A Move From Costa Rica to Nicaragua
Apr 20th, 2008 by Kevin
I have been to both Costa Rica and Nicaragua and they are both beautiful, both have great surfing, amazing beaches and hundreds of miles of pacific coast, however many people discount Nicaragua due to its history, and frankly how low it is on the international media scene as a tourist destination. Nicaragua can definitely learn a thing or two from Costa Rica when it comes to marketing but hopefully they choose a different growth path for development and sustainability.
Last week there was a great post on the Century 21 Gold Coast from Kristin Wilson - a new sales manager in their new office near Chinendega, who relocated from Costa Rica to Nicaragua. Here is a blurb about her feelings on Costa Rica:
It is estimated that more Americans than Costa Ricans will soon be living in Costa Rica. The country’s provinces compete with each other to draw more clients and investors, without actual controls over crime, environmental responsibility and adequate infrastructure. People still continue to come and invest, wondering what happened to this supposed ecological destination and muttering between their teeth how they should have invested “10 years ago” due to the outlandish price points in a market that is unquestionably saturated.
Kristin goes on to list out why Nicaragua has everything Costa Rica has, plus more at a fraction of the price…
- Nicer people, safer environment
- More natural resources
- Lakes, lagoons, volcanoes, hot springs
- Better, uncrowded, world-class surfing
- More miles of Coastline
- Rainforest, mountains, valleys
- Cloud forests, wildlife and biological refuges
- Sea turtle reserves, whale and dolphin watching
- Ocean/Marine activities: sailing, yachting, boating, kayaking
- World-class sport fishing
- Caribbean and Pacific Attractions
- Diving and reefs
- Hiking and bird-watching
- Shopping, crafts and other diversions
- Historic sites, churches and ruins
- Granada, live music, bars, etc
- Managua and its modern business district
- Better roads and infrastructure!
- Large, motivated workforce
- Better exchange rate
- Lower cost of living and visiting for foreigners
That’s a very comprehensive list Kristin! Not sure I agree with all the points (eg - nicer people - I have found people nice in most all of the latin american/south american countries I have visited) but just one persons opinion. Regarding the items related to investment, we also agree that getting into Nicaragua now will set investors up to be ahead of the curve. Good luck with your new office, and I will be sure to stop in and say hello when we next visit our property on the Cosiguina Peninsula.
