We retired in CR 2 years ago and still here. Best choice for us. We shop at our huge farmers market and support all our locals. Our foods are fresh and delicious and our costs here are much cheaper than USA. All our friends are locals and we immerse ourselves into the people culture, history and foods. We don't live in the tourist areas and and we live a simple but healthy and happy lifestyle here. We don't have drivers, maids , etc etc and we knew when moving here we didn't want to live the same as in USA. We had our residency in 89 days with our good Attorney. The lifestyles you choose here will determine the affordability. Everything for us is cheaper and that was what we wanted. We have fast speed fiber optic internet and our power rarely goes out . Location is the key and if people choose tourist area's and beach towns you will pay much more !! We won't be moving from Costa Rica because our health and lives have improved tremendously these two years. Our Autistic son lives here too with us and he loves his life here. No one should have expectations when moving abroad.
I moved to Costa Rico to GET AWAY from constant phone life, online ordering, introversion, Home bound sedentary computer diversions. I moved to Costa Rica to GET OUT of the house... go to markets, parks, hikes, meeting people, neighbor gatherings, face to face interaction, heathy local food, locally made clothes and housewares, art, music. When friction happens I bring a local friend and they walk me through the local way of removing the friction. "I like the friction" because it causes the short sighted and narrow self -obsessed expats to MOVE ALONG to another country.
Nice comment man, I currently live in the Netherlands and you summed up what I want to escape from. I guess the US and Northern European life style are pretty similar. I'll move to a Caribbean island next year, but Costa Rica is on my radar and I will definatly check it out when I'm living in the region.
Costa Rica is definitely not the place to move to if "friction" bothers you. I think this video is a perfect example of not doing enough good research before moving, having unrealistic expectations, and trying to live a North American lifestyle in Costa Rica. Very, very, few Ticos employ six people including drivers and cooks.
Exactly a lot of people from there before they moved they moved for the wrong reasons creating that perception of they wiil be happy here when they were not even able to solve internally their own persona, they have no clue about sustainability or move here and want to be at USA. The gross will be like the need to have a planet Hollywood in the middle of the rain forest. Its disappointing that with many nature you need that kind of fancy hotels and never happy. Just go back to Las Vegas no not waste your money coming here. I totally prefer my country like before instagram. in the 90s. Tired of this constant BS everywhere in instagram here youtube coming from people that didnt know even what is Costa Rica when it was founded, no even a course about sustainability.
Рік тому+155
I'm costa rican and i agree with most of the things you said, specially infrastructure, but in our defence i must add that we are giving out so much in order to keep the country green, electricity for example, we have it 99% renewable and green and we also export it to the rest of central america, and also happens that CR ranks 3rd country with the most rain in the planet, so thunder, renewable energy reliability, and exporting makes us very prone to blackouts. We could just burn coal or deal with nuclear waste and live a comfortable life, but that is not sustainable and not the goal of CR. Life is pretty expensive but only if you want to, you can choose to buy a cheaper car instead of the shiny brand new one and is going to take you anywhere just as well. At the end of the day, it depends on what you are looking for, if you are trying to replicate your lifestyle here, it's doable but then is going to cost you a lot and if that is what you are looking for, then why not stay there where you have already your life style?, if you are trying to change the pace, the way of your life, then this country could be a choice. You win the game of life by being happy, and if the trade-offs of costa rica makes you happier, then it makes sense, if not, then it's probably not for you. By the things you mentioned, you probably would be happier living in Hawaii.
NEWS FOR YOU, DUDE. I am from Kansas, have lived in Costa Rica over 20 years. CR is NOT a third world country! We are second world of course. Not perfect of course, but foreigners are allowed to buy property, which is NOT allowed in many countries.
Second world country? I have often wondered why countries are only referred to as Third world or First world but nobody ever mentions Second world countries.
I think you are the problem here. You wanted a Canada in Costa Rica and when they didn’t become Canada you left. I hope that more people move out and leave more space for us.
I'm a Canadian also and I would like to take his place in Costa Rica. I'm vacationing here in Costa Rica right now and I think I prefer it over Canada.
Wow. As an expat living in Costa Rica, I find this video a great example of privileged paternalism criticizing those less privileged! A household staff of six, a pool, drivers, condescending attitude toward the food and cooking of Ticos….Dude came here and wanted to teach locals how to cook? Oh please. He says he’s lived in numerous countries. But he’s also left those as well. Maybe the problem isn’t the countries….
An example of person who would never be happy anywhere he goes. As for me, who think about retiring there one day, none of the silly reasons he mentioned bother me.
Thank you for taking the time to make this video. Having been only once and planning a second trip shortly, many of the things that bothered you are what are attractive to us. I found the food to be local, fresh, and bright. I found the people to be genuine. I found the connection between people and place to be refreshing. I found a much more relaxed pace. My take away from your experience is that it doesn't appear that you attempted to assimilate to the culture and expected COSTA (pronounced: kow-stah) Rica to be where you came from. I don't intend on hiring a staff of 6. (really? Your privilege is showing) I don't expect to find fruits and vegetables imported from places far away. I don't expect a gas station on every corner. I don't expect Amazon to deliver my package the next day. I don't expect people to speak English. Again, thank you for sharing your experience and I hope you enjoy the journey of your future travels. Be well.
I've lived in Costa Rica and I am not picky. Don't do it, you'll regret it sooner. The rivers are dirty and contaminated, most beaches are unsafe, and drugs are rampant. The infrastructure is deteriorating, as stated by Costa Ricans themselves. The prices for everything are absurd, poverty and violence are everywhere... Save yourself a headache, don't move there without having lived there for at least 6 months... because 90% of those who do regret it sooner rather than later. Don't even think about getting married, you'll lose everything. And if you're American, the embassy won't help you, and you'll end up with local lawyers paying them gringo prices. Add to this the disregard for time, which is life itself. Don't be fooled. The Costa Rican government spends millions and millions on propaganda to attract you. Believe me, look for another place.
I’m visiting right now and all i can think is how we’re not living life right back in the states. Growing up in California in a coastal town definitely translates well if you can get over having certain luxuries
From Canada but I've been to Costa Rica twice now, for about 3 weeks each time. First time explored Puntarenas and decided we needed to come back, second time explored Guanacaste and looked at a bunch of property while we were there. I've been learning spanish for the past 5 years on and off and can tell you without a doubt in my mind that if you don't know Spanish you're missing out on Costa Rica's biggest plus...the people. When you make an effort it pays you back tenfold. We love the weather, I love the fishing..but the people are why we are moving there. Of course they are not all amazing, nothing's perfect, but by and large I have never in all my travels experienced such warm and inviting people.
You should reconsider your decision. You'll soon find yourself regretting it. The rivers are polluted, the beaches are mostly unsafe, and there's a rampant drug issue. While most people are good, don't expect straightforward answers, especially if you're dealing with any business or legal matters-it could be a nightmare. I strongly advise against moving there without thoroughly testing the country for at least six consecutive months.
Well, everybody certainly has the right to their opinion, and these reasons are why many people end up leaving Costa Rica. This is probably a good video of things not to do if you move to Costa Rica. First, there comes an acceptance that things aren't going to be the same as what you're used to back home. I hope people research that before moving anywhere. The idea that it's difficult to get things delivered to your door such as with Amazon is a small price, in my opinion, for the tradeoff of all the good things about Costa Rica. Regarding how expensive it is, sure, it can be very expensive depending on how you live. For me, I always buy Costa Rican products, shop at the marketplace, eat at sodas, etc. And avoid expensive imported products for everyday living. The food? Wow, for me, the food is some of the best in the world. Eating at sodas is extremely affordable and delicious. If it were me, I'd also avoid living in San Jose. I do speak Spanish and as another person commented, if you don't speak Spanish, you are missing out on all the wonderful people you could meet and conversations you could have. That said, I found your video very upfront and honest, and these are real reasons why some foreigners don't stay in Costa Rica.
Violence, high cost of living, drugs permeating all levels of society, corruption, prostitution... I speak Spanish too. I can assure you that many comments on UA-cam are part of a propaganda campaign. There's a concerted effort to downplay or deny the very real problems I've mentioned. Don't do it. Don't move there without spending six consecutive months in the country. Only then can you make an informed decision.
That's interesting and living in Mexico myself I agree with many points. But 3 years and no spanish that's not very serious. You can do duolingo 15 min a day, speak with locals, take notes and revise time to time.
You can not even pronounce Costa Rica after living there for three winters. It says a lot about the effort you made to immerse yourself in the culture.
My Dad has been married to a Costa Rican for over 40 years, been to the country several times, and STILL . . . STILL says “Casta Rica!!” PLEASE! Just say “COAST-Ah”, Dad!
The best asset in Costa Rica are Costa Ricans. Amazing people, kind, sweet and generous. One of the few places I was treated as a whole person, not a race.
You haven't been to Belize then. I have visited both. Costa Rica was a hit or miss as far as friendliness but in Belize everyone I encountered was very friendly! Belize had better food and far more cheaper too.
Great video, Michael! I currently live in Costa Rica, and have been here since 2015. I agree with you on almost everything, and as you mention, the infrastructure (especially around Internet and cellular) has improved exponentially in the past 2-3 years e.g. I have a very stable and fast Internet connection of 300/30 Mbps and a pretty nice 4G LTE postpaid plan with a combined cost of less than $80 /mo. The electricity does go out for 15 min to 1 hr, once or twice a month (mostly during thunderstorms), and the water supply has been pretty consistent, at least for me. Immigration is a pain and does take 2 years (or more) to get and bureaucracy is a bit over the top, but one can get used to it if one exercises patience and proper planning. Language is not that hard to learn and you'd be surprised by how much people's attitude changes toward a foreigner if they make an effort to communicate in the native language of the country they live in. And lastly, aside from the nature, air, and sunshine, the food selection here has boomed, especially after the cervesa sickness, and I personally eat Indian, Thai, German, French, Italian, American, Argentinian, Brazilian, and of course, Costa Rican food every month and the quality is amazing here now. Traffic has improved much, as they've built several wider bridges, expanded highways, and are working on the GAM (Gran Area Metropolitan) circunvalación, which is essentially a huge multi-lane freeway ring around the city, however, driving through the city of San Jose (street surface roads) and in rural areas, is still in the realm of "adventure" and requires a lot of skill and patience. Lastly, getting things from the US/Canada via Amazon or any other online store is fast and easy e.g. took me about 10 days to get a dishwasher delivered to me via air, and about 15 days for a set of Sonos speakers and a soundbar and during Christmas holidays mind you. It's worth mentioning that there's a $500 limit per every 180-day period (per person), when shipping anything here if you are looking to exonerate i.e. get stuff tax/customs free, or you can just go through the regular importation process, but you have to make sure you check the customs rates beforehand, so you are not sticker-shocked when things arrive and you are asked to pay 60% on top of the price you paid in the US + shipping costs, which can end up being literally double of the original price (not all items fall into that category though). Hope that helps! Pura vida :)
Been there 3 times, considering retiring there. I have to take offense about the maids, cooks, security, drivers comments. It’s misguiding to someone that’s not in your privileged position you may be on.
I know, right? This bothered me too. He even says the word "COAST" later in the video. Maybe he sees the word "COST" and thinks of it in terms of COST and PRICES like that. Since he hates the COST. Maybe he is doing it on purpose??
@@michaelgood9218 better say BAD. Well coast is costa in Spanish wich "IS" the same meaning in this country name Costa Rica SO it is understandable IMAO since both words has same meaning be so close in sound pronunciation........AND Spanish language has not the sophistication that English language has on pronunciations....
British people pronounce it like cost and Canada probably also does since they have kind of a mix of British and American words in terms of pronunciation. It's not wrong, just a variation.
Videos like this serve to highlight how *utterly* screwed Americans, Canadians, etc. would be if there was ever some sort of precipitating event that led to a modern luxury disruption lol. Power and water go out once a month? Who cares, man…I’ll lose my electricity in the northeast United States once every month or two for godsake. I have a cabin in the mountains where, if you don’t get up and feed the fire at least once in the night, you’ll wake up in a near-freezing room come sunrise. Have we gotten SO comfortable that we can be surrounded by house staff as the richest people on the block and *still* wind up leaving a place because there’s no Amazon, etc? If it was Honduras, I could certainly understand that…that place has a long way to go. But Costa Rica seems like it’s about all you could ask for in a Central American country at this particular point in history.
I lived in Costa Rica for 18 year,s! I first visited in 1992! I enjoyed it about 85%, and I learned patience, and Spanish! I love visiting the Volcanoes, and beaches! The food was a drawback,except the Ceviche, and the fruit,s! I think Nicaragua is less expensive! People can,t expect Costa Rica to be Canada or the US! That should be the charm of it the differences, in a tropical culture!
I lived and worked in Trinidad & Saint Lucia down in the Caribbean. You can say the same for those islands as well If you're used to a US Canada / Europe , as you say 'friction-free' lifestyle, you won't get it in places like that, unless you are quite wealthy.. However, if you stack that up to my time in Angola and Nigeria, the inconveniences of the Caribbean were so minor in comparison. Also when you're in places like West Africa, you'll learn that you've got it really great and that complaining makes you standout is a horrible person (& believe me I did complain at the time) because you have it so well among so many that are in what you can't even call poverty, or squalor.. They truly live in Hell on Earth, yet somehow find a way to live and sometimes even be happy with what they have. It's really striking. We in the developed world just have it so good that we don't even know it
Australian living in Ghana there is a lot of poverty ad you said but people cope as well as they can and are happy. Happier then most on the Western world People need to travel and see how they live in different places.
