In Costa Rica you can reduce your month to month living expenses and live very well.

I was watching the CBS Evening News last night and they mentioned that the average middle class person in the U.S. only has the equivalent of three months savings if he loses his job. Many people of retirement age are probably in a similar situation. Most have pensions but are basically living from check to check. Most of them are not aware that there is a solution to these economic woes  - Costa Rica.

By moving to a country like Costa Rica you can reduce your month to month living expenses. For example, utilities are only a fraction of the cost of what they are in the States. I spend about forty dollars a month on water and electricity for my 1800 square foot home. One of the clients on my monthly retirement tours told me he spends about $700 per month on utilities for his home in Texas.  He couldn’t believe what I spend.

My property taxes run about $130 per year and that includes garbage pick up. As a rule of thumb property taxes are a quarter of one percent of the declared value of your home.

Public transportation is dirt cheap. Your can go anyplace in the country by bus for under $12. You don’t need to have a car, so you will save money on repairs, insurance, annual fees and car payments.

Health care is also significantly more affordable. I insure my family for under $2000 per year through the private health care system. The public system is even more affordable for legal foreign residents.

Once you get settled here and know the prices you will be able to save even more money.  When you consider most Costa Ricans get by with less than $1000 monthly the average retirement pension from the U.S. will seem like a fortune.

Costa Rican state Banks offer a Full Range Services

Your retirement plans in Costa Rica should not include Scotia Bank. The Bank of Nova Scotia, is the second oldest bank in Canada, was the second largest Canadian bank in 2003 in term of assets (trailing only Royal Bank of Canada).

Don’t confuse the local branch with Scotia Bank in Canada. First, it is a franchise here. Second, because of the political and economic chaos that followed Argentina’s defaulting on its foreign debt in December 2001, the operations of Banco Scotiabank were suspended by the local government because of liquidity problems, after Scotiabank refused to inject more capital into the troubled bank. They were one of the first banks to pull out of Argentina when things got tough. Third, your money is not insured in any of the private banks in Costa Rica.

“We have heard many foreign retirees and residents complain on various Internet forums about unfair treatment at this bank. They complain about having to open their safety boxes for random inspections (which is illegal without a court order) and general lack of privacy at this overly intrusive  bank.

Here is what one resident said about Scotiabank, ”I was with Scotiabank for over a year. They were awful. And I mean bad. Their statements were impossible to read. But worse is they didn’t know how to read them and often took two months to research the problems. The worst was telling me they would have a decision for a home loan in two weeks and then taking three months. In the end they said the property was worth $4 per square meter when all other sales in the neighborhood are $25 to $35. I moved to Promerica and they have been tons better. Not to say they are perfect. But compared to Scotiabank, they are amazing.”

Another local who works in the real estate business said about Scotiabank:  “Atrocious service, and they outright mislead. I have seen them pull the rug out of a sale at the last minute, when sellers and buyers both had their house packed up to go.  No good reason.  I have heard this tale from others, too. Overall, I regard them as the worst because they seem so up-to-date and modern with the fancy air conditioning and slick offices.  I avoid them like the plague and have no clue why they behave this way.”

This is another bad experience a local resident had at Scotiabank. “I have a good excuse to report an experience at Scotiabank from several years ago (downtown branch).  I withdrew some money, which the teller gave me after opening an unusual number of drawers (not all at his window) and roaming about a lot. Within 10 minutes of leaving the bank, I discovered I had been given a $100 counterfeit bill. I returned and they wouldn’t do anything about it saying, of course, “You left the bank.” Whenever I had occasion to be in the bank, I would look at him in passing and he would duck his head and look away. I think he was just waiting for someone to pass it to. I avoid Scotiabank every opportunity I get.”

Costa Rica has excellent specialists who have many years treating people with allergies

Anyone thinking of Costa Rica as a place to retire should be aware that some people suffer  from seasonal allergies here. Because  we have about seven months of rain (the rainy season is longer than the summer here) and three months of very windy weather allergens flourish in tropical country like Costa Rica. There are many types of molds, pollens and weeds which may affect people.

Some of the people I interviewed for this article said they had allergies when they lived in the States and they went away when they moved to Costa Rica. While other people said they never had allergies until they moved here. If you have had allergies in the past you should come here on a trial visit of a few months to see how the climate affects you.

