A Quick Comparison of Some Central America Capitals

Tourists and vacationers are not the only ones that are interested in finding out more about Central America capitals and other cities. Many baby boomers are finding that their retirement and pension dollars will go much further when they consider living out their golden years in one of the nearby Central America capitals such as Managua, Nicaragua or San Jose, Costa Rica. There are similarities in both of these countries that cant be ignored but there are also definite pluses and minuses for living or vacationing in each. Both countries share a common language, Spanish, but you will definitely find a lot more English spoken in Costa Rica. Cultural differences are subtle, but very important when considering which of these countries to pick for your dual residency.

San Jose is the capital city of Costa Rica. Costa Rica shares a border with their northern neighbor, Nicaragua and the southern border with Panama. San Jose has generally milder weather year round than Managua, the capital city of Nicaragua to the north. San Jose is located at a higher elevation and surrounded by mountains so it enjoys some breezes and slightly cooler weather than the beach cities. Most people come to Costa Rica to surf and enjoy the beaches or explore one of many cloud forest tours. Fishing is fantastic in Costa Rica, either in the many rivers or deep sea fishing off the Pacific or Atlantic coast.

San Jose is a densely populated city and the majority of the people are poor but not half as poor as their neighbors to the north in Managua. San Jose is one of the most affluent of the Central America capitals and that is due to several factors not the least of which is that Costa Rica is a haven for Americans, Canadians, and Europeans who come their to do business, live, and retire. Costa Rica, as opposed to Managua, does not have a standing army. They have a treaty with the U.S. and Americans are very welcome there. There are great benefits given to Americans and others who wish to expatriate and get residency.

Managua on the other hand does have an army and the current Sandinista regime is not considered friendly to the U.S., although there are many Americans, Canadians, Asians, and Europeans there doing great business. Managua is one of the most bustling and active of any of the Central America capitals and you can find several great shopping centers where you can get just about anything you can buy in the states. Cost of living is substantially lower than in Costa Rica and is reflected in the exchange rate. You get a much better exchange rate in Managua and food and rent cost a lot less there than for comparable food and housing in San Jose.

Managua is intolerably hot for much of the year except for late December until mid January. Most of the hotels have good air conditioning but you better make sure they do before you book your room. If you are living there in Managua you have to know that there will be days when there is no power and days without water. They have been rationing across the country for many years now and the problem does not seem to be getting any better.