Cheap Tropical Paradise

[FishDiver]

I have been to Cozumel 5-6 times and plan to dive Belize in February 2013. I hope to retire in a few years and explore options for inexpensive regions with great diving. Cozumel is an option, although I have done every dive site at least three times and believe that Belize and Honduras have greater variety. I am not a cave diver. Any thoughts on living in the Belize cayes or the Honduras Bay islands? Diving and cost of living are clearly major considerations, but how about culture, attitude toward American expats, transportation costs, etc.?

 

[jlevine]

You're asking some good questions about the locations. You will get a lot of different answers based on the experiences people have had. You will find people who like each place and find people who don't. It is far more difficult than people realize to move to a place versus visit for a few weeks. I suggest you also look inward and ask yourself some questions such as:

(1) Are you prepared to live without some of the conveniences you now have? You won't find anything like Costco/Sam's Club/Walmart in either Belize or the Bay Islands of Honduras. In Honduras, you can go to the mainland and find much better shopping but it's a hassle to bring stuff back and forth.

(2) What are you going to do in another area? You can only dive so much.

(3) Do you have healthcare needs? You can get medications in each location, though it can be hard to get them when you want them. Things are not as well-stocked as they might be in other locations. In terms of major hospitals, you'll find nothing like what you have in the US. As far as trauma centers, no way.

(4) How much money do you need to maintain your desired lifestyle? Both locations have varying expenses. Electricity can be much more expensive in both of those locations.

(5) Do you have a language preference? The Bay Islands have historical British ties but Spanish is becoming increasingly prevalent on Roatan if you get out of the tourist areas.

If you haven't done so, I suggest reading a few message boards about each location so you can see what people encounter day by day.

Lastly, before you make a major commitment,rent a place at your potential location for a longer period of time, say three to six months. It needs to be a long enough time so you get a sense of what it means to be more than a tourist.

I've only scratched the surface. By the way, in the interest of disclosure, I do own some land in Roatan and have been to both San Pedro, Belize as well as each of the Honduran Bay Islands. I continue to ask myself these questions and more as I think about my own future.

 

[chillyinCanada]

Once upon a time, I dreamed of living in San Pedro, Belize. Then I rented an apartment for awhile off and on, went back and forth. It was quite nice to be going home to my own place when on my trips that way, being able to leave some of my stuff in place (but then stopped leaving stuff cuz worried about being robbed while I was away). And really, the end result was that I realized it was a place for me to visit and be a tourist, not a place for me to live full-time or even half time. Since that realization, I just get my usual condo/hotel even though it costs me significantly more. No house cleaning, no hoarding, no extra grocery shopping, no trouble finding clothes/shoes that fit/last, no worries about plumbing, or needing a generator or hoping the complex has a generator (for when the power goes out, which it does quite often especially on Roatan), no real trouble to see my family, etc. etc. blah, blah, blah. As the time, approaches ever closer, that I'll be free to come and go as I please, still wonder what I will do. What I know for sure, is that won't be buying a place wherever. Will keep my house in Canada or trade down into a smaller condo so that I have fewer concerns with my own home and then rent wherever I go. That way, I'm not limited either . . . can stay in SE Asia for a few months or the Caribbean or travel Europe . . .and so on and so on. And also, will always have the backstop comfort of Canadian health care system, such as it is. As jlevine said, whatever or wherever you decide to go, make sure to rent first, try it out. Can't tell you how many people I know that have taken the leap, bought a place and found that ultimately it just wasn't for them. Some even did it before their financial futures were assured and then have found themselves stuck . . . poor and far from home having to stick it out, needing fundraisers for their gallbladder surgeries and such.

---------- Post Merged at 10:27 PM ---------- Previous Post was at 10:26 PM ----------

Oh yeah, and no worrying about my place when hurricane season comes!

AND no worries about living in a fish bowl, by that I mean, in small places, everyone knows your business.

