I retired early here this January. I could technically live here on my savings and soc sec income, but not really comfortably in the USA lifestyle I am used to, so I work part time from my office in my home here in Barrio Amon about 15 to 20 hours a week...not every week, lol...
There's people in their 80's doing my type of business from their homes, and it gives me a connection to my youthful money making former life, the excitement of making money still and accomplishing something.
I'll probably work 'till I die, hopefully immediately after a mind numbing leche with one of my faves, but possibly my face in my keyboard and one of my clients saying "Hello? Hello? Hello? and figuring CR lost the connection, or the local volcano could explode and I'll go out the way some of my ancestors did in Pompeii...
You never mentioned your income, and/or your budget. Is it modest or spectacular? If you have a high income, you can rent a fancy condo in a high rise in Escazu or Sabana, and lay down the law with your landlord that you want cable connected internet.
Wi-fi may be ok for keeping in touch with friends n relatives, checking sites you are interested in, checking your bank info, etc., but I find it sux if you, like me, have to access multiple complex software programs at once while talking to clients and associates.
Before getting cable internet in my apartment, which works quite well, I used this office rental space, a stones throw (literally if you throw like Tom Brady or Drew Brees) from SL.
Selina.com
They gave me a deal before I got my present apartment with cable internet, apx. $300 a month for a beautiful private room with calming courtyard view. They have all office bennies, fax, printing, etc.
They have wifi, but it's business wi-fi so it's pretty good, far superior to the garbage wifi available for personal use. It's an excellent temporary option before you find your own set-up, or you could use them forever if you enjoy having an office away from your home and you can afford it.
They have an excellent restaurant, and SL and other restaurants are all within walking distance, they also offer nice but pricey temporary and perm apartments in Barrio Amon. I think if you get an apartment from them you get the office space either free or low cost, it may be worthwhile if you work a lot, plus you're in a great safe neighborhood.
Since I don't drink, gamble or feel the need for daily poonage, and never pay more than $80, and even THAT'S rare, once or twice a week works for me, and I cook most my own food, chose not to get a car, and found a magnificent fully furnished 2/2 in Barrio Amon with cable internet, cable, elec, etc., for $650, I live comfortably on 2k to 2.5k per month.
Whatever extra I come across goes into one of my money accounts IN THE USA, so I have backup in the event of an emergency, and I recommend to all expats have money set aside you never touch that could get you home and set you up with apartment, car, etc., if the sh*t hits the fan down here.
Will one of the old grump all knowing expats sitting in judgemental tribunes here harrumph, then belch, then let one ripppppp, then claim it'll never happen? Don't K*D yourselves, it could happen.
Decades ago, Venezuela was a wonderful place, and bullets are flying and young people yearning to be free are dying in former tranquil Nicaragua.
By the way, the economy here is teetering and the old guard who run things here have dug themselves a financial hole and the citizenry is starting to wake up to their corruption and theft of the nation's wealth...
The temporary good news is USA dollars buy more and more every day, but it could get rough if things get worse, some of us may hi-tail it to Colombia or sadly back to Florida if it gets really nasty...
Since I'm fortunate that my work software has its own excellent phone system built in, I can't give good advice on voip, but for family and friend and personal biz calls to the USA, surprisingly, if you have a gmail account, I find the gmail phone service, free calls to the USA, works reasonably well for me.
I'll use it occasionally to call clients and my partners if I don't want to go to the trouble of firing up my business software...
My recommendation is that since many N. Americans love coming here on vaca, but discover they really don't want to deal with the inconveniences of living here, and there are many, don't jump in holding your nose just yet, come down and live for a month or 2 or 3, travel around, ask questions here, meet fellow expats, experience it fully before selling all you have and diving in.
Vistalindaapartments.com is the place I initially stayed before finding my current apartment. Carlos is the owner, speaks English, is honest, I have a friend staying there now checking things out just like you, excellent cheap convenient first place to start, also many expats there dispensing advice and you can share taxi and uber with.
No deposit, no credit check, pay apx. $530 or less for a nice but old clean furnished one bedroom apartment in Calle Blanco, gated, safe, month to month, about 20 minutes north of downtown
It's apx. 2k uber to get to the gulch during non high traffic times, and if you're crazy enough to get a car, they have parking, the bus comes by like every 20 minutes, the stop is about 100 feet from the front gate. Their internet sucks, but you can choose the other place for work since both are so cheap.
There's my 200 colones, once worth .40 cents, now about .35 cents...
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