Take, for example, the wonderful city of San Ramon. It’s an agricultural town of 70,000, situated on the northwest edge of the Central Valley.
Home to three former presidents including “Don Pepe,” who abolished the army in 1948. It set in motion the basis for today’s robust democracy.
San Ramon offers a peaceful environment and offers all of the services of a larger city. These include numerous supermarkets, a mall with a three-screen theater, numerous outstanding restaurants, and warm, welcoming locals.
It is also only 40 minutes to the international airport in Alajuela. It’s one hour to San Jose and 40 minutes to the Pacific Coast.
San Ramon also offers a wide variety of lots for building one’s retirement dream home. Either in the mountains which the “Tico Times” calls “the Tuscany or Provence of Central America”.
Or stunning ocean views properties in which one can see the Nicoya Peninsula, the Pacific Ocean, and the bustling port city of Puntarenas.
Costa Rica Land Prices
Prices for land still remain low with some lots as inexpensive as $15,000 for a one-half acre lot. $75,000 will buy you an incredible ocean-view lot on 2.25 acres.
With another $60,000 to $75,000, you can have an incredible ocean view lot and house, complete with all the services you need, for under $200,000. If you decide you don’t want ocean views, you’ll pay even less, perhaps around $100,000 for a nice lot and home.
Property taxes are very low, only .25% of the registered value of your home/land. I paid $66 in property taxes for an entire year! The local government officials even asked me if I wanted to pay my taxes quarterly!
Costa Rica Rent
If renting is more your style, you can still find nice two-bedroom, modest homes for rent for under $200/month. Low housing costs combined with very low prices on food and utilities make San Ramon an excellent bargain.
The towns of Grecia, Sarchi, Atenas, and Puriscal offer excellent value as well; you just need to know where to look or link up with an experienced and knowledgeable local or gringo to help you out.
Costa Rica Food Prices
I also eat inexpensively. I spend perhaps a $1.50 for breakfast, $2.00 for lunch, and then I splurge for dinner, perhaps $4-6, and this is if I go out to eat! Of course, if you visit some of this country’s wonderful outdoor markets, you’ll find the freshest meats, fruits, and vegetables, and can cook for yourself and spend even less.
I Need Good and Convenient Medical Care!
Some foreigners living and retiring in Costa Rica complain that the medical system here is overcrowded. It often takes hours to see a doctor.
Yes, in some areas there are fewer doctors per capita than in the United States but this generally applies to people living in the San Jose area. It oftentimes relates to people who have elected to get on the “CAJA” system, which is the most basic health insurance program, run by the government, to which most Ticos belong.
Once you leave the San Jose area, even if you are on the CAJA, the lines lessen. More often than not, you’ll form a great relationship with an English-speaking doctor who is well-trained.
In some cases, doctors even make house calls. There are also other privately-run programs that allow you to see any doctor.
These programs are much less expensive than insurance programs in the states.
Costa Rica also has several outstanding hospitals. They provide the same level and quality of service that you would find in the United States.
CIMA Hospital San Jose, which is affiliated with Baylor Medical Center in Houston, is a brand new facility with all of the new technologies you would find in any top hospital in the United States.
In fact, my doctor at CIMA has more advanced technology in his office than my doctor in New York City. Clinica Biblica, also near San Jose, is also another top hospital, with the same quality of service you would find at CIMA.
There Are Too Many Tourists!
Costa Rica certainly is a well-traveled tourist destination and sees over 1 million holidaymakers a year. If you visit the beaches at Manuel Antonio, the rainforest of Monteverde, or Arenal Volcano during the dry season, you will see many North Americans and Europeans.
However, living here, particularly in towns such as San Ramon or Grecia, you would hardly know it is the tourist season. These towns and others see few tourists and move at their own consistent pace year-round.
Actually, visiting tourist destinations during the offseason is a significant benefit of living here. It’s particularly true given that prices are significantly less than during the high season.
Costa Rica does count among its residents some 40,000 North Americans, mostly from the United States. They come for a variety of reasons from wanting to leave their corporate careers for more meaningful work to just wanting to retire and enjoy a slower, relaxed pace of life that Costa Rica offers.
While these expatriates are scattered throughout Costa Rica, most of them live in the suburbs surrounding San Jose such as Escazu, Santa Ana, and Cuidad Colon.
