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I was looking to Costa Rica destination and I will go there for 3 months in order to discover the country and to prepare my retirement there ... arrival date is on march 20 in Costa Rica .
For french speaking futures.io (formerly BMT) members , you can look at my blog https://nousaucostarica.centerblog.net ( sorry for you english speaking members to have written it in french for my friends and relatives )
Best regards
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With your viewpoint you will probably transition well and enjoy it. Best of luck!
Have you ever seen how most American expats do it... they buy over priced real estate in gated communities that look like they were airlifted from Southern California, with other American expats. They insist on only buying imported American Brands at the inflated import price. Much of their time is consumed complaining about why it isn't as "cheap" to live in their newly adopted country as they were led to believe it was.... and don't even get them started on the locals whom they have decided have no work ethic and speak "American" poorly ... and God help you if you suggest an American expat learn the local language.
I highly recommend Costa Rica:
No standing army, chance of revolution practically nil.
In the central highlands average year round temp 70 to 80 degrees.
Enrollment in the National Healthcare System , which is rated above the USA, would cost me between $36 and $100 per month and it covers pre-existing conditions.
One $US = 500 Colónes and prostitution is legal ... was that wrong ... should I not have said that ...
I'm just a simple man trading a simple plan.
My daddy always said, "Every day above ground is a good day!"
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I had to delay my trip to Costa Rica for a couple of weeks ... now in may 2012
As far as I know , and as you said , there are areas with plent of expat ( american and others) but I will avoid these areas like Tamarindo for the same resaons you have highlited .
I will hunt for housing in the south of Nicoya peninsula ( motezuma , samara .. ) .
If all goes as planned it will be sometime between the last hurricane and the first snowfall, so hopefully around October. I can feel the sand in my toes and and the cold Corona in hand, breeze up, hats on... till the end of days..
"Successful trading is one long journey, not a destination" Peter Borish Former Head of Research for Paul Tudor Jones speaking on conversations with John F. Carter
If your looking for something in the early stages of development in the southern Nicoya, check out the developer at owncostarica.com as an option. I know most of the stages are sold out, but they might have something come up. They are very highly regarded in the area and have all development permits in place (very important in CR!). They will put you up in their own hotel for a couple days while you check out the area.
I own properties in both developments and plan to start building in 2014-15. Tambor is a multi-family fishing village and development has been limited by the government in the area for environmental reasons. They also don't want it to become another Tamarindo which for my family was a huge selling feature.
I love the area and the people, and I'm sure you will too.
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After years and years searching and testing, I found Anguilla, little island near St-Maarten.
Coming from Europe, taning all day long in front of my screens until 10pm (US close), I wanted a place with a better schedule and better life. Now I trade until 4pm only, with sea view, and 5mn from the beach.
This island has nearly all I expected :
nice people, nice place, nice white sand empty beaches, warm water, good wind for kitesurfing, easy plane connection (St-Maarten), hosital public and private, internet connection (I have 3Mb, 8Mb possible) better ping to US than Europe, good restaurants and good farm vegetables, security, lot of activities, tennis, golf, boat, diving, fishing..., and even a small airport for your jet plane (used by many famous people), good place to invest.
I forgot, no tax for offshore activities. Electricity a bit expensive and some taxes on all imported goods.
Also an international community with very nice people.
Most of all, very peaceful and no stress !
But please, keep it as a secret to preserve this little paradise ;-)
I believe only in profits, not in prophets.
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Ping to Chicago (from Anguilla) is average 80ms, max 130ms. Some power cut twice a month for a few minutes (if hours, it is planed in advance) but OK with UPS (connection stays alive). I use to have 2 internet providers but not anymore as quality is OK now. Hurricane 2 years ago in September, no connection during 1 week.
I believe only in profits, not in prophets.
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No vi las serpientes, amigo. A sólo millas de la playa y el Pacífico. Además, nunca hubo una multitud que me rodea tratando de venderme mierda turístico. La cerveza estaba fría, la comida era barata y la gente muy amable.
Tenga en cuenta por favor, que la edición de fotos se hizo para eliminar la marca de fecha, no un montón de serpientes.
