Cheapest cities in Costa Rica

"Cheap" is a subjective term.   The further you get from tourist havens, the less likely you will encounter "Gringo pricing".  But many gringos are not willing to live with minimal comforts or less than reliable services, transportation and infrastructure, and would be unhappy living the the least expensive locales, far away from creature comforts you may take for granted,

I have not been to every city but I’ve been San Jose east. Mostly around Guanacaste but here is what I found. Once you have residency, getting a job is about knowing the language and making relationships so while your getting residency, do that. Also, gringos are taking advantage of often with money exchange and not knowing costs. Always use colones and ask how much something costs before you choose to buy it. The cheapest cities to live in are two types, large cities have a lot to offer so you can shop around and there is more availability. Tourist towns are expensive and small towns on major roadways are more expensive. Small towns out of the way seem to be cheaper, they have a local crowd and love new faces. Also, when you’re shopping really cheap stuff may be from China, or just that-cheap. When you buy something made here by the locals it is usually very good quality and very reasonably priced. When choosing things to do, if it is a local guide, they may ask where you are staying so find out what places are charging or say with a friend because if you’re staying at the “lodge” they may price accordingly. Ok, so, Guanacaste is generally more expensive. Tourist towns are generally much higher on everything, and small town shops on main roads are generally priced higher.  I like to shop in San Jose at pricemart and get fruits and veggies and fish and furniture local. I save money getting my convenience items in the big city and others local. Gas is expensive and so is having a car. Get a four wheeler and use the bus line and it will be very inexpensive. I did a lot of research the years before I moved here. There are a lot of articles about how cheap it is to live here and about free healthcare and dental. When I came to live I found, after talking to people who lived here all their lives that the USA is the same. Many of the middle class use both free and private healthcare so they have insurance that isn’t so cheap. Also, the facilities are good but notably different. The ambiance is different here, public isn’t trying to wow you, Private and exclusive is. If you want to live comfortably and have freedom and ability you need about $4500 a month to live here, we spend about $6000 a month and our house is paid for, and exclusive. If you want to live like the locals, eat well but not as an experience, and keep your existence quite simple you could probably live here easily at $1500 a month for one, $2500 for two and $3500 for a family of four. I get the numbers considering rent, public transportation, food, utilities, cell phone, public internet, school, health and clothing entertainment etc very modest. Hope that help!  We find new ways to save every month but then we find new things to see and do too so we are making the most of our experience!

It is to be noted that one cannot legally work until they have gained Permanent residency, which can take 4-5 years after the initial application.

You can get it in 1, but I’m sure everyone’s experience is different. Also, there are terms, like investing in the country which is what we did. Also, you can open your own business whenever you want you just can’t work at it, unless it is something a Tico/rica cannot do.   And there are more “nuances” so if you want something bad enough, you’ll find people to help you. The people of Costa Rica are top notch.

I retired here almost 14 years and have lived well on $1500 a month.  I do own an older car but live in the San Jose area in a condo in a gated community (which I am still making $350 a month payments on) I do like nice restaurants, shop at PriceSmart (which is CostCo) and travel a good bit around the country.  I recently learned that to apply for residency you only need to have $1000 a month income to qualify which means the government thinks you can live on that.  For me it depends on how much of my U.S. lifestyle I am willing to leave behind.  I would give myself maybe a 8  out of 10 on that scale. What I love most are the people  - they are so relational and endearing.  Of course, there are some who see the gringa coming and think dollar signs, but in my experience, those have been very few and far between.  All in all, it has been Pura Vida for me.

The 4-5 year wait after initial application for residency no longer applies.  I submitted my paperwork (THAT is what took lots of time and energy, but probably because I did it myself, without an attorney) last November. I was told I would have my answer at the end of April.  I checked online in March and it looks good, the paperwork is being processed as I was told.  One of the benefits is that while they are processing your paperwork, you don't have to leave the country unless you want to - the 90 day restriction does not apply  So, the process has sped up quite a bit once the paperwork is submitted...good news!

Sallyrose, I think you have confused Permanent residency status with Temporary status, which is what you have applied for at this time.

Priscilla,

I really don't have the answers to any of your general questions.  I have stayed basically in a city just 6 miles south of San Jose.  I actually would not recommend my particular city (Alajuelita) I as it is a very poor area and has more crime than most areas.  I am here to work with drug addicts - that is why I chose this town.  I am not well versed on how much it costs to live in other cities.  I do live next door to Escazú which I know is one of the richest communities in the country.   I also feel that the farther out from San Jose, the prettier the scenery gets.  There are lots and lots of expats in the province of Guanacaste, but it is too hot up there for my taste and I personally don't think it is as pretty as other parts of the country.  But, it is a nice place to get a mix of Ticos and expats.


