Costa Rica is truly an amazing country, well deserving of its reputation as a prime retirement haven. The climate is excellent. Healthcare is inexpensive and of high quality. Foreign owners of property enjoy all the rights of a Costa Rican citizen and property is still very reasonable. The people of Costa Rica enjoy and take great pride in their stable democracy. The expense of living is low; $2000 per month will give you a cushty life style. Website link than 20,000 Americans have retirement homes and more own investment property in Costa Rica.
Costa Rica is a very small country nonetheless it is incredibly diverse. The 32,000 square miles that make up this small country have approximately 6% of the worlds biodiversity and a total population of only 3.9 million. Costa Rica which is surrounded by both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans has something for everyone. From beautiful white sandy beaches, mountains and mountain valleys, rolling hills of the countryside, beautiful lakes with towering volcanoes looming overhead, the natural splendor is unequaled. If you like the warmth of the beach with average highs in the 80s to low 90s F, you can enjoy that kind of climate year-round. If you like a more temperate climate, you can enjoy the "Eternal Spring" of the Central Valley and San Jos�, with the common year round temperatures in the reduced to mid 80s in the daytime and in the high 60s to low 70s during the night. Many leave their windows open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year...never needing heat or air-conditioning. The dry season is usually from the end of November until past Easter. The number of rain in rainy season depends upon the climate zone, with heaviest rains usually in October. Rainfall is usually in the afternoon, if it is going to rain.
You will find small, basic homes from $60,000 to multi-million-dollar luxury mansions and estates. It is possible to live simply or as extravagantly as you desire. Costa Rican laws and its constitution protect private ownership of land and foreigners enjoy the same rights as citizens. There are almost no restrictions to ownership of private land. You don't need to be a citizen, resident, as well as be in the country to own land.
Costa Rica has a long history of stable, democratic government. There has been no military since 1948 when it was banned constitutionally Contrast this with other so called retirement havens such as for example Nicaragua.
Acquiring the status of legal resident in Costa Rica is simple and advantageous. See our Costa Rica information area for more information on various types of residencies.
The cost of surviving in Costa Rica is relatively inexpensive; you can comfortably live on $2000 a month. In most areas housing costs significantly less than what it can in the U.S. Hired help is quite inexpensive; a live in maid will cost about $150 a month. Many apartments, condos and houses add a maids living quarters with a little bath and bedroom. Groceries cost about 65-70% significantly less than everything you spend in the U.S and utilities (telephone service, electricity, and water) are cheaper than in THE UNITED STATES .There are a large number of restaurants in the central valley offering cuisine from most countries of the world. Large American supermarkets offer most familiar items. Items imported from THE UNITED STATES are more expensive usually, however many familiar name brands are manufactured in Central America and the costs are reasonable. Costa Rica has 110-115 Volt electricity and the NTSA television system both same as in North America.
With Costa Rican Life expectancy higher and the newborn mortality rates lower than that in america it is no wonder the US consistently ranks Costa Rica's public health system in the very best 20 worldwide and the best in Latin America. Costa Rica's health care system is easily available to retirees and other foreign residents. Most foreigners and retirees opt for the medical insurance offered by the government's insurance company at amazing low rates such as for example $900 per year for a man between 45 and 50 which and covers 80% of medical costs. Health care costs are very low compared to THE UNITED STATES. Hospitals regularly do hi-tech operations such as heart & organ transplants and there are many talented specialists in Costa Rica. In almost every town in the united kingdom you will discover ambulance service, operated by the Red Cross. Gleam wide choice in dental hygiene. No special shots must arrived at Costa Rica. Water could be drunk from the tap throughout Costa Rica. Sanitary standards have become high through the entire country. Pasteurized milk and milk products are normal everywhere.
Costa Rica is only 3 hours flying from many places in the southern U.S. Many non-stop flights can be found to South America and Europe from Costa Rica. This makes business and vacation travel possible for those who work and retire in Costa Rica. Furthermore Costa Rica operates on the Central time zone so it's within 2 hours of most UNITED STATES cities time. There is absolutely no daylight saving time, so it does vary seasonally.
Costa Rica's 93% literacy rate is one of the highest in the Western Hemisphere. Costa Ricans place an extremely quality value on education. There exists a free education system for all, through high school. You can find excellent bilingual and trilingual schools available with a principal language of English, French or German. There are lots of qualified professionals and technical personnel. Many young professionals have obtained a bilingual education from grade school and through senior high school in English, German or French. You will find many English speaking Costa Ricans to help you in lots of common situations.Cell Phones, telephones, Cable TV and Internet are widely available in Costa Rica.