About lapiloto

Status:

Expatriate  

Gender:

Female

Currently Lives:

Alajuela, Costa Rica

Citizen Of:

United States

Some Forum Posts:

Global Expat Forum: HELP! Need Retirement Country for $1000. per month!:

Hi, I've lived in Costa Rica for the past 5 years- my husband is retired and SS pays him $1100 per month. If you watch what you consume, e.g eat a lot of fresh veggies and fruit, buying at the local market vs the supermarket and stick to non-imported, local items (groceries are out of sight!!!, more expensive than Whole Foods in the US!), use public transportation and pinch pennies you can make it work. Prices are going up here for everything. As an example, rent for a modest 2-3 BR place near SJO is about 500-1200. Our car ins (on an old 1998 toyota) is $1100 per year (with theft protection), house insurance against natural disasters $400 per year. Telephone is about $12.00 per month for home and cell, cable and internet about $50 per month. Electricity is the killer at about $130 per month and we don't have a/c. line dry clothes. We bake our own bread so that's probably why the electric is high, from using the oven a lot. Household goods are expensive like tv's, toasters, microwaves, cookware and usually of poor quality. Gas is running about $4.00 per gallon. It's a beautiful country, nice people, great climate but not cheap by any stretch of the imagination. To be a legal "retired" resident, you need to show at least $1200 per month in income from social security, pension, etc.The laws for other categories of residency vary (deposit $100,000 into a bank, etc.) but if you're retired then the pensionado status is the way to go. They just passed a new immigration law that takes effect in March the limits used to be $600. Now they are $1200. They also created a new category for anyone who purchases a home valued at more than $180,000 - an investor status of sorts, the only caveat with that is the new luxury tax on homes over $180k~ so you'd be looking at paying high property taxes if you went that route. Good luck in your search for a new home!

Date Joined:

11/24/2008

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