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Gasoline Prices in Costa Rica are just silly
May 13th, 2006
I forgot gas prices were going up again today, so it caught me off guard when my wifey and I stopped for a routine fillup last night and found ourselves in a loooong line at the pump. The price of gas was going up another 50 some colones (10 cents or so) and for the average costa Rica, THAT is a hunk of money.
I watch Fox and CNN and hear the non stop whining about US gas prices hitting $3.00 per gallon. Well this little increase of $.10 brings OUR price to about $3.94, tough for an American family, but a staggering price for the average Costa Rican to pay for fuel.
Even allowing for the annual devaluation of the colon, for sure that is a HUGE increase.
As a Costa Rica family with an annual income of $5,000-6,000 is considered as doing quite well, this last increase is going to have another profound effect on their spending.
When I arrived here a few years back, ( 5 maybe?) I paid 7,500 colones to fill-er-up. Now, it is 21,000 colones (about $42.00 for my little Mitsubishi Lancer… same car as 5 years ago… and certainly not a gas hog.
Further, by far, Costa Rica has the highest gas prices by far in all of Latin America… Things that make you go… hmmm.
Filed under Costa Rica, Life in Costa Rica, Other Stuff | Comments (4)4 Responses to “Gasoline Prices in Costa Rica are just silly”
It is expensive, that’s for sure. I read the other day that some environmentalist groups are worried because the Arias administration may be considering opening up areas for offshore oil exploration. One of the reasons the price is so high is because they import all of their oil. Maybe it would be different if they were able to produce some.
P.S. Actually the increase is about $.38 per gallon (the $.10 is per litre),bringing it to what you said, $3.94.
In 1987 I had an almost instant vision of where C. Rica and C. America (and S. America) could go in its need to become totally energy independent, to put anyone at the bottom level of the economy to work and those who have jobs to have better jobs…all of them. By chance I met Don Oscar Arias S. in La Plaza de la Cultura during the peace conference and said a few words to him and Presidente Duarte (bless his soul). What a remarkable, albeit brief contact that was, but resulting in an invitation to el presidente’s business office, your White House.
Subsequently I met with a few C. Rican officials in Don Oscar’s office and in Ag and Energy to outline a concept for energy independence, and at that time, a way to ruin the folks pretending to help folks in Nicaragua. I had a revolution…but with a business plan.
The intervening years will fill a book, with nothing less than 7 visits to the U.S. White House and other interesting paths and meetings. At last, the key to this revolution, a specific technology which is nearing completion of development to produce products more valuable than fuel, will become the key to igniting the natural potentials of the farmers of the Americas, with those nearest the equator possessing extraordinary growth opportunities, including and especially those at the bottom of the economic ladder. Yeah, some of the rich can dip in too, but this is designed, both in technology and financing, to give the poorest a shot at global markets (including those fuel products sold in C. Rica to keep the cars rolling) while bypassing the internationals…except for financing.
We shall see. We shall see. Mi corazon es con los trajabadores del campo. Pura Vida!
Ernesto, de Los Estados Unidos (de America)
It’s more than 11 dollars a gallon in the Netherlands (Europe) for example… who’s whining now? 😛
First Georges I dont know where did you got your facts it is about $6 in the Netherlands.
Second harvesting energy is easy but a lot of people are just lazy to try it. Wind power, solar energy and hydroelectric are abundant in Costa Rica. Furthermore in a land as fertile as ours wouldn’t it be super duable to produce ethanol?
The problem here is what happens world wide that the rich people just want to be rich by keeping the poor paying high prices for products that should not be expensive. I do not believe in Mr Arias because he serves only one person in this world Himself. He clearly has proved it during the years he pursued to gain power again in Costa Rica only a selfish person would seek to do something like this. I really hope that someone who really loves our country steps up and works for the people.