It looks pretty nice. You are sure no snakes in there? haha I was living in Vallarta for a while and on the beach my house was on you couldn't see in the murky water, and lots of sting rays in there... Next beach I live on must have crystal clear salt water...
OMG, that's sucks, good thing they have the concrete block in place for the jet blast crowd to faceplant on... that looked about as much fun as getting run over by a car...
Regarding moving, you could be like the Howell's on Gulligan's Island. In one
episode they showed off a box of house keys. They had 50 keys, because they
owned a house in each state. You could have a house on every island (hee, hee).
"You don't flush toilet paper, you put it in the trash instead"
Here in Mexico thats very regular and it has nothing to do with rural. It is more the problem off the wastewater pipe system (to small diameter), it plugged very fast and the second reason are that there are many houses they have only a soakaway system.
Site Administrator Swing Trader Data Scientist & DevOps
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I've also read a lot about just how wet the rainy season is, where it can rain for months on end on an almost daily basis.
Hawaii has better climate, but is many times more expensive... @Private Banker and others, how often does it rain in Hawaii? And what does a modern high-end 5,000 sqft home go for (not near a beach)?
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I haven't been to Costa Rica but from the people I know who have, they prefer Hawaii. And of course, Hawaii will always be my top choice. It's the absolute best place to live in my opinion.
Yes, it's expensive but it just depends on where you want to live there. A modern home for 5,000 sq. ft. will be well into the millions but again it depends on where. A house on the Big Island, will probably be on average a little cheaper than a house on Oahu. But there's give and take for that. Oahu is the center of activity in Hawaii and has the most people there. In contrast, an island like Kauai is very laid back and has really nice areas and inexpensive areas but like anywhere, it comes down to the neighborhood.
It rains just about everyday in Hawaii in the mountain ranges but there are areas that don't get a lot of rain. All the West side island areas are typically very dry while the South being dry for the most part with occasional showers excluding any storms. And the North and East sides tend to be a lot more lush and get passing showers. But being in the middle of the ocean, the weather can be volatile with wind and rain. But at least it's warm and beautiful
I don't know what it is about Hawaii but as soon as I get off the plane there (on Oahu), I immediately feel relaxed. The nice warm air hits you and you immediately see the beauty of the sky, mountains and ocean. The air is clean, no smog provided there's the trade winds blowing. I will say that when there's wind from the west, Vog (Volcanic fog) can fill in and make it look ugly which is fairly rare. But in general, the trade winds blow and it's really nice.
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Site Administrator Swing Trader Data Scientist & DevOps
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Beautiful pic.
I have a lot of places to travel before I settle down and pick a final destination. I'm sure Hawaii is nice, but it is so damn expensive, I'm not @Private Banker rich! I would have to keep working a lot longer to afford Hawaii.
With an average rainfall of less than 20 inches a year, an average daytime temperature of 82° Fahrenheit (27° Celsius), a location completely outside the hurricane belt, and the constant cooling influence of the trade winds, Aruba is one of the most temperate islands in the Caribbean.
The difference between median day and night temperatures, and between summer and winter temperatures, is just 3.6°. The rainfall occurs mainly in short showers during November and December.
Curacao Weather & Climate
Located in the tropics, just 12° north of the Equator -- and outside of the hurricane belt -- Curaçao has a warm, sunny climate year round. The average temperature is about 27° C ( mid 80s F). Refreshing trade winds blow constantly from the east, picking up in the spring months. The rainy season, October to February, is marked by short, occasional showers, usually at night, and continued sunny weather by day. Total annual rainfall averages only 570 mm (22 inches).
I'm just a simple man trading a simple plan.
My daddy always said, "Every day above ground is a good day!"
