In this report, I share my retire early in Quepos Costa Rica for $1134 per month estimated cost of living.
After spending a few months touring around Panama, we jumped on a bus and headed further north into Costa Rica. Our first stop in Costa Rica was Uvita. We loved Uvita, but it bothered us that they charged $6 per person to go to the beach. We had to go a few kilometers north to find a free beach.
After we completed our retire cheap in Uvita Costa Rica report, we jumped on the bus and headed north for about an hour to investigate Quepos Costa Rica. This place felt more livable to us.
Quepos is a small oceanfront town. But there is a river between the town and the beach so the configuration is a bit odd. Quepos is primarily Costa Ricans because the tourists hang out mainly along the road to Manuel Antonio which is not far at all.
So it was a little easier to find Costa Rican culture and food in Quepos. There seemed to be more mom-and-pop restaurants, clothing stores, and everyday local life in Quepos which means it was a little easier to get delicious local food for cheaper.
Quepos was one of my favorites in Costa Rica when I was here 9 years ago. Many of the locals that serve the tourists that visit nearby Manuel Antonio National Park, live in and around Quepos. Manuel Antonio National Park is one of the most visited tourist places in Costa Rica, because of all of the wildlife that lives in the park. Despite all the tourists going through the Quepos area, Quepos has somehow been able to maintain much of its local charms.
Here is a map showing where Quepos is in relation to the Manuel Antonio National Park. The good news is that the bus between the Quepos and the Manuel Antonio is only 335 Colon ($0.50 USD). So you can live in this area without a car.
Retire early in Quepos Costa Rica for $1134 per month
First, I will share my retire early in Quepos Costa Rica for $1134 per month estimated costs of living.
Then, I discuss my early retirement livability factors, such as walkability, food, social considerations, visa information, healthcare, weather, and real estate.
After that, I will show you our favorite beach, the canopy tour we went on, and the Manuel Antonio National Park. Then we will show you our favorite places to buy groceries and our favorite restaurants along with the costs of meals we had.
But you do not need to take notes. I will provide a link to all of this information in writing at the end of this video including Google Map links.
Cost of Living in Quepos Costa Rica
Here is my estimated cost of living if Qiang and I were to live in Quepos Costa Rica. But we are all different, so you will have to visit and do an exploratory visit in order to estimate your estimated cost of living here.
Rents: To rent an unfurnished 1 bedroom apartment, you will have to pay around $350-$450 per month for local style accommodations depending on the square footage. If you want to live in a more Americanized place it could easily cost you another hundred or so per month depending on how much space and modern amenities you want. Since this is my estimate of what it would cost me to live here, and I am comfortable with the local style accommodations, I will use $350 per month for rent which does not include utilities. You will not find local-style apartments advertised online. You have to put your feet on the ground. I also provide a link to my report about how to find perfect apartments around the world.
Utilities: This is at sea level so you will need AC many nights of the year to sleep. But I estimate my electric bill would range from about $100 per month. My gas will run about $10 per month, water will be about $10 per month. So my electric, gas, and water would average around $120 per month.
Groceries: Based upon our time here and the money we spent on groceries, we estimate about $350 USD per month on groceries for two people.
Restaurants: If we went out to eat twice per week, once for date night and once for a lunch somewhere, we would spend about $35 per week or $140 per month in restaurants for the two of us.
Cell Phone Data: The cost to recharge prepaid service is about $16 USD per month for Claro Service. My android phone will act as a hotspot so we can both be on the internet at the same time when we are out of the house together.
Laundry: We could send our laundry out once per week for about $12 to wash, dry, and fold, so about $48 per month.
Water: The tap water is fairly clean in Quepos, so we were just drinking out of the tap.
Internet: The Internet will be about $50 per month depending on how fast you need your service.
Transportation: Everything you would want in Quepos is fairly walkable, and they have local buses that cost about $0.50 USD per person. So we would pay about $60 per month in transportation.
Alcohol (Optional): Local beers in Quepos are about $1.20 USD in stores. If you watch and buy in bulk on sale you may save a little. But in bars and restaurants, beers run about $3 to $6 USD. So for two people, we estimate about $120 USD per month for alcohol since we would drink more at home.
|
Quepos |
Expense (USD) |
|
Rent |
350 |
|
Groceries |
350 |
|
Utilities |
120 |
|
Restaurants |
140 |
|
Cell |
16 |
|
Laundry |
48 |
|
Water |
0 |
|
Internet |
50 |
|
Transportation |
60 |
|
Recurring Total |
$1134 |
|
|
|
|
Alcohol (Optional) |
120 |
|
Optional Total |
$1254 |
The above cost of living is for 2 people but is just an estimate on the low end. For a full understanding of what it would cost you to live here, visit Numbeo Quepos and add anything you spend money on in your home country that is not mentioned in the table. Our costs of living are generally much lower than a new traveler’s because we are great bargain hunters but there are a few people that live cheaper than we do.
