Costa Rica: Why can't American's adjust to living there?

Question

I have been reading about all the great reasons why retirees should relocate to Costa Rica. I will be visiting Costa Rica in May 2008. But my research indicates that 40% of retirees have difficulty adjusting and return to the U.S. within two years. What are the reasons for this? Thanks for the info.

Answer 1

The number seems about right for people who retire to places where they don't speak the language.   Is it about the same for Mexico?  Living where you can't speak the language and where you are at the mercy of bilingual intermediaries just isn't all that fun.  

A large proportion of people who move to retire change their minds.  I think that you first have to look at the proportion of people who retire to Arizona and Florida who return in two years.  I have know idea but I would guess that it is around 20-30%.  It just doesn't make sense to move away from a place where you have lived much of your life to retire.  

Many people who move to Costa Rica to retire don't really try out the country for 3-4 months before they make their plunge either.  

The other problem with overseas retirement is that you are not eligible for medicare (you can purchase other insurance) if you are living abroad.

Answer 2

Because most of them are Gringos.....people who arent willing to learn spanish, and think everything is about them and expect a luxurious lifestyle.

So your question is probably not only valid for CR, but for all of the countries they go to.

Ive been in CR for 3 months and in Panama now for 1 month (travelling budget)...I dont have any problems here....I love it here !!!

If you want more information about CR  ? Let me know !

I will be in CR from march until the end of June 2008.

Answer 3

we moved from Calif to Costa Rica ..Costa Rica is beautiful we study costa rica and the areas we moved to small town were we live in peace ..the beach is about 1:45  min in a beautiful road San Jose is about 45 min we like the location since we have the best of both worlds ..if you like info on our town email me and I could show you some pictures of a property that we have for sale .

Answer 4

First off, Americans are moving there in droves. Theyre selling off the country bit by bit to build luxury houses and soon it will look like California. But I digress. I think the reasons are 1. language barrier. 2. difficulty in doing business and everyday transactions. There is not the same interest in service and accountability as there is in the U.S.

3. pace..things operate much slower. A trip to the bank  for example, can be several hours. 4. cost of certain items. example, car repairs. a car that would be 4k used in the U.S. will be 10k used in Costa Rica. the cost of repairs is exhorbitant, IF they can get the parts they need. In San Jose its a little better but if you dont live there thats like taking your car hours away to get fixed. Pretty much all electronics are double the cost in Costa Rica. These are just some of them..

Answer 5

I'm not sure what the exact reason is but I have a few ideas.  My godmother is Costa Rican and we've staid at her home in Tamarindo many times and there's so much development in Costa Rica that it's become to "Americanized" and is losing its pristine nature (a real shame).  Natives are leaving these american geared towns as well.  

Another issue is prostitution is Costa Rica is rampant and a real problem and many Americans are going down there with dirty intentions as well.  The prostitutes are moving into these areas and so on.

That's my take on it.