She looked to Costa Rica as an option, having visited a few times prior, and she knew the cost of living was cheaper and life was calmer.
Between her Social Security and pension, she earned $30,000 a year, not nearly enough to enter an assisted living or retirement community.
Moving to Costa RicaShe remembered a trip to Costa Rica in 1995 and visited in 2022 and 2023 to see if escaping retirement in the US by living there was viable.
She moved to a condo in the Guanacaste region in northwest Costa Rica earlier this year.
While the cost of living is much lower in Costa Rica, the exchange rate between the US dollar and Costa Rican colón has worsened, meaning prices in Costa Rica have recently shot up.
Persons:
—, Cheryl Sands, it's, Sands, Cheryl Sands Sands, she's, hasn't, She's
Organizations:
Service, Illinois —, Social Security, Business, Illinois -, Forest, Walmart, Costa
Locations:
Illinois, Costa Rica, America, Latin America, Aurora, Chicago, Illinois - Kentucky, Shawnee, Guanacaste, Junquillal, Santa Cruz, Southern Illinois, Costa Rican