Is It Time to Make Your Costa Rica Expat Move?

Here are 5 reasons that the answer might just be yes…

A Shaky Economy…

Speaking of shaky, you’re probably shaking your head wondering what the hell I’m talking about. The stock market has soared under Trump (well, except for December). Taxes and regulations have been cut to the bone. In short, for some, business is booming.

However, as one of the greatest investors of all-time, Ray Dalio, will readily tell you, America has become the tale of two economies…one for the very rich and another for everyone else. Even though the economy has “boomed” under Trump in many measurable respects, inequality has also increased, as has personal and national debt, and scientific research, especially in areas of technologies that can improve the environment and the quality of life for future generations, has been gutted.

Well, these days world wars aren’t so likely, since most rational heads of state sort of know that no one would come out a winner in a world wide nuclear conflict. Nevertheless, growing worldwide economic equality, along with population displacement due to civil strife and, increasingly, the effects of global warming, will be a destabilizing influence on the U.S. and worldwide economies for the foreseeable future.

Does Costa Rica offer an escape from all that? Costa Rica has long been the “Switzerland” of Latin American and has kept its nose out of the messes that its Latin country neighbors seem to repeatedly get themselves into.

I guess what I’m saying, more than anything else, is perhaps it’s time to get out while the getting’s still good.

Prices Still Relatively Low (in some areas)

Costa Rica is certainly not the cheapest country in Latin America. I just got back from spending several weeks in Colombia and it indeed is cheaper there, for the most part. Nevertheless, real estate prices in some areas are still very good. Property prices in high tourist traffic areas, such as Costa Rica’s many popular beach communities, which suffered greatly in the 2007-8 crash, have crept back up to a large degree.

But there are areas off-the-beaten-path that remain quite appealing. One of those areas is my own home in Perez Zeledon. This area really has some great things going for it: like the city of San Isidro de El General (Costa Rica’s second largest outside the GAM of San Jose); the highest mountains in the country, which boast incredible panoramic views and host a dazzling degree of diversity in flora and fauna; and you can live in a mountain climate and still be less than an hour from one of Costa Rica’s most gorgeous coastlines, the Costa Ballena (with beaches like Dominical, Uvita and Ojochal).

There are great values to be had in Perez Zeledon. Here you can find a nice home on some acreage with a perfect year-round climate and great mountain views (with maybe even a glimpse of ocean) for less than $300,000. And what’s also great is that you’ll be only minutes from a super cool city with all its conveniences and less than an hour from the beach!

Varied Inventory to Choose From

Costa Rica is a tiny country, about the size of West Virginia and with less than 5 million inhabitants, about half of whom reside in the “gan area metropolitana”, or GAM, of the capital city, San Jose.

So, no matter what type of expat life you think you want to live, you can probably find the perfect spot somewhere in Costa Rica. I wrote an article some time ago with a framework to help you make that decision. I call it the 4 C’s of Costa Rica expat living.

While I am not familiar with the real estate inventory in markets outside of the one where I work, the mountains of Perez Zeledon and the Costa Ballena, I can at least tell you that in our market you can find pretty much anything you might be looking for. Well, there is one exception to that, which is beachfront property. The topography of our area doesn’t really lend itself to that, since we have mountains that end right at the shoreline, more or less. For beachfront stuff, the beaches of Guanacaste are probably a better (albeit pricier) bet.

However, if you’re looking for a house in the hills with a great ocean view, we have it. If you’d prefer the convenience of condo living, we certainly have some outstanding product. Want to be close to a growing city with all its conveniences? We have one in San Isidro de El General. Want to buy some acreage in the mountains for horses or other livestock, with a nice home and maybe even an ocean view? Yep, we’ve got you covered there too.

Exchange Rate in U.S. Dollar’s Favor

During the past year (2017) the Costa Rican colon exchange rate has soared to levels against the U.S. dollar that I have never witnessed in my almost two decades here. At the moment of this writing it’s around 600 to the dollar. Historically, it’s always been closer to 500. So, for folks coming to Costa Rica with dollars to spend, Costa Rica has gotten a bit cheaper. The exception to that, however, is the Canadian dollar, which I believe right now stands at about .75 of $1 USD.

Political Turmoil at Home

I don’t like to get political in this blog, or in any regard when the subject is Costa Rica expat living. However, you can’t deny the fact that the political situation in the U.S.A. is appalling and seems to get worse by the day. That is spawning deep divisions in society. In short, America is increasingly becoming not such a nice place to live these days.

Well, I can tell you Costa Rica will be a breath of fresh air in comparison. Costa Rican society is largely apolitical. They have their big election party every four years, which is colorful and festive, but hardly divisive on the level that we’re currently seeing in the States. And the expats around here, while they do harbor their own political sentiments, generally they keep those to themselves in an attempt to live what we call down here a “pura vida” lifestyle of live and let live, regardless of political persuasion.

And I’m here to help!