Costa Rica real estate

Key indicators

Key indicators for property investors

Indicators across 8 categories are set out below.  Each is compared against the revealrealestate average across the four countires in our sample: Belize, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama.  The indicators are designed to provide information on the framework conditions for investing.  For definitions and sources please review our notes to the data.


 
Costa Rica
revealrealestate avg.
General indicators
Land surface area (sq. km)
50660
67427.5
GDP real growth rate (2008 estimate)
2.7%
4.5%
GDP (PPP US$ per capita, 2009)
10737
8197
Population (2007, millions)
4.5
3.4

Development and Freedoms
Human Development Index (the closer to 1.0, the higher the 'human development')
0.9
0.8
Index of Economic Freedom 2008 (the higher the score the higher the economic freedoms)
64.8
63.1
2007 Corruption Perception Index (CPI) out of 10, where 10 is very clean and 0 very corrupt.
5
3.5
FDI inward flows 2007 (US$, millions)
1896
634.2

Tourism
Contribution of Travel and Tourism Economy to GDP (estimate 2008)
13.5%
14.6%
International tourist arrivals in 2008 (x 1,000)
2089
1121
Travel and Tourism Economy 5 year growth (estimate of average annualized gains 2009 to 2018)
4.7
4.1
Contribution of Travel and Tourism Industry to GDP (estimate 2008)
5.3%
6%

Online real estate buzz
Authority bloggers (Sept. 2008)
150
66.5
Search results for '[country] real estate' (Sept. 2008, thousands on google.com)
1300
729
Advertiser competition on Google for '[country] real estate' (Sept. 2008, out of 10 with 1 being low)
3
3.3
Average monthly searches for '[country] real estate' on Google network (12 months to Sept. 2008)
49500
21275

Attractions
UNESCO World Heritage Sites
3
4
Completed golf courses
9
5
Luxury hotel brands
6
2.5
UNESCO Bioshere Reserves
3
1.8

Property investing
Days it takes to obtain construction permits
191
151.8
Number of procedures to register a property
6
7.3
Costs for property registration (% property value)
3.4%
3.5%
Days it takes to register a property
21
62.3

Living and working
Income required for residency status (US$ per month)
1000
1100
Days it takes to start a business
77
44.8
Cost of living index (equivalent purchasing power of US$ 1,000, based on 2008 data)
1732
1982
Gross annual minimum wage levels (US$)
3712
3894.5

Security
Deportees received from US per 100,000 citizens (2005)
2
14.3
Hospital beds per 10,000 population (2005 or 2006)
13
13.3
Total expenditure on healh as % of GDP (2005)
7.1%
6.9%
Homicides per 100,000 (2005)
7.8
15.3

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