown - $2.50 ("casado" at a Tico diner, includes juice drink)
- Super Deluxe Cheeseburger at Gringo hangout in Jacó - $8
- Rack of ribs at TGIF in Escazu - $30
|
|
