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Costa Rica in the guesthouse! A dream come true for many Swiss couples. “For a retired life in Costa Rica, you definitely need to learn the language and be patient and tolerant,” Elsbeth Langenegger (63) tells Blick. In 2019, she and her husband Werner (65) emigrated to the Central American country, which is said to be the best country in the world for retirement, according to the latest edition of the “Global Retirement Index”.
You need to be patient because of the bureaucracy: “Management takes time, but as a retiree you have that,” says Langenegger. Tolerance is necessary because in Costa Rica the rule is “live and let live”: “A lawnmower or chainsaw may make noise early in the morning or even in the middle of the night.”
The best climate in the world
Langenegger does not paint a rosy picture for the country: Crime is on the rise and road traffic is often difficult. However, its advantages far outweigh its disadvantages. The couple, originally from Uster ZH, live in inland Atenas, west of the capital San Jose. According to NASA, this place has the best climate on Earth: very constant, never too hot, never too cold, always around 25 degrees. There is also a small Swiss community in Atenas that occasionally meets to play games.
However, he spoke in favor of Costa Rica financially. “Here we were able to retire early and buy a large property with a house and garden,” Langenegger enthuses. Your house is magnificent with its breakfast terrace, pool and guesthouse. This was covered from savings.
The Langeneggers have only been receiving AHV money since November 2023. “A married couple with the maximum AHV pension can live a good life in Costa Rica,” they say. Compulsory health insurance is much cheaper than in Switzerland and the tax burden is very low. The help and care of a married couple who cook, clean, and maintain the house and garden may also be covered. Food prices are comparable to Switzerland. Buying a car or electrical appliance is even more expensive than in Switzerland.
The Langeneggers will continue to rely on savings to travel home to Switzerland. Here and there they miss their homeland. But Elsbeth Langenegger also says: “We cannot imagine returning to Switzerland right now.” Older people have a high status in Costa Rica. For example, retirees are allowed to use disabled parking spaces, and the bank has an express counter for the elderly so that they do not have to wait in long lines.
A life in Costa Rica unlike Switzerland
Kathrin (59) and Peter Diethelm (69) from Biberstein AG also moved to Costa Rica a few years ago. Kathrin Diethelm openly admits: “There were financial reasons for this.”
Living in Switzerland was very expensive. Kathrin received a half IV pension after two burnouts, while Peter was left unable to work due to a botched operation. So they sold their house and moved to Orosi, east of San Jose.
The determining factors for them are; political security, a climate that “does not cause heating costs”, the absence of tropical diseases such as malaria, and a culture that is closer to European culture than Asian countries.
Today the Diethelms live in a beautiful house with a 5,000 square meter garden, and with their AHV/IV pension they can even afford to hire a gardener and have something set aside. You don’t pay taxes on your retirement income, just a small property tax. “This is paradise, we were really lucky,” Kathrin says excitedly. They settled in well. Do you miss Switzerland? None.
Source :Blick
I’m Tim David and I work as an author for 24 Instant News, covering the Market section. With a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism, my mission is to provide accurate, timely and insightful news coverage that helps our readers stay informed about the latest trends in the market. My writing style is focused on making complex economic topics easy to understand for everyone.
