The Fernshore Index
The factors retirees look at first.
Each grade is against a published measure, with its source and the date we checked it. It is research information, not advice. Where we have no figure, the row says Unknown.
Retirement
85 of 100Strong
Strong: pensioners (a pension of at least US$1,000 a month) and people living on income (at least US$2,500 a month) are temporary residents, and three consecutive years of temporary residence allow an application for permanent residence. Later changes by Law 9996 were not checked.
Source: Ley General de Migración y Extranjería No. 8764, articles 78, 79, 81 and 82. Checked 15 October 2026.
Healthcare
79 of 100Strong
WHO UHC service coverage index 84 (2023).
Source: UHC service coverage index (SDG 3.8.1). Checked 15 October 2026.
Cost of living
55 of 100Mixed
Price level 0.591 of United States prices (2025).
Source: Price level index (GDP), Costa Rica. Checked 15 October 2026.
Safety
50 of 100Mixed
Global Peace Index 2026: 62nd of 163.
Source: Global Peace Index 2026, overall rank. Checked 15 October 2026.
Community
Unknown
Not covered by Expat Insider 2026
Climate
16 of 100Weak
The Heredia and San José area, the main city: 3 comfortable months a year (January, November and December), measured at Tobías Bolaños airport in San José.
Source: Climate normals 1991–2020, Tobías Bolaños Palma Airport, Pavas, San José (WMO 78764). Checked 15 October 2026.
Visa, United States passport
85 of 100Strong
Strong: the digital nomad stay is open to US passport holders paid from abroad, with no job offer in Costa Rica and no age minimum. It runs up to a year and renews once; the income test is about US$3,000 a month (about US$36,000 a year, about US$4,000 a month for a family), with no deposit. To be safe, have more than US$3,100 a month. No entry visa is needed for 180 days.
Source: Digital nomads in Costa Rica: remote worker visa; Digital nomads: remote worker and service provider stay (requirements, fees, procedure); General Guidelines for Entry and Stay Visas for Non-Residents (November 2025). Checked 15 October 2026.
Visa, Canada passport
85 of 100Strong
Strong: the digital nomad stay is open to Canadian passport holders paid from abroad, with no job offer in Costa Rica and no age minimum. It runs up to a year and renews once; the income test is about US$3,000 a month (about US$36,000 a year, about US$4,000 a month for a family), with no deposit. To be safe, have more than US$3,100 a month. No entry visa is needed for 180 days.
Source: Digital nomads in Costa Rica: remote worker visa; Digital nomads: remote worker and service provider stay (requirements, fees, procedure); General Guidelines for Entry and Stay Visas for Non-Residents (November 2025). Checked 15 October 2026.
Visa, Australia passport
85 of 100Strong
Strong: the digital nomad stay is open to Australian passport holders paid from abroad, with no job offer in Costa Rica and no age minimum. It runs up to a year and renews once; the income test is about US$3,000 a month (about US$36,000 a year, about US$4,000 a month for a family), with no deposit. To be safe, have more than US$3,100 a month. No entry visa is needed for 180 days.
Source: Digital nomads in Costa Rica: remote worker visa; Digital nomads: remote worker and service provider stay (requirements, fees, procedure); General Guidelines for Entry and Stay Visas for Non-Residents (November 2025). Checked 15 October 2026.
Visa, New Zealand passport
85 of 100Strong
Strong: the digital nomad stay is open to New Zealand passport holders paid from abroad, with no job offer in Costa Rica and no age minimum. It runs up to a year and renews once; the income test is about US$3,000 a month (about US$36,000 a year, about US$4,000 a month for a family), with no deposit. To be safe, have more than US$3,100 a month. No entry visa is needed for 180 days.
Source: Digital nomads in Costa Rica: remote worker visa; Digital nomads: remote worker and service provider stay (requirements, fees, procedure); General Guidelines for Entry and Stay Visas for Non-Residents (November 2025). Checked 15 October 2026.
The country
The rest of the research on Costa Rica.
The country page grades every factor, with its sources.
Costa RicaQuestions from retirees about Costa Rica.
Which Costa Rican residence is meant for retirees, and what does it ask for?
The pensionado category asks for a lifelong pension (to be safe, more than US$1,100 a month). The rentista category asks for stable income for two years (to be safe, more than US$2,600 a month). One adviser also cites a deposit (to be safe, more than US$61,000). DGME decides each case.
