How I live in Costa Rica for under $1000 a Month
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 1 มิ.ย. 2024
- I don't really live on a budget, I just live normally! I spend less than $1000 a month on my life here in Costa Rica, and it's actually not as hard as some make it out to be, it really comes down to wants and needs.
As I mention at the end of this video, it is important to reflect on yourself when it comes down to the cost of living. Are you spending on things that you need, or do you just want a certain way of living?
Timestamps:
1:05 Housing (Rent)
5:28 Bills/Utilities
8:52 Groceries
10:47 Transportation
13:20 Healthcare
16:17 Important if you're not a Resident!
One thing I forgot to mention in this video: When it comes to cooking, it is more common to use propane, which has a cost of about $15-20 per standard household size tank, this gets replaced every 3 months or so but will depend on your usage, as usual!
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☀As I mention at the end of this video, it is important to reflect on yourself when it comes down to the cost of living. Are you spending on things that you need, or do you just want a certain way of living? Based on these numbers and ideas, do you thinkyou could do it?
Danny vibia un pueblito llamado Belen guanacaste hi es bello como usted Dios les bendiga siempre su familia Amen 🙏🌍♥️🥰🥰🕊️🕊️🦋🙏🦋🙏🌺🕊️🙏🙏
Seriously looking at Cost Rica . It looks like I could do it on my US SSI but what about banking and work? How long do you have to leave CR for every 3 mos.? Ie how long do you have to be out of country before returning?
@emmacostarica do you do zoom calls for $ to answer questions? I'm moving in January and would love to get quick answers about health insurance, etc. Thank you.
@@stephenalishtasen1540 The new term is 6 mo. Tourist Visa , people commonly go by bus to Panama or Nicaragua for the day .
Been living in Costa Rica for two years. I love it. Still you can not "Live" here on $1000 a month. You can exist on $1k, but quality of life would be non-existent. Now If you are in your twenties and want to spend the summer on the beach. There are many places to hang your hammock and $1k will keep you pretty well stocked with Cerveza.
Cost of living has gone through the roof in CR. When the dollar was at its highest around 690 colonies per dollar, the Costa Ricans raised the price of everything. however the colones is at 519 per dollar. And of course they never lowered it back down once the colones gained. Now means your budget just took a 40 percent hit. Costa Rica is no longer cheaper than the USA.
And it's worse now because the other day the exchange rate was 492. I don't know how anybody could live in this country on $1,000 a month. Certainly not if you own your own home with all the upkeep etcetera. Not too long ago I used to spend 40 or $50 a week for groceries week for groceries, now I'm spending $80 to $90 a week and I don't buy any imported products, packaged food, or junk food. No beer or wine either
WoW! The price of your rent is a dream come true! Im in NYC suburbs and you cannot find a 1 bedroom for less than $1800.00 a month & this is anywhere! (even in the crappiest part of town) this is because of the short commute to Manhattan. Im born & raised here, so i never knew any different. Now i see it doesnt have to be this hard! im longing for change!😊Great Info👍 Thank You!
Very informative video. I would add "farmers market" as a good place to buy fresh food at a reasonable price. In these places, the farmers come to sell directly their products without intermediaries, which makes it way better and affordable from all angles.
as long as Costa Rica has good internet access + some big city parks + some disc golf courses...I would be content with those things
I was in Quepos for a month from November 2022 - December 2022. I had also seen your Quepos to Manuel Antonio tour with your friend. I walked by many of the places you guys walked by. Anyway, I had the apartment for a month which was very expensive. It was $750.00, but I was only there for a month. Still cheaper than what I pay for in the U.S. I shopped at the small, local grocery stores for eggs, milk, orange juice, etc. I bought fresh meats from a carniceria close by and went to the local farmers' market ( the one behind the bus depot) every weekend I was there, and took the bus most places. I ate lunch out with friends most every day, but usually at sodas and the occasional dinners. Thank you for your videos and information. Your personal experiences helped me. Thanks a lot. Pura Vida!!
Thank so much for your input, also for enjoying my videos :) I am really happy to hear that my experiences are able to help!!! Pura Vida ☀️
Keep the videos coming, Emma, we love them 🙏🏻
I wouldn't recommend red taxis (super expensive) nor taxis piratas ( not law regulatered, so no insurance if an accident happens). In some small towns, piratas are also selling substances. Always ask a local for advice, use Uber if you are in a city. Keep safe and have fun! 🎉
do more short videos on many topics. great tips, TY
Good informative video...thank you 👍
Glad it was helpful! Thank you!
2016 - it was exactly the same , very inexpensive . I assumed inflation must've changed everything . Advice ; Live like the locals , use the Bus , cook at home , enjoy Nature , the beach , practice your Spanish , Live simple . Go Vegan , avoid Bars and Touristy stuff .