Never move anywhere until you have visited first personally to verify the living costs for your lifestyle and needs. I am not guaranteeing these prices. These are just my notes and estimates from the time of my visit and this post. Your costs will likely be drastically different depending on your lifestyle and the time since this post.
Our estimated cost to retire early in Quepos Costa Rica for $1134 per month is less than most ex-pats report spending. You will hear more typical living costs in the range of $2000 to $4000 per month. But people spending that much also have higher incomes or pensions. They often report spending more on entertainment, eating out, and alcohol. Many also have more expensive cars, houses, or apartments.
If you are going to try to retire cheap offshore, make sure to read my report, the Two Biggest Risks of Retiring Early for Cheap Offshore, which explains why you should have emergency funds available for unexpected large expenses.
Quepos Livability Factors and Overall Retirement Desirability Score
Here are some of the factors I think about when I consider a place for early retirement potential. After I discuss each factor I will assign an overall retirement desirability score to Quepos.
Walkability: High Desirability I love living in walkable areas of the world where you can walk to restaurants, grocery stores, nightlife, parks, and other interesting things to do. Quepos is a very walkable central area. In addition, Quepos has a marina that we were able to walk to and watch the sunset with a $1.60 Happy Hour.
Internet: High. The Att Speed Test in our apartment WIFI was 24 Mbps download speeds and 12 Mbps upload speeds. So the Internet speeds were better than what we needed for our purposes. If you need a certain Internet speed for your business, I suggest reading my process for finding the perfect apartment which fulfills all of your needs.
Food: High. There are several really good local restaurants (Soda’s) offering delicious local food for $4 to $5 USD per entree. There was also a decent assortment of international-style restaurants when considering the size of Quepos. But the international foods seem pricey with most meals starting at $8 or $10 USD with super expensive places also as you get closer to Manuel Antonio National Park where the tourists stay.
Weather: Medium. The warmest months are February through April when daytime highs average around 33C, 91F, and nights average around 27C, 80F. The other months are almost the same with average daytime highs around 32C, 89F, and night lows average around 26C, 79F. So the temperatures do not vary that much by season. Quepos feels muggy March through January with October being the muggiest and February being the least muggy feeling. The rainy season is May through November making the sunny season to December through May. But make sure to visit during both seasons before deciding to live here.
Things to Do: High. Deep-sea fishing, tennis, snorkeling, scuba, surfing, kitesurfing, standup boarding, kayaking, swimming, biking, live music (some), cooking, gym, yoga, restaurants, running, shopping, coffee shops, dirt biking, quads, and hiking.
Healthcare: High. There is a clinic in Quepos and the nearest hospital is just 5 km outside of Quepos town, but for more complicated cases you will want to visit the best hospitals in the country in San Jose, the capital. San Jose is about 3 hours from Quepos depending on traffic. Once you become gain residency in Costa Rica, you can sign up for public healthcare which costs 7 to 11% of your income or pension if you are retired. Healthcare is one of the major reasons many retirees move to Costa Rica.
Social Considerations: Medium. If you decide to retire in Quepos, you will want to learn some Spanish, since it is more local-centric and less expat-centric. You will find many people in day-to-day life that speak some English in Quepos, but your life will be more full if you are able to communicate meaningfully with everyone around you.
Expats: Medium. There are several Facebook groups for ex-pats living in Costa Rica. This is the largest in Quepos but is not specifically geared towards ex-pats. But most of the correspondence is in English. I suggest people join these groups to ask questions and get answers to questions that only an ex-pat would know. But make sure to make friends with both locals and ex-pats for a richer experience living here. I explain why in my report, The Top 10 Mistakes International Retirees Make.
Real Estate: High. On the day I wrote this report, I was curious how much a small house would cost in or near Quepos. So, I used Google to translate “Homes for sale in Quepos Costa Rica” into Spanish, “Casas en venta Quepos Costa Rica” and the following house property was offered for sale for $80,000 USD. It includes 2 houses on one lot.
The property probably won’t be available for long, but wanted to have an idea of what a place big enough for me would cost if I moved to Quepos Costa Rica. This is much cheaper than anything else I saw, so you may have to dig deep for a few months to get something similar.
But I never recommend buying real estate until you have lived somewhere for at least 2 to 3 years. In fact, I have a report explaining Why Retired Expats Should not Buy Real Estate Overseas for the first 2 to 3 years of living somewhere new overseas. Make sure to read that before deciding to buy real estate overseas.
Visa: High. Citizens of many countries are given a 90-day visa-free tourist stamp upon arrival in Costa Rica. If you fall in love with Costa Rica during your exploratory visit and decide to stay you will need to apply for your retirement visa. The retiree residence status has no minimum age requirement but you must show a permanent income from pension, retirement funds, or social security of $1,000.00 USD per month along with police clearance.
