Costa Rica was the first country in the world to constitutionally abolish its army in 1948.
December 1st marks an historic date in Costa Rica’s history. On this day in 1948 President José Figueres abolished Costa Rica’s army. From that moment on Costa Rica has lived as a peaceful and democratic nation. Besides getting rid of the army this decision had another important effect on the country’s development. The money that was formerly spent on the military is now spent on education and universal health care and has had a tremendous effect on human development for the average Costa Rican.
No other countries can make this claim!
This peaceful tradition continues to live. Costa Rica’s current president, Dr. Oscar Arias Sánchez was the recipient of the Noble Peace prize for being instrumental in bringing peace to the nations of Guatemala, El Salvador and Nicaragua in the 1980s.
Furthermore, there is no threat of terrorism here because Costa Rica has NO enemies. This added stability is one of the primary factors that make our unique country such a special place in the world and perfect for a peaceful retirement and investment. For these same reasons large multinational corporations like Citi Bank, GE, Walmart, Intel, Proctor Gamble, Firestone, Amazon.com and many others have invested millions of dollars here. I am sure this list will continue to grow as more big players and individuals realize the advantage of investing here.
Finally, this peaceful ambience, excellent investment climate and unparalleled beauty are the reasons Costa Rica has become one top five emerging real estate markets in the world.
I must have been asked this question hundreds of times by the participants on my monthly relocation/retirement tours. The answer is, yes.
Hipermas and another supermarket offer a wide selection of foods and other items from the United States.
Every day you can find more and more products from the States and Canada in Costa Rica. When I first came here there were very few U.S. products in the country. Each time I visited the States I would pack my suitcases with the things that I couldn’t get here.
If you go to Pricemart (like Costco), Hipermás (like Walmart) or the Automercado you will see a wide selection of foods and other items from the United States. Everything from Welch’s Grape Juice to the full line of Rubbermaid products can be purchased at any of these stores. You may even get stuffing for your turkey, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie filling and instant mashed potatoes for your Thanksgiving dinner. In addition, we have stores like Payless Shoes, General Nutrition Centers, the Apple Store, Cinnabuns, Radio Shack and Hallmark Cards to name a few.
On my retirement tours we visit a couple of supermarkets and shopping centers to give my clients a first-hand look at what products are sold here. They were amazed to see what was available.
If you cant’ find what you are looking for, it is easy to order through the Internet through one of the private mail services like Aerocasillas. Over the last 13 years I have ordered hundreds of products of all sizes and shapes on line using this convenient mail service. For example, if I need sundries I can’t find I go to www.drugstore.com and order whatever I want. Within a week the product is here in Costa Rica. This makes it unnecessary to travel to the United States to get the items you need. You will end up saving a lot of money on airfare and lodging this way.
The prohibitive cost of a university education in the United States, make that many send their children to more affordable junior colleges to save money.
If you are thinking about retiring here and have children or grandchildren of college age, you might consider enrolling them in a Costa Rican private or public university.
The other night I was watching the CBS Evening News on satellite and there was a story about the prohibitive cost of a university education in the United States. Apparently fifty percent of the families in the U.S. are having to limit their choices of universities for their children due to a combination of the current financial crisis and the high cost of college tuition. Many are sending their children to more affordable junior colleges to save money during the first two years.
If you choose Costa Rica for living or retirement you can save a lot of money on a college education. The University of Costa Rica, the nation’s best public university, charges less than a couple of hundred dollars a year for tuition. Yes, you heard right.
My son goes to one of the best private universities here and pays a little less the $3000 a year for tuition.
All you have to do is compare the costs of what they charge here with those of the States and you will see the obvious bargain. You can save tens of thousands of dollars a year here.
Furthermore, the quality of education is excellent. Since Costa Rican universities are recognized internationally for their academic excellence, Costa Rican students are admitted to major U.S. universities for graduate school.
Another plus is that studying a specific career in a Costa Rican university takes less time which equates to saving a lot of money on a college education. For example, students can enter law or medical school straight out of high school. They don’t have to waste time spending four years as an undergraduate.
Living in the right country outside the United States can make all the difference in the world.
Those living below the poverty line in the United States will also find Costa Rica to their liking. Like most other countries in Latin America you should be able to live in moderate luxury on a modest retirement or investment income in Costa Rica.
Most citizens of the United States and Canada feel comfortable living where they have always resided. Some are lucky enough to have invested in property and have good retirement programs, affordable health insurance, stocks, bonds or IRAs to ensure a good quality of life during their retirement years.
Others may not have been as fortunate. They realize that they may have not planned well and may be a little short on money to maintain their present lifestyle. A simple solution is to try to lower their standard of living and be more frugal in their own country to compensate for poor financial planning and/or bad investments. They can downsize to a smaller home, move to a more affordable but less suitable area, give up their yearly vacations, fire the gardener and cut back on other areas of their life to just scrape by. But what if they could move to another country with the same amount of income and improve their lifestyle dramatically instead of reducing it?
Living in the right country outside the United States can make all the difference in the world between just subsisting and maintaining the lifestyle to which you are accustomed. Costa Rica offers a viable alternative.
The idea of living overseas is not new. The huge number of Americans due to retire is staggering. Currently almost 40 percent of the population of the United States is over 50. By 2020, half the U.S. population will be over 50. Most Americans ages 41 to 59 say they will move when they retire.
Costa Rica can provide cradle to grave health care for its citizens and legal foreign residents.
Costa Rica’s low cost health care system continues to attract retirees with medical issues. Most of the people on my monthly relocation/retirement tours have told me that one of the main reasons they are exploring Costa Rica for retirement is the affordability of its public health care system. You can insure yourself for under $60 per month depending on your income. Many Costa Ricans pay under $20 dollars monthly for full medical coverage.
One of the real advantages is that the Caja (public health care system) will not exclude you for pre-existing conditions. They cover everything. People in the U.S. have been lost all of their life savings because of medical conditions that are not covered by their insurance or because they are uninsured. This is not the case in Costa Rica. It seems unbelievable that a small country with a little over four million people can provide cradle to grave health care for its citizens and legal foreign residents who join the health care system.
