International Living - Is Costa Rica Too Good To Be True

- Paula says: "I will be vacationing in Costa Rica next year to check out some of these deals you have sent me. I'm the type of person that has to see it to believe it. We are thinking about retiring their. You have opened up my eyes to some great deals I never thought existed. Thank you very much."

Jim and Jenny ask: "Hi, we would like to know about renting (long term) in Costa Rica's Southern Zone. Just how far away are trout streams?"

This from Terry: "I need to know more retiring to Costa Rica…how tough is it for expats to get on their health care system? Can a couple live on social security of $1,800 a month? Will we be welcomed by the local population?"

I have dozens of e-mails just like these. Reading between the lines, I think what everyone's really asking is:

Is Costa Rica too good to be true?

That's a fair question. The benefits of Costa Rica are well known. North Americans have flocked to the beaches for decades. It's one of the top five medical tourism destinations for Americans. And scientists have declared it to contain one of the world's longest-living zones, where people live well into their 100s.

For the past 20 years, this country has had two black marks against it—bad roads and high prices.

Three months ago the Southern Zone's coastal road finally opened. This is a big beautiful highway that makes a pleasure of a road trip that used to be an ordeal. In fact, our own Suzan Haskins and Dan Prescher are making this road trip as I write…Suzan just sent in some video of the new highway; I'll upload it and send you the link next week.

Costa Rica's prices rose higher and faster than anywhere else in Latin America—20 years ago. Since then, every other country has gradually moved in line. Today Costa Rica is a relative bargain (especially for real estate), although you may not be aware of that reading travel and real estate supplements in the U.S. newspapers.

Back to your question: Is Costa Rica too good to be true?

Absolutely not. In fact, the recent coverage in these Postcards and ILmagazine…and early reports from Dan's and Suzan's road trip…is only the beginning of what you can do in Costa Rica.

That's why the Live and Invest in Costa Rica Seminar in August is more than half sold-out. I've been telling you for the past few weeks that there's no rush…you have plenty of time to sign-up. I'm not so confident now. I've seen IL events this year go from half-sold to sold out in less than a week. If you're interested in Costa Rica, register your interest for this event, while the biggest discounts still apply. 

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International Living - More Dreams Come True In Costa Rica

Andy and Fran Browne were living the American dream.

They had a gorgeous home in the suburbs,

drove nice new cars, owned all the latest toys

and high-tech gadgets, and could afford to travel at whim.

Then in August of 2008, they both lost their jobs.

Too young to collect Social Security or Medicare,
they knew it would be impossible to retire
and maintain the lifestyle they'd worked so hard for Two years later they're still not working.

But they're living better than ever—in Costa Rica.
 
Andy and Fran Browne are the all-American couple—they both grew up in Miami and married in 1973. They raised two sons and have a couple of grandkids.




Andy worked his way up to vice-president of technology for a large North Carolina bank and Fran to marketing manager for a printing company. They were living the good life. They drove new cars, had all the latest high-tech gadgets and a beautiful home full of nice furniture and souvenirs they picked up on their world travels.



In 2008 they were happily riding this wave of prosperity. Until August, when both of them lost their jobs.

Andy and Fran (both age 58) were told by their employers that their "services were no longer needed."
What to do now? "Buy more wine, for one thing," laughs Andy.
And, he says, the more wine they sipped and the more they talked, an idea began to take hold.

"We're too young to collect Social Security and too young for Medicare. The one thing we were certain of was that we were tired of working," Andy says.

As they studied their finances, they realized that it was "impossible to retire now, at our age, in the country of our birth!"

"We needed a strategy that would allow us to stretch our retirement dollar while at the same time not feel that we have to take a vow of poverty in order to live a contented life."

For years, Andy and Fran had fantasized about retiring to Costa Rica. Nearly a decade before, on a winter holiday, they'd fallen in love with the little Central American country.

They made a checklist of everything they were looking for in a retirement destination. And within days of being laid off from their jobs, they were on a plane to Costa Rica to see if retiring there made sense.