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why not Consider Manhattan, NYC
it's its own state (of mind)
we have many Caribbean natives and disapora, in case you get lonely for the accent
we have a heat wave that makes being in the Caribbean, just another long flight
we have ultra high speed internet, so your co-located trading can wisp through...
we have beaches and some of the best sights on those beaches
we have the best night life north of Miami (properly pronounced Mi-Jammi, by all those Hispanic Caribbean natives)
we have some of the best and longest non-stop filghts clear across the globe from both JFK and EWR, to places as far flung as:
HNL
SIN, JNB, GIG, HKG
and so many other destinations
hey,
the weather's great, we're peaking over 92 and many places reaching 100
you've got the beaches from the Hamptons to Brighton to Point Pleasant to The Shore (NJ)
Best Value for housing by far is Los Cabos... it participated in the California housing bubble.. You can go ultra high end for a decent price... check out this 7 bedroom 8 bathroom mansion in Pedregal, the ultimate neighbourhood in cabo... home prices in this hood are in the millions, some of the biggest you'll ever see, rich and famous own properties in this gated hood overlooking the pacific side of lands end..... friend of mine's family had a place in there, the whales swimming by, sunsets to the horizon, the breezes, it is really awesome.. get a roomate and you can live like Magnum PI in this place, pool and tennis court, what more do you need... 7 bed / 8 bath new executive home - very luxurious
Or you can get yourself a nice house in a development in the corridor, three bedrooms, walk to a wonderful beach, about one thousand per month. You've got your Costco and everything you need to keep your hedge fund hotel fully stocked... Cabo is really a great place, desert climate with the best deep sea fishing on the planet... only downside for traders is the time zone...
Don't know if Nicaragua has been mentioned. There are a couple of farmers in Central Illlinois that have farms in Nicaragua as well--they both love it there.
Right now I’m living in Monterrey Mexico but unfortunately it became to danger, so I was forced to look around. I was lucky because one of my friend decided to do the same thing and he mentioned Merida in the state of Yucatan Mexico.
So I started to investigate more then less the same what you wrote in Post 1. When I remember right you want to move together with your mother. Actually I’m in the same situation, my mother retired this year and she wants to leave Europe and start to living with us.
So I visit Merida with my family and we decided to move there.
Here some answer from post 1
- Warm climate - Merida Climate and Weather Informaion Merida Yucatan MX
- High speed reliable internet - 3 different Internet provider
- Reliable power for most part (I can get a generator) - I will buy one (gas powered generator)
- English spoken is a big plus - no problem because of tourism and there are a huge North American society
- Low taxes on income from trading - Not sure, must be investigate. I dont pay any
- Stable currency as much as possible - Open in a Mex Bank (example Scotiabank) a USD account. No problem
- Easy Citizenship requirements, home ownership, etc - I maked my mexican citizenship 4 years ago, but I’m maried. Home ownership no problem
- People are happy and friendly - Yes
- Medical Care, Hospital - Portal Star Médica
- Medical Insurance - Seguros para tu Salud AXAMetLife | Seguros de Gastos Médicos Important Info: People only accepted before 65 years old, cost between 32000 and 60000 MXN, depends on deductible
- Because it is Mexico and there are a lot of stuff in the newspaper. Violence: Merida is actually one of the most secure city in North America!!
I found a lot of answers on this Website Yolisto it is maked by North Americans who live in Merida.
I maked also a list of interesting websites when I started to look around, I delete all spanish written ones and put it on a *.doc.
Hope it helps and I'm open for any questions
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Hi Trader Friends
I was chatting with BM recently when I realized that we both seem to have similar interests outside of just trading of course. He suggested that I post some info that perhaps some of you may be interested in knowing so that all of the members of this forum could benefit. I hope I have chosen the correct area in which to do so, so here it goes.
I have been trading for nearly fifteen years now and I like many traders was drawn to the industry because I wanted to be Free and Independent. I did not want to answer to a boss everyday and I like the idea of virtually unlimited income. As I have grown as a trader I have been fortunate enough to finally achieve consistent success as well as the independence that I longed for when I stumbled into my first trade back in the late 90's I think that part of the profession really does appeal to me more than the money part, but a couple of years back my whole world changed when I lost my beloved wife of 11 years due to Ovarian Cancer.. That was indeed a low spot in not only my life, but it also created a huge change in me that caused me to really start to reconsider alot of things. Now I don't really care to get into politics here, but lets suffice it to say that after a nearly three year cancer battle and dealing with doctors and insurance companies I came to the conclusion that just maybe there could be some things about life here in the U.S. that could be better. like perhaps a less stressful lifestyle, healthier food, cleaner air, less politics, less government, etc., etc.
