Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community - View Single Post - For those of you who eventally got out of Calgary, how did you do it?

normtwofinger · 08-27-2011, 01:10 PM

Calgary will always be my hometown, but I do not regret leaving for Costa Rica. The wife and I were getting so sick of the rat-race of work work work, and then having very little time on the weekends for R&R. There was always competition between us and our friends for having the best house, car and 'toys'. After visiting friends who already moved to Costa Rica, and seeing the local people and their relaxed attitude towards life, it really struck a chord with us.

Family and friends are the priority, not money. Sure they work hard and realize you have to make a living, but ammassing the most wealth possible is not important to them. Having great relationships with family is their priority.

As for living there, some things are cheaper than here and some things are more expensive. Fruits and Veg are alot cheaper, but imported foods like cheese, peanut butter are more expensive. Vehicles have a higher value, but they do not depreciate quickly. For example, I have a 93 Pathfinder that I paid $6,000 USD. That's about average price for something like that. We pay $350 a month for rent for a 2 bedroom house on 7 acres. Beer is $1/can, rum is $3/40oz.

We are just happier having a simpler, slower paced life.

08-27-2011, 01:10 PM	#39
normtwofinger Self-Retirement Join Date: Mar 2007 Exp:	Calgary will always be my hometown, but I do not regret leaving for Costa Rica. The wife and I were getting so sick of the rat-race of work work work, and then having very little time on the weekends for R&R. There was always competition between us and our friends for having the best house, car and 'toys'. After visiting friends who already moved to Costa Rica, and seeing the local people and their relaxed attitude towards life, it really struck a chord with us. Family and friends are the priority, not money. Sure they work hard and realize you have to make a living, but ammassing the most wealth possible is not important to them. Having great relationships with family is their priority. As for living there, some things are cheaper than here and some things are more expensive. Fruits and Veg are alot cheaper, but imported foods like cheese, peanut butter are more expensive. Vehicles have a higher value, but they do not depreciate quickly. For example, I have a 93 Pathfinder that I paid $6,000 USD. That's about average price for something like that. We pay $350 a month for rent for a 2 bedroom house on 7 acres. Beer is $1/can, rum is $3/40oz. We are just happier having a simpler, slower paced life.