One of the problems many expats face when they want to move to Costa Rica is finding a reliable source of income. We are talking about the younger expats who are not retired but also about the retired expat who want something to do or extra money.
After doing some research and interviewing hundreds of expats that are living in Costa Rica, these are the top 10 ways for expats to make money in Costa Rica.
Teach English
This is certainly not a new way to earn money in Costa Rica and it will certainly not make you rich unless you decide to open your own school. However, if you are looking for a modest increase in income, like to teach and only want to work 6-8 hours a week this may be for you.
We have talked to several people that came to Costa Rica to earn their TEFL certification and ended up teaching in Costa Rica. They said that once they got their TEFL certification it was fairly easy to find a part time teaching position at a private English center but not to expect to make more then $100-$200 per week.
On the plus side, it is a great way to meet Costa Ricans an learn the culture if you are not in need of making a large amount of money.
Work at a Call Center
This is for the person who likes to sit in an office talk to people on the phone. No special skills required but you will have to work a regular 9-5 job. This is one of the best paying job you can get in Costa Rica working for someone else. In our opinion however, if we wanted to work a job like that, we would have stayed in the United States.
Work at a Sportsbook
Sportsbooks in Costa Rica are not picky as to whom they hire. No work papers no problem as long as you speak English and can talk on the phone. Don’t expect to be working regular hours working at a sportsbook as you will be required to work on weekends.
It is a nice paying job as they tend to pay more then call centers and you will also get commission if you work in sales.
Working at a sportsbook is ideal for the people that like to sleep and keep late hours.
Open a Sportsbook
This one is probably not for everyone but it does have the potential to make a lot of money on a weekly basis. They are some legal issues depending on where you bettors come from and you will need a decent bankroll to cover your players’ bets.
Costa Rica has long been known as a haven for sportsbooks and for many good reasons. Well now it just got easier because many companies that offer sports betting software now offer a sportsbook pay per head solution. This means that you no longer need to pay a lot of money to be able to take bets online. You can just pay a weekly fee for every active player you have and voila! You have an instant sportsbook.
Work in Real Estate
This is one of the top choices for expats living in Costa Rica. You just need a car, a website and a few properties to rent or sale. The nice thing about working in real estate in Costa Rica is that there is no realtor license or exam to take.
The advantages are that you make your own hours and that you only need to sell one or two properties per year to make a decent living.
The down side is that you only make money when you sell a property and there is a lot of competition.
Make Money from Google Ads
This one is for the internet person who likes to write about things or make videos on youtube. Just create a blog, sign up for google adsense and start writing or producing videos. Google adsense is basically where you place banner ads on your website, facebook page or youtube page.
Every time someone clicks on one of the Google ads, you earn a few cents. So the more people that visit your website or watch your videos the more money you will make. Some people that have very popular websites or a very popular YouTube channel earn thousands per month.
Just keep in mind that these people are not the norm and that it took them years before they reached that point.
Freelance Writing
Many companies in Costa Rica and around the world are always looking for freelance writers to write about different topics.
Open a store or restaurant
This is for the expat that has investment money to spare as opening a store front or a restaurant does take a bit of money. As everywhere around the world, most stores and restaurants will usually go out of business within a year but if you can manage to get past year one and year five you are gold.
