10 Mistakes That Cost American Retirees Everything in Costa Rica

🔗 Retire On $2,075 A Month — the nine-country manual with every number sourced and dated: https://moveabroadmanual.com 10 Mistakes That Cost American Retirees Everything in Costa Rica Back home, a $2,000 Social Security check pays for less every year, so a move to Costa Rica can look like the obvious fix. The costs that hurt are the ones nobody puts in the brochure. A $280,000 beach house inside the Maritime Zone can sit on land you are only allowed to lease. A $100,000 ocean-view lot near Nosara is worth little without a water availability letter. In Grecia, a 450,000-colón rent that once cost about $650 now costs close to $990. The Caja health payment runs around $220 to $270 a month on a $2,000 pension. A used truck six years or older pays about 79 percent in import taxes. Before you comment: yes, Costa Rica is still one of the easiest places in Latin America for a retiree to live legally. The Pensionado residency needs a lifetime pension of $1,000 a month, and Social Security counts. Outside the beach zone, a foreigner owns titled property with the same rights as a citizen. These mistakes are avoidable once you know the rules. Conversions use about 455 colones to the US dollar, the Banco Central de Costa Rica reference rate in October 2026. THE TEN MISTAKES 👇 #10 Budgeting in dollars when life runs in colones: around $4,000 a year #9 Choosing a town after a dry-season visit: $3,000 to $5,000 #8 Living on back-to-back tourist stamps: $100 for every month of overstay #7 Forgetting the Caja payment: about $220 to $270 a month #6 Keeping property in an old company: about $150 to $255 a year in tax, with dissolution after 3 years unpaid #5 Shipping your car: about 79 percent import tax on vehicles 6 years or older #4 Skipping the inspection and registry search: $15,000 to $25,000 in repairs #3 Trusting an unlicensed agent: $10,000 to $20,000 deposits at risk #2 Buying land without water: a $100,000 lot you cannot build on #1 Buying beachfront in the Maritime Zone: $280,000 and none of the land CHAPTERS 0:00 The $280,000 beach house you never own 1:28 #10 Budgeting in dollars 4:21 #9 Choosing a town after a dry-season visit 6:41 #8 Living on tourist stamps 9:27 #7 Forgetting the Caja payment 11:48 #6 Keeping property in an old company 14:35 #5 Shipping your car 17:28 #4 Skipping the inspection 19:39 #3 Trusting an unlicensed agent 22:05 #2 Buying land without water 24:45 #1 The Maritime Zone 27:46 What ties all 10 together More lists like this every week:    / @newlifesouthamerica   Which of these 10 would have caught you if you had moved to Costa Rica without knowing about it? Subscribe for a new list like this every week. DISCLAIMER: Costs shown are estimates based on public rental listings and local prices observed at time of research and are indicative only. Prices, exchange rates, availability and visa requirements change constantly and must be independently verified. This video is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, immigration, medical or real estate advice. Always verify current costs and rules with official sources and a licensed professional before making any relocation decision. #RetireAbroad #NewLifeAbroad #CostaRica