Luckily my teeth are in good shape and other than check ups and cleanings I haven’t had to have a lot of dental work. Every six months I have my teeth checked and cleaned. The cost is under $40. I once had a dentist on one of my monthly retirement relocation tours and asked how I could keep my teeth forever. He suggested a check up every six months. Since that time I have followed his advice and haven’t had any major problems.

Although a couple of years ago one of my molars started to hurt and went to see my dentist Doctora Ana Cristina Brenes in downtown Heredia. It turned out I needed a root canal. I ended up having visit to her six times  to complete the treatment. The whole series of treatments only cost me $140. I imagine the same process costs well over $1000 in the States.

My son had to have four wisdom teeth pulled at the suggestion of his orthodontist. The total price was $150.

Affordable dental work brings many tourists come to Costa Rica to have their cosmetic dental work done.  The quality of dentistry in Costa Rica is equal to that found in Europe, Canada or the United States. On the average, dental work costs about 25 to 30 percent less than in the United States.  Most dentists charge about $35 for an initial exam.   Check prices with the dentist of your choice, since rates vary.

Costa Rican dentists offer the following services: implants, gum treatment, root canals, whitening, oral surgery, crowns, bridges and nitrous oxide sedation.  Orthodontics for children and adults are available and affordable in Costa Rica. Our son has braces. The total cost for a two-year treatment is about $1,500  which can be paid in monthly installments of $45.

One word of caution for foreigners, some Costa Rican dentists  advertise in English-language publications and cater almost exclusively to foreigners.  Patients will sometimes pay more for the dental services these doctors provide.  The Costa Rican Surgeons and Dentists Association (Tel/Fax: 2256-3100, E-mail: dentista@racsa.co.cr, www.colegiodentistas.org) will give you a list of dentists practicing in Costa Rica. Check with other residents for recommendations.

When you read the title of this article you will probably think that it is impossible to live so cheaply and so well. This especially true if you reside in an expensive area of the U.S. like California. You could probably scrape by on a few thousand dollars a month up north but you certainly wouldn’t be living in luxury.

Let’s see why the title of this article is true. A couple who owns a $150,000 home (three bedrooms and three baths) free  and clear and has a car will probably have the following monthly expenses in Costa Rica.

Private medical insurance $200
Dental care $50 per month
A part time maid $100 to $150
Part time gardener $30
Beauty parlor $75
Food including inexpensive fruits and  vegetables form a
Farmer’s market and many imported American products $500 per month
Entertainment (movies, socializing) $200- $300
Dinning out a couple of times a week $300
Private gym $50 – $100 per couple
Country Club (after you pay initial fees) $100 to $200 per month
Car insurance for a relatively new car $100
Utilities (water and electricity) $100
Telephone (using Vonage or Skype for long distance) $75-$100
High speed Internet $50
Cable or satellite TV $50
Car repairs $50
Garbage $40 per year
Property taxes on your $150,000 home $20 per month

Misc. expenses $300

Other possible expenses
Travel to U.S. or other countries $3000-$5000 or more per year

Really your lifestyle determines what you will spend here. You can choose to spend a lot more money if you are a high roller or yuppie type  or substantially less if you wish to live modestly. I know single people who live for less than $1000 per month and others who have expensive tastes who spend what they would in the States. Nevertheless, you can live very well on the budget above. I should know because I have lived here almost 30 years and buy and do everything I want for under $4,000 monthly.

When you move to Costa Rica you really don’t have to worry about missing your favorite TV program from the States. Fox, CBS, NBC, ABC, CNBC News, CNN News, Show Time HBO, ESPN , to name a few, are available here. The company and package you choose will determine what channels you will be able to view.

Here is a description of your options:

Cable Tica and Amnet are the two main cable TV providers. Each offers 50 to 60 English channels plus the local Spanish stations. But Cable Tica does not have some of the major U.S. Networks like CBS. The good news is that both companies do offer high-speed Internet via a cable modem. The cost of cable TV is about $25 monthly. If you want their Internet service you will have to pay another $25.

Sky TV, formerly know as Direct TV, offers a huge variety of programs including many movie channels via satellite. The downside is that they don’t broadcast CBS, NBC or ABC or the local Spanish stations. Also some of their programming is in Spanish for their Latin American audience. The best feature of this service is that you can have it installed any place I the country, no matter how isolated you are.  Sky does not offer Internet service.

They do have an attractive NFL football package so you watch all of the games on Sunday.

Satellite DISH NETWORK is available in Costa Rica. There are few independent companies offering this service here. The programming is superior to Sky TV and includes CBS, NBC, ABC and Fox plus everything else from their U.S. packages. For an extra cost you can view the professional Hockey, the NBA and college football and basketball. Initially, you have to pay around $2,700 to purchase a special receiver and an eight-foot-dish which is made here. You can’t use the small dish as in the states. So don’t try to bring one from there thinking it will work here. When you sign up for this service the local company will open an account for you in the States.

I have had DISH NETWORK for 5 years and love it. I really enjoy having the option of watching almost any program I want from the United States. I also have Amnet Cable to view the local Spanish stations since we are a bilingual household. Serious Spanish students may also want this option so they can improve their language skills by watching Spanish TV programs.

To sign up for DISH NETWORK see www.sunsattv.com.  Also see www.dishnetwork.com to get an idea of what programs and packages are available.

NOTE: You CAN’T sign up for the Dish Network in Costa Rica by contacting the main company in the States. It has to be done through the local company in Costa Rica.