- December 2, 2021
AFFORDABLE – QUICK – FREE
Western and developed countries like Canada and the USA have one of the fastest lifestyles. And every other American wants to live a carefree life. They tend to complete their dream as a retirement life or have a leisure one between their busy work or study calendar by moving to beautiful countries like Costa Rica.
Costa Rica has been welcoming Expats, especially the retirees, for 30 years with its arms open. From its well-established infrastructure to political stability, this beautiful country has many things to offer if you plan to live here for a long period. And how can we miss out on its magnificent views and beautiful beaches?
However, there is one more crucial factor that you are required to consider before commencing your process of moving to Costa Rica. And that would be calculating the cost of living as per your lifestyle before packing your bags and hopping on a flight. You must ask yourself how much money do you need to move to Costa Rica to make your long term living there as smooth as possible.
Undoubtedly, Costa Rica is amongst those countries which provide you the laid back lifestyle at the best cost of living possible. If you are a digital nomad or a retiree, you should not worry till several months about surpassing your budget bar or be scrimpy to meet your costs as an Expat.
However, to make your decision less complicated and give you a headstart, we have analyzed a few factors and created a list of the basic necessities you should include in the list of the basic cost of living of an Expat in Costa Rica.
Keep in mind this is just a bare minimum budget, and it sure can vary upon the place you choose to live in. For instance, beach areas are pretty popular amongst the tourist community. Hence, living around such areas will be quite expensive due to the high rate of restaurants, rents, and grocery stores.
If we segregate the cost of living as per the basic items of the necessity of an expat’s life, it would not be that big a list. Let’s go through some of the items that every individual will require, whether he believes in living a luxury lifestyle or possesses the minimal approach.
| Expenses | Average Monthly Budget for a couple in Costa Rica |
| Water | $10 |
| Electricity | $50 |
| Rent for furnished two bedroom Apt | $800 |
| Household Help(Maid once a week) | $40 |
| Cellphone bills | $30 |
| Internet services | $40 |
| Cable Tv | $40 |
| Transportation(Own car) | $130 |
| Healthcare(Yearly two visit) | $150 |
| Clothing | $50 |
| Food and Groceries | $400 |
| Entertainment | $250 |
| Taxes(including the rental rates) | $0 |
| Miscellaneous Expenses | $100 |
| Total | $2,090 |
In a nutshell, one can live affordably in Costa Rica under $1600 to $2000, and even people who believe in living with the minimal approach could scrap off even below the budget stated here.
Apart from such necessities, there are other elements like Healthcare and Education costs to consider if you are planning to move to Costa Rica for a significant period with your family.
If we talk about the healthcare facilities, you will get the equation of high-quality healthcare services at the lowest cost due to the robust universal infrastructure run by the government of Costa Rica. This structure is vastly famous as Kaja, which provides structured healthcare services to every class of people in Costa Rica.
In addition to that, even if you want to proceed further with the private clinics for medical assistance, it would not come as expensive as any other western country. Overall, you can even have private medical care in just a fraction of the money you would otherwise spend.
As you must have observed, the lifestyle in Costa Rica is pretty affordable compared to many other developed countries. The prominent reason for that is people tend to live a lifestyle like a local. For instance, locals here believe in purchasing their weekly stocks of vegetables, fruits, eggs, and dairy products from ferias or from the local farmers’ markets that provide farm-fresh groceries and that too at the dirt-cheap price.
Furthermore, let’s talk about the cost of higher study education. The University of Costa Rica offers hundreds of UG and PG courses under your budget with the high-end international standard education system. As per the statistics, UG courses would cost you around $2800 a year, while for PG courses, you would need to be prepared to spend approximately $4000 per annum plus the living expenses.
In conclusion, Costa Rica has one of the finest combinations of beautiful beaches and a budget-friendly lifestyle. And the cherry on the top is it offers an ideal environment for digital nomads and retirees by covering their needs for a bare-minimum comfortable lifestyle. Join the thriving Expat community and take a step ahead with Earthrelo to move to Costa Rica!
