Hoping to retire in Costa Rica with my husband

The climate is so diverse here that your question cannot be answered.  You MUST spend some time in the country and make your own informed decision.

Hi Nalini, I have lived in Costa RIca for 5 years..   Costa RIca is very pretty, but realize once you are for a few years it sort of wears off..   Prices here are going up fast.. In the five years I have been here prices have gone up almost 15 percent...      Things do move slow down here.. Residency can take a few years or more and laws change quickly.   Meat here is on the whole on the poor side... You can find good cuts but you must look..    Most major super markets do not have quality meat .. I am from the USA and this was a bit of a disappointment.  Imported items like peanut butter and other items from the USA expect to pay double.. I would recommend highly you come to visit.   What others say and what pictures you have in your mind may not match up to a perfect home.   Can you put up with days and days of rain.  There is not a whole lot of culture in Costa RIca..    In San Jose I will say there is some, there is a large stadium where concerts are held and there and football games,  a old opera house and good restaurants some are on the high side even compared to the USA.   Then there are areas like the coast where it can get hot and extremely muggy can you put up with that.  Then the bugs.  Many of them.  Some times I have woken up to find the house covered in them does not happen often but it does.     Gas is 5 dollars a gallon.    Cars are very expensive..  My 1996 Suzuki side kick 4 by 4 cost me 8,000 US.  On the good side vegetables and produce is relatively inexpensive and very fresh.   There is not the variety in the markets that I am sure you may be use to.   Although there is a good usage of  English here you should have some knowledge of Spanish..    You should obtain a good lawyer but they can be hard to find.  I can help if you need it but I highly recommend them for your residency and matters in real estate.  Housing still is affordable at this time, but realize to Costa Rica is the most expensive country to live in Central America.  Some of the prices we pay here are even higher then the USA but in all the cost of living here is a less Medical is good, as are pharmacies , where to live is mainly up to you.   Do you like big cities then San Jose may be your area although it is a very confusing city and there are not names for streets.. There is the coast,  Or the central valley like San Insdiro it is higher elavation a medium size city easy to navigate cooler. but is likes culture and any real night live and very few good restaurants.  But you are a little over an hour from the coast so you can have both here cooler weather and the cost..  Hope this helps if you have further questions drop a line.  Again most advisers will say it is foolish to just come and set up camp with out a look around.   good luck

Yes, an extended visit is best and definitely cheaper in the long run, if you move here with all your belongings and find the CR is not for you.
Since money is not an issue I don't see why a 'visit' would be a problem...many others have done so.

Hello Nalini,

I have created a new thread with your post on the Costa Rica forum for more visibility and for a better interaction with the other members.

Thanks

Priscilla 

Again let inform you Doc. do not go to costa rica without  visiting. after all you said money was not an issue. Go ..

drvendzjia wrote:

Hi everyone,
I am a specialist doctor from Australia hoping to retire in Costa Rica with my husband who has already retired. We want honest advise from you guys as to whether it is feasible and a good plan. Money is not an issue but would we be happy? What are best towns to consider and how do we find out a honest realtor? We can't make a trip just for a visit because it is so far from Australia. We were hoping to settle everything online and move once for all. It looks so beautiful on the web. Is it true? Please help us.

Nalini

Hi Nalini, I understand your problem in not wanting to make a trip for a visit but in my view - and in many other expat's views - it would be a huge mistake to try to do everything online without ever visiting Costa Rica.

So in my expert opinion it is not feasible to do what  you speak of. The #1 reason people move to Costa Rica and then move back to their home country is because :
a) they have not lived there for a month or more before moving there
b) they have not learned any or enough Spanish

As to your other questions:
To choose the best town I could probably give you some suggestions but you'd have to tell us what you want out of a "home town". Do you want to be near the beach? Or do you prefer the mountains? Do you want to live near a city in case of the need for a hospital or some other reason? Do you want to live in an area that is mostly gringos (i.e.; non-Ticos), or an area that is mostly Tico with a minimal number of English speaking expats?

Only after you decide on a few towns you are interested in (based on the above info), can we recommend some realtors  because while  Costa Rica is a small country, it is still divided into regions and realtors cover specific regions.

My recommendation for you would be this:
1) Read some tour guide books on Costas Rica. I like the Lonely Planet one and the Moon handbook on Costa Rica. Those give you not only ideas for places to visit that you might like to live, but also there is quite a bit of info re the culture and people and lifestyle. But again, this is NOT instead of visiting, it's just a place to start to figure out where you will visit.

2) Take 6 - 8 weeks (at least) and visit Costa Rica.  I would spend a few days in each town you like then decide on 1 (out of maybe 3-5) and then stay in that one town for a month. If you still like it at the end of the month, then think about living there.

3) if you decide to live there, you can then start to look at properties. Come back here at that point and ask for recommendations of realtors to use and those to avoid.

