International Living Community

Although Costa Rica is getting more and more expensive, I have met plenty of people living on a fixed income over the past few years.

The postcards section at IL shares the experiences of others who have made the move and is a great way to check out success stories. https://internationalliving.com/category/daily-postcard/

I suggest spending a month and staying in each of the places to really get a feel for them and check out the vibe for yourself. I recently visited Atenas and Grecia in the Central Valley and you might want to check them out if being close to health is necessary. I will be talking about them at the San Jose Conference in July 2024. Are you planning on joining us online or in person?

The best healthcare is in the Central Valley, so keep that in mind. The best equipped hostpitals and most specialists are there. Often times, a specialist will visit a clinic in Guanacaste once a month. So it isn't as conveninet.

An important factor to consider is the weather. What temperatures do you prefer? It rains everywhere, yet some places have more rain than others.

The beaches
Hot and humid, and I love them!
Guanacaste is the driest part of Costa Rica. The Central Pacific receives more rain.

Lake Arenal
Cooler (temperature) than the beach.
Nuevo Arenal gets about 50% more rain than Tronadora, located just across the lake.
Tronadora is much windier.
La Fortuna and the surrounding towns like Chachagua are drier and warmer.

Many people find staying in an Airbnb a good way to check out a community, more so than a hotel.

I talked with Nick when in Nuevo Arenal and he rent out an Airbnb.
https://internationalliving.com/from-deaths-door-to-thriving-in-lake-arenal-costa-rica/ (https://www.airbnb.ie/rooms/40036748?source_impression_id=p3_1719933875_P3ic3CyJiPWB-oYF)

The Central Valley
Cooler temperatures - especially from the variety of elevations available.

I met three people living in the Atenas/Grecia area on my last editorial trip in April 2024. Karen lives on $2000 a month, Mike on under $1400 a month (he spends six months here as he is Canadian), and Lynda spends about $1500 a month. This shows that living in Costa Rica can be affordable, hopefully giving you peace of mind about your financial situation.

I suggest posting in Facebook groups to ask questions and get more on-the-ground information. I post in the groups in the areas I will visit to connect with people for my editorial trips and find specific places to visit. Most of the time, people are very helpful.

I am not sure which areas you are most interested in, but you can start by checking out these groups:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/209258083597577
https://www.facebook.com/groups/128010388878472
https://www.facebook.com/groups/579515763190243
https://www.facebook.com/groups/178568066214136
https://www.facebook.com/groups/450171628439598

I suggest searching Facebook for the town/city you want to visit to see what results appear. Facebook is widely used down here for community sharing and support.

Let me know if you have any additional questions about Costa Rica.

Bekah Bottone, IL's Costa Rica Correspondent

@83DONV-0 Hi there,

I'd like to help you find this article--can you give me any more information about it? Do you know roughly when this article was published, or when you might have read it?

The thing that's important to bear in mind is that the cost of paying for care out of pocket in Panama or any other of the countries listed here may well be as low as a co-pay in the US.

Many expats in Panama find that paying out of pocket for healthcare in Panama, with no insurance to help them cover costs, is still far cheaper than living in and paying for insurance in the States.

Many US expat retirees living in Panama do keep some form of Medicare so they can return to the US if they need anything major insofar as healthcare is concerned, to avoid long-term major costs and to be near family, etc.

Best,
IL Panama Editor Jess Ramesch

Could not make the live presentation. There are no clickable links in this email to any presentation! Where is it in the Members account - under subscriptions?