I was forty years old had no children, no siblings and nothing holding me back from going out and seeing the world and perhaps finding that perfect paradise where I could set up shop as a trader. Of course the ideal location for me was somewhere with water, sunshine and freedom. I went to the Cayman Islands first and checked it out pretty good, but quickly decided that Island Fever would set in quickly and at the time, the infrastructure down there was just not conducive to my needs, so that one was marked off the list almost instantly.
After that I toured the entire Yucatan Peninsula but ruled it out because of safety issues.
After that my search took me to Belize and it so happened that I had a tremendous opportunity in the field that I have always moved in and out of when it made sense which was Real Estate Development. So, after carefully considering it for FIVE MINUTES I loaded all of the important things I needed you know things like fishing poles, scuba gear a good mountain bike and enough trading gear to do whatever I needed into my Suburban and I drove down into Mexico and right down the coast into Belize.. Now that was pretty scary at times as Mexico was already really heating up with the whole Drug War, but three days later I made it to the other side alive and dropped down into Corazol Belize.. WHAT an Armpit!! I was not impressed to say the least, but I had seen pictures of the place I was going to live, so shrugged off what I saw there and continued South down into what I was told was the nicest place in the Mainland of Belize which is a little fishing village in the Stann Creek District called Placencia.. Well it was pretty there and I was able to find an incredible Condo right on the beach that was really quite a good deal considering what I got there for the money. When I leased it I was assured that the internet there was BLAZING FAST........ha ha ha they forgot the part about WHEN IT WORKS.. They also left out the part about the fact the in Belize there is no Power Grid.. so what that amounts too is that if one major link goes down ANYWHERE in the COUNTRY, that the WHOLE COUNTRY gets disconnected until it is fixed... ok so when the internet worked the electricity didn't.. I also found out that The so called Blazing Fast Internet actually ran at about three times the speed of SMELL for a few hours a day and then it would slow way down... not to mention, SKYPE is BLOCKED due to low bandwidth and capacity.. yep it got pretty bad, pretty fast...
Finally, I got into about a three week trend where i had internet AND electricity at the same time.. I found that by getting a VPN I could get around the blocked Skype issue, but still the internet was so bad that talking on Skype, Magic Jack, Vonage (i tried them all) just would not work unless you wanted to wait three minutes after you spoke before the person on the other end could hear what you said.. As you can imagine, this did not work well at all for trading.. The final blow came though when I had to get involved with the Emergency Medical and Health Care system there.. Let's put it this way DON'T GET SICK OR INJURED IN BELIZE OR YOU MAY DIE!!
Again could write a book on that.. Well so I found out the hard way that Belize was not the place for me. so a year later after I had tried my best to make it work, I came back to the states. Broke, defeated and with all of my belongings stored in my suburban down there. Another year and four thousand dollars later I finally got my vehicle back but all of my belongings (even underwear) were gone.. My house was leased out on a long term contract, so I was basically homeless too.. It was a disaster.
After finally getting back into good health due to the near death accident that ultimately sent me home I managed to get things turned around and got it back together. If I were not a trader though I honestly don't know how I could have recovered from the devastation that had taken place in my life. I got back in the hunt for Traders Paradise though
So, my travels then took me to COSTA RICA!!!! NOW WE ARE TALKING... This time I knew what I needed to look for GOOD INFRASTRUCTURE... my story is getting long here already so I am going to wrap it up quickly and apologize in advance for my lack of literary finesse in this post. And tell you what I found in Costa Rica because this may be where the search for Traders Paradise finally ends for me.