 

[LiquidDivingAdventure]

I would fully agree with chillyinCanada and jlevine. My wife and I have probably done 15 trips to Utila and even got married on the beach by the town mayor. So we have good friends on Utila and strong ties to the Caribbean. Over the years we have watched land prices go up and down and run through multiple scenarios living as an expat. For us, the Canadian health system is a big consideration. The ultimate decision came down to a simple question....what if we bought a place in destination x and a couple of years from now decided we would like to visit country y or z...? We decided at retirement time we will sell our big house, get a small cottage for the summer and look for a winter place in the US with close proximity to an airport hub like Houston or Miami. That gives us Canadian health care, a summer place out of the brutal cold winter, and access to our choice of dive destinations.

 

[beaverdivers]

Question: Do you really want to be locked into one location?

 

[FishDiver]

Plenty of good general information. I would definitely rent before committing to buying a place. I am also likely to move to different regions every year or two. I'm not even sure I would commit to staying in the tropical area year 'round. I assumed that an annual lease would cost less than short term rentals, even if I only used the place six months out of the year.

---------- Post Merged at 03:37 PM ---------- Previous Post was at 03:34 PM ----------

You're asking some good questions about the locations. You will get a lot of different answers based on the experiences people have had. You will find people who like each place and find people who don't. It is far more difficult than people realize to move to a place versus visit for a few weeks. I suggest you also look inward and ask yourself some questions such as:

(1) Are you prepared to live without some of the conveniences you now have? You won't find anything like Costco/Sam's Club/Walmart in either Belize or the Bay Islands of Honduras. In Honduras, you can go to the mainland and find much better shopping but it's a hassle to bring stuff back and forth.

(2) What are you going to do in another area? You can only dive so much.

(3) Do you have health care needs? You can get medications in each location, though it can be hard to get them when you want them. Things are not as well-stocked as they might be in other locations. In terms of major hospitals, you'll find nothing like what you have in the US. As far as trauma centers, no way.

(4) How much money do you need to maintain your desired lifestyle? Both locations have varying expenses. Electricity can be much more expensive in both of those locations.

(5) Do you have a language preference? The Bay Islands have historical British ties but Spanish is becoming increasingly prevalent on Roatan if you get out of the tourist areas.

If you haven't done so, I suggest reading a few message boards about each location so you can see what people encounter day by day.

Lastly, before you make a major commitment,rent a place at your potential location for a longer period of time, say three to six months. It needs to be a long enough time so you get a sense of what it means to be more than a tourist.

I've only scratched the surface. By the way, in the interest of disclosure, I do own some land in Roatan and have been to both San Pedro, Belize as well as each of the Honduran Bay Islands. I continue to ask myself these questions and more as I think about my own future.

I don't care about shopping or conveniences. I am very interested in learning more about the varying expenses of the different locations.

 

[jlevine]

Here are some groups to look at:

Yahoo: roatan : Roatan and Bay Islands Group - This group is now "announce only" but you can look through past comments

Yahoo: RoatanReality : Roatan Reality - This was a spin off of the above group. You can read the messages without joining.

Yahoo: Living-In-Roatan : Living In Roatan - This is another spin off. You have to join this to read it.

San Pedro: Ambergris Caye Belize Message Board - Forums powered by UBB.threads™

Good luck on your search and please keep us posted!

 

[Lorenzoid]

A number of books have been written on the subject of retiring in Belize specifically, and no doubt others on Costa Rica, Mexico, and maybe Honduras and other places in C. America. Check Amazon. People have been looking at this (from an American retiree perspective) for many years, and there is a wealth of information that has been gathered for you in convenient form.

 

[DeputyDan]

We have had the same thoughts and have concluded -
Live in the USA and rent for one to three months at a location and then leave it.

Cost more in the short term but you can leave when the storm cometh - and it will!

 

[FishDiver]

We have had the same thoughts and have concluded -
Live in the USA and rent for one to three months at a location and then leave it.

Cost more in the short term but you can leave when the storm cometh - and it will!

I am likely to reach the same conclusion. Meanwhile, the dreaming and scheming is too fun to pass up.