Do half the people who move to Costa Rica move back again?

By Ivo Henfling

Adventure, sunshine, lower cost of living, being happy and a better lifestyle, to mention a few, are reasons that make us take the decision to move to Costa Rica or to any other country.

It is a great decision or a horrible one, there is nothing in between, no matter if you move to the city or to the beaches. If it is a happy story or a horror story does not only depend on being committed or not, there are a lot of big and small details involved.

Google

When I moved to Costa Rica 32 years ago, Costa Rica was different, the world was different. Google didn’t exist and it was not so easy to do due diligence on a distance. The only way to make it happen was to burn your ships back home and give it a shot. I never regretted the adventure and still enjoy every day of it.

My own family

My mom and dad left Costa Rica after 10 years because my dad couldn’t adjust here. My dad came here to retire and we came here to start a new life. They moved to the Canary Islands and the same thing happened and they moved back to Holland.
My two little sisters married in the Canary Islands and still live there, with their husbands and kids.
My brother moved back to Holland and after a few years found out he couldn’t adjust back home anymore and moved to Costa Rica for a 2nd time. I can assure you that everyone is and has been enjoying the adventure, even my dad.

Love or hate

I have clients who moved to Costa Rica and moved back after some years and have great memories of their time in Costa Rica.
I also have had Costa Rica real estate sellers who move back with horrible memories because they just hate Costa Rica and anything that has to do with Costa Rica.
Moving to Costa Rica is about taking the decision to change the direction you want your life to go.
You have a certain expectation of that change in direction. You enjoy it while it lasts but it is a direction that can change at any time. Just like taking a new job and liking it a lot or hating it.
When you like it, you stay on and when you hate it, you look for a new job.
The success or failure does not depend on playing golf all day or bouldering for fun or making friends or not, it depends on real life changes, which can happen at any time.

Reasons for interfering in the adventure

• You are not committed to the adventure
• You are not willing to adjust to your new environment
• You are not willing to learn Spanish
• You miss your children
• You miss the grand children
• You get sick and you need better treatment
• A family member becomes sick
• You bought a property in the wrong place
• Your economic situation changes

 

50% or 60%?

Do half the people who move to Costa Rica really move back again? I don’t know the percentage that does and I doubt there is any statistics on the matter. Al the above reasons can interfere in the adventure but it doesn’t mean it makes the moving back a happy or an unhappy one.
If they move back with good or bad memories is what matters. Most have great memories about their time in Costa Rica. Many of my clients who moved to Costa Rica and moved back stay in touch and most still read my blogs. If they’d hated it here, you think they would? Check our testimonials and you get a great idea.

Our GoDutch Realty agents have relocated hundreds of people to Costa Rica, besides themselves. We have a lot of experience and hold your hand from day one all the way past the closing and will always be there for you. Picking the right real estate agent is one of the most important decisions you will take when you move to Costa Rica, so contact us when you are ready to do so. Meanwhile, start surfing our website for Costa rica homes for sale.