Costa Rica cost of living

Getting a telephone or a cell phone

Getting Internet Access

Average bills and cost of living

Cost of Living in Costa Rica: Utilities

Water, power and telephone are still very cheap in Costa Rica. For a family of 4, the monthly bills will normally be:

Water: $20 per month

Power: $ 25 (without air conditioning, heating pool

Internet: $ 15 RACSA (state ISP) Unlimited home user plan

Internet: $30 Amnet Cable Modem

Cost of living in Costa Rica: Phones

By law, the phone company (state owned) is and will always be the owner of the phone lines. Godutch Realty will not sell any house that doesn't have a phone line, since they are very hard to get, especially in areas like Escazú and Santa Ana. When you buy a house, the phone line will probably still be in the original owner’s name and will always be. So forget about having your name in the phone book, though that also has its advantages. When you plan to rent, be ready to pay a deposit of $500 - $1,000 so the landlord can be sure you’ll pay your bills. If you don’t, the landlord will lose his phone line and will never get it back.

You need a residency permit to be able to apply for any phone line, even a cell phone. For now, cell phones are readily available, but that can change any moment. Though the phones are cheaper in the U.S., a local invoice must be shown to get the cell phone connected, so buy it locally. We recently converted to the GSM system, so don’t buy any other system. International roaming doesn’t work here yet, so you can’t use your cell phone out of the country yet.

Cost of living to retire in Costa Rica: Automotive

In general, parts are more expensive here and sometimes difficult to find. On the other hand, labor is cheaper. So a trip to the mechanic here, might cost about the same as what you'd pay in the U.S.

Cars are still seen as a luxury article; therefore they carry a high import tax. Generally it’s not worth it to bring your car, since you’d still have to pay the high taxes when you get it through customs. Sell your car at home and buy another one here, it saves a lot of time, effort and money. The SUV type car is a very handy car here, though roads are in much better shape than they used to be, many people love to take the car off road during the weekends.

Cost of living to retire in Costa Rica: Around the House

One of the great things about living in Costa Rica is that you can afford to have a maid and/or a gardener for very little money. By law, you must pay your maid $140 per month, plus food and lodging. In return she must only work 12 hours per day (up to 16 hours if you pay overtime). You must give her 1 hour off each day, to coincide with a meal time. You also must give her 1 half day off per week, a half day off on holidays and 15 days of paid vacation per year. You should also enroll her in the Costa Rica Social Security system, so you would deduct 9% of her salary for this tax, but you must also pay 11% to the "Caja".

Cost of living to retire in Costa Rica: Groceries

The rule of thumb for groceries is that your bill will be about 2/3 of what it is in the U.S. A lot depends on what products you buy. Some products have price controls under what is called the "basic food basket". Products imported from Latin America under free trade agreements, or products grown locally or considered local cuisine (rice and beans) will have a lower price than imported "luxury" items. Here are some sample prices and sized (in metric measurements - 1 kilo = 2.2 pounds)

1 kilo onions - $1.10 o 1 head broccoli - $1.14

400 grams Mozzarella Cheese - $3.00

French's Dijon Mustard 340g - $1.87

ACT II Extreme Butter Microwave popcorn - $.58

3 kilos RINSO laundry detergent - $6.40

1 can Refried Beans - $1.13

Kraft Sandwich Spread 215g - $1.28

Natilla 300 ml (light sour cream) - $.52

40 Panadol tablets (acetaminophen) $1.09

2 liters milk Dos Pinos - $.99

Case of Cerveza Imperial (national beer, not including bottle deposit) - $15.14

Cost of living to retire in Costa Rica: Eating Out and Lodging

Lunch for 3 at Lukas en El Pueblo - $31 (includes tip & taxes)

Week night at hotel Costa Rica Morazon - $ 30 + tax

Cerveza at your local "cantina" - $ 1.10 (includes tip & taxes)

Single room at Best Western San José - $53 + tax

Cerveza at Hotel del Rey in San José - $ 2.00

Villa Caletas near Jacó - $68 double per night + tax (in 2 for 1 low season special)

Special Menu at La Solera in San Pedro - $12.25

Hotel Capitan Suizo in Tamarindo - $62 double per night

Blue Plate Special Downtown - $2.50 ("casado" at a Tico diner, includes juice drink)

Super Deluxe Cheeseburger at Gringo hangout in Jacó - $6