The Great Migration: Costa Rica as a Haven for Expats

The Great Migration: Costa Rica as a Haven for Expats Posted by Alonso Aguilar | Copywriter

Ever since commercial flights became widely accessible in the 1950s, the idea of resting in a tropical paradise has been set in stone as one of Western society’s favorite aspirations . After all, nothing makes a better contrast to the hectic pace and claustrophobic environments of a big metropolis like letting the calming melody of clashing waves wash over as you rest comfortably beneath the shade of a palm tree .

The booming economy of the United States after World War II, and the aforementioned technological advances in global transportation, left the gate wide open for an apparently evergrowing American middle-class to explore beyond the mainland, and after a whole generation tested the waters of weekends in Hawaii and Caribbean escapades, the general picture of what they wanted for their twilight years was pretty clear .

Seeking a lower cost of living and slower pace of life, the Baby Boomer generation began flocking to Costa Rica during the 1980s, solidifying an ever-growing expat community that initially concentrated in the country’s world famous beaches, but can now be found all around the country . According to the U .S . Department of State, in 2021 as many as 70,000 U .S . expatriates live in Costa Rica . The reason behind it? The country’s high standard of living .

Once the national army was abolished in 1948, Costa Rica pledged that budget towards public education and social security, which has translated into a population that’s constantly placed amongst the better educated and most cultured in Latin America .

Alongside this, the country’s political stability, long standing relationship with the United States, and uphold of tourism and service industries as the core of the national economy, set the basis for an extremely welcoming environment to expatriates, and things are only getting easier in the so-called new normal .

Given the growing trends in remote work, the country has made an active effort to lure digital nomads . Specific short-term visas (with extension options) are offered, and there’s also a nationwide commitment to widen the reach of fiber optic internet, which grew by almost 150% between 2019 and 2020 . Americans have been taking notice, and given how the last two years of pandemic life have shaken everyone’s preconceptions about work and leisure, many have decided to seize the moment and jump into the opportunity . After all, there’s no better option for a tropical safehaven than Central American Switzerland, as it’s called .