Check out Lan Sluder's book about retiring in Belize. He very clearly breaks down the living expenses for a few different monthly price points, based on where you want to live, how many times a week you want to eat out, size and location of house, etc. His book clearly shows that it is much more affordable to retire on the mainland, in say Corozal, than on the expensive island. He points out that everything is cheaper on the mainland than on the island, including housing, food, services, etc. And the close proximity of Corozal, or points in northern Belize, to the Mexico border, is advantageous to retirees. Maybe the US News piece wasn't concentrating, or even referring per se, to Ambergris Caye prices. We all know the island runs on tourist prices. And why assume they were talking about the island? Some of us tend to think of AC AS Belize, when really AC is a very small part of the country of Belize as a whole. It is very conceivable that a couple could live on the mainland for $1500 US a month if they lived modestly. Using a meal as an example: when you can have a nice lunch of tacos or stewed chicken for $3 on the mainland, or a nice lobster or shrimp dinner at a nice restaurant in SP for $20, the savings really add up over a month's time.