Cost of living in Costa Rica

Overall, we have spent:
Orosi (a small town) just over $1000/month
Alajuela centro (big city) just under $1500/month

Others we know who own their home, have a car, use all the amenities (internet, cable TV, etc) spend $1250/month.

Our usual lifestyle:
- go out to eat 1-2 times per day
- rent an apartment (Tico style)
- no car, take bus, taxi, or walk
- no children
- shop at local grocers, farmer's market, pulperias; not at high-end stores such as AutoMercado (except as a treat )
- use internet cafes (3-5 days/week)

> accommodation prices
$240/month for 2 br, 1 ba apartment in middle-class area near center of city
(no phone, no cable, no internet)
$900/month for 5 br, 3 ba house in upper middle-class area
"Unfurnished" means no kitchen appliances, and usually no cupboards.

> public transportation fares (tube, bus etc ...)
less than a dollar to get to San Jose (1-2 bus rides, 1/2 hour to 1 hour)
our taxi rides vary between 75 cents and $3

> food prices(per month, how much does it cost you?)
lunch at a soda ~ $3-4
groceries ~ $250/month

> health prices (for those who need medical insurance)
caja insurance = $61/family per month
Dr. visit = $12 - $30

> education
$110/week for 1/2 days immersion Spanish lessons
(no info on schools for children)

> energy prices (oil, electricity)
electric bill = $12/month

> common bills (Internet, television, telephone, mobile phone)
cell phones = $8/month each

> prices of a good menu in a traditional restaurant
dinner at an expensive place (inc appetizers, wine, dessert, coffee) = $25 each

> prices of a beer and or a coffee in a regular pub
beer = $1

After a couple extended stays in Costa Rica I have decided to retire there.  Then I read about a dog being poisoned by some giant frog!  Where are these frogs located?  Are they everywhere or in specific regions/near water?   
Another question I have is in regards to making the move.  Should I plan on a short trip to secure an apartment (furnished) and then come back and load up several suitcases - or bring the things I want and stay in a hotel until I find a place to live?   The second option would be difficult as I am planning on bringing my two cats.
Any helpful hints on how to make the move would be greatly appreciated!

Can't help you with the frog question - we haven't seen any around our houses in town.  However, you do need to watch for the human poisoners of dogs. Not to scare you off, but there are a lot of dog owners who have had to deal with this - burglers poison dogs to get them out of the way.

I wouldn't worry about finding a place before moving.  There are pet-friendly places you can stay while searching for you long-term home.  I had a friend who brought down 13 pets, in blocks of 4 - all while staying at a short-term apartment. Look for aparthotels in the area you want to live in.  They cost more than an apartment, but are a good base for looking.

What area are you planning on?

Oh my!  Do bars on the windows help keep the intruders out? 

I was thinking of several areas in the central valley and not sure which one would be best for me.  I will be 62, a single female, and want to be in a town and not remote.  Being close to dentist/doctor would be nice.  I don't have any health issues but you never know.....   I've been looking on-line at the following areas for an apartment, condo or house: Heredia, Santa Ana, Colon. Your input would be greatly appreciated!  Maybe there is another little village I know nothing about that would be perfect for me.  I have noticed the Tico Times has more reasonably priced rentals compared to when I do a search online for "rentals in Costa Rica" (not all Americans are loaded!).

Thank you for your reply,
Linda

Hi Linda -

There are a lot of different theories about those bars floating around. Take all (including mine) with a grain of salt.  Bars are very much a cultural thing. To the locals, they indicate middle-class.  Many gringos don't like them (I do, especially the fancy ones), and so don't put them on.  They do act to slow down buglers, but won't stop them completely - they can just pry them up, with a lot of muscle. Many people run razor wire around their property along the tops of the walls. This helps a lot. So do alarms. Many have people stay in their house if they are gone for more than a day or two. Theft is perhaps the biggest problem in Costa Rica.  But people deal with it; I wouldn't let it stop you from experiencing the rest of paradise .