So you have a staff of 6 , and complain about everything. We have a place there and have never had a problem getting anything. You sound pretty entitled
Well, for starters people don't usually come to CR to find what they had on their country (because you know realities are different I cannot compare CR with South Korea for example), now to the point San Jose is not the first place to live option usually people that come to our country search the forest and beaches which is what we as a country try to offer to the tourism, the issues with water and electricity that you mentioned sound to me that you were in a part of "San Jose" to close to the forest which is the only interpretation I can get, because usually on far places there are ASADAS who handle the water service locally, the big question that remains here is with all the money you had (you were importing stuff) why you didn't afford a place with a water tank I mean I've seen them in Walmart here in CR, on the infrastructure there is a lot to improve but once again is a developing country who has been working on create a better infrastructure around San Jose on the past years, it is what is needed? I am not sure, but we are trying to improve as an example take Guanacaste that has had a lot of development the past years, again we can still improve but watching your opinion, I am affraid as you said you don't have an adventure spirit; living here has its difficulties but also has good things. The smoothies part killed me, here we have a variety of local fruits you said we have a limitation because we do not have a lot of fruits you were looking for I won't go deepe on this topic, CR food is based on Rice and Beans, I am seeing people complaining about it, but simply there is a said "when in Rome.." we have now a lot of American Franchises, but people who come here come for the CR experience and guess what that is what Costa Ricans have for lunch, breaksfast and dinner. On the other hand not having internet again when did you live here and where dude because if you lived in San Jose you are telling people things that are far from reality (this internet issue is common on places far from San Jose, but i guess that when you built a cabin in a mountain you usually get satelite internet). On the English barrier dude in the day to day live Costa Ricans speak "spanish" hard to believe it I know but is a latin country, for a person who comes to visit it is easier because they go to Tourist places, but if you are living here for God sake try to learn spanish or get down your horse and understand that some people had it difficult to learn and understand.
I live here. I am happy here. Thanks for sharing with us that you really tried hard to make a go of living in Costa Rica but ultimately wasn't able to overcome the friction. It's good that you are adult enough to acknowledge that Costa Rica is not for everyone- that no amount of pulling one's self up by the proverbial bootstraps was going to change the outcome- as that is what it's all about (That is what it's all about, right?).
I have lived in Costa Rica for 24 years. I love the weather, live in my jungles, ocean view, ocean breezes, monkeys, beaches. My kind of place. Life can be a pain in the ass anywhere ☺️ I think comparing San Jose to living in a jungle is kind of funny. For us nature kids it is paradise . I live in the hills of Manuel Antonio with 3 acres. A little homestead ☺️ I left a career in Silicon Valley to live my dreams . I think this is mine. I live simple and teach sustainable healthy living . My dream life. I grow my own food and medicine , build houses with my own fallen trees and bamboo. The Tarzan lifestyle is me☺️ I made kilometers of trails at my farm with a machete by myself. I love this place ☺️ I think living in a jungle is the healthiest cleanest soul healing place in the world. So I am grateful for my two jungles ❤️
I moved to a more tourist oriented place in Nicoya near the beach we bought 1 acre and hope to do the same, while renting extra casitas but the process is costly and long, pura vida ...😂
I would tend to agree that Costa Rica has become the MOST EXPENSIVE COUNTRY IN THE AMERICAS.From traffic gridlock to a growing violent crime wave to terrible roads with kamikazi drivers,look elsewhere.
Wow! Just Wow! Let me tell you something...I am Austrian and married an American. when I was 26 years old. I live in the USA and am still married to the same man for 33 years now and still going strong. I relocated to the US when I was 29 and low and behold this "great America" was a culture shock to me. The country is filthy and trash is everywhere! Just drive along any road and observe the trash left and right. Most people are not friendly and very ignorant towards others.The pace of life is stressful. The main concept of living is "Work, work, work until you drop dead and buy, buy, buy as much as you can along the way so you can flaunt your wealth and can say that "you made it" (whether it's on credit or you actually can afford it, it doesn't really matter). Most people live way above their means just to be able to look down on others. Seems it's not any different in Canada.I have accepted the bad things I encounter as there are many good things the USA can offer too. I am looking forward to a great retirement without worries and Costa Rica is a place we highly consider. I am researching "everything" about this country and that is why I landed on your site here. Do I agree with anything you say? No, because I am totally different in my way of thinking. Instead of accepting things the way they are and be happy about the good things all I see is criticism and you trying to bend everything to YOUR needs alone. There is NO perfect country on this planet. Period! This stance of high self importance in life will never let you find true happiness. You will never understand the concept of "Pura Vida". Good luck to you!
💓Gracias, Down to earth lady☀️ Nowhere is completely perfect,, that’s for sure.. Yes, some things need improvement down here for sure but CR still enjoys and welcomes visitors and newcomers.
Based on your comments you did not move here looking for a place to live, you were looking for a place to have a permanent vacation! I have lived here for 18 years and never want to live anywhere else. First off, only the unknowing would call CR a 3rd world country. Secondly your comments about utilities sound like you were here 50 years ago. I have less problems with utilities than I ever did in the USA, and pay a LOT LESS!. I can't compare to Canada but everything you complained about except shopping and availability of certian items and high cost of imported items were just as bad in the good old USA. Now I will admit I spent a lot of time in the country for 10 years before I moved here and I worked with Latinos for 30 years before I re tired, and I speak Spanish. So I was much better prepared than you were. As for San Jose (your first mistake) is the worst place in the country to live just as almost every big city in the US is not where I would ever choice to live. I live about 25km from SJ in suburb of what was the origional capital of the country. Again, I would never leave, but to each his own.
Good video. I live in CR now and I have been here for 4 years fulltime. First off living in San Jose would suck for me. I have to go there from time to time however leaving is the best part of going there. I live in Flamingo so next to the beach which I love. As you know it is hot here but for me it is tolerable. The residency took me about 1 year or less from start to finish. The banking here is terrible. Extremely poor customer service. The country is more like the wild west. Even though they have rules they are not followed by most people. Traffic, roads and basic infostructure is third world country for sure. The people are nice and laid back. Almost nothing get done in a timely manor. The lack of organization in general from the government to the people is pretty bad. Scammers including prominent lawyers and real estate agents are prevalent. Real estate companies will tell you anything to get the sale. Once you are closed and have an issue, to bad. The positives are unlike the US where I come from it is very free here. The US has become one of the least free places I have seen in all of my travels. My advice to anyone. If you are considering Costa Rica rent for at least a year then decide. 50/50 you will go back to wherever you came from. Buying right now is just like buying anywhere in the world, buying a major top. Costa Rica is not for the faint of heart. Be prepared for serious poverty, homeless animals everywhere (which I try to feed and help) and the people just pay no attention to spaying and neutering these animals. This to me is one of the most disgraceful things about the Country.
Thanks for your honesty. I am panamenian same thing as Costa Rica. Living in USA but planning to return back to my country and thinking of those things you just mentioned.... need to buy a lot of patience I don't know where......
@@buentaste Panama has much lower prices than Costa Rica. I have not been there but I am certain the beauty is as good as Costa Rica. My search took me to Brazil, Columbia and Costa Rica. I also explored Nicaragua but that is a no go for many reasons. To this day Nicaragua requires a vax card to get in. Clearly we know the WHO and the globalist run that country.
I saw the animal issue too, the monkeys were tearing apart a puppy . I felt so bad & wondered why someone would do that. The beaches were full of large dogs digging for food. At least they were playing together. That was nice. It was beyond expensive to have dinner somewhere. We had black blended beans & veggies in a quesadilla, 1 margarita. = $80.00 Breakfast? 2) egg & Cheese croissants, 2 blended strawberry smoothie = 78.00 ouch . Felt ripped off trying to eat a romantic dinner. Even the little store charged 14.00 for milk. This was much more than I ever expected to spend.
I'm glad you made this video. Costa Rica is not for the weak, and you drive that point home. If you don't speak Spanish, Latin America in general is not the place for you. A suburban white guy expecting the comforts of home in the third world, and Costa Rica is the third world, is a recipe for disaster. That's why 80% of the gringos who move here are gone in about 18 months. I've been in Costa Rica for 30 years. My hope is that you do a good job and distract the faint of heart from attempting to relocate here. You know, gringo expats are the reason everything is so expensive. When I first got here a beer was 125 CRC. Historically, Costa Rica has been entirely too accessible to North Americans. I would like to see that change. I'm counting on tourists like you to spread the word and scare away the white people ! Keep up the good work!
It’s a good practice to go and spend a few weeks (possibly a few months) in a place before committing to live there. Many things that people from developed countries take for granted are simply not an option elsewhere. People tend to expect too much from certain places and they get disappointed. If you come from a place like Canada your baseline of expectations is quite high, so you may end up disappointed in many countries
Excellent! Well-described with practical and useful information! I was considering going to Costa Rica, but I feel that Brazil offers a lot more choices.
As an American, I lived there 13 years (2000 - 2013). I agree with all you say. My husband and I are fluent in Spanish so the language was not a problem. Getting residence permits, drivers' licenses, bank accounts, etc was a long process. I imagine it has improved a lot in these past 11 years. The hassles with always having to watch out for thieves got tiring. A number of our friends had their cell phones stolen from them in broad daylight. In spite of having a guard in our street, friends visiting us had their cars broken into. When visiting someone in another neighborhood, our car was stolen. In spite of it all we loved living there and have many close friends. But I don't miss it now that we've moved away.
I can't make up my mind as to this being the worst, or best review vid of Costa Rica. If it helps people not to even try to move there, learn some of the language, accept that you are an immigrant in their country and learn their culture, etc... Then it's the best video. But, for anyone who did a little bit of research and understand where you are going to live, it's the worst. The arrogance and audacity of not even trying to learn the local language is enough to put me off. This is exactly why locals don't like Gringos!
Wow! Good for you... where is this paradise located, by the way? Haven't you experienced violence, a high cost of living, drugs permeating all layers of society, corruption, and prostitution, truly?
You said it was a third world country. Seems like it’s not Costa Rica but an inflexibility on your part. I don’t see any of those issues as issues. Just different. I’m glad you’re in a happier place. I could be happy in Costa Rica. Having a pool to jump into is heads and tales above 85% of the world’s population
Around 20 years ago I spent 4 months in Costa Rica with a view to moving there from the UK. I rented a house on a mountain top over looking Dominical and the Pacific ocean. I was 28 and into surfing and fishing, so it was fantastic at that stage in my life. We ended up leaving CS and living on the Sunshine Coast in QLD Australia, where we still live. I found the pros of Costa Rica to be the obvious coastal lifestyle, the relatively inexpensive and surprisingly advanced health care, the beautiful women (although I wasn't looking) the friendly people and positive attitudes to the environment. The cons were as follows: My girlfriend (now wife) is Australian and for some reason, it was relatively difficult for an Australian to obtain the required visas. Just the rigmarole involved in obtaining tourist extension visas was a put off. We were looking at buying land but heard so many tales of land/houses being squatted by locals if the property was left unattended for any lengthy duration + the difficulties (legally) removing squatters. The amount of petty crime- house being broken into, car being broken into ect.
i lived above Domincal....but way out right on top of the Nauyaca Waterfall... ............ i lived there 2001- 2007....it wasnt too bad because i lived way out in the mountains with only a few campansinos around..but got involved with a woman and tried to live around people.....theft is a sport....the national motto is Costa Rica we make Easy Hard !...an FBI agent stationed in Panama once told me theres 2 kinds of people in Costa Rica..the Caught and the Uncaught.....Costa Ricans can also play the long con....I was on a back to nature kick living way out in the mountains it was great for a while....but i spent alot of time in a surf /beach town Dominical and a small city San isidro...and it was brutal there...great place to go and rent for a winter season....but to buy something and live there year round....LOL....if you know Jules Vernes book the Time Machine.....the time will come when the Morlocks will eat you...
Great channel Michael! I have spent many months working remotely/surfing in CR and love that country. Your assessment is pretty accurate. My only objection would be that the "third world" description is a bit undeserved. By most metrics (GDP per capita, stability, life expectancy, education, crime etc.) CR is an upper middle income economy and has done fairly well for 30 years now. With that being said, your reasons for leaving are totally understandable. It's gotten outrageously expensive. The roads and traffic are bad, and the import taxes are definitely annoying. The internet is fine in most places now. I believe one of the reasons CR has gotten so expensive is the "milkshake effect" - meaning that the country's stability has sucked up all the capital and expat money in the region. With the exception of Panama, CR's Central American neighbors are decades behind - hence why an American expat interested in Central America is still more willing to drop $2m for a villa in Papagayo, rather than spending a third of that across the border in Nicaragua. Personally, I'm currently looking to buy in Mexico ;)
We have been living on the carribean side of Costa Rica. We now have streaming video, more stores and houses everyday. If your looking for fast food, or all the frozen food. Don't come. We eat most of our meals at home. The cost of clothing in Puerto Viejo is less than California. We paid 300 grand to build our house overlooking Cahuita National. Roads suck, but it's better than going so slow on freeways. Property tax in California was 5 grand a year and here it's 500 for our house. Don't forget that the US puts tariffs on everything shipped. We do pay lots more for cheese, or any item shipped in. $60 to have our AC just in our master bedroom. We got a whole new engine rebuild for 3 grand. If you choose to use the medical system it's a pain, but all the equipment and Dr's are top rated. When I got covid, one call and an ambulance came, took me to the local clinic, then on to the hospital where they found out that I had the worst pneumonia you could get. The locals are so friendly. Yup the power goes out and usually is out for less than a day. In the California mountains, our power would go out so much that we had a generator. When we got it here have only used it once. We have streaming video. The reason it takes so long to get residency is because of the volume. We transfer money from our California bank as we live on our SSI checks. The food is really really good. Yea lots of restaurants are no good, but what restaurants that are give you a discount. On our little street, we have Canadian, US, France and Germany. We are on well water and we dug a California deep well, so we have water. My meds are free, about 500 a month if I had to pay. Yes some systems aren't so good, like their usage of paper and when you buy something you do have to go to 3 places before you leave. Where can you have iguanas, sloths, capuchin monkeys and howler monkeys. Plus the birds will make you a bird watcher. Lots of times we just go to the beach to watch the beautiful sunsets. Everyone hates San Jose, but if you need anything you can find it. We have a network of people to call for everything that we can't fix ourselves. The gas here is about as,expensive as California, plus no mass shootings. Why they make you take classes when you are a permanent citizen. Jump through hoops just to get a gun. Yes we have the columbians shipping drugs through Costa Rica. But if you stay away from druggies, no problem. I hate the roads, but the beach road is pretty good, but in PV it has been torn up as they are building a new water treatment plant. We are godparents to a Tico family who are so poor but happy than any US people that I ran into. A smile will go a long way. We volunteer at a kitty rescue as they have no animal shelters from the government. We have the best coffee place right across from the beach. Do we have problems, yes no country is perfect. So I'll continue to sit on the terrace watching all the wildlife. 10 years ago, no one would visit or even stay here so the beaches are beautiful. I love CR with all its problems, it's no Canada or the US which are all about convince😂, which is not what CR is all about. Actually stay away, it's getting crowded on the Caribbean side. I love my adopted country. ❤ Because we cook our food costs for 2 people is about 10 dollars a day. 😅😊
The fact is the majority of the local tico population,farmers/ coffee farmers are very poor and they live on $500 or less,A month, it is not a rich country. The government was close to broke before covid.Its a miracle that it hasn't collapsed.
