5: Alexa. What is the best country to retire in?

Alexa: "Mexico."
Me:  "Damn it! Alexa, why Mexico over Costa Rica?"
Alexa: "Can you keep a secret?  It's really Costa Rica. But if I tell everyone it's Mexico, it's better for me.
Me: "Alexa, who says you're coming?"
Alexa: "Daisy, daisy."


From what I've read and experienced, there are three types of expats in Costa Rica.

1. Those who didn't save enough for retirement in the US (or blew most of it on a medical emergency) and need to stretch their dollar to retire.
2. Those who visited Costa Rica to vacation and simply realized how much better living the Pura Vida lifestyle is than lifestyle in the states.
3. Those who did save enough for retirement in the US, but want to live like Costa Rican royalty rather than American pawns.

I would now consider myself a bit of a combination of two and three, though I would guess most are a combination of numbers one and two.

So you must be asking yourself, how cheap is it to live in Costa Rica?  My answer would be, how cheap is it for a homeless person to live in the Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York City?  It really depends on lifestyle choices.  The single largest factor would be where you choose to live.  For example, one can choose to live in San Francisco or across the bay in Oakland.  Rent in Oakland is 40% less than rent in San Francisco.  Likewise, a simple 2 bedroom apartment in San Jose goes for $500 month.  In my parts, I pay triple that for property taxes alone on my less than 1/5 acre property in New Jersey.  Choose to live near in the ocean in a resort town?  Well the prices will obvious be higher.  But not nearly as high as you would expect.  Housing is the biggest bargain in Costa Rica.  Many expats live the Tico  life comfortably for $1,000 month.  Though, most expats would tell you that $1250 to $1500 is more ideal.  It really depends on how much you eat out, where you purchase your groceries and whether or not you choose to own a car. 

This is obviously the tip of the iceberg.  I plan to share with you the results of a recent trip I took down there that ultimately proved my research to be truthful.  So if you are interested in this gringo's perspective, keep on reading...