If you are thinking of moving to Costa Rica, you probably already know of the happiest and greenest country in the world. Aside from most costaricans being fluent in English, this small giant offers investors and residents many advantages.
Costa Rica is only (52,000 square kilometers, more or less the size of West Virginia) democratic and the most politically stable country of Central America,
Located north of Panamá and south of Nicaragua, it has a diversity of microclimates that allows its inhabitants and visitors to enjoy the beach and the mountain within the same day.
San José, its capital city, provides all the essentials: An international airport (Juan Santamaría), excellent bilingual schools, top of the class medical services, wonderful hotels and restaurants, entertainment, shopping, office and business related infrastructure.
As far as weather, San José has a very temperate climate—never hot, never cold. So forget about seasonal clothing, you will never need a snow coat ever again. All the major highways run through San José, and within a two-hour drive, you can be either on the Pacific Coast or on the Atlantic Coast.
Guanacaste´s province is one of the largest, with its own international airport Liberia; its where most of the white sand beaches can be found. Beaches are open to the public. Liberia is a small city, with hospitals, commercial and business developments and bilingual schools. For the foodies and adventurers excellent restaurants, hotels and entertainment are available.
Real Estate purchase is in no way restricted, with a national Registry System which protects titles and deeds, the only problem is the many ocean front, ocean view, mountain and city developments to choose from.
Nature is Costa Rica´s museum. Regions can be dryer, wetter, or more humid, but always green. The jungle is dense and exciting. Plant and animal life is everywhere. With a green energy and conservationist mentality Costa Rica protects its resources, hunting is forbidden.
DOING BUSINESS IN COSTA RICA.
New Free Trade Zones (FTZs) are constantly emerging. As per a report issued by CINDE in July, 2016(Costa Rica´s Investment and Promotion Agency), these are some relevant numbers from 2015:
| Population | 4.8 million |
| Labor Force | 2.3 million |
| Adult literacy rate | 97.4% |
| Unemployment rate | 8.5% |
| Inflation rate | -1% |
| Exports of goods | 9.6 billion |
| Exports of services | 7.5 billion |
| GDP | US$52.6billion |
| GDP per capita PPP | US$15,482 |
Medical Devices was the number one industrial export good of Costa Rica in 2015, accounting for 4% of the total GDP.
Free Trade Zones have grown steadily in Costa Rica, an average of 14.2% per year from 2005 to 2015, and exports of precision and medical equipment have grown seven times faster than other industries in FTZs.
– Exemption on corporate income tax.
– Exemption on withholding tax, royalties, fees and dividends with no time limit; & local sales tax.
– Duty-free imports & exports.
If you are considering to move to Costa Rica, you will be welcome. Please let us know if we can be of service in this exiting transition. At LatinAlliance we will be happy to help you in this adventure!