Can temporary residence in Costa Rica lead to permanent residence?
Under Law 8764 (article 78), people who held temporary residence for three consecutive years can apply for permanent residence. Pensionados and rentistas are temporary residents (up to two years, renewable). Later changes by Law 9996 were not checked here, so confirm the current rule with DGME.
What should a retiree know about healthcare in Costa Rica?
The WHO service coverage index for Costa Rica is 84 of 100 (2023). Residents must enrol with the national fund (CCSS). A May 2026 press report gives self-employed rates of 7.05% to 19.11% of income; the rate for retirees is unknown. Canada says private clinics are mainly in San José and want payment upfront.
What do we know about living costs for retirees in Costa Rica?
Prices overall are about 0.59 of United States prices (World Bank, 2025), an economy-wide average. The one cost we price is rent: Heredia one-bedroom adverts seen on 10 October 2026 asked CRC 210,000 to 400,000 a month (about US$461 to US$878). Groceries, utilities and health insurance are unknown.
What do safety advice and climate look like for retirees in Costa Rica?
The Global Peace Index 2026 ranks Costa Rica 62nd of 163. Canada advises a high degree of caution, with petty theft and car break-ins common and roads hazardous in the rainy season. In San José, 3 months a year (January, November, December) are comfortable by our test; May to October is rainy.
Sources
Where each figure comes from.
Every figure on this page links to the page we read, with the date we checked it.
- [R1] Ley General de Migración y Extranjería No. 8764, articles 78, 79, 81 and 82, Asamblea Legislativa de la República de Costa Rica (copy published by ICODER). Checked 15 October 2026. Article 78: permanent residence for those who held temporary residence for three consecutive years. Article 79: temporary residence for up to two years, renewable, includes rentistas and pensionados. Article 81: pension of at least US$1,000 a month. Article 82: income of at least US$2,500 a month. Later changes by Law 9996 were not checked.
- [H1] UHC service coverage index (SDG 3.8.1), World Health Organization. Checked 15 October 2026. Costa Rica: 84 out of 100 (2023), read from the WHO GHO API on 15 October 2026.
- [C1] Price level index (GDP), Costa Rica, World Bank. Checked 15 October 2026. 2025: 59.06 (United States = 100), read from the World Bank API on 15 October 2026.
- [S1] Global Peace Index 2026, overall rank, Institute for Economics and Peace. Checked 15 October 2026. Costa Rica ranks 62nd of 163 countries (score 1.860).
- [W1] Climate normals 1991–2020, Tobías Bolaños Palma Airport, Pavas, San José (WMO 78764), Instituto Meteorológico Nacional (WMO Climate Normals 1991–2020 via NOAA NCEI). Checked 15 October 2026. The Heredia and San José area, the main city for Costa Rica's climate grade. Monthly mean daily highs 28.9 to 31.5 °C; rain 10.7 mm (January), 135.1 mm (November) and 25.4 mm (December); 3 comfortable months (January, November, December).
- [K1] Digital nomads in Costa Rica: remote worker visa, Costa Rica Tourism Board (ICT), visitcostarica.com. Checked 15 October 2026. No publication date shown. Stable net income of at least US$3,000 a month (US$5,000 for families); a stay of one year with the option to renew for a further year; health insurance of at least US$50,000; US$100 payment. The page names no nationality restriction. The Dirección General de Migración y Extranjería site (migracion.go.cr) refused automated access, so the official procedure was not read there.
- [V1] Digital nomads: remote worker and service provider stay (requirements, fees, procedure), Dirección General de Migración y Extranjería (DGME), Internet Archive copy. Checked 15 October 2026. Internet Archive capture of 29 August 2025, re-read on 15 October 2026; DGME's live page (migracion.go.cr) returns 403 to automated readers, so it was not compared with the capture. States a minimum pay from abroad of US$3,000 a month (US$4,000 with dependants), no nationality restriction and no Costa Rican job offer, and renewal after 180 days in the country. Applies to US, CA, AU and NZ passports alike.
- [V2] General Guidelines for Entry and Stay Visas for Non-Residents (November 2025), Dirección General de Migración y Extranjería, published in La Gaceta (Alcance 148, 17 November 2025); Internet Archive copy. Checked 15 October 2026. Internet Archive capture of 27 September 2026, re-read on 15 October 2026. Australia, Canada, the United States and New Zealand are in the first group: no entry visa, a stay of up to 180 days.