Recently, an article was published in an on-line financial column about the advantages of living in Cuenca, Ecuador. It included a couple of charts with questionable data that rated the best places to retire in the world. It comes as no surprises that Cuenca was at the top of the list and rated as the world’s best retirement haven. However, this erroneous rating is based almost exclusively on “cost of living” and not the country’ quality of life. It sounds very enticing that a couple supposedly can live well on $1500 per month. What is not stated is that you are really getting what you pay for, a low cost and a low life.

Unfortunately some of the organizations touting Cuenca have deep pockets and can get a lot of media exposure. Beneath the surface these organizations and individuals promoting the places where they have real estate interests. They know that a certain number of people will find Cuenca attractive because of its affordability. Don’t be fooled by all of the hype! Once again, affordability is not synonymous with a quality lifestyle.

Traditional retirement meccas like Cost Rica offer a hard-to-beat lifestyle with most of the amenities of home. After all, it’s what a country has to offer and quality of life and not just the cost of living that ultimately influences people’s decision to relocate. It is best to stick with countries that have a long track record of dealing with with foreign retirees. Ultimately this will increase your chances of having a successful experience while living abroad.

Ask the following questions before you fall for all of the advertising and be sure to read between the lines to be sure you know the real agenda of those promoting any “too good to be true” country as a place to live.

(1) How long has the place been on the retirement map?
(2) Does the city have adequate medical facilities to deal with the health issues aging retirees will have to face?
(3) Are there expat organizations in the city exclusively dedicated to helping foreigners make the move there? Is there an established expat community or just a bunch of inexperienced newcomers?
(4) Are there supermarket which stock the products from home?
(5) Are there enough activities to stay busy and is there a network of other expats to give you support?
(7) How much experience have the locals had providing basic services for expats?
(8) What type of Internet services are available?
(9) What are your rights as a home owner?
(10) How easy I it to sell a home if things don’t work out and you have to return to the states?
(11) How difficult is it to travel to the capital of the country?
(12) Can you drink the water?
(13) How stable is the government and the economy?
(14) What role does the military play in politics?
(15) Does Venezuela’s deranged leader, Hugo Chavez, pose any threat to the country and is drug trafficking and the resultant violence a danger to foreign retirees? It is very important to take neighboring countries into consideration when deciding where to relocate.
(16) Traditionally, how safe are investments in the country?
(17) Do the people like foreign retirees?

Auto Mercado is Costa Rica’s high-end market that carries most brand name products from the United States and Canada.

Presently I am in Seattle, Washington visiting my sister and seeing the sites. I make a yearly visit to the States every July and enjoy myself. However, the more time I spend in the U.S. reminds me why I originally moved to Costa Rica.

Don’t get me wrong! I have nothing against my country of birth. The differences between the two countries stand out the more time I live in Costa Rica. I consider myself 100% bilingual and bicultural and can live comfortably in either place.

The U.S. has good roads making it easy to get from one place to another provided there is no traffic. On the other hand Costa Rica is still working on infrastructure and roadways. Great progress has been make in the last couple of years with the completion of the Costanera between Quepos and Dominical and the new highway to Caldera from the Central Valley. Other new highways are in the works. When everything is completed I believe the country’s major highways will be on a par with those of the U.S.

Shopping is another big difference between the U.S. And Costa Rica. There is no question about it shopping is better in the United States. However, things are slowly change here. When I moved to Costa Rica over 30 years ago you couldn’t get any foreign products. Now the stores are inundated with them. We don’t have the variety of the U.S. But are closing the gap. For example, the Auto Mercado supermarket has almost every food product you can dream of from the U.S. Products that are not available in Costa Rica may be ordered over the Internet and shipped via one of the private mail companies like Aerocasillas.

On my monthly relocation/retirement tours I spend a lot of time lecturing about the differences and similarities between the U.S.and Costa Rica. My tours are like taking a constant seminar. I try to provide as much objective information as possible for my clients to help them decide if the country is right for them.

On my monthly relocation and retirement tours I am asked repeatedly about what Baby Boomer retirees and others do to keep busy. Good news! There are hundreds of activities from which to choose to keep busy and happy in Costa Rica. I find myself writing a lot about this subject.

Costa Rica is a nature lover’s paradise. So, those who love the outdoors will never be bored. You have come to the right place. We have everything from bird watching to active sports like surfing. I have a whole chapter in my best selling guidebook (The New Golden Door to Retirement and Living in Costa Rica), about how to stay busy in Costa Rica.The book even talks about indoor activities such as bridge clubs, political clubs, computer clubs, volunteer teaching and a whole lot more.

The Internet is another way to stay busy. Most expats are connected to the web and take part in Cost Rica forums and newsgroups. Many start on-line diaries or blogs to share their experiences in Costa Rica with others. Some even start web-based businesses which they operate from Costa Rica. The Internet enables foreigners to stay in contact with their friends and relatives who live in other countries and makes the world a whole lot smaller.

There are also a significant number of Baby Boomers who build hobby websites. Some even put videos about their experiences in Costa Rica to help others who are thinking about making the move. This information is very useful but a lot of the people behind these hobby sites have only lived here a short time and only have a superficial understanding of the language and culture. So, take a lot of what they have to say with a grain of salt. When looking for accurate information about the country, look at time-tested sites put up by those who have lived in the country for many years and who truly understand the people, language, culture and long-term challenges faced by foreigners.