May Retire To Costa Rica Soon

Hola,vacations are short,retirement is the rest of your life.Stay six months to a year and travel to all parts of this beautiful country.The red tape and requirements in Costa Rica will really wear you down.Be prepared for the greatest test of your patients in your life.That being said,once you have it dialed in, its an unreal place to retire ,,,pura vida.

A month is a good first look, but before retiring here you should rent for at least 3-6 months, and do things as if you lived here like drive a car, open a bank account, buy things at stores for your everyday life, etc, and talk to people about the challenges, some of which are the red tape and requirements for residency, and decide if it's worth it to you or not to have a corporation if you buy here, among other things. Most people did in the past but now it's becoming such a pain in the arse with documents to file and fees to pay...

Meanwhile read every forum, immerse yourself in info, ask questions after reading, and consider that for every silver lining there is a dark cloud. That is, CR has both good and bad things about it and too many people think it's all good, or Paradise. Paradise does not exist. So do your due diligence and be prepared.

samramon, 

Thanks for the very wise advice!  I will take it to heart & take baby steps to make VERY sure before I take the leap.

Rick

Great words of advice.  Thanks for getting me to slow the boat. Rewind down the road might impossible. 👌🌈

Surffeaver,

Thanks for taking the time to offer me a great point of view. This would enable me see, enjoy & experience much more before I jump overboard.  At the very least I will be able to make a much better decision, not blow a ton of money & to see more of the beauty in Costa Rica. 🙈👌

Rick

Touring the country by bus is a good way to see a lot of it and get to see what the people are like. So I do recommend some bus trips for sure.
However be sure to drive at least some days as well, to get an idea of what that's like. I find it frightening to drive here; some do not.
It's not at all like driving in the USofA.

The longer you rent here, set up a household (rental) and do things as IF  you lived here, the better off you'll be in deciding if you really want to live here. The thing is, it's very hard to know how you'll react to the differences here, and the only way to truly know is to spend 6 months or more here.

After being there over the years. I would check out playa samara. Close to nosara playas and tamarindo and great roads, nightlife, pristine beach. I love it in samara. ❤️

I too plan on moving to somewhere in Central America in the next 2 years.  Let me ask a good question to all of you.
Why are you considering Costa Rica?
Why are you not considering say Panama or Nicaragua or Mexico or any other country even say Columbia or even Portugal?
I will be traveling over the next 2 years plus.
I am gathering information from the expat forums on these countries as well as Internationalliving.com.
For me I have very specific requirements such as the particular year round climate, cost of living, quality and cost of healthcare, natural and organic food availability of a location, what amenities that area has.  I want to be in a higher elevation where it is not always hot and humid.  I want to be near a large lake or river system for boating, fishing, recreation.
I have specific areas in mind already and add from time to time.  When I am ready I will travel to each of them and stay from 1 month to 6 months depending if I like what I see.  When I find what hits all or most of my interests I will then rent long term or even purchase property.
I do believe you must have at least a number of basic requirements you want in your future home.  Then do your research and search to find those possibilities.
Then go and see for yourself.  Use every means available to increase your knowledge before you waste your time and money.

The good thing about Costa Rica is that life is very mellow here,  it doesn't mean there isn't crime,like every where else. Panama is expensive, Nicaragua is the cheapest but  politically unstable, I think. Colombia is cheaper than CR or Panama and a lot bigger to choose a place to live, Ecuador is good too. All is a matter of taste, I like it here, and also like other countries.

MauroN,
how long have you lived in Costa Rica? ARe you from USA?  what do you like about C.R. besides mellow life.?
so many have mentioned the "negatives" there, what would you say are negatives about living there?