Anyway, I am sorry i could not be more help with your questions.


Sallyrose

You are absolutely correct!  I must have temporary residency for three years before i can apply for permanent residency.

This is another of those "questions: posted by the site's admins, who already know the answer.  That is an abuse of administrative privileges, posting without revealing your true intentions or your employment by the site.  Shame on you for wasting the time of good-hearted people willing to take their time to help others.

Justagirl8870 wrote:

I have not been to every city but I’ve been San Jose east. Mostly around Guanacaste but here is what I found. Once you have residency, getting a job is about knowing the language and making relationships so while your getting residency, do that. Also, gringos are taking advantage of often with money exchange and not knowing costs. Always use colones and ask how much something costs before you choose to buy it. The cheapest cities to live in are two types, large cities have a lot to offer so you can shop around and there is more availability. Tourist towns are expensive and small towns on major roadways are more expensive. Small towns out of the way seem to be cheaper, they have a local crowd and love new faces. Also, when you’re shopping really cheap stuff may be from China, or just that-cheap. When you buy something made here by the locals it is usually very good quality and very reasonably priced. When choosing things to do, if it is a local guide, they may ask where you are staying so find out what places are charging or say with a friend because if you’re staying at the “lodge” they may price accordingly. Ok, so, Guanacaste is generally more expensive. Tourist towns are generally much higher on everything, and small town shops on main roads are generally priced higher.  I like to shop in San Jose at pricemart and get fruits and veggies and fish and furniture local. I save money getting my convenience items in the big city and others local. Gas is expensive and so is having a car. Get a four wheeler and use the bus line and it will be very inexpensive. I did a lot of research the years before I moved here. There are a lot of articles about how cheap it is to live here and about free healthcare and dental. When I came to live I found, after talking to people who lived here all their lives that the USA is the same. Many of the middle class use both free and private healthcare so they have insurance that isn’t so cheap. Also, the facilities are good but notably different. The ambiance is different here, public isn’t trying to wow you, Private and exclusive is. If you want to live comfortably and have freedom and ability you need about $4500 a month to live here, we spend about $6000 a month and our house is paid for, and exclusive. If you want to live like the locals, eat well but not as an experience, and keep your existence quite simple you could probably live here easily at $1500 a month for one, $2500 for two and $3500 for a family of four. I get the numbers considering rent, public transportation, food, utilities, cell phone, public internet, school, health and clothing entertainment etc very modest. Hope that help!  We find new ways to save every month but then we find new things to see and do too so we are making the most of our experience!

I don't know how or where you are living or how many are living with you but if you are spending $6,000 a month you must be living like royalty! I've never known anyone here in Costa Rica to spend that much. You must be living in a mansion with a pool, jacuzzi, maids, gardeners, a butler... ?! Eating a lot of imported food? I never even spent that much money in the USA!

My wife and I live here on about $1200 a month. We don't pay rent, do have a car, eat whatever we want, have a good simple life in the country. We get pizza or Chinese food to go once every week or two, have a coffee and some cake at a local cafe once every week or two... Granted it's not a luxurious life but we have views to die for, live in a safe community of nice people, see toucans, monkeys, parrots, iguanas, etc...

We have a discount health plan for $22 or so a month that gives us cheap doctors and cheap tests, xrays etc in addition to our CAJA Costa Rican health insurance which is around $85 a month. CAJA is said to be good for catastrophic illness, but it's a real pain to use for simpler stuff and diagnosing an unknown health problem.

Granted we are living less luxuriously than most gringos I know who live here, but we have a nice house in a nice location with ocean views. Same view as a millionaire that lives down the road... only more quiet and private.

I think for $1500-2000 a month a couple can live here quite well if they have no rent (i.e. own their home). Living on less requires budgeting and not going out to eat or drink often, not traveling too much etc - though we do make a few trips to places like Mexico or Florida here and there.

Ticos live on $600 a month or less so it's certainly doable for almost any American who has $1000 a month or more and is willing to live within their budget.

A car is a huge expense here (gas, RTV, Marchamo, insurance, repairs) so if you can live on a bus line and take buses or live near a town where you can take taxis easily, you can probably save $60-75 a month plus the original car investment.

