Investing in Costa Rica

Costa Rica is an amazingly beautiful country, with a variety of landscapes. There is something to offer every lifestyle, from wave-breaking beaches to magnificent mountains. Many of the countries best beaches are still clean and clear of over-development.

About three decades ago, this country decided to make a business of the foreign retiree. The Costa Ricans invested in a formal and successful advertising campaign, targeting Americans primarily. Tens of thousands of would-be retirees from the States took up the invitation and relocated to this beautiful land teeming with rainforests.

The benefits were terrific: tax breaks, special retiree discounts, great weather, and, especially, the super-cheap cost both of living and of owning beachfront real estate.

Fast forward a couple of decades, and, thanks to investors and speculators, Costa Rica isn’t so cheap anymore, neither its cost of living nor its beachfront real estate. Meantime, prices have risen dramatically and infrastructure hasn’t improved much at all.