Living in Costa Rica certainly has its advantages!
The lower cost of living is one of them. And having a lower cost of living will help you do the things you enjoy like dining out frequently, traveling, and going out for drinks with friends. Without having to sacrifice your other expenses like your lifestyle or running a household.
The things you never thought would be possible to afford may be accessible to you living in Costa Rica. Best of all, you don’t necessarily have to be wealthy to afford them.
Let’s put a realistic budget into perspective- and show you how you can actually live in some town in Costa Rica with $2,000 Dollars a month or less.
Your Lifestyle Will Dictate Your Expenses
The following lifestyle example is from a real person. John is a retired expat living in a gated community with some amenities. In this gated community he has a pool, a gym, sports fields, and 24/7 security.
This condo complex is on the outskirts of Jacó, so a car is needed to come and go. Otherwise, you’d have to wait a while for affordable taxis or public transport. John loves to cook for neighbors and friends.
He also loves going out to eat. And he orders food delivered a few times a week. All this shows, that this person lives well within his budget but also doesn’t stay home or have a tight budget.
Another important factor is that he owns his home- which means he doesn’t have a mortgage or pay a monthly rent. If you rent at the beach, for example, you can expect your budget to increase by the amount of your monthly rent.
What Are His Monthly Expenses in Jaco?
Compared to other areas in Costa Rica, living in Jaco tends to be more expensive. Like any resort town or major tourist destination in Costa Rica, the cost of living isn’t typical of smaller towns or other cities in Costa Rica.
It also helps to learn survival Spanish because in doing so, you will interact with the locals and save money.
These are some of John’s expenses for one month. But you also have to consider he has other variable expenses such as
Car Maintenance
Auto insurance
Health Insurance
Now, it’s important to always keep in mind that these are John’s expenses. And this article is for information purposes only. Your expenses will depend on your lifestyle (how much you eat out, entertainment, what type of place you live in, the kinds of groceries you’ll buy, etc)
But it is very doable for a single person to live in Jaco on $2000 USD a month or less! Couples can also live affordably since in some cases, two often live nearly as cheap as one.
How To Learn to Be a Local?
Take an exploratory relocation tour, come down to Costa Rica to see what all of the buzzes are about, test drive the country, and let us show you how to move the right way!
Like countless others we have helped, you’ll learn about:
- What are the best places to live for expats
- What are your shopping options
- Where the locals eat affordably and how to find affordable entertainment.
- How and where to make friends
- Things to do to stay busy and happy — you should never be bored here
- All with help of a team of local experts in their respective fields
- All of the dos and don’ts, ins and outs, time-tested advice and so much more to ensure your success if you decide to relocate here!
So don’t wait! Sign up now for one of the upcoming Relocation tours.