This guy is super out of touch with anything remotely resembling an everyday working man. He has drivers?Cooks? Maids? Guards? Wtf lol Then he complains it rains lots and causes blackouts. He hates the great local food dishes at sodas. What a whiner
I've lived in CR almost a decade, basically because I don't like what America has become. It's not easy for someone my age -- over 70 -- to live here, but I get left alone in this country, and I am not hated for my gender and race in this country. As a gringo I am more accepted in CR than I was in the U.S. That's not exactly a ringing endorsement of America.
I was born and raised in Costa Rica and I am a US citizen now and I can tell you that it’s sad to see this short minded attitude, the attitude of having everything yet not having enough whereas others have very little and “have it all”, I’ll explain. These are the people that we roll our eyes at when they visit our country because of their entitlement, rigidity and lack of people skills due to their pampered life. It’s sad that you present Costa Rica as a “3rd world country” with “friction” haha like the US doesn’t have friction, plus the United States is a first world country with 3rd world country problems too. Having lived in Iowa for 5 years now I can tell you this Costa Rica: I used to drink fresh, 100% clean water out of my tap and walk up to the mountains and drink 100% fresh clean water out of a creek. US: all water is polluted, I have to buy my water bottled. A first world country with not easily accessible drinkable water? It’s said that if you drink water for 10 years here you get cancer, out of water? In a first world country? Costa Rica: I used to be able to walk up to a waterfall and swim in crystal clear water. US: all the water in this state is polluted for the most part, it can have E-colli and it’s merkey, ain’t swimming in that. Costa Rica: Used to get fresh produce from the farmers market, I ate two kinds of fruits everyday and vegetables regularly and I used to know exactly what farmers put in their crops because I lived by the farms. US: most of the food has GMOs, pesticides, if you want to eat “organic” it costs you a lot, I eat 1/3 of the amount of fruits I used to eat in Costa Rica because most fruit is imported and expensive, a mango that used to cost me 1/2 a dollar in Costa Rica costs me $5 here. Costa Rica: you go to the mountains and breathe fresh air, it took me only 30 minutes-1 hour to drive to mountain ranges. US: all air is polluted where I live, you literally breath pesticides all day long, there are planes flying above us spraying with pesticides and I have to spend $400+ on a ticket plus rent a car or drive miles and miles to get to mountains. Costa Rica: you are forced to socialize with people because the lifestyle there forces you to GO OUT where there are people everyone that want to socialize, #1 depression fighting recipe. US: the system is made for you to socialize as little as possible, it’s made to isolate which results in people with very little social skills and high rates of depression and suicide, broken family bonds, etc Costa Rica: the simple life shows you that you don’t need the latest car or latest this and that to be happy, just go adventure for free hiking to a waterfall or visiting a beach with friends, a few snacks and boom you’ll learn what really matters in life. US: you’re no one if you don’t have the latest this and that, you gotta work and work your butt off to be someone or to even be able to have friends because pretty much every activity they want to do requires you to have money because there’s no nature or anything outside to do. Costa Rica: had good internet at $15 a month, electricity went out every now and then, and for water all you needed was a water tank to save for when water went out every once in a while. US: I’m paying $100 for internet and have had to call the technicians twice in the last month, the internet sucks, it lags, slows down or stops working at all, I work online to, so not very convenient, the water pipes can freeze in the winter which can create huge problems, we don’t have that kind of “friction” in Costa Rica, having to watch the pipes or put a heater close to certain areas so the water doesn’t freeze inside the pipes and make them burst which can cost you thousands to fix because we don’t have freaking freezing winters there like here. You can call that friction for sure, and guess what? I’m getting it in the US. Costa Rica: everyone tells you hi wherever you go, people start a conversation out of nothing and at the end of the day you come home happy because you had fun interactions. US: you can’t even make eye contact because some people feel uncomfortable, you might try to start a conversation but if you’re interrupting their little bubble in their head then the conversation doesn’t go further than “good morning, how are you?, good, have a good day”, oh and if they notice an accent it’s even worse. Costa Rica: my husband can become a Costa Rica citizen in 3 years, it took me 5 to be a US citizen, so I don’t know why complain about Costa Rica and all the paperwork and money they ask you for the US citizenship is ridiculous. Costa Rica: I get full health coverage for $70 a month it covers surgeries, cancer treatments, ambulance, everything and I never have to worry about ending bankrupt. US: worst health-care system in the world, some people would reject an ambulance just because they can’t afford it? That’s bizarre, do I have to say more? Costa Rica: most families meet once a year and have the time of their lives, I am always looking forward to family gatherings, family is huge, like you take care of your parents at their home until they die, children, grandchildren all come to visit grandma and grandpa and share the load of taking care of them. US: some parents want their kids out of the house at 18? Some families don’t call or see each other for years? And most kids drop their parents at an elderly home and forget about them because they are “a burden”, I mean, you do that to the ones that raised you and took care of you? The independent spirit here sometimes is too much for me. With this I’m not saying everyone does that, but if we compare the percentages of one vs the other Costa Rica has a much higher rate when it comes to family orientation than the US. I would say, if you’re an unadaptable, rigid, pampered person with very little social skills, that expects everyone to adapt to you when you are the foreigner, or that has no ability to understand what real human connection and respect means please don’t even go visit other countries because you create a bad reputation for future foreigners that do deserve to experience other cultures because they view it as more of a growth journey. I have worked for those 1% percenters, rich people that all they care about is money, and let me tell you oh my word, they don’t even say hi to you, they view you as just a means to their ends, I don’t think they know the happiness of real human connections and I actually feel sad for them because at the end of the day they have “everything” and nothing at the same time, but they don’t know it because they live in their little bubble, but they might ask themselves why their still miserable lol. So my purpose here is not to put the US down because there are some great things about living in the US, but when we compare we see everywhere in the world has pros and cons, but the problem in the end is the attitude we have, that can create more problems than the “frictions”, it’s all about how we navigate life anywhere we are
Wow, what an annoying comment section. You can't criticize anything without triggering someone these days EVEN AFTER CAVEATS. People take everything personally due to THEIR CHARACTER DEFECTS. Your observations about Costa Rica are spot on. It doesn't deserve a break because of the prices. They aren't inaccurate because the offended people here value something different.
the more primitive a culture/ppl is/are (everyone represents also its own culture) the more they get triggered by sceptics even if every idiot should have learned that not the ones who idealize odd things are the ones who help to progress/make things better. some ppl just dont get it (learning resistance).
You obviously did not do your homework before leaving for Costa Rica. There is no excuse for mistakes like that nowadays. On a different note, today we say Developing Nation, never "third world country", that is so twentieth century. Moreover, if you want to live in Costa Rica with the same standards of living as in Canada, you need to choose a private gated community where Canadians that either have more money than you and, or did their homework live. Finally, nobody leaves for Costa Rica to live in San José... you did not do your homework!!!
As a Costarrican listening to a foreign dude saying that our food choice are not good enough makes me laugh! Obviously you don’t know Costa Rica! In fact I don’t even know why would you moved there if you are looking to live the same way you lived in Canada. Obviously every country has their own way of living and yes! Costa Rica is an expensive country thanks to the foreigners who bought the land and build their business bringing the prices up but I guess you didn’t learn that.
I’m from CR and I understand what you said. I lived there my first 26 years of my life and I’ve been living in the USA for 23 years and what I can tell you is that it’s 2 different types of living . You’re thinking like a Canadian living in a different country but the life there is naturally beautiful and the food is much better simple and natural. I love both countries because I’m able to adapt to many different circumstances.
We lived in CR decades ago and still have family there. My opinion is CR is a set of training wheels for people moving abroad. They want to move abroad and for some reason CR comes up a lot. We would never live there. It is very very similar to Nicaragua at double or triple the price. We retired 5 months ago and will be traveling for 4-5 years between Mexico and Argentina, in search of our favorite cool weather retirement city. We are currently in Matagalpa, Nicaragua until February, next heading to Guatemala and Mexico. We have great cell service, very high speed internet, and even though we don’t budget, in a nice 3/2 house our total bills come out to $1000-$1100 ! Try doing that in CR !
it's regrettable that there are people dedicated to denying or minimizing real problems. Violence, high cost of living, drugs that have permeated all layers of society, corruption, prostitution... unfortunately,. There is a group of individuals (an ARMY) attempting to persuade others that the issues don't exist.
We are leaving Costa Rica in a few days. We’ve been here for 1 years. We bought a Santa Fe from Autos Max in Grecia and it was super expensive and now we are selling it. The odometer was rolled back 100,000 km when we bought it. I’ve never felt so ripped off. Don’t trust them, all they do is pretend to be friends to separate you from your money.
I'm sorry, but he's right, the value for money isn't there. After reading several comments, I can't help but respond, but it's important to temper things and pay attention to what's being said. I think, at least that's what came across for me in the video, that the problem isn't the lifestyle of this gentleman, who seems to have the financial means, but rather the cost of living/quality ratio, compared to other countries, and he says he's fine with it in other countries (like Asia). So we're talking about the cost/quality of life ratio, and for that I can only agree with him. Services are generally mediocre, restaurants, hotels, real estate agents, repairmen, mechanics for prohibitive prices, on the other hand hospital services, doctors, dentists etc are very cheap and above all good services. As far as food is concerned don't expect to eat organic or quality products again mediocre quality for a high price and even if you wish to pay full price you can be on it. I'd like to make it clear that we've been living in Costa Rica for 5 years now, and unfortunately we've come to the same conclusion. We don't have a housekeeper, driver or anything else, but we make a good living. Now I just hope that with time people will be more and more educated, that import taxes will be reduced and that the country will produce more internally. I'd like to stress that things are getting better all the same, and to answer the problem Amazon now delivers directly, without going through Miami. Try to be objective and stop creating controversy where none exists, our world is bad enough as it is.sorry for my english, I speak better Spanish ;)
Sounds like he had American/Canadian expectations and standards in a foreign country. His “frictions” sound like a lack of respect for the culture and people. Research the country and best/worst parts. Costa Rica is very open about these things on Google.
Expectations is maybe the wrong term. Preferences is probably more accurate and yes this is why South East Asia etc is often more appealing to people than many parts of Latam
Great video! Looking at where people actually choose to stay is a super insightful observation. I know many people who moved to Malta but very few stay there more than a year.
1st thing I noticed is the pronunciation of the name of the country. It is not costuh rica, it is coasta rica...cost, no, coast, si. I only mention it because the index of Gringo viability is in direct proportion to the energy they choose to put into learning the language of the people, to say nothing of the proper pronunciation of the country itself. I am from California and I l lived in Costa with my wife and kids for a year, 1978 1979. Magical place, great folks, priceless memories.
All I can say as a soon to be Costa Rican resident, my husband and I love, love, love Costa Rica! We have bought property here and we are soooo happy it is not the same lifestyle as USA, Canada, and Bermuda. (where we are from). We absolutely love the people, as well as the beauty of the country.❤
Because he seems to want a tiny poor country that is beloved for it's wildlife and friendly people to be a cheap version of Toronto with far better weather. He seems entitled. Like the nation was supposed to change for him when he showed up. And the changes he wants would destroy the place. It's quite off-putting. Costa Rica needs to fill up with posh expats and China-made trash from Amazon like the Mona Lisa needs a handlebar mustache.
Dude...I’m sure CR is happy you left. I’m a Canadian living here 24yrs. You obviously didn’t get it. Over the years I’ve seen soooo many people with unfulfilled expectations crash and burn and leave. It’s a simple place and yes it is more expensive than any other Central American country, but at the same time it is WAY less expensive than Canada. Obviously not the country for you.😊
I am from Santa Barbara area... arguably some of the highest standard living in the world... but I have lived all over the world. It's more interesting. I like luxury but I don't need all the corners nerfed either. Hardship is good for the soul
The weather is not a good enough reason for the trade-off. I lived in C.R. nearly forty years ago. When I came back I though I'd find "advances", specially because of the advertising. Nowwhere near. In fact, Ticos are nice if they need something from you, but if you make a request they will turn mean on you. To where they will do EXACTLY the opposite of what you asked for to spite you. Out of nowhere. I was obligated to stay in the city to administrate a property of a deceased relative and found this time to be downright uncomfortable and unsafe. I'm leaving at the earliest to never come back. This is NOT a country to retire to.
@russolmt I would live there for a second passport and I want one(I want Panama more)but sounds like you are right. San josé locals do not seem to welcome tourists either. Thank you for your opinion.
Watching from dubai where the water is off for a few hours right now😂 good points but sometimes we need to look deeper. The values of costa ricans are wonderful.
