Financial

I know I see quite a few people that say it is doable.  It will depend on your chosen lifestyle, where you choose to live, the type of foods that you think that you require, your transportation needs, etc.

That budget will be very  tight. If you don't have a vehicle, don't eat out, it may be doable...but it will depend on how where and how you choose to live. Long term rentals do not usually include utilities.
If you apply for residency, you must be affiliated with CAJA the healthcare system, so that will be a monthly premium however you will not be covered until you have a cedula in hand which may take a year or more. The fees and expenses  could cost approx. $2000+ to apply for Residency

I would suggest that you should have a decent amount of savings, in case of emergencies.

Mic9197 wrote:

I have a small pension of $1400 a month
Is that enough to live on down there

Hola Mic,

Welcome to Expat.com!

First, I'd recommend that you browse through previous posts by clicking on the Forum section above.  There are many posts relative to people asking similar questions.  As others have said, it really depends on your lifestyle. 

I would say that if you're moving here to save money, it may be possible considering the area you're moving from.  If you are currently renting, unless your'e renting an absolute dump, rentals would be cheaper here than anywhere in the State of New York.  (I just looked real quick on Craigslist and you are in an expensive area comparatively speaking.) 

You can rent a nice house here for $500 or less per month.  If you purchased a house, and we all recommend against doing that for AT LEAST a year, and did not have a house payment, then you could live on $1,400.00.  It would still be a frugal lifestyle, but it could be done.  If you're living on that now, I would think you could do it here as well.

Try looking through the housing section above and on Craigslist to get an idea of housing cost.  Also, you can then see the general price of other used items as well.  Yesterday I was comparing slightly used front load  washer/dryer sets on Craigslist CR and Craigslist South Florida.  In Cost Rica they are at least double the price of what you'd pay in North America.  Cars are the same way here - double the price.

Definitely recommend doing A LOT of online research and then spend some time down here before taking the plunge.

Good luck on your search!   

- Expat Dave
Expat.com Team Member