Here is what I found:
1. Health Care in Costa Rica - EXCELLENT!!! they do have Socialized Health Care but not Mandatory.
The doctors in Costa Rica are from all over the world and many are ex-pats that have moved to the country for many of the same reasons that I plan to, which I already listed in the beginning of the post.. Hospitals are new in many areas and they are very skilled and professional. When I was injured in Belize I was told my back was broken and treated as such in reality they told me later that they were not sure because the x-ray machine used on me was built in 1968 "they thought" and they were starting to notice some inconsistencies... then they wanted to open my skull and do surgery but they were not sure because their MRI machine was down.. NOT!!! Well don't worry.. In Costa Rica it just flat is not like that.. So Good Health Care in Costa Rica CHECK>>
2. Infrastructure - HIGH SPEED 10GB Internet in MOST of the country and constantly developing new areas.. It is a little pricey compared to the 40 GB Fiber Optics I get here in Texas. Here I pay about 99 dollars per month for 40 GB.. In Costa Rica I can get 10GB for 90 dollars per month.. I ran 8 GB here for the last three years though and it was fine for what I need to do as a trader 10 GB is fine.
With Good internet the communication problem is not nearly as much of a concern and you can use Skype as well as other VOIP services with little interruption.
Cell Phone Service - In Belize they frequently had hurricanes and storms coming in off the Caribbean. lightening stikes would knock things out and due to the excessive duties that are charged on imports into the country parts could take days and even weeks to arrive and literally they would have to go by donkey into the mountains to get to the backbone and make repairs... unbelievable and just really lame.. In Costa Rica there are more cell phone towers (short ones that are not eyesores) than we have starbucks here in the states.
Roads and Travel - Two International Airports and a third one under construction, Nice smooth highways and paved roads, Multitudes of Public Transportation Options.
3. Healthy Food - No genetically modified crops, organically grown produce, fresh seafood, free range chickens, grass fed beef and an abundant supply of everything.. I can purchase groceries at a fraction of the cost of what we pay here in the states and I don't have to worry about glowing in the dark later if I eat it... Now in Belize we did have fresh produce and organic meats, but with the electricity constantly on the blink and fuel for generators running over 7 U.S. dollars per gallon, refrigeration was not the best option so most of the meat products were frozen and due to the poverty levels there these items would end up frozen for months and maybe even years in some cases before being purchased.. not good... This is not an issue in Costa Rica.. Good Food!!! Healthy Food.
4. Economy - lets face it the economy is bad in most parts of the world these days, but in Costa Rica there are many, industries and many financially independent ex-pats from all over the world who keep their economy going strong. Our dollars are pretty powerful there and they like to take them but you get alot for one of them.. I found that I can have a driver, a housekeeper a gardener for a couple hundred bucks a week... my housekeepers there run me about ten bucks a day for example. I pay a hundred a day here in the states for that service and they don't even do my laundry ha ha...all in all with all of the tourism and industry in Costa Rica I would say that the economy is pretty strong, but it is tied to the dollar and what happens here in the states can impact them as well.. At the end of the day though if all heck broke loose you would not go hungry there and living off the land is common. Try doing that in New York City or Houston Texas in the event of a financial or natural crisis.. Aint happening folks..
5. Lifestyle - Well it is awesome.. you could do something new just about every day. There are gyms, beaches, mountains, rain forests just about anything you want except deserts. The locals are beautiful people that are down to earth, innocent for the most part and always friendly and helpful.. They do their best to make sure you have what you want or need.. There are many, many services including big box stores in the larger city of San Jose if you like to shop. Most of all though there is a sense of freedom that you feel the moment you get out of the city and into the countryside.. You have to go there to get it. I cant describe it.
6. Weather - Much like Belize or other places in Central America.. there is a rainy season that peaks in November when you will experience BIBLICAL RAIN FALL for days sometimes. For the most part though it is in the 80's and sunny and beautiful during the day. Rain comes in in the evenings and cools things off. Each morning is fresh and clean after overnight rains. If you live in an area like I do the rain is welcome and actually not an issue.. Many people do however leave during the rainiest months but you are a two and a half to three hour flight away from most major International Ports of Entry in the States.
There are more reasons I can list why Costa Rica is my top pick as Traders Paradise, but this post is WAY LONG already so I will leave it here. If this post is liked I will be happy to share more..
Hope you all find this information to be helpful.
Warmest Regards to all and Good Trading
Jeep Rackley
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Great to see you posting here at futures.io (formerly BMT). I enjoyed reading your post. Very informative.
