Life in Costa Rica can be described by the unofficial country motto, "Pura Vida", meaning "Pure Life". Pura Vida can be heard before the click of glasses, the first bite of a meal or the final handshake of an agreement and epitomizes the unflustered calm of Costa Rican life.
Costa Rica has attracted many foreigners to take up residence within its borders. There are currently over 100,000 American living in Costa Rica and roughly 20,000 Canadians. So what is fueling this trend? What makes Costa Rica so attractive to North Americans? The trend can be attributed to Costa Rica's world class medical system, education system, democratic republic, affordable real estate, climate and economy.
Costa Ricans enjoy the highest quality of life in all of Latin America, a result of the governments commitment to social welfare and the education of the domestic population. In 1949 the government decided to abolish its armed forces and divert armies funding to its health care system and education. The education system is free for all, and is the major contributor to the country's 96% literacy rate.
Costa Rica has made substantial progress in reducing poverty and improving social sector indicators over the past decade, according to the World Bank report "Costa Rica: Social Spending and the Poor". Some of this progress includes head count poverty declined from 27 percent in 1990 to 21 percent in 2000. Access to health care and primary education is nearly universal and the life expectancy has risen, while infant mortality rates have fallen.
The property taxes and costs associated with purchasing property in Costa Rica are less than the ones found in North America. In 2007, the average property tax in Costa Rica was just a quarter of a percent (0.25%) or the property value. This makes the cost of owning property in Costa Rica affordable for foreigners.