Some of the expats in San Pedro may correct me, but I can think of almost no one in his or her 20s who moved to San Pedro from outside the country and stayed very long. Usually they stay a few months and then move on. That's true of most people who move to San Pedro, of any age, but truer of young people.
Why?
Because it's a little island (the biggest island off Belize but still small). With a population of less than 5,000 residents. With not a lot to do other than fishing, diving and other water-related activities. With most island residents being from an entirely different cultural background and often speaking Spanish, not English, at home. With only a small expat community, most of whom are retired or nearly so, or who operate tourist-related businesses. With very limited cultural life -- no movie theater, no real art galleries (other than those selling to tourists), no real theater, no NPR radio. With a cost of living that's surprisingly high, in most ways about the same as Florida.
There are expats who have made the transition to long-term San Pedro living successfully. For some people it's just right.
But it's a big world out there. Six billion people. Some 200 countries. Lots to see, lots to do, lots to accomplish. An island 25 miles long, about 1 mile wide and with a few thousand people can get real small real quick.
--Lan Sluder
www.belizefirst.com