WHAT’S UP DOC?

Costa Rica Cost Of Living Update: 2.2 pounds of carrots (1 kilogram)- 55 cents

Produce is super cheap here.  Every town has a big farmer’s market open on Friday or Saturday.  Hundreds of vendors line up with their freshest produce at ridiculously low prices.  You can get also get your chicken, eggs, and if necessary, a pair of underwear all in the same place.  We usually leave with a week worth of produce for twenty dollars.  If you add the chicken and eggs,  it’s more like twenty five dollars.  It’s a great way to eat healthy and not spend a lot of money.

And with a kilogram of carrots costing 50 cents, you can be sure I’ll be eating a lot of those.  It’s a lot cheaper than a bag of Oreo’s.

By | 2018-04-15T18:20:02-04:00 November 4th, 2010|Categories: food|Tags: |8 Comments

About the Author:

Nadine is the author of the best-selling series, Happier Than A Billionaire. Join her as she navigates living as an expat in the sometimes confusing, always beautiful, country of Costa Rica.

8 Comments

  1. […] step better, frequent a farmers’ market and you will find even bigger discounts. If you are like me when I was living in the States, you […]

  2. Victoria September 26, 2011 at 12:35 pm - Reply

    I have known dozens of Costa Ricans in the USA, and they have all gone back. I taught ESL for years, and out of all the nationalities of students, Ticos are in the one group that prefer their own country, in spite of occasional annoyances… I can see why!

    • admin September 27, 2011 at 9:57 am - Reply

      I agree. I am from New Jersey, where a lot of Costa Ricans immigrate too. So many move back, the cost of living was killing them.

  3. ronniesabol@yahoo.com November 16, 2010 at 6:25 pm - Reply

    carrots are great but you cant pump them up to 12 times their size

  4. Karen November 12, 2010 at 9:04 pm - Reply

    Yeah, everything is cheap because the people there are getting paid next to nothing for their labor. Thats why they immigrate HERE.

    • admin November 13, 2010 at 7:59 am - Reply

      Goodmorning,

      I’m sitting with my morning cup of coffee and watching the baby hawk swoop down attempting to catch something hidden in the grass. This is his third try but he keeps coming back with nothing. I love his perserverance. I felt this was the perfect time to respond to your post.

      Although I am sure there are Costa Ricans that have migrated to the United States, this really is not the norm. I have met several who have given it a try but came back for several reasons. The pace of life is so different between the two countries. But they still love America, and still want to practice their English with you. That’s what is wonderful about traveling to other countries, you see first hand their love for the United States. I am grateful I took the chance to move here so I could experience that everyday.

      Unfortunatly, our country offered these people relatively low wages combined with an extremely high cost of living . They found themselves working much longer hours than what they are used to and became unsure if this was how they wanted to live. I do not like to assume I know where you are coming from but I am afraid you may be confusing other hispanic individuals for Costa Ricans.

      If you travel to Costa Rica you will see smiling faces on even the poorest people here and be welcomed with the national greeting “pura vida” (pure living). It is indeed a unique little paradise. Plus there is a two hour siesta in the middle of the day, and who could complain about that!

      Best Wishes

      • Marci November 25, 2010 at 9:17 am - Reply

        You are 100% correct – Costa Ricans are not looking to leave their beautiful country! They work, go to school, their family is there, and they have great medical care.

  5. Melyssa November 4, 2010 at 9:59 pm - Reply

    OMG, that rocks. How wonderful is that? I’m jealous.

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