Ugh please stay in Canada … so much privilege in your video criticizing a country where you hire 10 house staff to look after you and you’re still complaining. Costa Rica is not supposed to be like living in the US or Canada. That’s why people love living there. Stay home if you can’t live in harmony with the places you’re lucky enough to visit and learn how to manage your expectations 🙏
Who would ever buy frozen fruit when you have local fresh tropical fruit? I do get the internet problem, I need it for work, so that might be an issue for me, and ofc things aren't so smooth, but there is always a trade off obviously. Also I don't get how somebody lives there for 3 years and doesn't learn Spanish. It's an easy language to learn, honestly was my first thought when considering moving there that I have to learn the language even before going there... I think only NA people are so arrogant to expect everyone just speak english and they dont need to learn shit. I honestly cannot imagine moving somewhere and not even planning on learning the language - wtf? Thankx for the video still.
Exactly. It makes no sense. If Frozen fruit and Amazon deliveries are so important to him, he should stay in Canada. It is cold 9 months of the year, lots of frozen fruits (mostly imported from Costa Rica) you can still get packages quickly.
8 years ago I retired. My short list of countries to retire to, were Costa Rica or Thailand. Costa Rica had many positive things going for it. Nice Weather, nice people, good food, casinos, and fairly safe. Only 5-6 hour flight to get back to the states. And like every country on this planet, their were a few negatives. However I did retire to Thailand. Money goes pretty far here. And just like Costa Rica, we have nice weather, most of the time. Right now they are having massive flooding in the north part of the country which is not unusual. Thailand does not get earth quakes, or have volcanoes. CR has both. Thailand has nice people, great food, NO casinos as of yet, and fairly safe. I use to fly back to the States once a year, but those long flights were just to much for me. No more flying back to the States. Which is a big negative. If I had to do it over again, I might have lived in Costa Rica for 6 months and then Thailand for 6 months.
This guy is the perfect example of gentrification. Comes to a country and pretends to change everything around him to suit him. If you have this mindset please don’t try to gentrify other people’s land.
I'm currently here, checking it out to see if it's suitable. Not at all. Exactly the same reasons as you, first world prices and 3rd world quality. Almost every AirBNB I've stayed in there has been issues. I've had to cancel like 3 of them so far. Hot water wasn't included in 3 of them, despite like $700USD/week price tag! Absolutely insane, I feel quite insulted most of the time like how you feel walking in a popular area of Thailand and being harassed by vendors - the whole country feels like that, just because of the prices. And yeah, the stupid gutters - I drove off the road twice and bottomed out my rental car. Super scary! As you say, awesome to visit, wonderful nature, but wouldn't want to live here. Also not keen to pay import taxes on my packages. I'm heading to south east asia.
SE Asia is the planet Gideon (Star Trek ref). I like Vietnam, Thailand, Malasia, Singapore. Singapore is terrific but difficult to move there unless you are hired by a heavy hitter or have serious teaching credentials. Vietnam and Thai both have a history of giving expats a hard time during economic or disease crises.
@@anonymousdonor8084 Thanks, yeah I'm going to try out Vietnam because my friend is going to be teaching there. I'm going to get an investment visa, I think you can renew it, thought still figuring that out. I'm a little worried what will happen when the shit hits the fan, but I've decided I'd rather live somewhere a little risky than not be happy to begin with haha. I was living in Paraguay, super safe, super bored, no beaches. They like to pretend rivers are beaches.
your credibility for being an expert on costa rica equals zero because you never learned to even pronounce "costa rica" Yes its true you have to adjust to not being in control of everything. It's good that those that dont get over that hump in life leave or dont come in the first place. More pura vida for the rest of us who love life here.
I'd suggest you read some of the comments giving feedback. This video is very subjective and a lot of what he says is easily fixed by making different choices.
Costa Rica is a great place to live, however one must be prepared for the Cons and not just the Pros. Also one cannot generalize such things as the water is off one day a month or the electricity goes out once a week as that will vary greatly based on your chosen location to live within Costa Rica. Perhaps the biggest mistake is to try to recreate your North American life exactly as you had it there because then you can find it to be more expensive than it should be. Most expensive things are those that are imported but fortunately most of those are not monthly recurring expenses such as a vehicle, a washer/dryer, refrigerator, TV, Computer, designer clothes, cellphone, etc. You budget for that once every ten year hit and deal with it. Also if you must eat those packaged and canned foods imported and purchased at a local supermarket chain then that would be an ongoing expensive habit. Otherwise, rentals (unfurnished), transportation, local healthy and fresh food from Farmer´s market fairs, etc. will be quite cheap. Most Ticos do not make more than $1000 a month and yet manage to live very happy lives and to eat well. If you add to that all the great places you can enjoy visiting while living here, it can be your personal paradise and of course learning Spanish is a must if you want to get the most out of the experience. More updated info here costaricasbestguide.com
That's where you went wrong. You stayed in San Jose. As a Costa Rican, I would never live there. There are challenges living here. Lots of pros and cons. It all depends on your expectations and where in the country you live. Knowing Spanish is a must to be able to make it long term. If you never try, you'll end up back in the US or Canada with your tails between your legs.
Costa Rica is definitely one of those places that the people who are relocating there have a certain set of priorities and reasons for wanting to move there a specific kind of lifestyle not necessarily material luxury but rich in life
I really appreciate your honest video! Our lifestyles are very different, so our appraisals of Costa Rica living would be too, but i still really appreciate your honest appraisal from your point of view. Informative and good video! Gracias!
Great video but I am glad to see comments from people currently living there. My husband and I want to move to Costa Rica and are doing the research now.
The rivers are polluted, the beaches are mostly unsafe, and there's a rampant drug issue. I strongly advise against moving there without thoroughly testing the country for at least six consecutive months.
If the US in general, and American citizen specifically stopped spending their money in Costa Rica it would collapse. Based on that, don't you think it would be more prudent that the country have a big push to learn English so they can better interact with the people that are bringing millions and millions and millions to their economy? You notice Pilots don't have to learn 30 language to fly International routes.. English is standardized.. if you want me to bring you customers then learn how to talk to them because they plan on spending their money at your place
Interesting point of view! My personal perspective is that if you give only a half chance to a person or place, it will never work out. And this brings me to learning the language. I made efforts to learn Spanish as much as I could to pay my respect to this part of the world and the following happen: I know where to buy organic food from local farmers (also when to buy it with the biggest discounts), I can buy fresh fish directly from the beach as I know when to come, I can buy other organic produce such as cacao, coconut oil, etc. through local people, I found a little house on the beach with a reasonable price, I bought a second hand car in a great condition for half the price I see around, I do whale tours with local fishermen for a great price. All this thanks to incredibly kind local people so learning basic Spanish truly paid off in every aspect of my life. The same was true when I lived in Germany. I agree that living without Amazon is harder, but it taught me how to be mindful about consuming and buying things. Costa Rica is some way encourages people to live differently, more in nature and less surrounded by things. So it’s a personal choice about the place which fits to people’s priorities. Getting the residency is harder but as a foreigner I respect it. In the end, it will be always a tico land and we, foreigners, should stay comfortable but still humble. I hope you will find the most beautiful and happy home where you can thrive. All the best for you! ☘️
Most of the people here are clearly either lying or blind. This guy is 100% correct. Haven't you experienced violence, a high cost of living, drugs permeating all layers of society, corruption, and prostitution in CR, truly?
Lived there for over a year. COSTA RICA IS way over-rated and definitely overpriced. American prices (and sometimes even higher) for hotels, food, gas, drinks etc... and it is all much lower quality. Retail items like clothing and electronics are way more expensive that in the USA. Lodging has many non-functioning items, uncomfortable beds, food is generally boring at restaurants, taxis expensive, and customer service everywhere is non existent and they actually don't really care. I'd prefer Nicaragua or Panama in Central America. Actually, I should have lived in Brazil for my year abroad. Big mistake on my part.
Check out Costa Rica’s massive use of pesticides in Cavendish banana plantations, the ones tourists don’t see in the former virgin forests on the Caribbean coast and then go back to your yoga mats, farmers markets and zip line tours. But don’t, whatever you do, critique the sullen Ticos exhausted by being nice to oblivious gringos living that brilliant Pura Vida advertising campaign.
Thank you for the heads up!! These are great facts that are good to know, most videos just show the nice spots that make u want to visit. I like knowing the truth of living day to day. Well done!!
You could apply 95% of what Michael says in this video to Puerto Rico as well. American's flock there thinking it's a panacea and cave within months because it's basically the same as Costa Rica in most places.
This is what exactly greengos have it wrong.. Thinking because diferent county names they are differents. WRONG. All Latin America is the same shit ....
I've travelled to Puerto Rico 10 times, and yes, Condado is basically like living in Miami, as far as cost. Although, I have stayed in Condado for less than half the cost of Hollywood/Ft. Lauderdale/Miami on two vacations, and that was going all out and living it up. But, that takes some careful planning and choosing the right dates. However, if you venture 2 hours out from San Juan in almost any direction, you can live at a cost that is a mere fraction of even the cheaper places in the US or Canada. Especially if you stick to buying food at markets and street food, where you can have delicious chicken skewers for $2. My recommendation for Americans is to visit San Juan/Condado once for a few days and enjoy the Americanized part of PR for what it is and at basically the same costs you're used to back home. Then, any other time you visit PR for vacation or to live, get way outside of San Juan and live like a local. I'll also point out in general, that this is the formula for living cheaply in any country, whether living in the US or Canada, or venturing to some foreign locale. If you stay in the touristy areas anywhere in the world, you're going to pay well for it.
I love when people post on here that I am Costa Rican please don't come to my country buying up my land taking up my resources. What do you think that country would look like if American dollars we're not flowing through your economy and you did not have the United States military protection?
We retired in CR 2 years ago and still here. Best choice for us. We shop at our huge farmers market and support all our locals. Our foods are fresh and delicious and our costs here are much cheaper than USA. All our friends are locals and we immerse ourselves into the people culture, history and foods. We don't live in the tourist areas and and we live a simple but healthy and happy lifestyle here. We don't have drivers, maids , etc etc and we knew when moving here we didn't want to live the same as in USA. We had our residency in 89 days with our good Attorney. The lifestyles you choose here will determine the affordability. Everything for us is cheaper and that was what we wanted. We have fast speed fiber optic internet and our power rarely goes out . Location is the key and if people choose tourist area's and beach towns you will pay much more !! We won't be moving from Costa Rica because our health and lives have improved tremendously these two years. Our Autistic son lives here too with us and he loves his life here. No one should have expectations when moving abroad.
Sandy , what do you do for medical care?
We've been here 8 years. Never leaving
I have the same question about medical care. And, would you be willing to share your attorney's name Sandy? Gracias!
Would be possible for you to share the lawyer's contact info?
Do you own a car? If yes how is driving there?
What do you do for healthcare and are you satisfied?
I moved to Costa Rico to GET AWAY from constant phone life, online ordering, introversion, Home bound sedentary computer diversions. I moved to Costa Rica to GET OUT of the house... go to markets, parks, hikes, meeting people, neighbor gatherings, face to face interaction, heathy local food, locally made clothes and housewares, art, music. When friction happens I bring a local friend and they walk me through the local way of removing the friction. "I like the friction" because it causes the short sighted and narrow self -obsessed expats to MOVE ALONG to another country.
Exactly... 👍
Nice comment man, I currently live in the Netherlands and you summed up what I want to escape from. I guess the US and Northern European life style are pretty similar.
I'll move to a Caribbean island next year, but Costa Rica is on my radar and I will definatly check it out when I'm living in the region.
I'm glad he left CR
this guy should shut up and move back to the US
Very well said. You've expressed my sentiments precisely.
Costa Rica is definitely not the place to move to if "friction" bothers you. I think this video is a perfect example of not doing enough good research before moving, having unrealistic expectations, and trying to live a North American lifestyle in Costa Rica. Very, very, few Ticos employ six people including drivers and cooks.
How can anywhere be more expensive then Canada?
@@jamesdingwell4639I know he did not do his research before moving .
Canada. ? Lmfao.. come to Long Island. Bucks.
Exactly a lot of people from there before they moved they moved for the wrong reasons creating that perception of they wiil be happy here when they were not even able to solve internally their own persona, they have no clue about sustainability or move here and want to be at USA. The gross will be like the need to have a planet Hollywood in the middle of the rain forest. Its disappointing that with many nature you need that kind of fancy hotels and never happy. Just go back to Las Vegas no not waste your money coming here. I totally prefer my country like before instagram. in the 90s. Tired of this constant BS everywhere in instagram here youtube coming from people that didnt know even what is Costa Rica when it was founded, no even a course about sustainability.
I'm costa rican and i agree with most of the things you said, specially infrastructure, but in our defence i must add that we are giving out so much in order to keep the country green, electricity for example, we have it 99% renewable and green and we also export it to the rest of central america, and also happens that CR ranks 3rd country with the most rain in the planet, so thunder, renewable energy reliability, and exporting makes us very prone to blackouts. We could just burn coal or deal with nuclear waste and live a comfortable life, but that is not sustainable and not the goal of CR.
Life is pretty expensive but only if you want to, you can choose to buy a cheaper car instead of the shiny brand new one and is going to take you anywhere just as well.
At the end of the day, it depends on what you are looking for, if you are trying to replicate your lifestyle here, it's doable but then is going to cost you a lot and if that is what you are looking for, then why not stay there where you have already your life style?, if you are trying to change the pace, the way of your life, then this country could be a choice. You win the game of life by being happy, and if the trade-offs of costa rica makes you happier, then it makes sense, if not, then it's probably not for you.
By the things you mentioned, you probably would be happier living in Hawaii.
True. Once people know Hawaii well,, they often move to CR
Well said!
Life is pretty expensive, Costa Rica is a rip off, there is no value for money here.
