There are many things that separate Costa Rica from other off-shore locations.

Education

The first is by far, education. The country puts a tremendous amount of resources into the education of its people. As they do not have armed forces (abolished in 1948), they are able to put a great deal of the country’s GNP into the school system, currently at 6.52% (the minimum set by law in 1999 is 6%).
Schooling is compulsory until the 9th grade and the literacy rate in 2005 is at 95.6% which is (unfortunately to say) higher than the United States. There are 56 universities in Costa Rica of just over 4 million with many of these students going on to attend one of these colleges.

Costa Rica has the highest Labor Force Rating of all countries in Latin America. This rating is broken into two groups, training speed and productivity rating. Both of which are higher than any other country in Latin America. Because of this advantage, the local work force is able to comprehend and learn difficult assemblies more quickly and efficiently, thus cutting down on startup times while increasing quality, service and the ability to maintain flexibility.

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Location

Costa Rica is in relatively close proximity to the U.S. with easy access by air or sea. The country is in the same hemisphere and the same basic time zone as the U.S. (between 1 – 2 hours from either coast depending on whether it is daylight savings or not).

Getting into Costa Rica by air is not a problem as most major carriers go there in addition to many direct flight options from major cities.

As the country is narrow, just under 200 miles across, receiving sea containers is also not a problem. Once a shipment arrives at port, we normally get them that same day.

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Pricing

Costa Rica has competitive labor pricing. Overall, the country has a lower cost structure than areas like Mexico, especially along the U.S./Mexican border.

And because there are no taxes of product going into or out of our Free Zone, overall price comparison becomes even more attractive compared with other sites.

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Stability

Stability is important to the people of Costa Rica, with changes to the governmental and economy happening slowly and methodically

There has not been an economic crisis in over 20 years and there has been over 100 years of governmental stability.

Their president serves one 4 year term, by election under a democratic constitution and there are 3 legislative branches.

Costa Rica has the lowest risk rating of all countries in Latin America and it’s business environment and legal framework are set up to encourage foreign investment.

Also foreign copyright laws are protected in the country and there are few labor unions, only seen in the public sector.

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Other

Turnover – The countries turnover rate is approximately 7% and Tico Electronics is around 3%.

Land – When you buy property in Costa Rica, you own the land as well. There are no problems with 99 year lease disputes as in other off-shore areas.

Tax Free Zones – The country has duty free zones set up throughout the country.

Natural Disasters – Costa Rica does not have trouble with ‘natural disasters’. Heavy rains and the occasional earthquake are for the most part, the extent of these types of problems.

Vacation – Costa Rica is a great vacation spot for many activities or just to relax. Whether you like golf, deep sea fishing, traveling through the canopy of tall trees, river rafting, horse back riding, surfing, ATV, etc… or just to lay on a beach, relax by a pool or spend time in a rain forest, Costa Rica offers a great place for business and pleasure.

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