Central Valley I can help with, as that is where we have spent almost all our time. We have been (and plan to continue for a while yet) living for several months in different places, trying them out.  Anywhere in CV is close enough to medical that you shouldn't have a problem or concern. All cities, and even most small towns have doctors and dentists. We have avoided Santa Ana and C Colon (and Escazu) because they run on the expensive side. We enjoyed both Alajuela (2nd largest city) and Orosi (small town). Heredia is on our list to try, and San Pedro (de San Jose) is next.

Tico Times also has expensive rentals.  I suggest that looking ahead is ok, just to get ideas (and keep your move-excitement in check - oh I sooo remember that!), but don't plan to rent anything until you are here. La Nacion also has rentals advertised (in Spanish; also online) and much more reasonable.  Try also craigslist in CR. But the best bet is to stay in a B&B or aparthotel (or homestay w/ family associated w/ a Spanish language school) in the area you are interested in, then ask neighbors, walk around looking for signs, and asking for "unoccupied" apartments or houses. "Unoccupied" is important, because if you ask for "apt for rent" you will get directed to on-going rentals, often already rented out. If you are going to look during the dry/high season, it will take longer, and apartments will be snapped up fast. Also, furnished apartments are harder to find. 

You can read about our attempts on my CR blog (also about the different towns we looked at) - just click on a likely-looking "label" on the lower right side.

More questions? No problem!
Julie

oops! "buglers" may be slowed down by the bars too, but if not, just wear earplugs!

BTW - you will probably want earplugs for sleep anyway (buy a big batch in the states before you come, since they are expensive and hard to find in CR).  CR neighborhoods are just inherently noisy!

Thank you so much for the information.  I'm actually going to be there next July - certainly not the dry season.  I was going to find a place but it sounds like I'll just be scouting around as I wouldn't want to leave the place empty to come back to the U.S.

Have you found any area that is less likely to have break-ins?  Is it everywhere or just around the larger cities/villages?  I have thought about going the high-rise condo route just to be off the ground floor - or do the ticos act like geckos and scale walls to break in?  Living alone may turn out to be a challenge!  Or many sleepless nights.

I also like up by La Fortuna - but it's a little farther north than I wanted to go.  The southern Carribbean coast was interesting in a laid back kind of way.  I want to be central to take in the entertainment/arts.  Did you find it hard to make friends or meet your neighbors when you first arrived? Did you know Spanish or learn it there?  I thought of spending the time to do a Spanish school when I arrive.   My French won't get me far in Costa Rica!  I've traveled all over the world alone without a hitch but this is the biggest undertaking I've ever tried.  Ok, at 61, should I really think I can do this?   My heart says yes, my mind says be careful!

Thank you again for your input.  One more question.  If you travel around and live in different places for a few months at a time, do you rent a furnished apartment?

Linda in Arizona

July - *definitely* don't worry about finding a place before moving!  You will have no real problems.

Breakins - cities, small towns - all have the problem. It's just luck of the draw.  You could try higher up. The problem (from my point of view, perhaps not yours) w/ "gated communities" and condos is that you are ghetto-izing yourself.  These aren't usually very Tico neighborhoods, and if you want to surround yourself with Ticos, immerse yourself in another culture, you won't really get it there.  Also, I have heard that "gated communities" are thief-magnets (no first-hand knowledge, as we haven't aimed for this type of housing).
Most people we know are simply resigned to getting robbed at some point. We don't have sentimental or overly-expensive or difficult-to-replace "stuff."

Making friends and finding people to hang out with was amazingly easy!  Costa Rica is such a friendly place, that it is contagious .  You really get to meet your neighbors when you screw up your courage and ask for help with something (where can I find a seamstress, is your water out too, etc).

