This is a really good article from International Living Magazine on living in Costa Rica. I am still patiently working my way there! Will have my house ready to rent out in January and will move into the apartment above my garage and count the days to moving day.
Why Convenient Costa Rica Still Makes So Much Sense
By Jennifer Stevens
By Jennifer Stevens
It’s like a grab bag at a candy store—coastal drama, rainforests, spring-weather valleys…this place costs less than Cleveland…and things just work here.” That was my assessment of Costa Rica in 1998.
That trip felt like a reward. I’d been nosing out “new” destinations in places like Nicaragua and Panama—“early-in finds” that would be attractive to pioneering retirees. But such places can lack certain “comforts.” (Like the hotel where you had to hold two wires together in the shower to turn the lights on. Don’t worry: I didn’t recommend it to readers.)
Costa Rica was a different story—even back then. It was much further along on that “continuum of development” as I think of it. The infrastructure was solid. Airplanes took off and landed on schedule. And because an expat population was already well-established two decades ago, life in Costa Rica was convenient…and it still is.
As Jason Holland reports from the Central Valley (p. 18 of the current issue of International Living magazine), you can find everything from waffles at a breakfast joint to a memory card for a camera. Of course, convenience alone is no reason to retire somewhere. In truth, you won’t find anywhere as convenient as the U.S.
Costa Rica makes sense today because—beyond the conveniences—it offers you broad choice in locale and lifestyle. It’s safe. The healthcare is top tier. Yet you still find excellent values—a week’s worth of fresh produce for less than $30…rent on a home with a mountain view, $500…a couple’s health insurance, $600 a year.
If you’re ready to dip your toe overseas, Costa Rica remains one of the easiest, most rewarding places to do it. As proof, we bring you stories of expats there enjoying the lack of stress (p. 12)…running fishing charters (p. 24)…brewing beer (p. 25). As one couple says, “It’s a pretty liberating feeling knowing you can afford to live your dream.”
