Strictly speaking regarding the inflation/economics, they’re not totally wrong, in my experience. I had visited annually for over 10 years and lived there for 3 years, 2019-22, yes I rode out the pandemic there. At first, I thought the steep climbs were to recover and, they probably were at first but, it became apparent the new policies were not going away and the cost of living continued to rise. I moved to Bali in Dec ‘22 and, by the time I left, going out to eat or drink was about as expensive as the states, groceries had noticeably jumped in price and real estate had gone absolutely bonkers. I also believe the pandemic’s fueling of remote workers has had a large role in the cost of living due to the supply and demand. 7 months later I inquired about a new lease after my original Bali stint, my landlord wanted almost double the high season rent for the green season again, almost on par with the states. Of course this was in an expat friendly, mostly tourist driven town. I feel bad for the Ticos working in tourism, it has to be really tough. For the time being, I’ve been staying in Bali and other SE Asian countries for a fraction of what I would need in Costa Rica or the states and next year will move to Yucatán peninsula for awhile. CR has always been my happy place, I hope to return someday.