Haven't heard from you in quite a while and noticed you did a presentation for NT. I sent you an email to say hi but I apparently have a wrong address. Anyway, it seems you've come a long way since that other place we shared. Glad to see it and look forward to your participation here.
Mike
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Hello Mike.. It's great to hear from you and see you are still in the game yourself... What a journey it has been my friend...
How's life in West Texas?
Would love to chat again sometime.
Futures Operator.. glad you enjoyed the post. I have looked at Dominican Republic but have not been there myself either. It looks and smells too much like Belize to me though.. Sure is a good reason to go check it out though isn't it?
I think Panama will be target of my next big probe..
Best
JR
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haha, Saipan, have you been there? I loved it, kinda boring though.. was only one hotel on the island when i was there, and bloody hot... that was Tinian actually, Saipan was also boring... kinda...
I have decided to retire in Costa Rica following a first trip there in 1st quarter 2012 and will be locared in Samara , on the pacific ocean side.
My move in Costa Ricais planned in November 2012 .
I really don't know what to do with that info about internet speeds.. says CR is like less than 3mbps.. Says U.S. is 15+..
I personally get much better than what is reported here in both places.. I am paying for 40mbs here and speed test hits me at about 37 to 38.5 on the dwnld.. In Manuel Antonio I tested 7 dn.. I have no idea how they base the averages they report in these things... Planning to spend the entire summer of 2013 in Manuel Antonio and find out for sure though. Thanks for the info Futures Operator..
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Site Administrator Swing Trader Data Scientist & DevOps
Manta, Ecuador
Experience: Advanced
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Posts: 49,733 since Jun 2009
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Was revisiting this again (as always). Who here lives in Puerto Rico? I'm starting to think I should maybe rule out Costa Rica, and lean more towards Panama. But I also want to consider Puerto Rico, the trouble is the real estate prices.
Have people there and have visited, love it. Have never seen such friendly people anywhere, it was almost scary. You ask for directions, they offer to take you wherever you're going lol. Prices likely depend on area, but away from the cities, it can be quite inexpensive. Oh, and the scenery, cannot be described or even seen in pictures, just out of this world. Also benefits of being a US Territory, cheap flights, no passport required, US driver's license valid, many similarities.
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This is all based on my limited experience, I've been there a few times. No spanish, many/most people speak english, especially in the cities. When you need to talk to folks who don't speak english, you can get by with broken spanish/sign langauge/gestures (have done it, lol). Besides, spanish is really easy to learn and fun. Also great food, beautiful women, everyone is happy.
No stats off the top of my head on number of Americans, but in my limited time, I met a quite a few, including succesful businessmen who left it all behind to move to a simpler life and couldn't be happier.
I don't know much on real estate there, I'm sure its developing and prices are increasing over time, but I know people who privately rent small houses for a few hundred $, and well under $1,000/mo.
myself i am in group 1 and I do not really understand why expats want to live in a gated community among their countrymen .
To be able to speak some minimum spanish language is mandatory even if it is possible to survive in English in all places.
Concerning housing cost in costa Rica , you have to forgot to buy a comfortable 3 bedromm house below 200 K USD at least in tourist area like Samara on the pacific side.
The cost of living is not so low .
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I live in PR. Would not recommend living here, lol. If you have any questions about here I can throw in some opinions. Spanish is the main language here but English is understood, especially in the more tourist areas. The west side of the island there is a municipality called Rincon, a lot of North Americans living/retiring there, it is a surfing community, very relax and clean, not densely populated. The capital San Juan is very populated, of the 4 million people in the island probably around 2mil live there. In the east side is a more maritime feel, it's where most people have boats to sail to the islands towards the east, the US Virgin Islands, and British Virgin Islands. They are beautiful and English is the main language in those, very small population in those.
If I were looking to go someplace it would probably be Florida. Lot's of nice coast there, love the white sand beaches on the northwest coast and the south with access to the Keys. Costa Rica & Panama might sound nice, but I don't feel comfortable with the idea of leaving the US. Though most of all it's because I am not familiar with the laws & "safety" in other countries.
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