💜💜
I love u ur defence
NEWS FOR YOU, DUDE. I am from Kansas, have lived in Costa Rica over 20 years. CR is NOT a third world country! We are second world of course. Not perfect of course, but foreigners are allowed to buy property, which is NOT allowed in many countries.
So when you left Kansas for Costa Rica the IQ went up in both places!
Second world country? I have often wondered why countries are only referred to as Third world or First world but nobody ever mentions Second world countries.
I think you are the problem here. You wanted a Canada in Costa Rica and when they didn’t become Canada you left. I hope that more people move out and leave more space for us.
best answer i have read.
I'm a Canadian also and I would like to take his place in Costa Rica. I'm vacationing here in Costa Rica right now and I think I prefer it over Canada.
Good lord...he is giving his OPINION on his own preferances. Chill!
here, here
Exactly 👍
Thank's God it is not for everyone, imagine if it was.
Non capisco
Please say that again!
Wow. As an expat living in Costa Rica, I find this video a great example of privileged paternalism criticizing
those less privileged! A household staff of six, a pool, drivers, condescending attitude toward the food and cooking of Ticos….Dude came here and wanted to teach locals how to cook? Oh please. He says he’s lived in numerous countries. But he’s also left those as well. Maybe the problem isn’t the countries….
Exactly. He sounds like an entitled teenager who just traveled for the very first time in his whole life.
yeah go back to Canada and live under dictator Trudeau ! lets see how fantastic and free that life is over there
i mena the food does suck
An example of person who would never be happy anywhere he goes. As for me, who think about retiring there one day, none of the silly reasons he mentioned bother me.
Cry some more. The guy is right. Your whining has no impact on that. Grow up already
Thank you for taking the time to make this video. Having been only once and planning a second trip shortly, many of the things that bothered you are what are attractive to us. I found the food to be local, fresh, and bright. I found the people to be genuine. I found the connection between people and place to be refreshing. I found a much more relaxed pace. My take away from your experience is that it doesn't appear that you attempted to assimilate to the culture and expected COSTA (pronounced: kow-stah) Rica to be where you came from. I don't intend on hiring a staff of 6. (really? Your privilege is showing) I don't expect to find fruits and vegetables imported from places far away. I don't expect a gas station on every corner. I don't expect Amazon to deliver my package the next day. I don't expect people to speak English. Again, thank you for sharing your experience and I hope you enjoy the journey of your future travels. Be well.
Love your kind response!
I've lived in Costa Rica and I am not picky. Don't do it, you'll regret it sooner. The rivers are dirty and contaminated, most beaches are unsafe, and drugs are rampant. The infrastructure is deteriorating, as stated by Costa Ricans themselves. The prices for everything are absurd, poverty and violence are everywhere... Save yourself a headache, don't move there without having lived there for at least 6 months... because 90% of those who do regret it sooner rather than later. Don't even think about getting married, you'll lose everything. And if you're American, the embassy won't help you, and you'll end up with local lawyers paying them gringo prices. Add to this the disregard for time, which is life itself. Don't be fooled. The Costa Rican government spends millions and millions on propaganda to attract you. Believe me, look for another place.
Sounds like you are in a bad place after a failed marriage?
@@4kambiosound like America
@@4kambio thank you for sharing. Praying and wishing you all the best.
i'm costa rican and i 100% understand how our life is not for everyone, i'm just wondering how you did not know about some of these things sooner? 💀
Yeah it’s seems like a Google search would explain most of these things before arrival
he came for the hookers at the Del Rey... then he realzied he couldnt afford it long term
Hearing about something and living it are not the same thing. Sometimes you don't know how it will work for you until you try!
This video will help do exactly that for others.
I’m visiting right now and all i can think is how we’re not living life right back in the states. Growing up in California in a coastal town definitely translates well if you can get over having certain luxuries
From Canada but I've been to Costa Rica twice now, for about 3 weeks each time. First time explored Puntarenas and decided we needed to come back, second time explored Guanacaste and looked at a bunch of property while we were there. I've been learning spanish for the past 5 years on and off and can tell you without a doubt in my mind that if you don't know Spanish you're missing out on Costa Rica's biggest plus...the people. When you make an effort it pays you back tenfold. We love the weather, I love the fishing..but the people are why we are moving there. Of course they are not all amazing, nothing's perfect, but by and large I have never in all my travels experienced such warm and inviting people.
You are so right about the people. Very warm, sweet, and chill.
You should reconsider your decision. You'll soon find yourself regretting it. The rivers are polluted, the beaches are mostly unsafe, and there's a rampant drug issue. While most people are good, don't expect straightforward answers, especially if you're dealing with any business or legal matters-it could be a nightmare. I strongly advise against moving there without thoroughly testing the country for at least six consecutive months.
@@4kambio which country would you recommend?
Well, everybody certainly has the right to their opinion, and these reasons are why many people end up leaving Costa Rica. This is probably a good video of things not to do if you move to Costa Rica. First, there comes an acceptance that things aren't going to be the same as what you're used to back home. I hope people research that before moving anywhere. The idea that it's difficult to get things delivered to your door such as with Amazon is a small price, in my opinion, for the tradeoff of all the good things about Costa Rica. Regarding how expensive it is, sure, it can be very expensive depending on how you live. For me, I always buy Costa Rican products, shop at the marketplace, eat at sodas, etc. And avoid expensive imported products for everyday living. The food? Wow, for me, the food is some of the best in the world. Eating at sodas is extremely affordable and delicious. If it were me, I'd also avoid living in San Jose. I do speak Spanish and as another person commented, if you don't speak Spanish, you are missing out on all the wonderful people you could meet and conversations you could have. That said, I found your video very upfront and honest, and these are real reasons why some foreigners don't stay in Costa Rica.
Violence, high cost of living, drugs permeating all levels of society, corruption, prostitution... I speak Spanish too. I can assure you that many comments on UA-cam are part of a propaganda campaign. There's a concerted effort to downplay or deny the very real problems I've mentioned. Don't do it. Don't move there without spending six consecutive months in the country. Only then can you make an informed decision.
But you need to live in a guarded community or isn`t it such unsafe?
That's interesting and living in Mexico myself I agree with many points. But 3 years and no spanish that's not very serious. You can do duolingo 15 min a day, speak with locals, take notes and revise time to time.
You can not even pronounce Costa Rica after living there for three winters. It says a lot about the effort you made to immerse yourself in the culture.
Right? That discredited the video right away.
Cost of rica lmao
It’s his own accent..
My Dad has been married to a Costa Rican for over 40 years, been to the country several times, and STILL . . . STILL says “Casta Rica!!” PLEASE! Just say “COAST-Ah”, Dad!
@@jucxox he said the word “coast” and “road” with how the “o” should be prounounced in “Costa” . Thus it’s not an accent issue, but rather ignorance.
The best asset in Costa Rica are Costa Ricans. Amazing people, kind, sweet and generous. One of the few places I was treated as a whole person, not a race.
You haven't been to Belize then. I have visited both. Costa Rica was a hit or miss as far as friendliness but in Belize everyone I encountered was very friendly! Belize had better food and far more cheaper too.
This guy went to Costa Rica looking for frozen fruits… Let that sink in.
It sounds like your sense of entitlement was the real issue.
Great video, Michael! I currently live in Costa Rica, and have been here since 2015. I agree with you on almost everything, and as you mention, the infrastructure (especially around Internet and cellular) has improved exponentially in the past 2-3 years e.g. I have a very stable and fast Internet connection of 300/30 Mbps and a pretty nice 4G LTE postpaid plan with a combined cost of less than $80 /mo. The electricity does go out for 15 min to 1 hr, once or twice a month (mostly during thunderstorms), and the water supply has been pretty consistent, at least for me. Immigration is a pain and does take 2 years (or more) to get and bureaucracy is a bit over the top, but one can get used to it if one exercises patience and proper planning. Language is not that hard to learn and you'd be surprised by how much people's attitude changes toward a foreigner if they make an effort to communicate in the native language of the country they live in. And lastly, aside from the nature, air, and sunshine, the food selection here has boomed, especially after the cervesa sickness, and I personally eat Indian, Thai, German, French, Italian, American, Argentinian, Brazilian, and of course, Costa Rican food every month and the quality is amazing here now. Traffic has improved much, as they've built several wider bridges, expanded highways, and are working on the GAM (Gran Area Metropolitan) circunvalación, which is essentially a huge multi-lane freeway ring around the city, however, driving through the city of San Jose (street surface roads) and in rural areas, is still in the realm of "adventure" and requires a lot of skill and patience. Lastly, getting things from the US/Canada via Amazon or any other online store is fast and easy e.g. took me about 10 days to get a dishwasher delivered to me via air, and about 15 days for a set of Sonos speakers and a soundbar and during Christmas holidays mind you. It's worth mentioning that there's a $500 limit per every 180-day period (per person), when shipping anything here if you are looking to exonerate i.e. get stuff tax/customs free, or you can just go through the regular importation process, but you have to make sure you check the customs rates beforehand, so you are not sticker-shocked when things arrive and you are asked to pay 60% on top of the price you paid in the US + shipping costs, which can end up being literally double of the original price (not all items fall into that category though). Hope that helps! Pura vida :)
Very insightful comment. Thanks! 🙏🏻
Which towns outside of San Jose have the best roads and internet?
very helpfull ! thank you ! what about buy a place and create an eco project ( work with tourism) ?
He wanted a KFC and McDonald s on every corner
You are too picky about Costa Rica. Nothing is perfect in this world or any country .doesn't not exist. Be humble man .
Been there 3 times, considering retiring there. I have to take offense about the maids, cooks, security, drivers comments. It’s misguiding to someone that’s not in your privileged position you may be on.
Then don't watch if you don't like it. We're not here to coddle people's feelings just to give facts
@@OffshoreCitizen Well, the person had to watch the video first in order to form an opinion.
Friction due to language??? At least have the respect to learn the language and pronounce “costa” correctly.
If only USA still promoted that in USA.
¡!
He has an accent! LMFAO
Omg thank you ❤😂
If you can't pronounce the name of the country right, then ask someone.
I know, right? This bothered me too. He even says the word "COAST" later in the video. Maybe he sees the word "COST" and thinks of it in terms of COST and PRICES like that. Since he hates the COST. Maybe he is doing it on purpose??
@@michaelgood9218 better say BAD. Well coast is costa in Spanish wich "IS" the same meaning in this country name Costa Rica SO it is understandable IMAO since both words has same meaning be so close in sound pronunciation........AND Spanish language has not the sophistication that English language has on pronunciations....
He was probably just the kind of North American who hangs around Jaco with prostitutes and still can’t speak any Spanish after several years 😅
Qqqq❤q❤❤qq❤❤qqqq❤❤
British people pronounce it like cost and Canada probably also does since they have kind of a mix of British and American words in terms of pronunciation. It's not wrong, just a variation.
Videos like this serve to highlight how *utterly* screwed Americans, Canadians, etc. would be if there was ever some sort of precipitating event that led to a modern luxury disruption lol. Power and water go out once a month? Who cares, man…I’ll lose my electricity in the northeast United States once every month or two for godsake. I have a cabin in the mountains where, if you don’t get up and feed the fire at least once in the night, you’ll wake up in a near-freezing room come sunrise. Have we gotten SO comfortable that we can be surrounded by house staff as the richest people on the block and *still* wind up leaving a place because there’s no Amazon, etc? If it was Honduras, I could certainly understand that…that place has a long way to go. But Costa Rica seems like it’s about all you could ask for in a Central American country at this particular point in history.
I lived in Costa Rica for 18 year,s! I first visited in 1992! I enjoyed it about 85%, and I learned patience, and Spanish! I love visiting the Volcanoes, and beaches! The food was a drawback,except the Ceviche, and the fruit,s! I think Nicaragua is less expensive! People can,t expect Costa Rica to be Canada or the US! That should be the charm of it the differences, in a tropical culture!
NIcaragua is a Socialist Dictatorship, so it´s dangerous to pass to Nicaragua
I lived and worked in Trinidad & Saint Lucia down in the Caribbean. You can say the same for those islands as well
If you're used to a US Canada / Europe , as you say 'friction-free' lifestyle, you won't get it in places like that, unless you are quite wealthy..
However, if you stack that up to my time in Angola and Nigeria, the inconveniences of the Caribbean were so minor in comparison.
Also when you're in places like West Africa, you'll learn that you've got it really great and that complaining makes you standout is a horrible person (& believe me I did complain at the time) because you have it so well among so many that are in what you can't even call poverty, or squalor..
They truly live in Hell on Earth, yet somehow find a way to live and sometimes even be happy with what they have. It's really striking.
We in the developed world just have it so good that we don't even know it
I dated a norwegian girl who totally failed understand this you pointed
Australian living in Ghana there is a lot of poverty ad you said but people cope as well as they can and are happy. Happier then most on the Western world
People need to travel and see how they live in different places.
So you have a staff of 6 , and complain about everything. We have a place there and have never had a problem getting anything.
You sound pretty entitled
Well, for starters people don't usually come to CR to find what they had on their country (because you know realities are different I cannot compare CR with South Korea for example), now to the point San Jose is not the first place to live option usually people that come to our country search the forest and beaches which is what we as a country try to offer to the tourism, the issues with water and electricity that you mentioned sound to me that you were in a part of "San Jose" to close to the forest which is the only interpretation I can get, because usually on far places there are ASADAS who handle the water service locally, the big question that remains here is with all the money you had (you were importing stuff) why you didn't afford a place with a water tank I mean I've seen them in Walmart here in CR, on the infrastructure there is a lot to improve but once again is a developing country who has been working on create a better infrastructure around San Jose on the past years, it is what is needed? I am not sure, but we are trying to improve as an example take Guanacaste that has had a lot of development the past years, again we can still improve but watching your opinion, I am affraid as you said you don't have an adventure spirit; living here has its difficulties but also has good things. The smoothies part killed me, here we have a variety of local fruits you said we have a limitation because we do not have a lot of fruits you were looking for I won't go deepe on this topic, CR food is based on Rice and Beans, I am seeing people complaining about it, but simply there is a said "when in Rome.." we have now a lot of American Franchises, but people who come here come for the CR experience and guess what that is what Costa Ricans have for lunch, breaksfast and dinner. On the other hand not having internet again when did you live here and where dude because if you lived in San Jose you are telling people things that are far from reality (this internet issue is common on places far from San Jose, but i guess that when you built a cabin in a mountain you usually get satelite internet). On the English barrier dude in the day to day live Costa Ricans speak "spanish" hard to believe it I know but is a latin country, for a person who comes to visit it is easier because they go to Tourist places, but if you are living here for God sake try to learn spanish or get down your horse and understand that some people had it difficult to learn and understand.
