Recently the Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE) has submitted a request to increase the electricity rate for residential customers by 30% to the ARESEP, if this request is approved a regular family in Costa Rica, that usually pays a bill of 10.000 colones (a little less than $20 ) a month will have to pay over 3.000 colones more each month. The ICE is actually pushing an increase of 46% and the 455 mil users of the Compañia Nacional de Fuerza y Luz (CNFL) will come to experience and increase of almost a 56%.

 

There have been several increases in utilities bills during the past few months, Costa Rica is experiencing one of the fastest increases in years and a recent study confirmed that regular consumption products like rice, beans, meat, toilet paper and cleaning products are over three times more expensive now than 3 or 4 years ago. Unfortunately in Costa Rica, cost of living is increasing unparallel to salaries and families are the ones getting more and more affected by this discrepancy.

 

 

Agriculture is still a way of living

 

As I have published before, Costa Rica is indeed a paradise for foreigners, where the dollar became king and Costa Rica citizens are hardly able to afford a middle class life. The very sad part of all these is that in Costa Rica most of the people have college education and all the hard work is not paying off enough. A College graduate minimum salary hardly covers rent rates in middle to low class neighborhoods and loans are hard to get with those salaries.

 

Oscar Arias, Costa Rica president second time around has claimed he feels “tired” of trying to please the people which has become frustrating to all the hard working Costa Ricans that can’t see any progress at all. While properties in Guanacaste are on the most wanted list for young professionals due to the fast development of the area, prices are high and it seems property owners rather inflate their pocket with US investment.