Costa Rica, they found, ticks almost all the boxes on any retirement checklist:

• Conveniently close to home—With many direct flights to two international airports (with a third soon to open), it's conveniently close to the U.S. and Canada (less than three hours from Miami).
• Excellent weather—From the Central Valley and its cool, lush mountain forests to the beautiful unspoiled beaches of both Caribbean and Pacific Oceans, there's a climate for everyone.
• Top-quality health care—The World Health Organization praises Costa Rica for its exceptional government-run health care system, and has ranked it better than the U.S., despite spending 87% less on health care per capita. (I'll tell you more about health care in Costa Rica in just a bit. Importantly, it gets these great health care marks despite providing free care to 86.8% of the population!)
• The most stable democracy in Latin America—No other country has the peaceful history and democratic stability of Costa Rica (and no army)!
• • All the comforts of home—The centrally located capital city of San Jose boasts modern shopping malls and world-class hospitals. And reliable high-speed Internet is available just about everywhere.
  • Low, low taxes—You'll pay zero income taxes on your foreign-earned income...very good news. And if you buy a home in Costa Rica, your annual property taxes will be laughably low...no more than $100-$200 in most cases. And there's no capital gains tax!
  And although it has one of the lowest poverty indexes in the world—which means Costa Ricans have a high standard of living—it's surprisingly affordable, with a low low cost of living.  
  Sure, some of the things I've just mentioned are also true of many Latin American countries. All of them are more affordable than the U.S., and some are even closer geographically (but not by much). Many have democratically elected governments, although few with as longstanding a history as Costa Rica.
  But as Andy and Fran learned, there are many advantages unique to Costa Rica that most of us aren't aware of:
  • There's a built-in community of English-speaking locals and expats—some accounts say that more than 11,000 U.S. retirees currently live in Costa Rica.
  • It's healthy...as one of the 'greenest, cleanest' countries in the worldwith little pollution and lots of clean water and fresh air. (Costa Rica is one of the only countries in the world to actually reverse deforestation!)
  • A staggering 99% of its energy comes from renewable sources. I don't have to tell you what that means in terms of dollars...and sense!
  • Adult literacy is practically 100%. People are well-educated and well-informed. (Many international companies have established international offices, factories, and call centers here for this reason—contributing to a strong and stable economy.)
  • Sociologists say Costa Ricans are the happiest people on the planet. This is according to the Happy Planet Index, an independent think tank founded to study environmental impact and human well-being. They say: "Costa Ricans report the highest life satisfaction in the world and have the second-highest average life expectancy of the Americas (second only to Canada)
  • Costa Rica, the surer they became that this was the right move.
    Today they're living the good life once again...in Costa Rica
    They've happily adjusted to "life after work," they say. They spend their days doing "fun things"—playing with the dog, hanging out with friends, and volunteering whenever possible.
    And, they say, a pleasant side affect of the retirement in Costa Rica is they've each lost 25 pounds...without dieting. "We attribute this to better eating habits and no fast food," Andy says.
    Even though their primary motivation to move to Costa Rica was to reduce expenses, Andy and Fran say they've benefited far more than just financially.
    "We love it here," they say, "Costa Rica is our new home."
    
    
    
    
    
    In Costa Rica, you very well
    may live longer!
    Costa Rica's Nicoya Peninsula is one of the world's "Blue Zones," where scientists have studied and proven that locals have the longest life expectancy of anyone in the world, regularly living well into their 90s.
    Overall, according to the World Health Organization, life expectancy at birth for Costa Ricans is 78.8 years, among the top country rankings in the world and nearly a year ahead of the United States—even though the per-capita income of Costa Ricans is about one-tenth that of the U.S. Arguably, one reason for this is the slower pace of living and the warm, welcoming climate in Costa Rica. And, of course, you'll eat healthy, fresh foods...without preservatives and chemicals in them. Costa Rica is a healthy place to live.
    
    
    
    
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    Happiness will never come to those who fail to appreciate what they already have.
    
    

International Living - Live And Invest In Costa Rica

How crazy was it to move our family with two young daughters from a comfortable home in Colorado Springs to the unknowns of Costa Rica?
Well, I thought it was nuts when my husband suggested we do just that for his five-month sabbatical. Now that we’ve been in Monteverde for six weeks, the only crazy part is that we hesitated at all.

The more we looked at Costa Rica, the more appealing it became—drinkable water, no military, Spanish and English, lots of amazing plants and animals in the rainforest…

When my husband was searching online and stumbled upon the CEC School in Monteverde with its focus on bilingual education and environmental science, we decided to go for it.

We found a comfortable house to rent for $500 a month, and relished the thought of a home without a TV, car, or Internet. We really like making a conscious effort to connect to the world via a walk to one of many nearby Internet cafes (Café Cabure is one of our favorites with its amazing Argentine cuisine and high-speed wireless Internet).

Our fears of the unknown were quickly vanquished by the pleasant realities. We do have hot water; our girls are befriending Tico children; it doesn’t rain all the time. Without the static of modern-day life, we can hear the croaking toucans in the mornings and the chirping crickets at night. We haven’t tired of the howler monkeys bellowing their dominance even when it is at 5.30 in the morning.

With our purposeful pace of life, we take the time to focus on what matters the most to us, and we are laughing and enjoying life more as a family. Instead of turning on “60 Minutes” we talk with our daughters about the capuchin monkeys that swung across their campus or watch our girls proudly twirl their hand-made batons for the upcoming parade.