Exactly it's a Latin country what do people expect my family is from San jose
Hi there, do ladies ever wear jeans or track pants etc due to it being cold ( not for fashion) but the cold in Costa Rica? @@half.breed83
“Get down your horse” 😂😂 you kill it!!
I live here. I am happy here. Thanks for sharing with us that you really tried hard to make a go of living in Costa Rica but ultimately wasn't able to overcome the friction. It's good that you are adult enough to acknowledge that Costa Rica is not for everyone- that no amount of pulling one's self up by the proverbial bootstraps was going to change the outcome- as that is what it's all about (That is what it's all about, right?).
I have lived in Costa Rica for 24 years. I love the weather, live in my jungles, ocean view, ocean breezes, monkeys, beaches. My kind of place.
Life can be a pain in the ass anywhere ☺️ I think comparing San Jose to living in a jungle is kind of funny.
For us nature kids it is paradise . I live in the hills of Manuel Antonio with 3 acres. A little homestead ☺️
I left a career in Silicon Valley to live my dreams . I think this is mine.
I live simple and teach sustainable healthy living . My dream life.
I grow my own food and medicine , build houses with my own fallen trees and bamboo.
The Tarzan lifestyle is me☺️
I made kilometers of trails at my farm with a machete by myself. I love this place ☺️ I think living in a jungle is the healthiest cleanest soul healing place in the world. So I am grateful for my two jungles ❤️
Your life sounds AMAZING!!
Usted es cktaricano?
I moved to a more tourist oriented place in Nicoya near the beach we bought 1 acre and hope to do the same, while renting extra casitas but the process is costly and long, pura vida ...😂
I would tend to agree that Costa Rica has become the MOST EXPENSIVE COUNTRY IN THE AMERICAS.From traffic gridlock to a growing violent crime wave to terrible roads with kamikazi drivers,look elsewhere.
tell us how it is when you get older
Wow! Just Wow! Let me tell you something...I am Austrian and married an American. when I was 26 years old. I live in the USA and am still married to the same man for 33 years now and still going strong. I relocated to the US when I was 29 and low and behold this "great America" was a culture shock to me. The country is filthy and trash is everywhere! Just drive along any road and observe the trash left and right. Most people are not friendly and very ignorant towards others.The pace of life is stressful. The main concept of living is "Work, work, work until you drop dead and buy, buy, buy as much as you can along the way so you can flaunt your wealth and can say that "you made it" (whether it's on credit or you actually can afford it, it doesn't really matter). Most people live way above their means just to be able to look down on others. Seems it's not any different in Canada.I have accepted the bad things I encounter as there are many good things the USA can offer too. I am looking forward to a great retirement without worries and Costa Rica is a place we highly consider. I am researching "everything" about this country and that is why I landed on your site here. Do I agree with anything you say? No, because I am totally different in my way of thinking. Instead of accepting things the way they are and be happy about the good things all I see is criticism and you trying to bend everything to YOUR needs alone. There is NO perfect country on this planet. Period! This stance of high self importance in life will never let you find true happiness. You will never understand the concept of "Pura Vida". Good luck to you!
💓Gracias, Down to earth lady☀️
Nowhere is completely perfect,, that’s for sure.. Yes, some things need improvement down here for sure but CR still enjoys and welcomes visitors and newcomers.
Based on your comments you did not move here looking for a place to live, you were looking for a place to have a permanent vacation! I have lived here for 18 years and never want to live anywhere else. First off, only the unknowing would call CR a 3rd world country. Secondly your comments about utilities sound like you were here 50 years ago. I have less problems with utilities than I ever did in the USA, and pay a LOT LESS!. I can't compare to Canada but everything you complained about except shopping and availability of certian items and high cost of imported items were just as bad in the good old USA. Now I will admit I spent a lot of time in the country for 10 years before I moved here and I worked with Latinos for 30 years before I re tired, and I speak Spanish. So I was much better prepared than you were. As for San Jose (your first mistake) is the worst place in the country to live just as almost every big city in the US is not where I would ever choice to live. I live about 25km from SJ in suburb of what was the origional capital of the country. Again, I would never leave, but to each his own.
Good video. I live in CR now and I have been here for 4 years fulltime. First off living in San Jose would suck for me. I have to go there from time to time however leaving is the best part of going there. I live in Flamingo so next to the beach which I love. As you know it is hot here but for me it is tolerable. The residency took me about 1 year or less from start to finish. The banking here is terrible. Extremely poor customer service. The country is more like the wild west. Even though they have rules they are not followed by most people. Traffic, roads and basic infostructure is third world country for sure. The people are nice and laid back. Almost nothing get done in a timely manor. The lack of organization in general from the government to the people is pretty bad. Scammers including prominent lawyers and real estate agents are prevalent. Real estate companies will tell you anything to get the sale. Once you are closed and have an issue, to bad. The positives are unlike the US where I come from it is very free here. The US has become one of the least free places I have seen in all of my travels. My advice to anyone. If you are considering Costa Rica rent for at least a year then decide. 50/50 you will go back to wherever you came from. Buying right now is just like buying anywhere in the world, buying a major top. Costa Rica is not for the faint of heart. Be prepared for serious poverty, homeless animals everywhere (which I try to feed and help) and the people just pay no attention to spaying and neutering these animals. This to me is one of the most disgraceful things about the Country.
Really good breakdown that never gets discussed
Thanks for your honesty. I am panamenian same thing as Costa Rica. Living in USA but planning to return back to my country and thinking of those things you just mentioned.... need to buy a lot of patience I don't know where......
@@buentaste Panama has much lower prices than Costa Rica. I have not been there but I am certain the beauty is as good as Costa Rica. My search took me to Brazil, Columbia and Costa Rica. I also explored Nicaragua but that is a no go for many reasons. To this day Nicaragua requires a vax card to get in. Clearly we know the WHO and the globalist run that country.
You judge a peoples by how they treat their animals
I saw the animal issue too, the monkeys were tearing apart a puppy . I felt so bad & wondered why someone would do that. The beaches were full of large dogs digging for food. At least they were playing together. That was nice.
It was beyond expensive to have dinner somewhere. We had black blended beans & veggies in a quesadilla, 1 margarita. = $80.00
Breakfast? 2) egg & Cheese croissants, 2 blended strawberry smoothie = 78.00 ouch .
Felt ripped off trying to eat a romantic dinner. Even the little store charged 14.00 for milk. This was much more than I ever expected to spend.
I'm glad you made this video. Costa Rica is not for the weak, and you drive that point home. If you don't speak Spanish, Latin America in general is not the place for you. A suburban white guy expecting the comforts of home in the third world, and Costa Rica is the third world, is a recipe for disaster. That's why 80% of the gringos who move here are gone in about 18 months. I've been in Costa Rica for 30 years. My hope is that you do a good job and distract the faint of heart from attempting to relocate here. You know, gringo expats are the reason everything is so expensive. When I first got here a beer was 125 CRC. Historically, Costa Rica has been entirely too accessible to North Americans. I would like to see that change. I'm counting on tourists like you to spread the word and scare away the white people ! Keep up the good work!
It’s a good practice to go and spend a few weeks (possibly a few months) in a place before committing to live there.
Many things that people from developed countries take for granted are simply not an option elsewhere.
People tend to expect too much from certain places and they get disappointed.
If you come from a place like Canada your baseline of expectations is quite high, so you may end up disappointed in many countries
Excellent! Well-described with practical and useful information! I was considering going to Costa Rica, but I feel that Brazil offers a lot more choices.
As an American, I lived there 13 years (2000 - 2013). I agree with all you say. My husband and I are fluent in Spanish so the language was not a problem. Getting residence permits, drivers' licenses, bank accounts, etc was a long process. I imagine it has improved a lot in these past 11 years. The hassles with always having to watch out for thieves got tiring. A number of our friends had their cell phones stolen from them in broad daylight. In spite of having a guard in our street, friends visiting us had their cars broken into. When visiting someone in another neighborhood, our car was stolen. In spite of it all we loved living there and have many close friends. But I don't miss it now that we've moved away.
I can't make up my mind as to this being the worst, or best review vid of Costa Rica. If it helps people not to even try to move there, learn some of the language, accept that you are an immigrant in their country and learn their culture, etc... Then it's the best video. But, for anyone who did a little bit of research and understand where you are going to live, it's the worst. The arrogance and audacity of not even trying to learn the local language is enough to put me off. This is exactly why locals don't like Gringos!
Lived here in Costa Rica for 2 years and we love it. No regrets.
What do you love most about Costa Rica?
@@OffshoreCitizen the people and the much slower pace of life
Wow! Good for you... where is this paradise located, by the way? Haven't you experienced violence, a high cost of living, drugs permeating all layers of society, corruption, and prostitution, truly?
One of the few videos where the comment section is more telling than the presenter. He clearly is the source of his own discontent
Sounds like someone who just wanted things done his way and teach locals how to live in their country.
Very good that you moved along.
Typical colonist.
The part when he said “I was trying to teach them how to cook, it was so frustrating” gtfoh
You said it was a third world country. Seems like it’s not Costa Rica but an inflexibility on your part. I don’t see any of those issues as issues. Just different. I’m glad you’re in a happier place. I could be happy in Costa Rica. Having a pool to jump into is heads and tales above 85% of the world’s population
Around 20 years ago I spent 4 months in Costa Rica with a view to moving there from the UK. I rented a house on a mountain top over looking Dominical and the Pacific ocean. I was 28 and into surfing and fishing, so it was fantastic at that stage in my life. We ended up leaving CS and living on the Sunshine Coast in QLD Australia, where we still live. I found the pros of Costa Rica to be the obvious coastal lifestyle, the relatively inexpensive and surprisingly advanced health care, the beautiful women (although I wasn't looking) the friendly people and positive attitudes to the environment.
The cons were as follows: My girlfriend (now wife) is Australian and for some reason, it was relatively difficult for an Australian to obtain the required visas. Just the rigmarole involved in obtaining tourist extension visas was a put off. We were looking at buying land but heard so many tales of land/houses being squatted by locals if the property was left unattended for any lengthy duration + the difficulties (legally) removing squatters. The amount of petty crime- house being broken into, car being broken into ect.
i lived above Domincal....but way out right on top of the Nauyaca Waterfall...
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i lived there 2001- 2007....it wasnt too bad because i lived way out in the mountains with only a few campansinos around..but got involved with a woman and tried to live around people.....theft is a sport....the national motto is Costa Rica we make Easy Hard !...an FBI agent stationed in Panama once told me theres 2 kinds of people in Costa Rica..the Caught and the Uncaught.....Costa Ricans can also play the long con....I was on a back to nature kick living way out in the mountains it was great for a while....but i spent alot of time in a surf /beach town Dominical and a small city San isidro...and it was brutal there...great place to go and rent for a winter season....but to buy something and live there year round....LOL....if you know Jules Vernes book the Time Machine.....the time will come when the Morlocks will eat you...
Great channel Michael! I have spent many months working remotely/surfing in CR and love that country. Your assessment is pretty accurate. My only objection would be that the "third world" description is a bit undeserved. By most metrics (GDP per capita, stability, life expectancy, education, crime etc.) CR is an upper middle income economy and has done fairly well for 30 years now. With that being said, your reasons for leaving are totally understandable. It's gotten outrageously expensive. The roads and traffic are bad, and the import taxes are definitely annoying. The internet is fine in most places now. I believe one of the reasons CR has gotten so expensive is the "milkshake effect" - meaning that the country's stability has sucked up all the capital and expat money in the region. With the exception of Panama, CR's Central American neighbors are decades behind - hence why an American expat interested in Central America is still more willing to drop $2m for a villa in Papagayo, rather than spending a third of that across the border in Nicaragua. Personally, I'm currently looking to buy in Mexico ;)
Thanks for your input. Never thought Mexico is safer that Costa Rica or Panamá since narcos control lot of government agencies...