Life is good when you keep it simple .
Your advice is spot on! Thanks for sharing your insight
Electricity literally just doubled. Food is expensive. Local or Tourist Costa Rica is expensive.
BY FAR the best video on actual costs on a budget!! I currently live in Arizona on 1100 a month so..I am fluent in spanish which I know will also help a ton...thanks for the great info..a question I have is does your apt or in general come with secure parking? I am thinking of driving down with my van and getting my retired visa
Thank you so much! My apartment has parking, but this is a challenge I have found over the years. Many apartments I have looked at do not. Of course, it depends completely. What you can do is look for the apartment rental groups on facebook for the area you hope to live in, with your budget and the specifications listed. Fishing, at it's finest, haha. Good luck!
Awesome video because I am planning to live there within the next year
Thanks so much! Glad to be able to help :)
Very well done and nicely put together!
My wife and I are planning to retire there in a few years and have visited. 20:27 I was an exchange student in the late 70’s and have contact with my classmates. They have told me many times to let them negotiate things like apartments and some services and then let them know if the agreement is violated. They want to take care of us, for sure.
Thank you so much! Glad to hear you guys will be coming down to enjoy life here, I'm sure you'll love it! Yes, having contacts here is so important, I hope they can help you and your wife where necessary 😊
Good info :)
thank you!!
Hey Emma - love your content. Just watched your San Isidro walking tour video and that led me to this. I am curious as to how good the local bus service is in the towns on the Pacific Coast as well as the service between the towns (e.g., Quepos-Domincal-Uvita). I don't plan to drive while visiting for three months, and don't want to pay premium for taxis. I have become familiar with the long distance buses and the local buses in Alajuela and San Jose the past few weeks, but just wondered how it is on the coast for getting to the towns and to the beaches from the residential areas. Thanks!
Hello and thank you!! The bus service between Quepos to dominical is pretty decent, though I've I only done it once a few years ago. You can check this link for the bus schedules (specifically for quepos-dominical-uvita, and san isidro areas) www.grupoblanco.cr/rutas/
Hi Emma thanks very much for this informative video . Purra Vida , Cheers 🥂 🥂
Glad you enjoyed it! Pura Vida Lindsay!!
Thank you for your video!!! Its nice to know that those of us with less income can still think about living in Costa Rica.
I wanted to ask you if you have any experiences mailing packages out of the country? Ive heard that receiving is challenging, but havent been able to find any info on sending.
Glad it was helpful, thanks for watching!! There are options to send packages out of the country, I have checked on the Correos costa Rica Website and I also know that with American Export you can send and receive, there are also DHL locations scattered around. I think the main reason why it's not so easy to find info on this stuff is because it is quite expensive, so people refrain from using this option! I did notice that Correos was the cheaper option of what I checked out. Hopefully this helps!!
@@EmmainCostaRica I'm an artist and part of my destination choice depends on being able to ship finished art. So I appreciate all information I can find on the subject. Thank you!!!
I have a second home in CR (live in LA) -- restaurants and grocery store prices are on par with any major USA city's price-points/costs. Housing significantly better -- like by far -- but yes, like in most anywhere, location matters.
It's true! At the end of the day, food prices are generally going up everywhere, and yes, location is definitely the most vital point for cost of housing. Thanks for your input and for watching!
Great informative video; I had some curiosity as to how your living is in Costa Rica. Definitely lower compared to Canada and the States which is why many people choose to move there (or perhaps retire there). Of course you're right in that there are a lot of factors that contribute to the costs of groceries, utilities, rent, etc. It be interesting to see how the real estate market is in Costa Rica because I've heard of real estate agents from the States buy property there (probably like talking to a real estate agent in Costa Rica or something; probably a good video idea in the future maybe).
Great videos as always Emma :)
2:27 Gringo tax? Haha just kidding. It makes sense considering that I have heard a lot of foreigners moving to Costa Rica.
5:12 - 5:19 I figured it seemed to good to be true in some regard because the price you're paying per month including utilities
seems low, but of course I'll stay tuned later in the video on the add-up costs
8:44 - 8:48 At least it's cheaper than Canada because after visiting there many times (from Toronto to Montreal to Vancouver),
it's just unaffordable there...
10:20 - 10:45 I wonder if you could mitigate the cost of groceries by shopping in farmer's markets instead of buying produce from a
store? I guess it would depend how often farmer markets are held in Quepos maybe; and yes, absolutely, sodas are the way to go
even when it was my first time in Costa Rica as a tourist (though I wouldn't be surprised either if sodas become like $10 instead of $5 later down the road...)
Haha, yes! Seems like lots of North Americans are looking to move down here, hey, if they have the money, why not!! Many real estate agents buy property here, yes, and they sell it for high prices too!!! Not sure if this is a good thing really, as it makes nationals cost of living higher due to demand...I think!
Gringo tax is the right term, really, unfortunate, but somewhat true!! (Not to offend anyone!)
Canadian cities have gotten out of control expensive from what I've heard from my family, I don't think I could even afford to move back if I ever wanted to🤣
Some good ways of spending less on groceries would be to go to the local shops separately, yes! I wouldn't necessarily say the farmers market (the one in Quepos has turned more into a tourist spot) but if you were to go the vegetable store (verdulería), and the carnecería, and then say maxi pali for packed and canned goods, then this is truly the best way!
Glad you enjoyed Tony!! Thanks, as always!
Curious where you find is the best place to find your apartments? Is there a certain site you would suggest? Or do you mostly use Facebook? We will be relocating to the area in the next few months, so would love to hear where you suggest looking!
Facebook! Hands down. Look up "apartamentos" or "alquileres" along with the name of the location you hope to search in! This is how I have found all of my apartments here. Good luck!
Great video. The captions help me learn Spanish. Thanks.
Thanks! I am glad you enjoyed it :)
I’ll do this in English. Of course you are a spanish speaker from your accent (y su referencia a piratas). My wife ands I live in Atenas (and Texas) and somos residentes permanentes. Sounds like you are around Manuel. Health care is great but we pay a ton to the Caja. Happy to share my knowledge. We have a house, housekeeper (2 days week) gardener (same), beautiful house etc, total $2KNot sure how to connect.
I've heard the CAJA fees have become unheard of, so I don't think residency as a pensionado is worth it at all anymore (or as a business person either), in my case I will be covered by my husbands work health care (Tico wifey benefits) but now also with a baby on the way it should make things even easier. But yeah, cost of living of course will be different for everyone, we all just have to figure out how to make it work, right?! Sounds like for two people paying to the CAJA and and a beautiful place to live you've been doing something right!!
Can you open and close escrow by check from your bank in North America? Not a shady bank but a well known bank like B of A or Chase?
I know of someone who was purchasing property and needed to get their money into their costa rican bank account in order to make the purchase, of course it was a large sum, so it did need to go through escrow, here in Costa Rica from a US bank (not sure which one), from what I know it was a strenuous process as they are very particular (for example your signature needs to look exact to your passport for every single time you need to sign something) and the money will be only released when everything is ready for that specific use of the money. So to answer your question as best as I can, I would like to say yes, but I do suggest to ask for other opinions just in case :)
@@EmmainCostaRica Thank you Emma.
If you like to sleep in pubic parks and love sweet plantain chips for breakfast, lunch and dinner you can live nicely here with $1000. Also you have to walk or take the bus just a few times a week. Good luck.
The average monthly income in Costa Rica doesn't surpass $1000 and people aren't sleeping in parks (especially not *pubic* ones, as you mention) or eating plantain chips for breakfast (unless by choice, because, yum!) Also, taking a bus is pretty common even in places where living for/under $1000 isn't possible. Look at Japan, or even where I am from, Toronto, not sure what the hate on public transportation is about.
sounds a bit expensive and a pain in the rear to border hop just to avoid getting residency.
Hola amiga 👋,yo pienso que costa rica 🇨🇷 es caro 🫰 es, pura vida emma 🙂😊
That’s why I’m getting my local wife deal with all this negotiation things…
is auto insurance expensive?
There are different options, but I personally don't find it too bad. It depends on what vehicle you have, you need to pay annually for a sticker to put on your car called "Marchamo". There is a website to plug in your license plate and the amount to pay, with the ownership and vehicle details will come up. You can also opt for more coverage and pay more. The last time we had to pay about 120,000CRC for an elantra 2011
Is a good video.
Only Uber and Didi are legal now.
Thank you!!
Visiting soon 😏
You'll love it!
I know it can be very hard sometimes living here in costa rica, but still thanks a lot for choosing my country... hope you are doing find, long I didnt hear from you...
It can be hard to live in any country :) Costa Rica is still my favourite!! Life has been a little challenging but I am slowly coming back to creating videos again :) Thank you!!!
@@EmmainCostaRica thank you so much emma, we as costarican appreciate so much your words and that you decided to choose our small country, I wish you always the best of the best... I am so anxious to see your following video
You must consume Casado only if not beans. Because 1000$ a month is very conservative
What area are u in??
Quepos!
Cuentame que se siente estar solita sentada en la harena de hesas playa quete cuenta una bella istoria ha su espíritu donde nase una bella sonrisa solitaria Ema pero es bueno que esplores hesa ternura de niña bella que les gusta esplorar su mente en hesos bosque 🌳 que le enseña mushas cosas bellas disfruta la vida okey Dios les bendiga siempre Amen 🙏 Danny el guapo 🦋🌍♥️🕊️🙏🙏🥰🥰🌺🌺🙏❤️❤️🤩🕊️🕊️
Do you eat meat, fish, chicken? Do you grow your veggies etc? I wonder how much you( we) could cut out since we're vegan.
