QCOSTARICA – The approval of a law, a visa and a regulation for digital nomads is the bet that Costa Rica must make to compete and position itself as an ideal destination for a market of 35 million remote workers globally.
However, these are just the first step for digital nomads to consider the country as a real option to settle and leave thousands of dollars for each long-stay tourist.
Connectivity, cost of living, attractions, infrastructure and security are part of the areas that the specialized website “Nomad List” qualifies as the best destinations for digital nomads and in which Costa Rica must invest both publicly and privately if it wants to hunt 0.25% of the market as proposed by the Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT).
Read more: ICT launches informative microsite for digital nomads
San José, Liberia, Puerto Viejo, Santa Teresa and Tamarindo are the destinations rated by the website so that long-stay tourists can value according to each of the aforementioned areas.
Santa Teresa stands out as the best connectivity option with an average of up to 39 megabytes of Internet speed, while the others have an average of just four megabytes.
Liberia was listed as the best for cost of living with almost US$2,000 per month, while a person who wants to settle in Santa Teresa will have to invest more than US$5,000.
And it is that the approved law indicates that the minimum income of a digital nomad must be US$3,000, but in case of traveling accompanied by his family, he must certify an income of at least US$4,000.
Read more: At last, digital nomad regulation is finally issued without cumbersome requirements for foreigners
Around ¢15 million coloners per semester could be generated by the arrival of a single digital nomad in the country according to the initial projections of the Law, a figure that could be higher if remote workers arrive accompanied by their families.
Despite the fact that 66% of digital nomads prefer to stay in one place for between six and eight months, Costa Rica made the decision to offer a visa for 12 months, with a one-year extension.
49% of digital nomads have US nationality, 8% are British and 4% are Canadian, according to “Nomad List”, countries that are part of the main tourist issuing markets that Costa Rica has today.
Read more: Costa Rica receives first requests from digital nomads
To date, Costa Rica is located among the 10 favorite sites of digital nomads, but must compete with countries such as Mexico, Thailand, Indonesia, Portugal, and Colombia, among others.
Lodging, car rental, food, coworking areas, medical services, tours and other businesses related to tourism will benefit from the arrival of these remote workers, with the real estate sector being the main.