Living in Costa Rica as an expat has a number of advantages. There are currently over 50,000 Americans living in Costa Rica and more than 15,000 Canadians living in Costa Rica.
The advantages of living in Costa Rica include:
- Lower cost of living
- Lower property tax (currently less than $2.00 per $1000 in value)
- Ease of Access - Cheap airfare, especially from the US with Delta, Continental, US Air, United, American, Spirit Airlines, Jet Blue, Frontier, Mexicana, Taca, Lacsa, Air Canada, Transat, Copa and more.
- Healthier lifestyle
- Less stress
- Affordable health care - nearly free for residents
- Large expat communities
- Many Costa Ricans speak English
- No quarantine for pets
- Part of Central American free trade group
- First world infrastructure, Internet, banking
- Availability of goods and services
- Great climate
- No tornadoes or hurricanes
- Livability
- High literacy rate
- Biodiversity
- Longer life expectancy
- Organic food sources
- Abundant seafood, meat and poultry
In summary Costa Rica has become such a popular location for north American expats looking to live offshore for obvious reasons. The large number of Americans living in Costa Rica continues to attract more. Living in Costa Rica as an American has obvious advantages and Costa Rica continues to attract expats in record numbers.