I eat meat/fish/chicken/etc! I am in process of growing veggies, but no real consistent harvesting - I am having difficulty finding a good quality soil (of course in-ground is way better, but where I rent they whipper-snipper the heck out of the yard, so they wouldn't survive long!)
I actually was vegan before moving here - I ended up making some changes over time for personal nutritional reasons, but also certain products are not the cheapest and for the most part you really need to stick to eating at home, or it will be far and few to find places that make truly vegan dishes (depending on where you are, completely). For example, a pack of tofu here near Quepos is about 4000CRC, and you can only find the soft kind, if not pre-cubed and in a can. There are some grocers that sell vegan specific products like tofurkey etc, but they are very high priced in comparison to prices in US and Canada. But if you mainly stick to legumes and such for protein, it could definitely be cheaper than eating meats etc.
@@EmmainCostaRica you don't need all that. Get yourself jackfruit, pecans, walnuts, lentils and lion mane mushrooms. Those are the real healthy alternatives.
Don't forget the house breaks ins and constant thievery.
I think this is very much relative to what area you live in, and often times targeted (unfortunately, many foreigners flaunt value/valuable items). I've never had an issue with either and this is coming from someone who has always lived in very "tico" neighbourhoods. I occasionally hear of break-ins happening in homes in Manuel Antonio (owned/lived in by foreigners), and of Airbnbs particularly in Uvita (fancy looking places often surrounded by forest and not many neighbours, plus travelers coming and going leaving their valuables around in the airbnb while they are out, often visible to see from windows). Pic-pocketing is more for the cities like San Jose.
One tip that my husband told me is to be careful, even with your garbage. People can see your valuable items by what you throw away (for example, big purchase boxes, tv boxes, etc.) Another tip is to try to blend in as much as possible, the more you stand out, the more likely you are to catch the wrong sort of attention. If you dress and act like you have lots of money, the people who want to take it will see, just as anywhere in the world.
Quién vive en USA con 500 dólares yo vivi en las Vegas con roommates solo pagaba 500 de renta porque el costo era dos habitaciones dos baños 1500 en un área bonita clase media porque caro más de 2000 y ghetto un cuarto 500. Y vienen los gringos a quejarse cuando USA se gana bien pero se gasta más y para vivir tienen más de un trabajo. Y eso que Las Vegas es barato en comparación de Cali 😂😂😂😂 tambien otra cosita que oi de un extranjero "nos hacemos llamar expat" cuando realmente somos inmigrantes. 👏👏👏
La verdad no entiendo porque la gente queja tanto, en fin cada uno paga el monto que quiere para tener la vida que quiere. Pero bueno, nadie puede ser feliz con todo (jaja)
🇨🇷 ❤💚💙 👌🏻 👍🏻
I got it for $500 and drinking beer everyday 😂😂😂
Hahaha sounds like the good life
THE view has no relationship to the tax amount.
I've heard others say it - so personally I'm really not too sure, thanks so sharing! I guess to me it made sense though, since generally the higher value of a property would lead to higher taxes...? Again, inexperienced haha
Live in Costa Rica, enjoy the beautiful beaches, and get caught in the cross fire of a drug war.
One thing my wife needs is goat milk as she can't drink cow milk. This will go a long way to help us transition to Costa Rica.
Yes! I have seen goats milk and goats milk products. It's not extremely common, but you can find it. I think I've even seen it in Automercado, a grocery chain.
@@EmmainCostaRicaMaybe your wife could prove lactose-free. Here are a lot of such milks
$1000 a month, is not bad, but paying $400 a month for an apartment with a 1000 a month, is not a good idea, becuase you only have $ 600 for the rest of expenses, soo, is kind od close shave, regards from Boston!!😊
Wait wait till the U.S. dollar $ collapses ! That’s when the real fun is gonna start. You people thinking coming down here when retire , won’t happen when the ‘Federal Reserve’ debt instrument is fully dead !
It’s always broke people with no money who say stuff like this we get it you have zero hustle you’ll still be a bttm feeder
Bless your heart. I hope you have an amazing day!
I asked you a question on your last video only because you said you will help out with answers if you know the answer didn’t hear anything back from you lol
Hey! If I am looking at the right comment, I actually did reply, but it got pushed under the comment of someone else who replied! But that person definitely had a good answer.
Blah blah blah lives there for 5 years. Couldn't give the price range off the rip geez these people in there TH-cam videos
The price range “off the rip” has been made very clear, “under $1000” 😅 the rest is literally in depth explanation of each cost, and timestamps are provided so you can skip through it if you like. Perhaps TH-cam isn’t the right search engine for You!
Skin tax/ racism