Costa Rica Real Estate Magazine

ments. So, as you can see it is do able but does not cover a health plan or lots of touring. Also, if you decide to own a vehicle that adds other costs like gas, insurance, yearly road permit (marchamo), yearly safety inspection, repairs, etc. Now let´s say that you are living in a well to do area of San Jose (Costa Rica´s capital city) like La Sabana, Los Yoses, Rohrmoser, Escazu or Santa Ana then you will have access to the many conveniences of a modern city including big malls, many restaurants, entertainment and cultural venues, top private hospitals, and many other amenities but your monthly costs will be higher. Staying with the single in dividual and renting a one- or two bedroom unit with appliances included (semi-furnished) in a high-rise tower with amenities like a pool and gym, the monthly rent amount can be from US$850 to US$1500 (based on current offerings online October 2022). Your monthly food costs if you are only going to the major supermarkets will run you US$550-600. The Internet plus cable TV will usually be much faster and with 200 Gb Down can cost about US$60 plus about US$25 for a basic monthly cell phone prepaid plan. At this point we are in the range of US$1500 to US$2150 depending on your rent cost and now we must add entertainment (more to do in the city so usually more expenses), transportation costs, lots of

what is the Cost of Living in Costa Rica that will let me live the dream lifestyle I desire. After all, you can live a modest but adequate lifestyle in Costa Rica if you have a US$1000 per month income but depending on your lifestyle require ments you could easily be spending as much as US$8,000 per month. If we examine in more detail what a monthly budget of US$1000 will get you then the first consideration is loca tion. You cannot realistically expect to live next to the ocean and do it on such a limited budget but if you choose an inland location where you will find more Ticos (Costa Ricans) living and you adjust your lifestyle to be more like the average Tico then US$1000 per month is doable. For example, here is a real budget for a single individual living in Grecia (located in the Province of Ala juela and 30 minutes from the Interna tional Airport in San Jose): Monthly Rent (incl. Electric & Water) - for a small unfurnished 1 or 2 bdrm., 1 bath apartment. US$300. Monthly Food Bill (includes taking ad vantage of the weekly Farmers Market Fair) - US$360. Monthly Internet (50 Gb down & 10 Gb Up) – Cable TV & Cell Phone bills - US$ 90. At this point we are up to US$750 which would leave US$250 to cover entertain ment, eating out, transportation (buses are plentiful and cheap) and putting a little aside for medical/dental appoint

restaurants to choose from, Medical/ Dental costs from either a Health Plan or setting aside money to cover those needs when they arise. So, we are ba sically looking at monthly costs that can range from US$2000 to 3000. If like many, you are attracted to the beach lifestyle then just how close you want to be to the beach and which beach town you choose will affect your needed monthly budget. Again, using the single individual and renting a one- or two-bedroom unit with appliances included (semi-furnished) in a high-rise tower with at least a pool, the monthly rent amount can be from US$1050 to US$1750 (based on current offerings online October 2022). Your monthly food costs if you are only going to the major supermarkets will run you US$600-800 as the beaches are gen erally a bit higher. The Internet (50 Gb down & 10 Gb Up) plus cable TV will usually be about US$60 plus about US$25 for a basic monthly cell phone prepaid plan. At this point we are in the range of US$1700 to US$2600 depend ing on your rent and food cost and now we must add entertainment (usually many restaurant and bar choices at the beaches), transportation costs, Medical/ Dental costs from either a Health Plan or setting aside money to cover those needs when they arise. So, we are ba sically looking at monthly costs that can range from US$3000 to 3500. Again, many factors come into play in cluding your age and health and if you are living for a short period of time or part of the year or perhaps you are here under the new Digital Nomad designa tion and take advantage of the health insurance offered or if you have ap plied and received your temporary or permanent residency status under one of the various qualifying methods avail able which would give you access to the universal CAJA (Government Health System) health facilities and services for a monthly cost based on a percentage of your monthly income. Private health care is available and of excellent quality and can cost from 30 to 50% of what you would pay in the USA for similar health care services. So, while Costa Rica does not offer the lowest Cost of Living in Latin America it does without a doubt offer the Best Quality of Life for the buck!

COSTA RICA REAL ESTATE MAGAZINE 21