Our first trip started with just a little bit of Spanish-book-perusing, combined w/ a phase book and dictionary.  We took one week of immersion, mainly to see if we could eventually learn the language. More classes on subsequent trips.  All were immersion w/ homestay.  My husband knows French, and it helped him a *lot* - he jumped right to the 3rd level, and has now finished the lessons - just needs to improve his vocabulary now.  I had *very* rusty high school Spanish, and basically started over.

We rented a furnished apartment in Orosi, then an unfurnished apartment in Alajuela (we decided to do this when we had such a difficult time finding a furnished one - in dry season).  We went *very* basic in Alajuela, and decided we would figure out how to deal with our purchased furniture when the time came.

Listen to *both* your heart *and* your mind!  Don't do anything irreversible until you have lived in CR for at least 6 months (1 year is better).  I know several people who are in similar circumstances - 60's, single women, no Spanish on arrival.  They're doing *great!*

Julie

ps - good idea is to attend the ARCR seminar, held on the last Thurs and Fri of each month (except Dec). It's in San Jose - see www.arcr.net

pps - have you thought about residency?

Hi Julie Pura Vida, I find it remarkable how well you manage on that amount of money, WWe will be retired soon on 45,000yr. and are hoping that we will be able to do the same as you do. We won't be purchasing a car for at least 1yr. We plan on Grecia or Atenas, not sure which until we go on a tour of both in Oct.

Jerry, I would be careful about following the above posts since they are all 5 years old. Many things have changed since then and prices are very high here, especially for food (and I am quite frugal). Unfortunately, you need to be "boots on the ground" to really know what it is like here.

Yes, housing can still be a real bargain but food is high, gas is high, electronics are high, household goods and personal items are high.  Since utilities seem to be jumping up too, that makes it harder and harder to make it.  Yes, I know that is happening everywhere, just beware.  It is not a bargain to live here.  If you can adjust to very little American style and brand food, and can enjoy beans, rice, fruits and veggies ALOT, then you'll be fine.  However any American brand food is very expensive here.  If you can adjust, it is much healthier though.  Just being honest.

Hi Labub, I talked to a realtor in Grecia the other day and she told me that I could still find a small furnished house or apt. for 800-900 per mo. She also said that all of her rentals have gone up about 10% since last year at this same time. At this rate by next year when we retire I will probably eating a lot of beans and rice without the fish or meat.Ha We originally thought that we would get by on 45,000 a yr. We had planned on not purchasing a car for one year in case CR is not for us.

. Jerry. Yea, I don't have a car either but I want one. LOL.  But I will forgo and do as the locals do, walk, bus or taxi.

labup, have you learned Spanish or do you already speak it?

Jerry:  I have not learned Spanish.  I knew a little before coming here and I am learning nouns pretty well but as far as putting actual sentences together I am a long way from making good sense.  Most the people love trying to speak English with you and a lot of them speak a little and some speak it very well.  I will not lie though, it would definitely make life here easier if I spoke more.  Most of the time you can eventually get your message across.  Sometimes it is fun, sometimes it is frustrating!! 

Lori

Linda - I, too, am going to be 61 and am single and thinking of relocating to CR! Let me know how you progress. My targets after alot of research and talking to people is atenas, san ramon or around arenal. 
  And my school french will not get me far there either but I am planning on at least giving spanish a try.
  By the way, regarding the frogs - I don't know about CR frogs but I live in Florida and we have these things called Bufo toads that have poisened some dogs but that is only if the dogs try to bite them or go after them. Luckily my two little dogs are more afraid of the toads than the toads are of them!
  Good luck in your quest.

sherry

Re the frogs:  We live outside of San Ramon.  During the rainy season there are many.  They are similar if not the same as the ones in Florida.  We have three dogs that love to bark at them and one bit into one once -(...dog bit the frog not the other way around).  The dogs usually only bark at them.  Maybe there is an outside flavor that they don't like or something?   I just pick them up and throw them back into the jungle.

