Living in Costa Rica has many advantages. The sheer variety of activities available for enjoyment and the spectacular sights you can visit throughout the country make life here a constant adventure.
If you add to this the availability of modern conveniences, many large malls to choose from, excellent cultural activities, an exciting nightlife and superb medical services at very reasonable prices, then you can begin to understand why so many people have chosen to live and work here, as well as to retire in Costa Rica.
San José
One of the aspects I enjoy most is the excellent cost of living that is available here which allows your dollar to stretch much farther allowing for services and luxuries that would be much too expensive to afford in the U.S., Canada or Europe. I will try tc give you a glimpse of this cost of living in this article so you too can compare these costs with your own place of residence.
The cost in San Jose (the capital is among the lowest of any capital city in Latin America in certain aspects such as for example: telephone, electricity, water domestic and maintenance services restaurants and movies.
The costs are about 30% less compare( to what they are in North America and other Latin American countries. If you add to this the mild weather which make: cooling and heating totally unnecessary you will really appreciate the cost saving you will have!
- Full time live-in maid (Sundays off) $200 per month.
- Ticket to see a movie in a modern theater $5 Minimum ticket price to see a cultural event at the National Theater $8.00.
- Ticket to see a First Division Soccer Team match $12.00.
- An excellent steak dinner in a good restaurant-under $20.
- Basic Commercial Phone service $7 per month.
- Basic Cellular Phone service $8.22 per month Basic Cable TV service $27.60.
- Cable Internet home service (1 Meg download/256k upload) costs $39 per month.
- Men's Haircut & shampoo at luxury barbershop $15.
- Men's Haircut at local barbershop $9.00.
- La Nacion- Costa Rica's leading daily newspaper $0.38.
- A bottle of Coca Cola $0.53.
- A pound of beans $0.41.
- A bottle of Imperial Beer $0.67.
- A pack of local cigarettes $0.95.
- Bus ride from downtown San Jose to Escazú $0.60.
- Bus ride from San Jose to Jaco Beach (60 miles) $2.40.
- Suzuki ATV- Ozark LT-f250 costs $5,195 out the door.
- Suzuki ATV- Z400costs $8,100 out the door Harley Davidson XL 883 Sportster costs $9,664.
- Harley Davidson XL 883C Sportster Custom costs $11,436.
- 2007 Honda CR-V 4x2 SUV costs $33,000.
- 2007 KIA Rio hatchback 1400 cc with extras costs $15,600.
- Shopping for fresh food deals at the weekly farmer's market.
- The Editor's new toy - A 2007 Toyota Prado 6 cyl Diesel 4x4.
- Which is the ideal vehicle type for exploring Costa Rica - Fully Loaded $37,600.
- A solid wood king size bed with matching nightstands made in Sarchi $950 (Sarchi is a town known for its great furniture artisans).
While some imported manufactured items such as appliances, TV's, Computers, vehicles, etc. Are more expensive, these are generally one time expenses but your daily and recurring expenses are much cheaper here and your will enjoy a higher standard of living in Costa Rica, while living in a country that has most of the comforts and lifestyle of North America and Europe.
When you can have a fulltime maid for $200 a month and a driver for $400 a month, your lifestyle undergoes a significant transformation here and you can enjoy luxuries you could not afford back in your home country. Taking all of this into account, plus great weather year-round, friendly Costa Rican people, political stability, climate, a relatively low crime rate and general peaceful atmosphere, it's a wonder you are not living here already!...
Real Estate - Investment 