We have been living on the carribean side of Costa Rica. We now have streaming video, more stores and houses everyday. If your looking for fast food, or all the frozen food. Don't come. We eat most of our meals at home. The cost of clothing in Puerto Viejo is less than California. We paid 300 grand to build our house overlooking Cahuita National. Roads suck, but it's better than going so slow on freeways. Property tax in California was 5 grand a year and here it's 500 for our house. Don't forget that the US puts tariffs on everything shipped. We do pay lots more for cheese, or any item shipped in. $60 to have our AC just in our master bedroom. We got a whole new engine rebuild for 3 grand. If you choose to use the medical system it's a pain, but all the equipment and Dr's are top rated. When I got covid, one call and an ambulance came, took me to the local clinic, then on to the hospital where they found out that I had the worst pneumonia you could get. The locals are so friendly. Yup the power goes out and usually is out for less than a day. In the California mountains, our power would go out so much that we had a generator. When we got it here have only used it once. We have streaming video. The reason it takes so long to get residency is because of the volume. We transfer money from our California bank as we live on our SSI checks. The food is really really good. Yea lots of restaurants are no good, but what restaurants that are give you a discount. On our little street, we have Canadian, US, France and Germany. We are on well water and we dug a California deep well, so we have water. My meds are free, about 500 a month if I had to pay. Yes some systems aren't so good, like their usage of paper and when you buy something you do have to go to 3 places before you leave. Where can you have iguanas, sloths, capuchin monkeys and howler monkeys. Plus the birds will make you a bird watcher. Lots of times we just go to the beach to watch the beautiful sunsets. Everyone hates San Jose, but if you need anything you can find it. We have a network of people to call for everything that we can't fix ourselves. The gas here is about as,expensive as California, plus no mass shootings. Why they make you take classes when you are a permanent citizen. Jump through hoops just to get a gun. Yes we have the columbians shipping drugs through Costa Rica. But if you stay away from druggies, no problem. I hate the roads, but the beach road is pretty good, but in PV it has been torn up as they are building a new water treatment plant. We are godparents to a Tico family who are so poor but happy than any US people that I ran into. A smile will go a long way. We volunteer at a kitty rescue as they have no animal shelters from the government. We have the best coffee place right across from the beach. Do we have problems, yes no country is perfect. So I'll continue to sit on the terrace watching all the wildlife. 10 years ago, no one would visit or even stay here so the beaches are beautiful. I love CR with all its problems, it's no Canada or the US which are all about convince😂, which is not what CR is all about. Actually stay away, it's getting crowded on the Caribbean side. I love my adopted country. ❤ Because we cook our food costs for 2 people is about 10 dollars a day. 😅😊
@williamcastner23 Love it, hope one day I'll have the opportunity to live there. Just need a job that allows me to work and live there, haha.
The fact is the majority of the local tico population,farmers/ coffee farmers are very poor and they live on $500 or less,A month, it is not a rich country. The government was close to broke before covid.Its a miracle that it hasn't collapsed.
@@williamcastner23Caribbean sucks ass, go to lake arenal.
This guy is super out of touch with anything remotely resembling an everyday working man. He has drivers?Cooks? Maids? Guards? Wtf lol
Then he complains it rains lots and causes blackouts. He hates the great local food dishes at sodas. What a whiner
I've lived in CR almost a decade, basically because I don't like what America has become. It's not easy for someone my age -- over 70 -- to live here, but I get left alone in this country, and I am not hated for my gender and race in this country. As a gringo I am more accepted in CR than I was in the U.S. That's not exactly a ringing endorsement of America.
Pretty much spot on. I lived there for 12’years. Glad to be back home in Florida. Love the people but there’s a lot that you have to have patience on.
I was born and raised in Costa Rica and I am a US citizen now and I can tell you that it’s sad to see this short minded attitude, the attitude of having everything yet not having enough whereas others have very little and “have it all”, I’ll explain. These are the people that we roll our eyes at when they visit our country because of their entitlement, rigidity and lack of people skills due to their pampered life. It’s sad that you present Costa Rica as a “3rd world country” with “friction” haha like the US doesn’t have friction, plus the United States is a first world country with 3rd world country problems too.
Having lived in Iowa for 5 years now I can tell you this
Costa Rica: I used to drink fresh, 100% clean water out of my tap and walk up to the mountains and drink 100% fresh clean water out of a creek. US: all water is polluted, I have to buy my water bottled. A first world country with not easily accessible drinkable water? It’s said that if you drink water for 10 years here you get cancer, out of water? In a first world country?
Costa Rica: I used to be able to walk up to a waterfall and swim in crystal clear water. US: all the water in this state is polluted for the most part, it can have E-colli and it’s merkey, ain’t swimming in that.
Costa Rica: Used to get fresh produce from the farmers market, I ate two kinds of fruits everyday and vegetables regularly and I used to know exactly what farmers put in their crops because I lived by the farms. US: most of the food has GMOs, pesticides, if you want to eat “organic” it costs you a lot, I eat 1/3 of the amount of fruits I used to eat in Costa Rica because most fruit is imported and expensive, a mango that used to cost me 1/2 a dollar in Costa Rica costs me $5 here.
Costa Rica: you go to the mountains and breathe fresh air, it took me only 30 minutes-1 hour to drive to mountain ranges. US: all air is polluted where I live, you literally breath pesticides all day long, there are planes flying above us spraying with pesticides and I have to spend $400+ on a ticket plus rent a car or drive miles and miles to get to mountains.
Costa Rica: you are forced to socialize with people because the lifestyle there forces you to GO OUT where there are people everyone that want to socialize, #1 depression fighting recipe. US: the system is made for you to socialize as little as possible, it’s made to isolate which results in people with very little social skills and high rates of depression and suicide, broken family bonds, etc
Costa Rica: the simple life shows you that you don’t need the latest car or latest this and that to be happy, just go adventure for free hiking to a waterfall or visiting a beach with friends, a few snacks and boom you’ll learn what really matters in life. US: you’re no one if you don’t have the latest this and that, you gotta work and work your butt off to be someone or to even be able to have friends because pretty much every activity they want to do requires you to have money because there’s no nature or anything outside to do.
Costa Rica: had good internet at $15 a month, electricity went out every now and then, and for water all you needed was a water tank to save for when water went out every once in a while. US: I’m paying $100 for internet and have had to call the technicians twice in the last month, the internet sucks, it lags, slows down or stops working at all, I work online to, so not very convenient, the water pipes can freeze in the winter which can create huge problems, we don’t have that kind of “friction” in Costa Rica, having to watch the pipes or put a heater close to certain areas so the water doesn’t freeze inside the pipes and make them burst which can cost you thousands to fix because we don’t have freaking freezing winters there like here. You can call that friction for sure, and guess what? I’m getting it in the US.
Costa Rica: everyone tells you hi wherever you go, people start a conversation out of nothing and at the end of the day you come home happy because you had fun interactions. US: you can’t even make eye contact because some people feel uncomfortable, you might try to start a conversation but if you’re interrupting their little bubble in their head then the conversation doesn’t go further than “good morning, how are you?, good, have a good day”, oh and if they notice an accent it’s even worse.
Costa Rica: my husband can become a Costa Rica citizen in 3 years, it took me 5 to be a US citizen, so I don’t know why complain about Costa Rica and all the paperwork and money they ask you for the US citizenship is ridiculous.
Costa Rica: I get full health coverage for $70 a month it covers surgeries, cancer treatments, ambulance, everything and I never have to worry about ending bankrupt. US: worst health-care system in the world, some people would reject an ambulance just because they can’t afford it? That’s bizarre, do I have to say more?
Costa Rica: most families meet once a year and have the time of their lives, I am always looking forward to family gatherings, family is huge, like you take care of your parents at their home until they die, children, grandchildren all come to visit grandma and grandpa and share the load of taking care of them. US: some parents want their kids out of the house at 18? Some families don’t call or see each other for years? And most kids drop their parents at an elderly home and forget about them because they are “a burden”, I mean, you do that to the ones that raised you and took care of you? The independent spirit here sometimes is too much for me. With this I’m not saying everyone does that, but if we compare the percentages of one vs the other Costa Rica has a much higher rate when it comes to family orientation than the US.
I would say, if you’re an unadaptable, rigid, pampered person with very little social skills, that expects everyone to adapt to you when you are the foreigner, or that has no ability to understand what real human connection and respect means please don’t even go visit other countries because you create a bad reputation for future foreigners that do deserve to experience other cultures because they view it as more of a growth journey. I have worked for those 1% percenters, rich people that all they care about is money, and let me tell you oh my word, they don’t even say hi to you, they view you as just a means to their ends, I don’t think they know the happiness of real human connections and I actually feel sad for them because at the end of the day they have “everything” and nothing at the same time, but they don’t know it because they live in their little bubble, but they might ask themselves why their still miserable lol.
So my purpose here is not to put the US down because there are some great things about living in the US, but when we compare we see everywhere in the world has pros and cons, but the problem in the end is the attitude we have, that can create more problems than the “frictions”, it’s all about how we navigate life anywhere we are
Wow, what an annoying comment section. You can't criticize anything without triggering someone these days EVEN AFTER CAVEATS. People take everything personally due to THEIR CHARACTER DEFECTS.
Your observations about Costa Rica are spot on. It doesn't deserve a break because of the prices. They aren't inaccurate because the offended people here value something different.
Thanks! Definitely agree with you
the more primitive a culture/ppl is/are (everyone represents also its own culture) the more they get triggered by sceptics even if every idiot should have learned that not the ones who idealize odd things are the ones who help to progress/make things better. some ppl just dont get it (learning resistance).
Thank you for being candid, lots of YT are afraid to say anything negative for fear of backlash
You obviously did not do your homework before leaving for Costa Rica. There is no excuse for mistakes like that nowadays. On a different note, today we say Developing Nation, never "third world country", that is so twentieth century. Moreover, if you want to live in Costa Rica with the same standards of living as in Canada, you need to choose a private gated community where Canadians that either have more money than you and, or did their homework live. Finally, nobody leaves for Costa Rica to live in San José... you did not do your homework!!!
You lived there 3 years and you can’t correctly pronounce Costa Rica not Casta Rica 😆
As a Costarrican listening to a foreign dude saying that our food choice are not good enough makes me laugh! Obviously you don’t know Costa Rica! In fact I don’t even know why would you moved there if you are looking to live the same way you lived in Canada. Obviously every country has their own way of living and yes! Costa Rica is an expensive country thanks to the foreigners who bought the land and build their business bringing the prices up but I guess you didn’t learn that.
I’m from CR and I understand what you said. I lived there my first 26 years of my life and I’ve been living in the USA for 23 years and what I can tell you is that it’s 2 different types of living . You’re thinking like a Canadian living in a different country but the life there is naturally beautiful and the food is much better simple and natural. I love both countries because I’m able to adapt to many different circumstances.
We lived in CR decades ago and still have family there. My opinion is CR is a set of training wheels for people moving abroad. They want to move abroad and for some reason CR comes up a lot. We would never live there. It is very very similar to Nicaragua at double or triple the price.
We retired 5 months ago and will be traveling for 4-5 years between Mexico and Argentina, in search of our favorite cool weather retirement city. We are currently in Matagalpa, Nicaragua until February, next heading to Guatemala and Mexico.
We have great cell service, very high speed internet, and even though we don’t budget, in a nice 3/2 house our total bills come out to $1000-$1100 !
Try doing that in CR !
it's regrettable that there are people dedicated to denying or minimizing real problems. Violence, high cost of living, drugs that have permeated all layers of society, corruption, prostitution... unfortunately,. There is a group of individuals (an ARMY) attempting to persuade others that the issues don't exist.
We are leaving Costa Rica in a few days. We’ve been here for 1 years. We bought a Santa Fe from Autos Max in Grecia and it was super expensive and now we are selling it. The odometer was rolled back 100,000 km when we bought it. I’ve never felt so ripped off. Don’t trust them, all they do is pretend to be friends to separate you from your money.
video starts at 2:39
I'm sorry, but he's right, the value for money isn't there.
After reading several comments, I can't help but respond, but it's important to temper things and pay attention to what's being said. I think, at least that's what came across for me in the video, that the problem isn't the lifestyle of this gentleman, who seems to have the financial means, but rather the cost of living/quality ratio, compared to other countries, and he says he's fine with it in other countries (like Asia).
So we're talking about the cost/quality of life ratio, and for that I can only agree with him. Services are generally mediocre, restaurants, hotels, real estate agents, repairmen, mechanics for prohibitive prices, on the other hand hospital services, doctors, dentists etc are very cheap and above all good services. As far as food is concerned don't expect to eat organic or quality products again mediocre quality for a high price and even if you wish to pay full price you can be on it.
I'd like to make it clear that we've been living in Costa Rica for 5 years now, and unfortunately we've come to the same conclusion. We don't have a housekeeper, driver or anything else, but we make a good living. Now I just hope that with time people will be more and more educated, that import taxes will be reduced and that the country will produce more internally. I'd like to stress that things are getting better all the same, and to answer the problem Amazon now delivers directly, without going through Miami. Try to be objective and stop creating controversy where none exists, our world is bad enough as it is.sorry for my english, I speak better Spanish ;)
Sounds like he had American/Canadian expectations and standards in a foreign country. His “frictions” sound like a lack of respect for the culture and people. Research the country and best/worst parts. Costa Rica is very open about these things on Google.
Expectations is maybe the wrong term. Preferences is probably more accurate and yes this is why South East Asia etc is often more appealing to people than many parts of Latam
The worst mistake you can make is to compare your country to Costar rica rather than adapt and not live like the country you are from !
Why? Who says there's a way life should be lived? Live how you'd like I'll do it my way
Great video! Looking at where people actually choose to stay is a super insightful observation. I know many people who moved to Malta but very few stay there more than a year.
It must be the congestion, the construction noise, and the pollution
1st thing I noticed is the pronunciation of the name of the country.
It is not costuh rica, it is coasta rica...cost, no, coast, si.
I only mention it because the index of Gringo viability is in direct proportion to the energy they choose to put into learning the language of the people, to say nothing of the proper pronunciation of the country itself.
I am from California and I l lived in Costa with my wife and kids for a year, 1978 1979. Magical place, great folks, priceless memories.
"I don't speak Spanish."
Moves to a Spanish speaking country.
Proceeds to complain.
Tell that to all the immigrants coming to America and not learning English 🤦🏼♀️
@specialspring and living in the USA becomes a lot more difficult for those individuals.
really? Para Español... marque numero dos - literrally every company (especially government) telephone answering machine. @@applegoosemen2346
Makes a video about a country and can’t pronounce it correctly lol
Costa Rica, NOT Casta Rica
Typical American behavior
All I can say as a soon to be Costa Rican resident, my husband and I love, love, love Costa Rica! We have bought property here and we are soooo happy it is not the same lifestyle as USA, Canada, and Bermuda. (where we are from). We absolutely love the people, as well as the beauty of the country.❤
And naturally it is silly to think it will be the same as the US or Canada
The rivers are polluted, the beaches are mostly unsafe, and there's a rampant drug issue which exacerbate violence. It is nice you are fine with it.
