How much does it cost to live in Costa Rica?

Question

How much does it cost to live in Costa Rica?

Answer 1

just depends wear you want to live

Answer 2

This question, while valid as a real need-to-know, before going to Costa Rica, is to hard to answer without knowing some more basic items.  You can live quite inexpensively as long as you can leave behind luxuries.  Where you would live and what you would be doing daily have a lot to do with the equation.  I look at the real estate classifieds in www.ticotimes.com to keep abreast of rental ideas.  You really need to go down there for a short vacation to decide what your preferred location would be and what kind of housing is available there.  No one else but you can determine how much or little you would spend.  For a ballpark estimate, budget in about $1,200 per month.

Answer 3

Living in Costa Rica as an expat can be done as cheaply or as expensivily as you wish.  From experience it costs me about $2-3k USD a month, however my tastes are expensive and includes going out to restaurants every night.  I would say you can survive comfortably on $1,200 a month including the rent, utilities and food as well as having month to socialize.

For rent in a decent neighborhood will cost about $500 - $700 a month for a 2-3 bedroom place with 2-3 bathrooms.  For a 4-5 bedroom place, with 3+ bathrooms and a yard you are looking at $1,200-$1,800.  It all depends on where you live and how you look.  For a studio you can get away for as little as $150 a month (tico standard).

Food is reasonable in price, and the fruit  and vegetables are very cheap. Some western foods are overpriced here.

Public transport is very cheap with bus journeys from 40c a ride to $4 to go to the beach 3 hours away.

Cell phones are cheap to operate using ICE, however getting a line is another story.

Good luck, and ideally budget for a $1,000+ a month to live a half decent life.

Answer 4

Moving abroad is a critical decision. One must have good reasons before doing it. Consider the economy, the people etc. I would say that the lifestyle in Costa Rica is better and more affordable. If you are planning to get a real estate there, take some serious research to manager your financial aspect.

Answer 5

I don't know the cost of housing.  I lived in Campus housing.

Motels may be as little as $5/night.

Food and tolietries are comparable to US.