Safety: High. Costa Rica is generally one of the safer countries to live or travel to in Central and South America. Costa Rica was ranked 39th in safety on the Global Peace Index for 2021. But make sure to read my report on how to travel the world safely, including in your home country. I provide all of my tips and tricks that have kept me safe for 14+ years traveling the world.
Quepos Costa Rica Overall Retirement Desirability Score: High. This is a small city consisting primarily of Costa Ricans so it includes experiencing the Costa Rican culture which is not so common in beach cities there. Nature is amazing in the Quepos area with beaches, jungles, and mountains and it is just a short bus ride to Manuel Antonio National Park, which is one of the most famous protected habitats for animals in the world.
I have ranked in high desirability to retire early for cheap because it offers one of the reasons I would retire overseas is to learn about new cultures, and Quepos has that. That local culture also is what helps keep my cost of living down. Plus, although cheaper than many beaches Quepos still offers what tourists want like beaches, jungles, wild animals, and more a great assortment of international restaurants.
Next, I will show you our favorite things to do in Quepos and then our favorite restaurants and grocery stores.
El Santuario Canopy Adventure Tour
The video of this tour is on Qiang’s Youtube Channel. Make sure to subscribe when you are watching it.
Qiang had never been on a zipline tour before so I decided to take her on this tour because it had the longest zipline in the Quepos area. The tour costs $80 and lasts about a half-day and includes lunch. Plus they pick you up and drop you off from your accommodations.
We really enjoyed the tour including the food, though Qiang was a little afraid of being high in the trees. This is a great choice if you are interested in taking a canopy tour. Qiang made the above video.
Manuel Antonio National Park
The video of this tour is on Qiang’s Youtube Channel. Make sure to subscribe when you are watching it.
Of course, you also have to visit Manuel Antonio National Park while you are in Quepos. We booked a guided tour of Manuel Antonio with this guy named Edwin because he had the best equipment and the best reviews online.
The truth is, I doubt we would have been able to spot 10% of the wild animals he showed us in the park if we hadn’t hired Edwin as our guide. Plus he had this great camera setup that took pictures of all the animals through a telescope. That made all the difference in seeing the animals up close and he gave us all the photos so we could share them with you! You should hire Edwin for sure. He is not even more expensive than the other guides.
Best Free Beach Near Quepos Costa Rica
Once you have seen Manuel Antonio Park and taken the Canopy tour in the jungle, you are going to need a day to just relax on the beach. Just grab the $0.50 USD bus from the bus terminal in Quepos and ride over to the public beach just outside of Manuel Antonio National Park entrance. (This is also the bus terminal where you catch buses to other cities in Costa Rica).
The beach is the last stop before it turns around and goes back to Quepos. Plus, there are bus stops along the way from Quepos to the beach so you can ride the same bus no matter where you are along the way.
There are restaurants and convenience stores along the road in front of the beach and you can rent a chair and umbrella for about $10 for the day.
Quepos’s Best Restaurants and Grocery Stores
There are links below to our favorite restaurants in Quepos, with our favorites on top.
Restaurante Cerdo Feliz: This is the best local food in all of Costa Rica during the 4 weeks we toured the country. When you are in Costa Rica look for the words “Soda” in restaurants. That means local mom-and-pop Costa Rican food. Order the “Casada” (traditional dish) with beef, pork, chicken, or vegetarian for 3200 Colons ($5 USD) which include your drink. We kept going back it was so delicious.
Soda Sánchez: This was our second favorite restaurant in Quepos. Again, order the Casada! It was almost as good as the above restaurants and cost only about $0.50 more. It is in town so he probably has higher rents.
Tiquicia Delicias: This was our third favorite soda restaurant in Quepos and it also has live music from time to time and night. The food prices were similar to the other sodas.
Double Hook Sports Bar: This is one of the best happy hours in Quepos because the drinks are just $1.60 USD, plus it has an amazing view of the sunset over the Marina full of luxury yachts and fishing boats. They also have great happy hour deals on finger food.
El Avion: This is one of the most famous restaurants in the area. But not for the food so much. It is more famous for the amazing view of the Pacific Ocean and for the full-sized airplane built into the restaurant that you can see from the road. You can get in the cock pit and take pictures. The meals are more expensive starting at around $10 USD.
Here is where we shopped in Quepos for groceries.
Super Joseth: We stayed in an Airbnb (below) for the week we investigated the Quepos area. That Airbnb was in the small village called Manuel Antonio which is between Quepos and the National Park of the same name. When we just needed one or two things, we shopped in this grocery store near our house. It was expensive, so when we wanted more than a few items we shopped at the following grocery store in Quepos.
Palí: This place seemed to have better prices on groceries overall.
Where We Stayed
We stayed in this Airbnb during the 7 days we spent in Quepos. We loved the place but it is just not a sustainable budget for us long term at $35 USD per night. So rent something just for the first week or so and then read my report about how to find perfect apartments around the world. You will almost never find the best long-term deals on Airbnb.
Thanks for reviewing our report, retire early in Quepos Costa Rica for $1134 per month.
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