To see a blue morpho butterfly float drunkenly across your path…or to taste fresh cow’s milk from a spigot on the wall rather than a plastic carton is indescribable. We relish walking two miles to the feria every Saturday morning to purchase our week’s supply of fresh cilantro, tomatoes, mangoes and watermelon.

Our daughters no longer ask when we’re going to get there but rather eagerly pace us with hopes the homemade donuts won’t sell out.

Removing ourselves from the noise of routine is extremely satisfying. How can another gymnastics class compare to spotting a resplendent quetzal with your children in the rainforest? It’s hard to believe it took leaving the familiar to find our family’s pulse.

Americans often pity those living in small houses with tin roofs, but the Costa Ricans and ex-pats we’ve met are some of the happiest and most genuine people we know. In less than two months we’ve met people we plan to connect with for the rest of our lives.

Our concern now is: How will we return to the frenetic pace in America and preserve the simple calm and happiness we discovered here in the green mountains of the cloud forest?

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Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow.

International Living On Medical Tourism In Costa Rica

Most Americans Go to Costa Rica For…

International Living Postcards—your daily escape
Monday, May 10, 2010

Dear International Living Reader,

Josef Woodman,  IL's health editor, spent more than five years touring 100 medical facilities in 14 countries, researching contemporary medical tourism.

When Josef wanted to save 20% on his own dentist's quote for treatment…there was only one country he wanted to visit—Costa Rica. Find out why below.

Len Galvin
Managing Editor,  IL Postcards

Most Americans Go to Costa Rica For… International Living Postcards—your daily escape Monday, May 10, 2010 Dear International Living Reader, Josef Woodman,  IL's health editor, spent more than five years touring 100 medical facilities in 14 countries, researching contemporary medical tourism. When Josef wanted to save 20% on his own dentist's quote for treatment…there was only one country he wanted to visit—Costa Rica. Find out why below. Len Galvin Managing Editor,  IL Postcards Save Up To 60%: Fix Your Smile in Costa Rica By Josef Woodman Around midway through my research for the first edition of my book,  Patients Beyond Borders, an old root canal became infected and I needed an extraction and implant. When my specialist in North Carolina quoted $4,100 for the procedures, I knew it was time to “walk the medical tourism talk” and head overseas for care. --Recommended By IL-- Live Well and Invest Profitably in Beautiful Costa Rica For the first time in 3 years, International Living is going back to Costa Rica for this year’s only  Live and Invest in Costa Rica Seminar. Join us, and you’ll see all sides of Costa Rica. From luxury living to a comfortable and enjoyable way of life that you can manage on a Social Security check. From the lush green mountains to the dazzling beaches and everything in between. You’ll find that this conference will bring you up to speed on affordable lifestyles that you didn’t know about before. Live and Invest in Costa Rica Seminar August 11-13, 2010 ~ San Jose, Costa Rica And don't miss the Lake Arenal Tour With Moran Real Estate to be announced ****************************** **************************** I chose Costa Rica, one of the five countries in the world most visited by Americans for medical treatment; in the Western Hemisphere, only Mexico receives more medical tourists. Medical tourists can choose from a wide range of specialties, including orthopedics, heart surgery, bariatrics and obesity management, and cosmetic surgery. But Costa Rica attracts more patients for dentistry than for any other specialty, numbering in the tens of thousands of U.S. patients annually. Most of the work is done in San José and its affluent and highly Americanized suburb of Escazú, where I went for my dental work. Each time I returned to Costa Rica for treatment (I’ve been back four times now), the waiting lobbies were increasingly crowded with American and European visitors who had come primarily to take advantage of the 30% to 60% savings—and, perhaps, to recover in a lush, tropical, pampering environment. I saved around $800, which included costs for my airfare, hotel, transportation and meals. My dentist, a certified implantologist, worked diligently on a number of challenges surrounding my procedure. He and his staff were always courteous, informative and empathetic. All the equipment was state-of-the-art, and I was most appreciative to see that the lab and panoramic X-ray equipment were all on location (true of all the top dental clinics I visited when researching my book)… International Living - The Best In International Real Estate Moran Real Estate Over 50 Years of Tropical Real Estate Excellence When the world says, "Give up," Hope whispers, "Try it one more time."

CIMA Hospital Coming To Guanacaste

CIMA Hospital (Owned by Baylor University) and one of the top Hospitals in Central America

Hospital CIMA announces


big Guanacaste project

Hospital CIMA kicked off the construction of a $125 million project in Carrillo, Guanacaste, that will include a Hospital CIMA there.