They are poisonous only if bit into.  If this happens you should immediately squeeze lime juice into their mouths - this is what a local vet. told me.  It worked the one time that I had to do it.  If they do get sick and they are taken to the vet. quickly, a vet. that knows what they're doing, it is treatable.

Jerry, I would strongly recommend learning Spanish before you get here.  Depending on the area you end up in, very few Tico's speak English. 

Supposedly, 50% of the Gringos that move here return to their native country within the first year. Of those that remain, another 50% return within three years.  From what I've seen since moving here four years ago, those numbers are pretty accurate - at least in the area that I live. 

Just my opinion for whatever that's worth, those that don't learn enough Spanish to get by will not enjoy living here.  My Spanish is awful, but, I know enough to at least get by and speak with people.

If you don't assimilate, you will not enjoy this culture as it is very, very different than the States, Canada, etc.

Those are cane toads aka bufos aka sapos. We seem them now and again here in Perez Zeledon. Ugly, ugly, ugly. They won't go out of their way to poison anything, but if your cats start to really bother them, they will exude poison from their skin, which can kill your animal if not treated immediately. If you are going to be living in a city, then you probably don't need to worry about them. If you will be living in the country, then there are worse things to worry about than the toads.

labup,

Actually, it is not difficult to find Ticos that speak some English, and that's increasing every year. Larger stores usually have at least one person on staff who speaks some English.

You are on the right track to learn a little bit. Poco a poco as they say here. Ticos are exceptionally patient with anyone who at least tries to speak Spanish. Often you will find someone with whom you have spoken Spanish with for months or years, only to find out later that they actually speak pretty good English! This has happened to me several times. They assume you want to practice, so they politely put up with your broken attempts at Spanish.

ExpatDave,

Well, up in your area I can believe those numbers are true. Here in Pérez Zeledón, it's not the case. I only know of two people (out of about 100) who have moved back to the States, and both had other reasons than not liking it here. We have many expats who have been here for 20 years or more. It's very different down our way, less crime, more tranquilo. Of course, it will change over the next decade or so I'm afraid.

Anyway, when you consider that folks in the States mostly don't stay in one place for long, I have to take some of these numbers about people moving back in droves with a grain of salt.

Sherry,

Costa Rica is a beautiful place to retire, but do a lot of research on costs here. It is one of the more expensive, if not most expensive locales in Latin America. Housing is cheap, medical/dental is cheap, but that's about where it ends.

Many, many goods are imported, thus more expensive, and there is a 13% sales tax on everything, goods and services. Cars are insanely expensive. Cell phones, and Internet are reasonable. The gov't is always working hard to think up new taxes for us gringos too.

Panamá is a much better deal economically, but there are very few places there in which I'd enjoy living. If you don't mind being farther from home, then check out places such as Ecuador and Uruguay, or other countries in L.A.

Wow Jerry, those prices seem astronomical to us here in Pérez. The most I've heard of for a nice house on a bus line is under $500, 3 bd, 2 ba. Most are half or a third of that. We are a family of three and live on about $22,000/yr but we own our home, mortgage free. We do own two cars too.

A great place to see what one couple lives on is:  retireforlessincostarica.com 

They break down their monthly expenses and are posted each month.  They do live relatively frugal lives compared to some; however, it really just depends how you choose to live your life.  As an example, electricity is very expensive here.  If you choose to dry your clothes in a dryer "you will pay for it."  We dry our clothes on the line and only use the dryer when it's too damp outside.  Personally, I would say two people can live quite comfortably on $45,000 per year.

I agree with Runaway, if you are looking for an inexpensive place to live, I would look into other countries.  I've only been here four years and have seen prices go up significantly.  I like CR very much but if I was relocating now I would look elsewhere.

Cars will cost you almost double what they are in the States, gasoline is about $5.90 per gallon, electricity is almost double per kilowatt hour compared to the States, and depending on how you eat, food can be very expensive.