Meanwhile read as many forums and blogs about Costa Rica that you have time for and decide it you still think it's for you.

outstanding review.. nice some one is honest...I almost forgot , if you don't know Spanish , at least  able to understand Spanish, don't even think about moving there.i was thinking of moving there and retire. someone said I better visit first, so I took a month off and rented an apartment in san jose, im so glad I did, I will never go back to San Jose, to crowded,to expensive,and no English.i did not expect English, its there country its there right. other parts of the country were great. just visit otherwise you won't stay....

Nalini,

I can't imagine anyone relocating to another country without feet on the ground first. Yes, it is mostly a very beautiful country, but it is probably very different from where you live now. Here are some pros/cons off the top of my head having lived here for 6 years:

+s:
- Overall cheaper to live here than in the U.S., but not by much.
- Climate (in the mountains) is ideal for us. 65-75F is the norm. Even in the rainy season, it's sunny nearly every morning.
- Incredible amount of wildlife outside of the cities.
- Very friendly people and if you stay away from the Central Valley, you will find most of them helpful and honest.
- Inexpensive private health care, very good doctors/dentists/alternative practitioners. The gov't healthcare is a waste of time and money IMHO.
- Fantastic scenery and you have two oceans, plenty of mountains and tons of great beaches
- Fantastic availability of fresh fruit and veggies all year around
- In close proximity to other interesting countries and all of South America

-s:
- If you don't speak Spanish, you will be missing out and probably hanging around with a lot of complaining, english-speaking gringos.
- buying and maintaining a car is very expensive compared to U.S. standards, maybe not so much compared to Australia. E.g., diesel is $USD1.20/litre, gas about $USD1.40/litre  Cars cost about 2-3 times as much to buy vs. States
- taxes are high. 13% sales tax on just about everything, annual taxes on cars, corporations and you must enroll in the gov't health care even though you won't use it in all probabilty. Your foreign income, however, will probably not be taxed.
- you may not enjoy living in a country that is impoverished compared to Australia. They do not have many really poor people as many other Latin American countries do, but most people live basically hand to mouth. Infrastructure is improving but still inadequate or crumbling in many places
- Lots of bugs, although I don't consider that a real minus for me. We enjoy the variety and it's not hard to adapt to their ways. If you have a phobia about bugs or snakes, however, you will have difficulty adjusting.

- Casey  (adullroar.blogspot.com)

[moderated: no free ads please]

Hello I too am retiring in Costa Rica. My wife and I actually bought our properties sight unseen on the Internet from a Canadian company Recap Investments. Which is now sold out in phase 1,2,3. I have 2 lots in phase 1 Wichita has the most beautiful views of mountains and the ocean. I am selling one of My lots. You can check out the development on face book search Playa Lagarto Economy Development. It is a great project in an exclusive area. Beautiful beaches close to many amenities. Let me know if you are interested.

I suppose for some folks they need to analyze more than others---I have purchased 2 homes in different countries sight unseen and everything was fine---the most important aspect to remember is that wherever you go--there you are! So if you expect success and are not running away from problems that will follow you anyway I think the results of everything we do are in our control for the most part. And if you don't like something--do something else!  Gill

Hi Nalini,

Definably make an extended stay in Costa Rica.  Yes Costa Rica has beautiful scenery.  It also has lots of poor scenery.  We would like to think that costa Ricans are friendly and like us.   They are not happy that foreigners buying up their country.  It is a different culture, with different rules and habits.  Before investing, make sure you have an honest lawyer.
Good luck.

You should not move there until you visit. You may not like it.

Hi
It is a bit dodgy to buy a property ONLINE regardless of what the Seller OR the so called "realtor" says  (there NO licensed Realtors in Costa Rica..Not like in USA where we have to take very tough tests to get a license. I was a very successful realtor for 12 years inBeverly Hills California. I do not sell here I am retired but happy to help look out for you at no charge
email me at extrapetsATgmail.com

Hi Nialini,

When I moved here, I rented a small place that I could call home while I was visiting the country.

Some places I loved, some others not at all.  I had a safe place that I could leave for long period without worrying.  Don't buy now, come and stay at least a year before.  There are so many properties to buy all over Costa Rica.  Don't rush into it. 

You will change and you will have different needs after a while...  Life is great here, I've been here for 28 years.

I have friends who came here and built a huge property, gorgeous but after a short period they found out that it's not what they need anymore.

You need a place safe and where you like people.......people are the most important thing.