The project is called Pacific Plaza, seen as an integrated medical services and residential center. The project will be built out in seven steps, said the hospital. The first is scheduled to be ready in 2011. This will be the new hospital with a heliport, a three-story tower with 42 medical offices, six commercial spaces, a pharmacy and a food court.

The second and third steps are condos, followed by adult housing including facilities for Alzheimer patients, said the hospital. The sixth and seventh steps are a hotel and community recreational center, said the hospital.



The location is near Daniel Oduber airport in Liberia., which is les than an hour and a half from Lake Arenal. The present hospital is in Escazú.

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Without hard work, nothing grows but weeds.

INTERNATIONAL LIVING Endorsement of Costa Rica Continues

Think It's Too Late to "Get in Early" in Costa Rica?

Think Again.

History is About to Repeat Itself.

25 years ago, Costa Rica's northern Pacific coast boomed as the country became the world's # 1 eco-tourism destination. The folks who got in early watched their property values skyrocket.

It's about to happen again. Another perfect stretch of sun-drenched coast is just now opening up.
This is your chance to get there first...

Today more Americans per capita live in Costa Rica than any other country out side the U.S.

Among second-home buyers, vacationers, and retirees with an eye overseas, Costa Rica is a household name.
It wasn't always like that of course.

In the mid-1980s, when we first told readers to head to Costa Rica's northern Pacific coast, it was hard to get to. And, as a result, property prices were low.

But then, as more and more people learned about the region, prices steadily began to rise. When an international airport opened there in 2002, property values skyrocketed. And this area earned its label: The Gold Coast.

Frankly, we stopped recommending it to readers because of that. It just cost too much to buy.

But today Costa Rica is back on our "Go There Now" list. And here's why:

We're about to see that "Gold Coast scenario" play out again. And if you're looking for a place to retire outside the States, you don't want to miss this opportunity to stake your claim on the cheap.

Because the truth is: Costa Rica today is arguably the easiest place in Latin America to live.

You see, nearly three decades of American and European visitors and residents has "westernized" this place for lack of a better term. In other words: It works... and at a standard you won't find anywhere else in this region. While it may not be quite "First World"... it is certainly no longer "Third World" either.

That's a big benefit. And it comes with the gorgeous rain forests, beaches, and highland valleys Costa Rica is famous for. Plus this country is stable and democratic (with no standing army and a 95% literacy rate). It's affordable. You could certainly get by on $1,500 a month -- for $2,500 you'll be living the high life. The medical care is excellent and costs a fraction of what we pay up north.

And now, for the first time in 25 years, it's about to offer you rock-bottom coastal real estate, too.

History is about to repeat itself. A boom like the one that played out up north is going to unfold in a new, beach-strewn area just now opening up to visitors and retirees.

This is your chance -- probably the last chance you'll have in this lifetime -- to claim a foothold in Costa Rica for pennies on the dollar.

International Living has been quoted in MSN Money, The New York Times, The O'Reilly Factor (Fox News), The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Forbes Personal Finance, ABC News, Smart Money, the AARP, The Dallas Morning News, San Francisco Chronicle, and elsewhere. For more, see the IL press room

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                      It is more important to know where you are going than to get there quickly.

What On Earth Are You Waiting For

Tired of the rat race, shoveling snow, traffic jams, stress, higher taxes, more government rules and regulations?
Imagine yourself in the hammock on the back porch of this cute Caribbean style country cottage with a great book in one hand and  an ice cold Imperial beer in the other. For $59,000 you can live this dream in this great 2 bedroom cottage in a small village just 30 minutes from the Lake and walking distance to all the basic conveniences.

If your home and your car is paid for, you and your wife can live very comfortably for just $1000 per month. And remember total and complete health care for you both is just $40 per month. The freshest, cleanest air you will ever breath, the cleanest water you will ever drink, in a country that has one of the longest longevities in the world, where a traffic
 jam is 5 cows in the road, where real estate taxes are $100, not thousands,   Where you never need heat or air conditioning. Where your gardner or maid costs $1.50 an hour, where the soil is so rich and the rainfall so ample that you'll discover a green thumb you thought you never had,

Where your neighbors are friendly and invite you in for coffee every time you walk past their door, where you can walk down to a cool, spring fed mountain river for a swim, where the monkeys, toucans, parrots and a thousand other birds and animals come right up to your porch.

Where your friends and family will have to make reservations to come visit you, Where life is sweeter, more relaxed, more full filling than you had ever imagined possible. It is all within your reach, and its not expensive, its waiting for you, this is the time, this is the place, do it now.

Moran Real Estate Over 50 Years of Tropical Real Estate Excellence

Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. And Today? Today is a gift. That's why we call it the present.