Hi Dave, I enjoy reading your blogs. it helps me to prepare for our retirement to CR. We are getting excited about our trip in Oct. and hope it will help us to decide on Grecia or Atenas as our final destination. We will probably rent a furnished Apt. close to the town center until we get a good feel for the area. I have decided on waiting awhile before purchasing a car so we can find our way around by using public transportation. When you said that 45,000 was very doable it made me feel a little relieved considering our age(66-70). If after 6mo's in CR if we feel more sure of ourselves we will come back to the states, sell our house and make CR permanent. T he car then will be my next venture. Jerry

Jerry,
Your plan sounds like a good one.  If you start off in one central area it will be easy to explore around the country.  Renting a car is easy and of course you can get almost anywhere by bus. 

Cars are ridiculously expensive here.  The import tax and the licensing make them close to double their actual value.  I have a 2002 Toyota 4Runner Limited Ed.  It sells here for about $17,000.  I just looked it up in FL Craigslist and it sells there for around $7,500.  So more than double.

I live with my 22 year old daughter on an income of $34,000 per year.  I built, my house myself and it's paid for along with the property so I don't have the home expense.  We live very comfortably.

If you have any questions, please just ask, happy to help.

- Dave

Dave, I have been hearing that the universal health care costs have recently increased a lot, do they charge according to how much money you make or is it your age or both? When we apply for our Pensionado Residence should I only show my social security income instead of both my wife and I.

Buenas dias Jerry,

When you say universal health care, are you referring to CAJA?  This is the basic health insurance here.  If so, yes, it's based on your income, and NO, you do not tell them your actual income.  I have two incomes and when I purchased it I used only one of mine.  There is no modern computer system that cross-checks things like this so no worries.

I personally no longer carry CAJA and again, my personal opinion, I would not take my dog to a hospital that takes CAJA.  I have witnessed many times the incredible bad care you get there - if you get in.  I've seen three Ticos that had their appendix removed. In all three cases the scar was literally one inch wide and eight inches long.  In one case it became infected and it took months to heal.  A local Gringo went into the San Ramon, Alajuela hospital for a routine procedure and within a few days of leaving the hospital had to be airlifted to a real hospital in Escazu. I also have a Tico friend who's nephew has been waiting more than a year to get medical care.  I don't recall what it was that he needed; but, due to the large expense, he was told he would have to wait.  I've heard this many times from different Ticos. 

I would like to hear other peoples opinions and experiences with CAJA.

I prefer to pay more and I use Globality Health.  It's a German based carrier.  I pay $350 per month for both my daughter and myself.  I am covered in any country except the U.S.  It covers almost everything with coverage up to 3 million per year.  It's is accepted by the large private hospitals here.

Regarding your residency, yes, you do declare all of your income.  You want to be 100% honest when it comes to your residency application.  Needles to say, consult a blood-sucker, sorry, I mean attorney on this one.

Thanks Dave, I still have medicare here in the states so if something major comes up I will either return to the states or go to a private hospital over there.

expatDave, your comments are the first I've read re  Costa Rica medical care not being good. I have been to free clinics there and to a doctor in San Ramon and found both to have been very good.

I hope what you are saying about the San Ramon hospital not being good is not generally true. Of course Private is better if you can afford it but many cannot afford it, just as many cannot afford any medical care at all in the USA. At least in CR you can get medical care affordably whereas in the USA you cannot unless you are DIRT poor and qualify for welfare or such.

As to living on $45k - WOW, you can live like a King on $45k in Costa Rica! I plan to live on half that with my wife, and I know people who are living on a little more than 1/4 that and doing okay! A big part of it is how you live. Do you need central a.c.? do you "need" a pool? Do you "need" imported food? If you eat stuff the Ticos eat and search for the best places to buy food you can eat quite cheaply. For example, in San Ramon prices have gone out of sight at some of the supermarkets. But if you buy most of your food fresh at the vege/fruit market they hold on weekends you can get it MUCH CHEAPER. I know a couple who live in a beautiful home they built (so they have no rent to pay) but they have a limited income and are living on $1200 or so per month, and doing just fine. Yes, they search for the best deals and no they don't eat out or travel a lot but they live in a gorgeous home with gorgeous views, have phone and internet and live quite well.

crenvy, I agree with you about Panama. Cheaper, yes; but as beautiful or nice as Costa Rica? Not in my opinion.

