costa rica, pros and cons

[toyotaboy]

This isn't meant to be a nay-say, but rather pointing out the good and bad about migrating to costa rica to help dawn and drew decide. I'll start:

Pros:
1. warm weather year round
2. No more snow
3. pharmacy goods without prescription
4. zip lines and more zip lines
5. Lots of sloths
6. Cheaper cost of living

Cons:
1. Lack of stores
2. Lack of work (other than podcasting)
3. No AT&T data or phone service, bye bye iphone
4. Spanish speaking is practically a must
5. Import tax on vehicles is enormous, would have to sell the honda element and all VW buses.
6. Crime (lots of theft)

Here's a good reference I found today:
http://costaricainfoblog.com/2008/07/the-cost-of-living-in-costa-rica/

[MuyLani]

Hahaha so glad I'm not nerdy alone and u got that reference.

[Shultzman]

I've been to Costa Rica 3 times on business. The country is very US friendly and very pro US business. They converted the electric grid to run on US standard 110 with the same plugs so your gadgets should be OK. Almost everyone speaks some English (it's mandatory in all schools). I know very little Spanish and got by for 3 weeks on English alone with no problem. Also, CR is one of the most stable governments in Central America with no standing military. (So it's not a threat to it's neighbors.) The US embassy in CR is HUGE and very supportive of US citizens looking to do business locally.

All that said, I was a bit concerned about the crime rates but I was just outside of San Jose and, like Dawn said, you want to get out of the main town as quick as possible and head to the coast.

Last note... Costa Rica is a VERY Catholic country. That's not a bad thing but if you try to go anywhere other than a hotel on Easter Sunday... forget about it! The country shuts down for the weekend.

[Serfergerl]

I think no more snow is both a pro and con

There is more but that's all I have time for right now.

[Serfergerl]

One of the pros could be, if they run out of money, Drew and rent out the "Big Bamboo" and Dawn can be his pimp.

[Serfergerl]

I wish I could buy one of your VW Buses but not gunna happen I'm afraid. I think you will live fine without an Iphone. Who you gunna call? You have each other. However, what about internet access? How will that work?

thefts are kinda creepy and could totally suck. Maybe look into some sort of insurance? Not sure how I would handle this. Have you considered anywhere besides Costa Rica? I mean there are a lot of other places to go. Just a thought.

Margarita Island maybe? I haven't been there but heard a lot of Europeans go there. I have another friend who bought a home in Ecuador and loves it. Brazil can be nice too. Venezuela....I am not an expert but it's something to consider (other places) besides just Costa Rica.

[hippiepunkjess]

I cant wait until you guys go down there and have a Costa Rica meetup.

Whats the eta on the move???