Living in Costa Rica with $1500 USD per month

I agree it IS possible unless you are a heavy drinker or a spendthrift..Many of my friends live  quite well on $1,000 a month They live modestly but well.  $1500 is better of course.
If renting at $500/$600 includes Utilities and wifi as I do in my apartments  (thats why  all 3 are usually full )..and a glorious place to live on that amount ..you would get a dump in USA and not much here in CR these days rents are in the rise so are utilities so rents have to be raised at times ..mine have nit been for years SO search around find a GOOD area not a  "Gringo Gulch " where rents and everything are geared to the "Rich Gringos"

Location is key to all of your expenses as they very across the country whether it be the price of groceries, utilities, rent but mainly how you choose to live .

If you want to maintain a vehicle and buy a home outright it will make a huge difference.

Can you live in Costa Rica for $1,500 per month?  This first answer is of course yes you can; 
h o w e v e r,  you can also state this of any country.  It's just that your quality of life will vary in different locales.  Some countries you'd be living under a bridge in a box on $1,500.

The HUGE difference in living here is the atmosphere that you will reside in.  For $500-$800 per month rent you can live in a two-bedroom, Gringo style home, with a view of mountains or near the beach.  Not something that you could find at that price in North America or most of Europe.  You will also experience extreme peacefulness and tranquility.  (At home - not so much when you venture out onto the highways/cities... that's a separate topic.  )

Depending on your choice of lifestyle, the figures below can vary greatly.  The following figures are based on the average or fairly simple daily life. Other than the rent, these are what I pay per month.  Here's an approximation of  costs, in dollars, for two people:

Rent (averaged):  $650
Food, clothing, toiletries, etc.:  $450+ (more if you're a big meat eater)
Electricity:  $ 80

Water:  $ 25
Cell Phones (2):  $ 12 (through ICE - if your a resident)
Money Transfer fees:  $ 30
Gas for car (about 15 gallons):  $ 60 ($3.78 per gallon at this time/cheap for here)
CAJA (Health Care/Social Security):  $180+
Internet:  $ 63    (CRwifi)
Claro TV:  $ 44
TOTAL      $1,594.00

Additional Possible Costs:
Older car, one time cost and yes, they are this expensive - as an example 1998 Toyota 4Runner with 200,000 km. I looked up on Craigslist:  $9,500
Car Insurance per year:   $  800
Annual car maintenance:  $ 150 (assuming no major repairs)
2 cell phones:  $ 400

If you own your home outright you'll of course not have the monthly rental.  But you will have annual property taxes which are VERY low here.  My house is valued at about $259,000 on 2.25 acres and my annual property taxes are $230.  Gotta love that one.  At the same time you will  have regular maintenance, etc., etc.

So yes, it can be done on $1,500 per month but notice that the above does not include entertainment expenses, travel expenses or other costs that you may have in your daily life.

Personally, I live on about $2,000 per month on average.  On top of that I spend money on my daughter's parrot rescue center, annual travel, motorcycle gas/maintenance, house upkeep -  i.e., replacing bathtub faucet, need to replace stove, I pay a neighbor $20 each week for 5 hours of yard maintenance.  As any homeowner knows, there's always something that needs repairing or replacing.  I do the majority of work myself but labor here is very inexpensive - $4.00 per hour, or less if you're a cheapskate.   

At the very least, coming here and living on $1,500 per month is worth it just for the adventure.
"🎶I'd rather die while I'm living than live while I'm dead."  - Jimmy Buffett

- Expat Dave

This is very useful information. Does anyone have insight on an apartment under $500 per month, in the City of Heredia area or within 30 minutes by a bus ride. I am seriously looking for next month.
The housing section, of this site,  did not have anything appealing to me. 

Thanks in advance.

Hola Vegantem!

The best places to search for housing would be in Housing on this site at the top or Craigslist CR or Ecuentra24 Costa Rica.  Good luck.  🏕

- Expat Dave

I agree with all of Dave's post so this is not to contradict him, but rather to provide more feedback for the database.

Here's my list of costs for the same stuff:
Rent (averaged):  I pay no rent but I do know people who lived down the street from me for $450 a month for 3 br. Granted it had some issues but ... it is possible to find rent under $600, you just have to look hard for it, and meet the right person.
Food, clothing, toiletries, etc.:  I pay probably about $400 for these but that includes some beer and rum which I drink moderately.
Electricity: Mine is only around $24 a month, we have a small house and all LED lights, no a.c., no dryer.
Water:  $ 12-25 (more in the dry season because we water our yard and plants/trees)
Cell Phones: I pay about $11 a month on a prepaid plan through Kolbi that anyone can get, resident or visitor. I don't use the internet much via phone, and stick to mostly wi-fi for using the net or getting email when I do.
Money Transfer fees:  $0  Some banks in the US don't charge for ATM's and I use ATM's to get my money from the states free.
Gas for car (about 15 gallons):  I don't drive much so probably use about $50 a month, sometimes more if I drive to the airport or Walmart or something
CAJA (Health Care/Social Security):  $82 a month for my wife and me.
Internet:  $ 32/month Claro portable wifi system   (NEVER use Claro if you don't have to!)
Claro TV:  My only TV service is netflix at $10/month, I think it is.
TOTAL      a little over $600 if I added correctly. Again that's with NO rent.
There are also other incidental charges like RTV if you have a car, car insurance if you get additional coverage not included in the yearly registration fee, car repairs, tires, brakes, etc., restaurants, travel, etc.

If someone has to pay rent, $1500 a month is pretty tight for 2 people or more. But can be done. Without paying rent you can live pretty well on $1500/month but still not like a King. Especially if you have an old car that needs a lot of maintenance...