I have become disenchanted with the rising prices and increased governmental regulations in Costa Rica yet I still see it as better than any place else I know of. I looked at Panama and was not at all impressed. I know some expats do love it there but I will choose  Costa Rica any day over Panama.

I have spent a lot of time around San Isidro and like it there. I think there are TONS of places in Costa Rica to live that are like PZ/ San Isidro in terms of being cheaper, but gringos tend to choose the more expensive places it seems.

A lot of the cost of living in Costa Rica has to do with how you live. If you live more like Ticos in terms of eating locally grown food and not having a.c. and pools and stuff like that, you can live much cheaper. If you live in the lowlands yeah, you might need a.c. and that's going to cost you! But if you live at 1500-3000 feet you can get by just fine with fans. Personally I don't understand why anyone would buy property in the lowlands in CR unless you're right on the beach because you are going to be HOT there! That's just me. I like it cooler so I began looking for mountainous areas to buy property. In my humble opinion 2800 feet up is PERFECT! ;-D

Hi all.  I'm pretty new here (both on the site and in Costa Rica), but am enjoying reading the forum here and this discussion in particular.

I live in Jacó right now and this month I'm doing an experiment to see how cheaply I can live actually.  My basic costs are minimal, though, with rent and utilities (phone/internet/electricity) totaling around $275. I get around by bike/public transportation/taxi so those costs are almost negligible.  To date, my grocery bill has been my biggest expense, really, but I'm working on that this month to see how much I can get it down.  Right now, it looks like I'm on track to spend well under $600 (hopefully much less) for the month in normal and recurring expenses.

People keep referencing the ever-increasing cost of living here in CR.  I wish I could've seen what it was like before.  Groceries do seem pretty high.

In the 90's I lived on the beach in a nice cabin with hot water even, for $200/month and spent a total of about $600/month. I guess you can still do that if you can find the cheap rent - that's the hardest part, now - although certainly a lot of the food has gone up - especially beer.

We are zeroing in on Grecia and when come there in Oct. my realtor that we will be using said expect to pay 700.00-1,000mnt. for a furnished 1bdr. or small 2bdr. house. He also said that the prices are going up at a 10% a year pace.

Hi Samroman, Pura Vida! We plan on staying at a Aeramondo Hotel for a month and check out all the local rentals in and around Grecia. We have decided on not buying a car for at least 6mo's until we find the right location. We worked a deal when we come down to rent during the wet season for 800.00mnt. I just hope the cost of living in CR doesn't escalate too much in the next year.

"We are zeroing in on Grecia and when come there in Oct. my realtor that we will be using said expect to pay 700.00-1,000mnt. for a furnished 1bdr. or small 2bdr. house. He also said that the prices are going up at a 10% a year pace."

Hola Jerry,

If you look at Grecia on Craigslist I think you will find that the price range you are saying for a "1 Bedroom" is VERY high.  There are a number of one bedrooms listed for $300-$500.  For a $1,000 per month you can get a Gringo style 3 bedroom house. 

Personally, I would not use a realtor.  If you do like you say and just stay in a hotel or cabina initially, you can look around on your own and not pay realtor fees.  Talk to Gringos when you get here and you will most likely find people who know of housing in their area. 

Importante:  Be sure to have an attorney review any documentation before signing.

- Dave

Hi Dave, Pura Vida! I have a question in regards to the weather in Grecia vs Atenas, my wife likes it around 80's during the day and high 60's in evenings, are we getting too knit picky you think or is it possible to pick a weather location that easy and still like the area?