Thanks.聽 We've got about an 8-10 year glide path to this, so we're doing all the research now.聽 Planning trips over the next few years to scout out areas of interest.聽 We'll take the advise of others and live for at least a year renting before we purchase.聽 The areas we are currently interested in (again - strictly from internet research) are the rural mountain areas, but close enough to spend a day or weekend at the beach.聽 For CR we're thinking Tinamaste \ San Isidro area.聽 For Panama we're thinking Boquete or Volcan area - the higher elevation areas around David.
If everything were to go according to the loose plan in my head - we'd find a nice property in the 2-20 acre range and build a nice house in the 1300-1500sf size, or with an existing acceptable house on it - funding that purchase from the sale of our current residence.
It sounds like our tastes may be a bit similar.聽 Rural with a vehicle.聽 We've lived on 150 acres south of Ottawa for the past 22 years.聽 We just can't see ourselves in a condo.聽 Temperature wise - we'd love to be in the mid to high 20s (thus the altitude preference).聽 I couldn't stomach over 30 degrees every single day.
Hi, did you say you are a couple? 2 people only? I'll assume that's a yes...
As you noted, it depends on HOW you live - your lifestyle.
Property is cheaper here than most of the USA. You can get an ocean view lot in the mountains for about $25k an acre.
As to Panama I checked it out to buy there, 7 years ago. We checked out Volcan and I think Boquete. Volcan for sure. Volcan when we were there was super windy and not much there. I'm sure it must have grown by now. I think we went to Boquete too and it was much smaller and nothing there (7 years ago).
We had an unusual experience in Panama. We crossed on foot after taking the bus through San Vito Costa Rica. The signage wasn't good so somehow we were not directed to go to the guy who gave us the stamp in our passport. It was a weird set up, and we saw one guy, gave him our passports, and he either neglected to tell us where to go for the stamp or we didn't hear him, and we missed getting our stamp. Thought he'd put it in. We were tired from riding the bus all morning.
Ended up in David. Things were definitely a LOT cheaper in David than in Costa Rica but it's kind of a "nothing" town. Pretty big but not a lot to offer.
So first thing the next morning we went to the bank to get Travelers Cheques cashed in (no one uses them any more, at least聽 not in Costa Rica!) and the bank looked at the passport and said "you are not here legally". That's how we found out we didn't get the stamp.
So we had to spend half the day taking a taxi back to the border, getting the stamp.
But on the way, the bank had called the Federales and a guy with an automatic weapon, a military type guy stopped us on the highway back to the border, and insisted on riding with us in our taxi back to the border.
Threatened us the whole way, trying to scare us that this was a criminal offense, could cause jail time etc. It was scary. I mean, the guy was very menacing and had that weapon. But finally I realized he probably just wanted and was insisting on a bribe though he didn't ever say it. I gave him $20 and he shut the hell up.
But it was a very unpleasant experience and turned me off of Panama.
Also in Panama there are booths along the highway like toll booths but instead they check your passport and etc. They are very military-ish as well and I guess it's okay - I guess they are looking for drug traffickers - but I really did not like the whole Panama vibe. Very "police state"-ish.
As to Volcan it was just cold and windy and not much there at that time 7 years ago. We tried to see one other place the next day - we rented a car - but we didn't find anything we thought was a place we'd like to live.
By and large, Costa Rica is prettier, the people are friendlier, and there is less of a military or police state type atmosphere. Panama is probably still cheaper than聽 Costa Rica, though, I think. Roads are generally better in Panama.
Okay. As to cost of living in Costa Rica.
My wife and I built our house, a small one bedroom, on 9 acres. We have an ocean view (15 or so miles in the distance).聽 The point is we live in a "paradise" as far as our view and our property etc and we live on about $1,000 a month. No rent. We pay car insurance, water, electricity, phone, internet and propane and property taxes. We buy whatever we want as far as groceries but we only order out food once every 10-12 days or so, usually a large pizza. We don't go out, but we do go to the USA once or twice a year and sometimes stay at a hotel for a night or two at the Arenal Volcano or somewhere like that.聽 (Of course, since the pandemic, no trips to USA nor anywhere.)
So it all depends on what you want. When gringos tell me it costs $2500 a month to live here or that it costs "more" than the U.S..., I have to wonder what they are聽 spending it on! I guess they live the "high life" as compared to us. Yet we don't "scrimp" - we buy anything we really want or need. And if we want to buy something like a new phone or new furniture etc we CAN. But we are thrifty. Before the pandemic we'd go to the USA and bring back anything we need from there because a lot of stuff - like electronics - is almost half price in the USA.
But I'm happy with the amount of money we spend and we are able to save some each month as well.聽 One thing is that if you live in a gringo gated community as most do, you will pay development fees (sometimes up the ying yang) and whereas I pay $4/hour for my gardener/handyman, they probably pay $10. They probably pay higher property taxes (there is a penalty for those who build "luxury" (big American-style) homes, too and the more electricity and water you use the higher the per/watt or per/liter cost. So it pays to build on your own lot, not a development (or buy a house on its own lot), and not build a luxury home.
Also a luxury home is more of a target for a poor person who decides to turn to a life of crime and break in to some luxury gringo home. Of the about 4 major break-ins I've heard about since I lived here, every one of them was in a gated gringo community. That doesn't mean every gated community will suffer break-ins. Just that they tend to be targets, so they'd better have good security. And what happened at 2 that I know of is that the guard was in on it.
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