www.CostaRicaTicas.com

I currently live in the state of Texas. I live in a pretty nice moblie home....Real estate taxes are $27.00 a yr....thats right folks $27.00....used to live in a big house on the hill (taxes 2100.yr) but when it got taken away in a divorce I moved into my rental....My lot rent is 250.00 a month which includes water,sewage, trash and the property upkeep(lawn mowing, pruning,weedeating)...I live 3 1/2 hours from Mexico. Weather is great most yr round, food is great, 2% unemployment, so for a retiree there are great choices if you get bored and want something to do. The airport is very small 3 major carriers so the lines are short. If I want poon I head to Mexico and visit Hunters which is expensive but safe. The downtown centro is dangerous so that area is "enter at your own risk).
I have a freund Bob Shipley that retired from up north, got bored started selling hinges and drawer guides part time to pass boredom....he s making $800,000.00 a yr....says he made more in a yr than while working for a company.....Texas doesn't have a state income tax so that helps...I post his name because he wants everyone to know and he says "if I can do it anyone can".
I thought about moving to CR but why would I want to do that when I ve got everything and more right here....I leave my doors open sometimes when I go out, I have to beg people to haul off old appliances, TVs, sofas etc....and they are in good shape....I like CR but living there would be a nightmare, smog, food isn't good, cabbies always phucking with you, and this doesn't even include the utility companies. What else did I leave out....the chicas well its good but when I need my fill I visit...
This topic has been brought up before and Ecuador seems to be brought up before....as for me the closer I get to retirement the more complacent I get and tend to focus on other things here at home....

It sounds like you are fine right where you are HWJ. You've found your niche.

$4,000 a month Blue Devil! Shit, I gotz to work till I'm 70, damn it, phuck, then I will drop dead at 71 and the Government wins, damn it!

Then opt for a less-expensive place outside Poblado. If it is just you, a one or two BR apartment will do. BTW, I retired at 58, and hope I make it to 70...

When I was renting, my rent and utilities cost around $875 per month. (There were smaller apartments renting in my building for $150 per month less. With other necessities like food, transportation and health care, my basic monthly costs (including rent & utilities) total around $1600 per month. Things like furniture, clothing, road trips, weekend finca outings, personal services, parties, movies, concerts, theater home improvements, savings and investments, etc. are not included in the $1600 figure. I am guessing that the average gringo could live comfortably on an additional $1400 - $1900 of discretionary income to cover expenses other than the basics. My discretionary budget is a function of how much I want to spend on the finer things in live versus what I want to put in the bank.

An unfurnished 1360 sq ft apartment (like the one I rented for $650 per mont in the pueblo) would easily fetch $1100 per month in an Estrato 6 neighborhood in Poblado... $450/month more. Utilities rates are also scaled higher in Estrato 5 & 6 developments, so utility bills would be higher. There are plenty of other larger, fancier properties in Poblado where the sky can be the limit for rental rates.[/quote]

I understand now.. Throwing out numbers like $4000 scares a lot of folks.. especially retirees on fixed incomes! So it sounds like you can get by on a modest living of $2000-2500... with the ocasional vacation.. which is not bad. What you describe is living VERY VERY well!

No need to answer, it wasn't a question.

I would Highly suggest visiting a place for 6 months before even thinking about considering moving there.

If you speak the Spanish, I would try CR, Medellin, or Nicaragua.

If you don't speak Spanish and don't plan to learn I would NOT live in a Spanish speaking country. Anyone can learn a new language.

Still I would not buy anything until you have lived somewhere for THREE years or don't ever buy.

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* These are the "Good Ole Days". Enjoy Them.

* RENT but, "Don't Buy a Home in Costa Rica" until you have lived here for THREE years.

i like this. you have all you need. living simple and close to the border is nearly same as living abroad without the constant hassles (little things that shouldn't be a hassle is a hassle abroad... service just not the same). i often think about having to lock up so much when living abroad while here in the US my doors are always unlocked and if i leave something in the yard or on the front porch, it is still there in the morning. my wife jokes (she is from the philippines) when she sees things on lawns or porches after dark... she says oh look a free bike.... in the philippines, you leave it out it is free to take, whether you want it or not, someone else sees it as free to take. someone is always at home in the philippines or else things won't be there when you get back (i'm talking typical neighborhood).

My best buddy has always said " Be Happy where your at " I live in Eugene Oregon. rent for 1 bedroom on the river down town $650. pool w/d,covered parking,free cable $60.00 utilities. no Bars on the windows
and it looks like I can save enough to visit some where a couple times a year. It takes a strong personality to not get jaded when you stay long term. !!!!!

I still have property here. Just need to get around to selling it!

I lived in Escazu for 2 years and loved it. I got along great with almost all Ticos I met. Rented a luxury 2/2 in gated safe community with washer/dryer, fully furnished, cable, elec, phone for $550 per month. Had fellow monger room mate, reduced my monthly nut to $300. Prices good if you know how to shop at grocery stores and eat out at Tico sodas.

Climate great, beautiful clean air, 1/2 hour to 45 minutes to downtown. Chose NOT to buy a car or get a cell phone ! Walked everywhere, got great exercise and lost weight, did not get sick, (cold or flu) for the 2 years I was here. Got fabulous poontang 2 to 3x per week. Lived quite comfortably on apx. $1800 per month, much much more so than if I was in USA.

Family mostly in S. Florida, 2 and 1/2 hour flight if I want to see them or they want to visit me.

I'm now back in USA with 4k monthly income and just paying bills and getting by. The only "luxury" I get is my 2x a year trip to CR. I'll be 62 in 3 years and retiring here, will have about $1500 month income and modest savings. I'd be living in a run down trailer, old beat up car and no poon in USA with that income. Costa Rica is not perfect, but the 2 to 3x poontang a week makes the hassles we experience here quite tolerable...

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Don't try to understand 'em, just rope 'em down and brand 'em...

Even in a trailer with no pontang $1500 per month will be poverty level. So, are you saying you ARE staying in the USA or not?

I'm almost 59 now and working, earning 4k per month and just getting by, living in S. Fla., plus I lead a modest lifestyle. When I turn 62, I will be eligible for apx $1500 SS, plus I have a modest savings. I will be retiring to CR as soon as I receive my first check !
I know I can live well on that in CR, I might even get a job down there, I've worked internet gambling and have contacts and references...

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Don't try to understand 'em, just rope 'em down and brand 'em...

I think you should work as Sandra's pimp

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Voted San Jose's #1 Maripepino

I would suggest working to your full retirement age instead of taking early social security. Based on your numbers you will be in a world of hurt not too long after retirement.