I'm a 27-year-old surfer who moved to Costa Rica for a more adventurous lifestyle. Living abroad is an attainable goal, and I'm having the time of my life.
- Luke McStravick, a sales representative, moved from San Diego to Costa Rica earlier this month.
- He lives in Mal Pas with his girlfriend, where he works remotely for an e-commerce company.
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Luke McStravick, 27, about chasing his dreams and leaving the United States for a life in Mal Pais, a small town in Costa Rica. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
I'm from a suburb of Philadelphia, where I lived from the ages of 6 to 18.
I never knew anyone that had lived abroad, but after I graduated college in 2018, I wanted to experience something different than what I had ever known. I took a solo trip to Costa Rica to surf and enjoy the beach.
While I was there, I really enjoyed going for long beach walks in the mornings and watching the evening sunset. Costa Rica is truly an adventurous place and certain aspects like the culture and overall laid-back attitude is more aligned with the way I like to live my life.
After my visit, I knew that I was always going to come back to the country. However, instead of vacationing, I wanted to live there.
I knew Costa Rica was the right place for me
This past February, after living in San Diego for a year and half, my girlfriend and I decided to visit Costa Rica for three months to see whether or not we wanted to live there permanently.
While we were there, we had to return to the US briefly for a family event, and realized the weather and food was much better in Costa Rica. In the US, we fly in fruits and vegetables from all over the country. However, in Costa Rica everything is grown locally and there are no chemicals like glyphosate in our food.
In June we decided to make the move permanent.
My girlfriend and I are both remote workers. I work in sales for an e-commerce company and she is an online health and nutrition coach, and yoga instructor. Our jobs are flexible and can be done from anywhere. It's made transitioning to life in Costa Rica much easier.
I spend more money on housing but save in other areas of life
The nearest large city is San Jose, which is a six hour drive away. Getting to Mal Pas is also difficult because it is pretty far from the airport. It took us a two hour drive, a ferry ride, and then another hour and a half drive to get there.
My girlfriend and I do not have a lot of material possessions. We brought four checked bags, two carry-ons and two surfboards. In all, we spent less than $2000 on travel and transportation to the area.
We live in a 1400 square-foot accessory dwelling unit that I found through Facebook. It's a two story studio with an outdoor kitchen and I pay $2400 a month. While it's more than the $2200 I was paying when I lived in a studio in San Diego, I have a lot more living space and spend less money on utilities. I also sold my car before moving to Costa Rica and now use a bicycle, so I am saving money on transportation.
So far, we've managed to save hundreds of dollars living in Costa Rica.
The neighborhood I live in has a lot of wildlife and is very walkable. There is a nice blend of locals and expats. You can walk down the street and see people of all shapes and sizes. I've met people from Sweden, Germany, Italy, and South Africa.
The money I am saving will help me launch my own business
One of the most appealing aspects of living in Costa Rica is that it is growing. There is so much opportunity in this country.
Although I work for a US based startup, my goals are to buy a house here and start my own business. I would like to open up something in the health and wellness space — perhaps a cafe, or community center.
To help us prepare for that, we are saving money and trying to establish ourselves within the community. My girlfriend and I are both really into practicing and studying yoga, so we go to a lot of events. Outside that, we've met people at the gym and on the beach.
People think that living abroad is unattainable but that's a misconception. By living in Costa Rica I've gained a sense of opportunism that I lacked in the US. There are fewer barriers to opening up a business or buying a house. I feel more optimistic about accomplishing my goals and the future.