You cannot buy a decent car for less than $8,000 U.S. and it will be much older and have more mileage than a car you'd buy in the USA for that price. So by not buying a car you save money, time, and bureaucracy.

Sallyrose wrote:

The 4-5 year wait after initial application for residency no longer applies.  I submitted my paperwork (THAT is what took lots of time and energy, but probably because I did it myself, without an attorney) last November. I was told I would have my answer at the end of April.  I checked online in March and it looks good, the paperwork is being processed as I was told.  One of the benefits is that while they are processing your paperwork, you don't have to leave the country unless you want to - the 90 day restriction does not apply  So, the process has sped up quite a bit once the paperwork is submitted...good news!

Temporary legal residency can take less than 6 months or more than a year depending on various circumstances.

You DO have to leave the country every 90 days if you want to drive a car or moto legally here, even if you are applying for residency. If you don't drive then you are correct, you don't have to leave the country at all once you've applied for residency and gotten proof of that.

I came to Costa Rica the first time in 1972 and moved here in 2001,a lot has changed. I am from the state of Maryland and Costa Rica is more expensive then MD now. I can get bananas at Walmart in MD for 49cents from Costa Rica and Miller Beer at $13.00 a case. I have a 1998 Discovery and the Government puts it at five thousand. My Brother in law is retired from the Government of Costa Rica and makes $5,500 dollars a month and spends every cent of it. Belongs to the country club and buys a new car every three years plus goes all over the world during the year. The Government forced me on the Healthcare when my card expired in 2013 and will not give me my Prostrate medication. The Doctor said they would give me an operation for it. I thought to make a joke of it and said " Oh you mean I go in but don't come out" His replay was " Oh you have been informed" NO JOKE!  If you are a person who gets stressed easily and can't take people playing around on serious matters this country you will not like. You must be totally able to do your own car repairs and just about everything else, your first clue is they have no tools.                             
                                                              For Real
                                                               Rick

tell me more i want to live in corsirica , i am from south africa i want to open a healing place

Traditional wrote:

I came to Costa Rica the first time in 1972 and moved here in 2001,a lot has changed. I am from the state of Maryland and Costa Rica is more expensive then MD now. I can get bananas at Walmart in MD for 49cents from Costa Rica and Miller Beer at $13.00 a case. I have a 1998 Discovery and the Government puts it at five thousand. My Brother in law is retired from the Government of Costa Rica and makes $5,500 dollars a month and spends every cent of it. Belongs to the country club and buys a new car every three years plus goes all over the world during the year.

I would agree SOME things are more expensive in Costa Rica than in the USA. However if you average it all out, it is cheaper to live in Costa Rica than in the USA.
Mechanics, gardeners, handymen, doctors, operations, dentistry, car insurance, property, property taxes, construction... All cheaper than in the USA. I would say it's not as cheap in Costa Rica as it used to be, and not a lot cheaper than the USA but yes it is cheaper here for many things.

I know someone who just went back to the USA after not having been there for years, and he came back saying "I can't believe how much more expensive it is in the USA now!"

I live only on Social Security so I know that I would have a tough time living in a nice area of the USA on this little money.

Traditional wrote:

I The Government forced me on the Healthcare when my card expired in 2013 and will not give me my Prostrate medication. The Doctor said they would give me an operation for it. I thought to make a joke of it and said " Oh you mean I go in but don't come out" His replay was " Oh you have been informed" NO JOKE!

I am skeptical that a doctor would say that in a serious way. Could it not have been that he did not know English well or you do not understand Spanish well? Do you speak Spanish?

I do suggest a Jackson Care plan for discounted doctors and tests, for 2nd opinions and for some procedures or just for convenience, to see a doctor on your schedule instead of EBAIS's. Even Ticos use plans like these to see private doctors instead of CAJA /EBAIS doctors sometimes.

Traditional wrote:

IIf you are a person who gets stressed easily and can't take people playing around on serious matters this country you will not like. You must be totally able to do your own car repairs and just about everything else, your first clue is they have no tools.                             
                                                              For Real
                                                               Rick

Now, here I have to ask you where do you live? Mechanics here I've found to be good AND cheap and often the places they work out of are top notch, at least as good as many in the USA. And about 1/3 the price for most repairs. You must really live out in the sticks if mechanics don't have tools. Can't you drive into a town where there are real garages?

It sounds like your experience here is not good. So why have you been living here since 2001? I'd think you'd leave for the US if the US is cheaper and better... No?