The Central American country Costa Rica is not only a popular place for tourists to visit to swim, surf, and sunbathe, but it's also an attractive place for people to retire. Many Americans and Europeans choose Costa Rica as a retirement location because of the warm tropical climate and cheaper cost of living. If you are looking to rent housing instead of purchasing, there are a lot of excellent retirement community choices as well.
Renting a house or apartment in Costa Rica is going to cost you approximately about half the amount (sometimes less) it would in the United States. A spacious apartment or small house is going to cost you roughly a few hundred dollars every month, but this of course varies depending on the location in Costa Rica you choose.
For luxury apartments or houses in Costa Rica rental communities, expect to pay between $800 and $1500 every month. In these communities, you will find many convenient amenities such as pools, a laundry facility, exquisite views, maid service (hired help is very cheap in Costa Rica), vibrant gardens and more.
If you are looking to pay less for a rental retirement community, you can find some with rental price ranges between $300 and $700 a month. These are generally for middle class areas in Costa Rica. Some of the cheaper places will not have hot water, and instead have electrical devices in the showers and tubs that heat the water.
To become part of a Costa Rica rental retirement community, you generally have to produce a few pieces of proof and identification. Firstly, you have to have lived in Costa Rica already for four months or more. You have to go to the Costa Rican Consular Office and bring the following documents: birth certificate, marriage certificate, proof of income, police certificate of good conduct, interpol background check, and various pictures of yourself.
There are many excellent rental retirement communities all throughout Costa Rica. Cariari, in Heredia, is a luxurious area near the capital city of San Jose that has various retirement rental options. Puriscal in the beautiful Central Valley also has various retirement rental communities. They are all over the country--the nearer you are to the capital, the more expensive they will be. For cheaper options, the Caribbean coast is a better bet.
