Welcome to Episode 16 – Retire to Costa Rica.

Facts about the Republic of Costa Rica:

• Its capital is San Jose
• It is a democratic republic
• Its constitution was adopted in 1949
• In the constitution, it abolished its army
• The country is divided into 7 provinces
• It is located between Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west
• It has 19,730 square miles of territory which is about the size of West Virginia
• Consists of 0.1% of the worlds land mass and 5% of the worlds biodiversity
• The official religion is Roman Catholicism
• The official language is Spanish
• It has a population of 4.13 million with 2.1 million living in the greater San Jose region
• The economy has grown at 4.7% but inflation is 9.43% and unemployment is 6.6%
• Literacy is 93%
• Cuisine is influenced by Africa, Italy, France, China and Spain
• Its culture is diverse with a population made up of 94% European, 3% African, 1% Chinese, 1% American and 1% other
• There are frequent festivals of all types
• San Jose is ranked 9th out of 144 least expensive cities to live in the world
• Shopping is diverse and plentiful

If you are planning to retire outside the U.S. and are thinking of Costa Rica, be sure to do it in steps.  First research the country.  Second visit it more than once and for longer than a few days.  Find out what it is like to live there.  Then do a trial run.  Stay at least 6 months.  Be sure this is right for your before you pack up everything.

A few resources you will want to investigate:

• The Tico Times is an English newspaper that can be found on the Internet
• ARCR – Association of Residents of Costa Rica has a wealth of resources and help for visitors and potential new residents.  They can be found on the Internet also.  It would be a good idea to contact them at least on one of your visits.

For more information listen to the podcast: