(1) Year-round spring-like weather in the Central Valley. One of the most ideal climates in the world. No heating or A/C needed in this area, so you will always feel comfortable.
(2) An unblemished international image and reputation. How often do you hear bad news about Costa Rica? Only good news! As the say here, “Solo bueno,” which means “only good.”
(3) Latin America’s oldest democracy.
(4) NO army or terrorism. Costa Rica has NO enemies.
(5) Excellent health care at a fraction of the price you would pay at home. Dentists are cheap, too. Many doctors and dentists are trained abroad. Costa Ricans who reach the age of eighty have the longest longevity rate in the world beyond that age. This is mostly due to the country’s lifestyle. Many a foreigner who has moved here claims that “they have added years to their lives and life to their years.
(6) Good real estate investments if you do your due diligence and buy at the right price. In 2006 Costa Rica was considered one of the world’s best emerging real estate markets. Many properties are in locations with breathtaking panoramic views. You would pay millions of dollars for these views in some parts of the U.S. Costa Rica is a prime warm-weather destination like Hawaii and retirement haven which will drive the real estate market in future years.
(7) More North American residents proportionately than any other country outside of the U.S. They can’t be wrong!
(8) A tightly-knit expat community
(9) The ONLY country in Latin America with a time-tested organization (Association of Residents of Costa Rica or ARCR) to help you with everything you need to make the move from A to Z.
(10) An excellent quality of life. Costa Ricans have one of the highest life spans in the world and the country boasts around 900 centenarians.
(11) Good communications with high-speed internet in may areas. Cable and satellite television are available with all of your favorite programs from the United States.
(12) Tax savings - The financial benefits of being a U.S. citizen living abroad is attractive because you can enjoy the tax-free foreign earned income benefit of more than $90,000 per year.
(13) Opportunities for savvy entrepreneurs
(14) Friendly people with a great sense of humor and a country populated by one of the “happiest people in the world.”
(15) Many people but not everyone speaks English.
(16) 1000s of activities to stay busy and happy so you won’t get bored
(17) A nature lover’s Disneyland and the perfect place for those who like adventure tourism. Volcanoes and rain forests are near the Central Valley and the Caribbean and Pacific Beaches are only a few hours away.
(18) Affordable hired help.
(19) The country’s sheer beauty.
(20) Fantastic beaches with warm water. No wetsuit is needed here!
(21) One of Latin America’s prime tourist destinations according to Travel Weekly magazine.
(22) Many products and services from the U.S.
(23) A huge variety of inexpensive fruits and vegetables available all year.
(24) Affordable transportation (buses and taxis). You won’t really need a car here.
(25) Much less expensive than living in most countries
(26) Exotic flora and fauna.
(27) Low property taxes (A quarter of one percent of the home’s listed value up to $200,000)
(28) A variety of local restaurants, offering some of the best chicken and fish, plus, Japanese, Chinese, Thai, Indian, Italian, Mexican, typical Costa Rican food and more.
(29) Convenient Location. You can be in Miami or Ft. Lauderdale in under three hours.
(30) Beautiful and devoted women.
(31) Low violent crime rate compared to most places. I wouldn’t be living here if I thought my life was in danger. Crime is on the rise world-wide and Costa Rica is no exception. NO country is entirely crime free nor is immune to the increasing crime rates that you find almost everywhere in the world. Furthermore, the news media likes to sensationalize crime in every country.
(32) You want to experience a new culture and people.
(33)) You want to do volunteer work like teaching English to school children or contribute something to the country in another way.
(34) You want the life-long experience of learning a beautiful language to open a whole to new world of possibilities.
(35) You want a simpler lifestyle.
(36) You want start a new and exciting life abroad.
(37) Costa Rica is a place for those who believe and are willing to seek something better in this world and their lives.
(38) Plus so many more intangibles
By Christopher Howard M.A.*, http://www.liveincostarica.com/
GolfitoMasterTours Opinion:
I received several negative comments about this article. The majority of foreigners, where they say that more than half of the points are false. That is why I write a short comment about the article
--- CR is not the perfect country to live. There are many problems in all fields, such as medical, legal process, inefficient police, obstruction of almost all the permissions that a person should ask when you are building a house, apart from a huge variety of other problems. I know foreigners who have spent years making a single process, such as residence in CR, a process which in my opinion, should not be so slow. Obviously, there are people who speed up these barriers by giving money to the right person in the government. Which is a bad practice, but often it is the only way to do things in this country. This is a big problem, because most of the "Ticos" think that foreigners have a money tree in the yard. If that were true, I should ask some of them for a couple of seeds to plant a few trees in my yard.
The reality is that every country has these problems and even more. No country is going to be perfect to live. The mentality that everyone should have is always positive, in spite of all the problems you may encounter when you move to another country.
Therefore, a few tips:
- If you are thinking about coming and living in CR, arm yourselves with patience and why not bring some extra bags filled with more patience.
- Be careful with the "Ticos" who speak English. A large proportion of them are looking to take advantage of any situation and to take money from you.
And remember .... the Pura Vida, is no longer very pure life.
In summary, I believe that many of the points mentioned in the article did not reflect what actually happens in CR.
Even so, CR is a beautiful country to live and pleasantly, there are many more positives things than negatives living in CR and that's for REAL!!
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