There’s an easy escape from gringo culture in Costa Rica. The sleepy town of Dominical is inhabited by a mix of bohemian expats, laid-back surfers (some on permanent vacation), and friendly locals. A few years ago, the trip from Quepos to Dominical took over two hours on a bone-jarring, potholed dirt road. But thanks to a recently paved two-lane highway, it’s now just 45 minutes.
I made my escape to Costa Rica in May 2010, to teach English in San Jose. I recently discovered a beautiful little mountain town (where a friend lives) that’s an easy day trip from the capital. Urasca is a small town in the province of Cartago, at about 3,000 feet above sea level. It has a climate quite different to San Jose—Costa Rica is marked by its micro-climates.
Costa Rica is one country that may truly have it all: a year-round tropical climate, modern cities, Caribbean beaches, Pacific coastline, rain forests, lush valleys, and mountains.
Join us in Costa Rica this November, and we’ll tell you exactly where to go, who to see, and what kinds of properties make sense if you’d like to buy in this country.
This time next year—you could be living your dream life in Costa Rica. And the Fast-Track Costa Rica: Lifestyle & Opportunity Conference is the best, most efficient way to make it happen.
Healthier and happier. We hear that over and over from IL readers who move to Costa Rica. Ben Hill says “I was a junk food junkie…stopping at every 7-11 and buying a bag of chips and a coke, a candy bar…but now I eat healthy food, I feel better, I’m more flexible and I weigh a lot less than I did back in California.”
“Costa Rica offers true freedom,” Todd says. “They say that about the U.S., but Costa Rica really does offer true freedom.” No one bothers you here, the government is non-invasive and stable, there aren’t people protesting in the streets…people are happy. Sociologists have actually proven that Costa Ricans are the happiest people on the planet.
We just learned about the top places in Costa Rica that make the most sense for expats to live, to rent, buy real estate, become part of a community and have access to all the amenities that make life comfortable and enjoyable.
Three years ago, Andy and Fran (then in their late 50s) did something extraordinary—which turned out to be exactly the right thing for them to do. They sold out of the U.S. and moved to Costa Rica. They’re happy here. And not only that, but they’ve reduced their annual expenses by 65%.
Although the country is known for its beaches, the majority of foreigners who move to Costa Rica tend to settle in the Central Valley…near, but definitely not in…the chaotic capital city of San Jose.
Costa Rica’s affordable cost of living, scenic beaches with an abundance of surf, and lush natural landscapes are what initially drew me to this tropical paradise. The friendly nature of the locals, lots of of fresh fruit and vegetables, and relaxed lifestyle are what’s keeping me here indefinitely.
This time last year I couldn’t wait to attend the Live & Invest Overseas Conference in Las Vegas. I wanted to find out as much information as possible about my country of choice: Panama.
Lee and Sharon moved to Costa Rica because they wanted to stretch their small social security income and knew that retirement in the U.S. was out of the question.
Andy and Fran Brown had a predicament. It was 2008, and both had suddenly found themselves out of work. The couple had a nest egg but after doing their sums, they discovered that their funds would only last nine years… if they stayed in the U.S.
We first visited Costa Rica when our cruise ship docked in the country’s Pacific port of Caldera in 1994. From then on we visited as often as we could, taking relocation tours and thoroughly exploring the country. We wanted to stretch our small Social Security income and knew that retirement in the U.S. was out of the question.
As we drove around last month on our latest reconnaissance trip, we were happy to find that Costa Rica still offers great value as an affordable retirement and second-home destination…along with some of the most beautiful scenery and forward-looking ecological policies anywhere on earth.
I worked for 15 years as a marine biologist from Martha’s Vineyard to Florida and in 2000 relocated to Costa Rica’s Nicoya Peninsula. For me, this is the most desirable part of Costa Rica. There’s a nice mix of low lands and higher land, so you have a choice of climate and views.
When I lived in Hawaii, I was always near the ocean…but never a “stone’s throw” away. Then I moved to Costa Rica—my goal was to live close enough to the beach that I could walk out my door and be in the ocean in under three minutes.
Fair waring: What you’re about to read may change your overseas plans to focus on Costa Rica…and if you haven’t yet considered a move overseas…you’re about to be “Costa Rica’d.”
Cigarette smoke and the rich aroma of coffee drifts out from the wooden roadside cafe. My coffee is prepared and served like the French serve cafe au lait. The surroundings look like the Swiss alps as the fog rolls in. Rich and full bodied, my coffee is one of the finest I’ve had in Central America.
“My wife Suzan and I breathed a sigh of relief and toasted our good fortune. The lights here were just as low, the ocean breeze just as gentle, and the spaghetti carbonara just as peppery and fresh in the little restaurant on Playa Samara as they were during our honeymoon 14 years ago.”
The lights here were just as low, the ocean breeze just as gentle, the spaghetti carbonara just as peppery and fresh in the little restaurant on Playa Samara as they were during our honeymoon 14 years ago.
Prices on beachfront properties along certain stretches of Costa Rica’s coast have tumbled. It means a window of opportunity has opened there for Americans anxious to “rescue their retirements” by looking for dollar-stretching opportunities overseas.
Costa Rica’s “Pura Vida” is well known. Celebrities have caught on and spend millions of dollars on beach and jungle retreats. Thing is: There’s more to this wonderful country than the north Pacific-Coast resorts with sticker shock akin to Aspen or New York’s upper east side. My Costa Rica is nicer…and you can buy for as little as one-tenth what you would pay where the jet-set shop.
Despite living in Costa Rica for over a year, I hadn’t seen a Costa Rican bullfight. Luckily, a chance to experience one came about when my neighborhood barrio of Los Angeles in Atenas held its annual fair.
I live just a few steps from a white-sand beach. At just 38 years old I’m retired. In fact, I’ve been retired in the traditional sense—from a 40-hour-a-week, full-time job—since I was 35. I realized that there was more to life than working.
In today’s Podcast, IL editor Dan Prescher, interviews a world class chef from Israel, Eyal Ben Menachem. Ben traveled a lot around the world before ending up in Costa Rica. He now works as a chef in a B&B on the shores of Lake Arenal.
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