I came here 21 years ago for one simple reason, to make money. I didn’t even know Costa Rica existed until I was hired to broker a fairly large business deal here…
But I stayed for completely different reasons.
These days everyone seems to want to move here. The country is experiencing a wave of immigration from the U.S., Canada, and Europe.
Donald Trump might call it an invasion. Tucker Carlson might call it “brown replacement” (as in replacing the browns with the whites).
However, there are no “caravans” amassing at our borders. The folks moving here are flying in, often first class. And they’re buying up everything in sight, especially in places where they might’ve vacationed before.
By the way, just as an aside, Costa Rica has much more to offer than simply the place where you might’ve spent a week or two on vacation. If you’re the adventurous type, I’d encourage you to get out and see more of it. I assure you that you’ll be amazed!
But what are the real motivations for all these folks wanting to move here?
Why has Costa Rica become so popular as a place for expats to call home, at least for a year or two?
You probably know that I’m a realtor here. So, you might be asking yourself, why should he care? After all, the real estate market is booming as a result of this “invasion.”
Shouldn’t I be happy about it?
Well, I am to a point…
I’m the type that questions everything. And, frankly, I’m a little concerned at what I see happening to my adopted country.
From my perspective as a realtor dealing with different types of clients with different modes of motivation, it seems that most can be broken down, or generalized, into two categories…
- Those who want to adapt to a new culture and way of life that they imagine might be better, for a number of reasons personal to them;
- And those who just think Costa Rica is sorta cheap (at least compared to back home) and really pretty, so they’d like to live here, but couldn’t give a rat’s behind about things like “immersion.” After all, they’re from a superior culture (at least in their own minds), so why should they adapt to or adopt an inferior one?
It’s those of the second variety that are a cause of concern for me.
As I said at the outset, I first arrived to Costa Rica on a business deal. That was my motivation, pure and simple. However, something happened over those initial formative years that changed me, drastically.
We describe that style of life as being Pura Vida (translated, pure life).
I deal with a lot of clients that are motivated to immerse. Those will likely learn the same lesson that I did many years ago. It’ll probably take them a while, but I believe eventually they’ll catch on to it…
And the country will likely be better off welcoming those into its folds.
The others, the ones that will attempt to impose their “American” mode of dealing with life on an often unwilling tico populace, well, they might experience some frustration…
Or, they just might be successful…
And in some areas of the country where the immigration wave is the strongest, they seem to be succeeding.
And that’s what concerns me!
Of course, there are certain segments of the tico population that will gain from gringos spending bookoo bucks moving here. Especially those directly or peripherally involved in the real estate market, for instance…
However, that is a very small percentage of the total population. So, don’t regale me with anecdotes about how your tico lawyer, or tico builder, or tico realtor seems to be doing just fine.
The problem with all this immigration is that there is a tipping point that can be reached. One where the locals have just about had enough.
Signs of that can come in the form of culture clashes that might appear in the way of petty thefts, or worse, more violent types of crime.
Take an area like Nosara, where prices have been driven up so much that ticos can’t even afford to live there anymore.
My own Costa Ballena is unfortunately on the verge of being another example. Or, at least, I fear it might be.
Ticos are by and large a peaceful people. But even peace-loving folks can react less than peaceful when their backs are driven against the wall.
The title of this post poses the simple question, why do YOU want to move to Costa Rica?
I guess what I’d like this post to do is encourage you to question your own motives for moving here, if that’s what you’re indeed contemplating.
I would hope that once you do that, you’ll fall more in the immersion category than the one where Costa Rica simply seems like a pretty place to spend your money.