Why the hate? He is being very honest and upfront.
Because he seems to want a tiny poor country that is beloved for it's wildlife and friendly people to be a cheap version of Toronto with far better weather. He seems entitled. Like the nation was supposed to change for him when he showed up. And the changes he wants would destroy the place. It's quite off-putting. Costa Rica needs to fill up with posh expats and China-made trash from Amazon like the Mona Lisa needs a handlebar mustache.
Because he is honest. Not many people can handle the truth.
because he lived in San Jose, which is a joke lmao. Nothing like the rest of the country.
Dude...I’m sure CR is happy you left. I’m a Canadian living here 24yrs. You obviously didn’t get it. Over the years I’ve seen soooo many people with unfulfilled expectations crash and burn and leave. It’s a simple place and yes it is more expensive than any other Central American country, but at the same time it is WAY less expensive than Canada. Obviously not the country for you.😊
I am from Santa Barbara area... arguably some of the highest standard living in the world... but I have lived all over the world. It's more interesting. I like luxury but I don't need all the corners nerfed either. Hardship is good for the soul
The weather is not a good enough reason for the trade-off. I lived in C.R. nearly forty years ago. When I came back I though I'd find "advances", specially because of the advertising. Nowwhere near. In fact, Ticos are nice if they need something from you, but if you make a request they will turn mean on you. To where they will do EXACTLY the opposite of what you asked for to spite you. Out of nowhere. I was obligated to stay in the city to administrate a property of a deceased relative and found this time to be downright uncomfortable and unsafe. I'm leaving at the earliest to never come back. This is NOT a country to retire to.
@russolmt I would live there for a second passport and I want one(I want Panama more)but sounds like you are right. San josé locals do not seem to welcome tourists either. Thank you for your opinion.
The water and parks are amazing. If you are a good cook and restaurants aren’t important, it can work.
Watching from dubai where the water is off for a few hours right now😂 good points but sometimes we need to look deeper. The values of costa ricans are wonderful.
True! What values do you appreciate most?
Ugh please stay in Canada … so much privilege in your video criticizing a country where you hire 10 house staff to look after you and you’re still complaining. Costa Rica is not supposed to be like living in the US or Canada. That’s why people love living there. Stay home if you can’t live in harmony with the places you’re lucky enough to visit and learn how to manage your expectations 🙏
Who would ever buy frozen fruit when you have local fresh tropical fruit?
I do get the internet problem, I need it for work, so that might be an issue for me, and ofc things aren't so smooth, but there is always a trade off obviously. Also I don't get how somebody lives there for 3 years and doesn't learn Spanish. It's an easy language to learn, honestly was my first thought when considering moving there that I have to learn the language even before going there... I think only NA people are so arrogant to expect everyone just speak english and they dont need to learn shit. I honestly cannot imagine moving somewhere and not even planning on learning the language - wtf? Thankx for the video still.
Exactly. It makes no sense. If Frozen fruit and Amazon deliveries are so important to him, he should stay in Canada. It is cold 9 months of the year, lots of frozen fruits (mostly imported from Costa Rica) you can still get packages quickly.
Spot on! Its exactly why I didnt like Costa Rica. Its not for people running certain type of business. Its more for retirees
100% true!
8 years ago I retired. My short list of countries to retire to, were Costa Rica or Thailand. Costa Rica had many positive things going for it. Nice Weather, nice people, good food, casinos, and fairly safe. Only 5-6 hour flight to get back to the states. And like every country on this planet, their were a few negatives. However I did retire to Thailand. Money goes pretty far here. And just like Costa Rica, we have nice weather, most of the time. Right now they are having massive flooding in the north part of the country which is not unusual. Thailand does not get earth quakes, or have volcanoes. CR has both. Thailand has nice people, great food, NO casinos as of yet, and fairly safe. I use to fly back to the States once a year, but those long flights were just to much for me. No more flying back to the States. Which is a big negative. If I had to do it over again, I might have lived in Costa Rica for 6 months and then Thailand for 6 months.
This guy is the perfect example of gentrification. Comes to a country and pretends to change everything around him to suit him.
If you have this mindset please don’t try to gentrify other people’s land.
An excellent presentation and your honesty is very valuable. I like that.
Thanks
I'm currently here, checking it out to see if it's suitable. Not at all. Exactly the same reasons as you, first world prices and 3rd world quality. Almost every AirBNB I've stayed in there has been issues. I've had to cancel like 3 of them so far. Hot water wasn't included in 3 of them, despite like $700USD/week price tag! Absolutely insane, I feel quite insulted most of the time like how you feel walking in a popular area of Thailand and being harassed by vendors - the whole country feels like that, just because of the prices. And yeah, the stupid gutters - I drove off the road twice and bottomed out my rental car. Super scary! As you say, awesome to visit, wonderful nature, but wouldn't want to live here. Also not keen to pay import taxes on my packages. I'm heading to south east asia.
SE Asia is the planet Gideon (Star Trek ref). I like Vietnam, Thailand, Malasia, Singapore. Singapore is terrific but difficult to move there unless you are hired by a heavy hitter or have serious teaching credentials. Vietnam and Thai both have a history of giving expats a hard time during economic or disease crises.
@@anonymousdonor8084 Thanks, yeah I'm going to try out Vietnam because my friend is going to be teaching there. I'm going to get an investment visa, I think you can renew it, thought still figuring that out. I'm a little worried what will happen when the shit hits the fan, but I've decided I'd rather live somewhere a little risky than not be happy to begin with haha. I was living in Paraguay, super safe, super bored, no beaches. They like to pretend rivers are beaches.
This is a great video to see while I explore culturally preserved places to spend time. I can’t wait to try the food and spend time with la gente.
This man will not survive in a war.
lol, he will if his father is the King of the castle 🏰
Amen, he won't survive any SHTF catastrophe...
your credibility for being an expert on costa rica equals zero because you never learned to even pronounce "costa rica" Yes its true you have to adjust to not being in control of everything. It's good that those that dont get over that hump in life leave or dont come in the first place. More pura vida for the rest of us who love life here.
Gotta side with you. Good infrastructure is a must have. It doesn't matter how beautiful a place is if you can't do what you need to do.
True
What place is a good mix of both in your opinion?
My u.s. city's infrastructure is being spent on a new stadium...our city's government's attitude is do anything you want all the time
@@OffshoreCitizen I haven't been there yet but Dubai looks amazing. I think you've got a place there. 😁
I'd suggest you read some of the comments giving feedback. This video is very subjective and a lot of what he says is easily fixed by making different choices.
Or "want" /get real; enjoy each day with is readily availabel 🫠
You stayed there for years but didnt like it enough to learn Spanish??
Costa Rica is a great place to live, however one must be prepared for the Cons and not just the Pros. Also one cannot generalize such things as the water is off one day a month or the electricity goes out once a week as that will vary greatly based on your chosen location to live within Costa Rica. Perhaps the biggest mistake is to try to recreate your North American life exactly as you had it there because then you can find it to be more expensive than it should be. Most expensive things are those that are imported but fortunately most of those are not monthly recurring expenses such as a vehicle, a washer/dryer, refrigerator, TV, Computer, designer clothes, cellphone, etc. You budget for that once every ten year hit and deal with it. Also if you must eat those packaged and canned foods imported and purchased at a local supermarket chain then that would be an ongoing expensive habit. Otherwise, rentals (unfurnished), transportation, local healthy and fresh food from Farmer´s market fairs, etc. will be quite cheap. Most Ticos do not make more than $1000 a month and yet manage to live very happy lives and to eat well. If you add to that all the great places you can enjoy visiting while living here, it can be your personal paradise and of course learning Spanish is a must if you want to get the most out of the experience. More updated info here costaricasbestguide.com
That's where you went wrong. You stayed in San Jose. As a Costa Rican, I would never live there. There are challenges living here. Lots of pros and cons. It all depends on your expectations and where in the country you live. Knowing Spanish is a must to be able to make it long term. If you never try, you'll end up back in the US or Canada with your tails between your legs.
You might want to try living in Louisiana, in the Bayou.. see what you think. Sounds like you might just fit right on in!
Not to my taste personally. Do you like it?
Thank you, very useful insights to take in to consideration. 👍🏼😊
A pleasure! What are your thoughts?
Costa Rica is definitely one of those places that the people who are relocating there have a certain set of priorities and reasons for wanting to move there a specific kind of lifestyle not necessarily material luxury but rich in life
I really appreciate your honest video! Our lifestyles are very different, so our appraisals of Costa Rica living would be too, but i still really appreciate your honest appraisal from your point of view.
Informative and good video!
Gracias!
Love costa rica. Such a beautiful and clean country. Go there 8x a year with my wife and family.
You must be rich
Great video but I am glad to see comments from people currently living there. My husband and I want to move to Costa Rica and are doing the research now.
Stay where you are or go somewhere else 😊
@@intrigantina which countries do you recommend?
The rivers are polluted, the beaches are mostly unsafe, and there's a rampant drug issue. I strongly advise against moving there without thoroughly testing the country for at least six consecutive months.
You too inconvenienced to speak the language? Wow, no internet or water for a few hours once a month, terrible. Ever read a book or take a walk?
If the US in general, and American citizen specifically stopped spending their money in Costa Rica it would collapse. Based on that, don't you think it would be more prudent that the country have a big push to learn English so they can better interact with the people that are bringing millions and millions and millions to their economy? You notice Pilots don't have to learn 30 language to fly International routes.. English is standardized.. if you want me to bring you customers then learn how to talk to them because they plan on spending their money at your place
Big softy doesn’t want to spend to much on having someone change his diaper. “Friction”😂 he should live in a nursery school w good inter service.
If I ever move to another country, the first thing I’ll do is learn how to pronounce its name correctly.
Interesting point of view! My personal perspective is that if you give only a half chance to a person or place, it will never work out. And this brings me to learning the language. I made efforts to learn Spanish as much as I could to pay my respect to this part of the world and the following happen: I know where to buy organic food from local farmers (also when to buy it with the biggest discounts), I can buy fresh fish directly from the beach as I know when to come, I can buy other organic produce such as cacao, coconut oil, etc. through local people, I found a little house on the beach with a reasonable price, I bought a second hand car in a great condition for half the price I see around, I do whale tours with local fishermen for a great price. All this thanks to incredibly kind local people so learning basic Spanish truly paid off in every aspect of my life. The same was true when I lived in Germany.
I agree that living without Amazon is harder, but it taught me how to be mindful about consuming and buying things. Costa Rica is some way encourages people to live differently, more in nature and less surrounded by things. So it’s a personal choice about the place which fits to people’s priorities.
Getting the residency is harder but as a foreigner I respect it. In the end, it will be always a tico land and we, foreigners, should stay comfortable but still humble.
I hope you will find the most beautiful and happy home where you can thrive. All the best for you! ☘️
Most of the people here are clearly either lying or blind. This guy is 100% correct. Haven't you experienced violence, a high cost of living, drugs permeating all layers of society, corruption, and prostitution in CR, truly?
Coconut oil is great for your skin🥰 cant wait to process my own💃🏿
You get back the same as you invest🫠happy people get happy results🥰
Lived there for over a year. COSTA RICA IS way over-rated and definitely overpriced. American prices (and sometimes even higher) for hotels, food, gas, drinks etc... and it is all much lower quality. Retail items like clothing and electronics are way more expensive that in the USA. Lodging has many non-functioning items, uncomfortable beds, food is generally boring at restaurants, taxis expensive, and customer service everywhere is non existent and they actually don't really care. I'd prefer Nicaragua or Panama in Central America. Actually, I should have lived in Brazil for my year abroad. Big mistake on my part.
Check out Costa Rica’s massive use of pesticides in Cavendish banana plantations, the ones tourists don’t see in the former virgin forests on the Caribbean coast and then go back to your yoga mats, farmers markets and zip line tours. But don’t, whatever you do, critique the sullen Ticos exhausted by being nice to oblivious gringos living that brilliant Pura Vida advertising campaign.
Thank you for the heads up!! These are great facts that are good to know, most videos just show the nice spots that make u want to visit. I like knowing the truth of living day to day. Well done!!
Our pleasure! What is on your list of countries you'd relocate to?
You could apply 95% of what Michael says in this video to Puerto Rico as well. American's flock there thinking it's a panacea and cave within months because it's basically the same as Costa Rica in most places.
This is what exactly greengos have it wrong.. Thinking because diferent county names they are differents. WRONG. All Latin America is the same shit ....
I've travelled to Puerto Rico 10 times, and yes, Condado is basically like living in Miami, as far as cost. Although, I have stayed in Condado for less than half the cost of Hollywood/Ft. Lauderdale/Miami on two vacations, and that was going all out and living it up. But, that takes some careful planning and choosing the right dates. However, if you venture 2 hours out from San Juan in almost any direction, you can live at a cost that is a mere fraction of even the cheaper places in the US or Canada. Especially if you stick to buying food at markets and street food, where you can have delicious chicken skewers for $2. My recommendation for Americans is to visit San Juan/Condado once for a few days and enjoy the Americanized part of PR for what it is and at basically the same costs you're used to back home. Then, any other time you visit PR for vacation or to live, get way outside of San Juan and live like a local. I'll also point out in general, that this is the formula for living cheaply in any country, whether living in the US or Canada, or venturing to some foreign locale. If you stay in the touristy areas anywhere in the world, you're going to pay well for it.
Anyone else annoyed by the way he says “costuh reekuh?” It’s COAST-UH! Now I see why he had problems!
Sounds like Costa Rica is for those who want a green organic environment & lifestyle maybe it’s better for the country that you left
I love Costa Rica. I'm not a vegan, not organic.
Not green.
I love when people post on here that I am Costa Rican please don't come to my country buying up my land taking up my resources. What do you think that country would look like if American dollars we're not flowing through your economy and you did not have the United States military protection?