Personal experience: Americans moved to Costa Rica for the summer to save money

A couple of Americans decided to spend the summer in Costa Rica, because it is cheaper than renting housing in almost any city in the United States for three months, and the distant work of a spouse allowed the couple not to lose earnings.

Фото: Depositphotos

Robert Erich told about his experience GO Banking Rates.

Short-term vacation in resort countries is expensive, but a well-planned long trip can save you money.

Why did we choose Costa Rica

Having considered several options for low-cost countries around the world, we stopped in Costa Rica for several reasons. First, my wife wanted to improve her Spanish, which would be difficult to do, say, in Thailand or Croatia. Secondly, staying in the US time zone, it was easier for me to communicate with customers. It is also quite easy to find cheap flights to Costa Rica, and several friends and relatives could visit us throughout the summer.

Costa Rica is not the cheapest place to live, but it is a great place for Americans. The locals are very friendly, many speak English, and their healthcare system is on par with the US.

Cost of living in Costa Rica

As in many parts of the world, if you want to live like an American, it will be quite expensive. However, if you don't mind living like a local, it will be a lot cheaper. We have chosen something in between.

We spent most of the summer in a two-bedroom house with a private pool and ocean views for 800 dollars per month. This amount included utilities and the Internet.

It was not bad, but we had limitations in the operation of the air conditioning system, a lot of insects and running water only at certain times of the day. We could live in a cheaper house for about 400 dollars per month or find a more Americanized house for 1500-2000 dollars per month.

Since we were on the Nicoya Peninsula, food prices were only slightly lower than at home. Every day we enjoyed fresh mangoes, papaya and pineapples, one meal cost us somewhere in 5-15 dollars per person.

In Costa Rica public transport is incredibly affordable. A bus ride to the city, 15 minutes from the hotel, costs 0,50 dollars in one direction.

In total, for the three months we spent in Costa Rica, our average expenses were 1 200 dollars per month, including 50 dollars per month for a storage container for our items in the United States.

Are you ready to live abroad?

Today, many positions offer the opportunity to work remotely, so moving abroad for a while is not difficult to organize. Costa Rica was actually my fourth country where I lived for several months. For me, living and working in other countries is an amazing adventure and a great way to save money. My experience living abroad gave me a lot of pleasant memories and new friends.

If you are thinking about living some abroad, here are a few questions you need to answer:

• How much will the standard of living you need cost? There are places where you can live for 10 dollars a day, but this does not mean that this standard of living will be comfortable for you. Therefore, it is worth assessing the value of your desired standard of living.
• Can I build a social life? Moving to another country can lead to loneliness. You must have a social life strategy before you make the move.
• Can I share work and pleasure? Living abroad means that it is not a vacation. You still have to work. You just enjoy the new country in the evenings and weekends.
• What is my backup plan? When will I return to the USA? Regardless of how long you plan to live abroad, plan your return well and take care of the things that remain in the US and preserve them.
• What do I hope to learn from this trip? You cannot get away from your problems by leaving the country, but you can grow as a person and save money, for example, to start a new business in the US or save money for something else.

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