I hope this is helping you and don't hesitate if you have any questions.  Good luck, Gini

Rocket I bought a property 3 acres in Central valley with AWESOME VIEWS and perfect climate,70/80 deg year round  for OVER $200,000 26 years ago BUT not everyone is like us ! So I do advise renting for a while to most "Normal" People. (I also will be selling a ready to build lot of  550 METERS (not feet) in a few weeks ,so will be advertising it here on this site .  Meanwhile I will respect those who choose to wait until they buy,OF course the prices will be higher (I our area anyway ,My property has 4 rentals and is now worth $1,300 ,000. so you can find an area as we do , that appreciates rapidly IF you find a decent realtor (Almost impossible ,I gave up after the 10th one  and found my own property)  or if you have some realty background, as thankfully I did ,which after doing the much bantered word here "My due diligence" was able to spot a good place to start a successful B&B which I hd for 20 years (Now retired ..The last few posts have been the BEST advice  I have seen here since I joined EXCEPT I disagree with SOME of Crenvy's "Advice" which I will post as "Incorrect" as soon as I get a bit more time ....more later  BUT to reiterate ..Remember most people are NOT like us and some will TAOKE their time to buy and so they should  IF they do not have our gift of a " Good Feeling" OR a professional Realtor

I agree with others that a move to CR would be unwise without visiting first.  Plan an extended stay and rent for at least a week each in two or three places to get a feel for it.  Look at available real estate to see what you get for what price.  Eat meals in, and shop at local stores as you would do when living there.  Do some research online first, and decide what type of area you want - beach, mountains, near city life, rural, etc. Only you can determine what you will like - and even then, many people leave after a couple of years if it does not turn out the way they expected.

Back too late to edit but I also meant to say I bought within the first month I arrived SO we " loonies" are more decisive... got to get back to my
re-modeling ..later ..Please mention  the the lady who posted that they had to leave AFTER the 90 days when it is WITHIN the 90 days they must skip the country:)
got to ru...bye

I just remember it's my BIRTHDAY..I should not be working Grrrrr I forgot LOLBut at age 39  AGAIIN  not surprised ( I WISH ) just dreamin')

Good Morning,, a little wine with my lovely tenants )who happen to be from Australia) (Maybe they will join and post BUT they have only been here a few weeks with their 12 yr old and have spent most of the time just lounging in the hammock on my farm , except =for the odd rainy days left over from our rainy season (which they and others say "At least it is warm rain, unlike the cold rain of my home country ,England.
,In deference to Crenvy's post the points i disagree with are:

1. I live in a gorgeous area of the Central Valley (Heredia Hills ) and apart from UGLY delapitated San Jose , it is not true that you should "stay away" from the Central Valley in order to have good Honest neighbors. Of Course there are Good Honest people here as well as all over the world there are such!
2. Mainaining a car : Where else can you get a full tune up for $35 on a 4x4 Rav4, as I do IF you buy parts as I do in many stores of Heredia (A little known upscale town ,located which is inhabited  by mostly wealthy Ticos  who are from"Old Money" as opposed to the Neauveau Riche" " in which many Gringos fall into the Category .  It still has LOWER priced goods and services (except for much of the real estate (One always pays more for "Locaction, Location, Location"  Therefore it is NOT a "Gringo Gulch'" my nickname for an area where the Gringos need to huddle together and never learn Spanish.
1, I moved here,  NOT Speaking Spanish, and with only the  knowledge of English and French (No that was not a help , and  only caused a bit of Confusion, (for a while I was speaking a bit of' Franglish " ) But in 3 months I was fluent in Spanglish at least.   My  then Tico husband was amazed,  not at my brilliance, but my "flair for
languages " (I did not tell him that at first we had for dinner and a mountain of  left overs in  the freezer,due to ordering whatever the Senora in line at the market ordered , even of it turned out to be 10 + lbs of Hamburger meat , which  I fed to my friends who are carnivores.  I also did not tell him that I was a "Church' for a year (due to trying to say I was from England "Soy Iglaisia  (Instead if Inglaisa. The strange looks received   were from people who thought , Maybe correctly that I was a bit crazy,
The points above are things in which I disagree fervently with Crenvy BUT as duly noted we ALL have our own opinions and experiences ,  Good Luck to you. Apart from my  current tenants, I rarely meet
Australians , even though I had B&B guests from as far away as India and China, I think for them it was not yet on their " List of retirement countries " and from the opinions of my tenants I learned that the presumed it was much more uncivilized than it is. In any case I wish you luck in whatever and wherever you decide to dwell here .I am one of the many lucky Ones" who still LOVE CR despite it's  having the need for something I really have to muster up...PATIENCE !
Amen.

Hello. Depending on your weather preference, and you do have choices here.I live in the San Ramon area and enjoy the town and the weather, cooler than San Jose .Just has a laid back atmosphere. xxxx

Señor Bass,

This post is several years old - just so that you're aware.  Also, you are somewhat advertising for your property and this is not allowed in the Forums .  Please feel free to post a free ad in the "HOUSING" section above.

Thanks!
- Dave
Expat.com Team Member

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Mr. Bass,

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Expat.com experts team