Maintenance and taxes

Owning property means that you have to take charge of its upkeep. That means paying condo fees, hiring local help, or taking on the work yourself. It also means paying taxes. Fortunately, none of these things are really costly in Costa Rica. Condo fees won’t exceed $100 a month unless you’re living in a complex with a swimming pool, tennis courts, etc. Taxes are also absurdly low – 0.25% annually on the official value of the property, which is usually lower than the actual value. Likewise, local wages for gardeners and maintenance people are very low. You could keep a full-time gardener on your property for between $500 and $800 a month, and obviously much less than that for occasional tidying up.