Cost of living

It is very expensive here in Costa Rica, from purchasing a car to the over priced real estate.  The import taxes on almost everything is outrageous, such as the import tax on a refrigerator being close to 80%.  The cost of groceries is about the same as in North America, and the selection is not very good.  With some Ticos earning as little as $14.US per day I can't figure out how many of them survive, as a large bag of rice is $14.US  Can you imagine working eight hours cleaning Gringo homes just to earn a bag of rice?  The cost of electrical power is reasonable "unless you use AC", in which case it is very expensive.  Water is of good quality and not expensive.  I also strongly suggest being very careful buying a building lot in Costa Rica, many developers are selling lots which never get deeds.  Never us the sellers lawyer, and never make a payment until you see legal deeds to the property.  I stated a lot of negative information here, but I still agree that Costa Rica can be a wonderful place to retire in, but it is vitally important that you move slowly and carefully when buying a home or building lot, as almost everything for sale is only worth half of the asking price.