The good news is that Costa Rica has excellent specialists who have many years treating people with allergies. They will be able to tell you what course of treatment you need to follow to keep your allergies at bay or under control. Periodically I am bothered by Rhinitis and other allergies and have to visit my specialist. His name is Mauricio Buitrago and he works at the Clínca Bíblica in San José. I am extremely please with his services.

Here are what some expats say about their bouts with allergies in Costa Rica.

(1) “I have lived in Ballena de Osa for just over 2 years now. I never had any allergies in the States other than to a couple of foods. Now I have asthma in the dry season and it seems to be at the same time that many trees in our area are turning yellow. It is very mild, bearable  and definately worth any inconvenience.“

(2) “I have had just the opposite happen to me in Costa Rica.  I use to have a few allergies before I came to Costa Rica.  They were mainly nasal problems.  Dust and some types pollen used to cause real problems for me in California.   I moved to Costa Rica and haven’t experienced any allergies.” – Henry

(3) “Funny you should mention allergies. The rainy season has been hard on us… this is our third; the first two were bearable and, while we all sneezed more and suffered prolonged post nasal drip, I chalked up the extra stuffiness to the cold. But this year, it’s a little over the top because of the large amount of rain we have had.” – Sara

I have found Costa Rica’s health care to be excellent.

As I have mentioned in previous columns October is the month when it rains most in Costa Rica. Unfortunately during this time of year a lot of people contact colds, the flu and other respiratory ailments due to the damp weather.

No matter how good I take care of myself I seem to get  some type of cold or flu this time of year. Recently, I experienced cold like symptoms that lasted about three days. I started to feel a lot better after the fourth day but I still had a persistent cough and congestion. A week went by and I still didn’t feel one hundred percent. So, I went to the branch of the Clínca Bíblica in Heredia near where I live.

The Clínica Bíblica is one of the country’s two best private hospitals. Their main hospital is located in San José but fortunately they have a small clinic in Downtown Heredia. They have a doctor on staff, offer laboratory services and  have a small pharmacy with home delivery.

I dropped in without an appointment and saw the doctor almost immediately. She took her time examining me and determined I had a bronchial infection. She gave me a couple of injections to get rid of the immediate symptoms. Dr. Pamela also prescribed several medicines which I had to take for about a week.

That was a few days ago and I am finally starting to feel better. Today I took my usual morning walk and had a lot more energy.

In the 27 years I have lived here, I have found Costa Rica’s health care to be excellent. I have had two operations with excellent results as well as numerous bouts with colds and the flu like the one I describe above and am extremely pleased with the care I have received.

So as you can see good quality medical care should not be an issue if you choose to retire here.

The U.S. Embassy offers special services for disabled vets who need help in Costa Rica.

Over the years I have scores of Americans with various degrees of disabilities who moved to Costa Rica to retire. Most have adjusted to life here and are happy.

People with slight to moderate disabilities usually are more successful. Because Costa Rica has excellent medical care and highly trained specialists disabled people can get the care they need. Those with severe disabilities can find full-time help at a bargain price to take care of their basic needs. However, in some cases specialized nursing may be hard to find. The good news is as Costa Rica becomes more popular with Baby Boomers new retirement communities will be built with programs for independent and less independent retirees.

The U.S. Embassy offers special services for disabled vets who need help in Costa Rica. I know many veterans  who get medications shipped to them through the embassy.

J.T. (not real name) is a friend of mine and disabled Vietnam vet who has lived in Costa Rica for over over 25 years. He gets all of his medications, visits to the doctor and hospitalization paid for by the VA through the U.S. Embassy. He just turns in the paperwork and everything gets taken care of.

Bill Rolland is another disabled friend. He is a former policeman from California and had lived here for six years. He suffers from Diabetes  and a few other debilitating illnesses. He loves his life here and says if  he had remained in the States he would probably be dead by now.

I know one woman with Lupus who has all of her medical needs taken care of here. She swares by her Costa Rican rheumatologist.

Another couple I know both have disabilities and moved here to cut down on their medical expenses and take advantage of the country’s excellent health care. They seem to be so happy here and enjoying a better quality of life than they did in the States.

On the negative side,  Medicare won’t cover your medical expenses if you disabled  and living outside of the U.S.. Also there are many older buildings that don’t have wheel chair ramps nor are they handicap friendly. The good news is that in general people with physical limitations can enjoy retirement here.