AmbergrisCaye.com Home Forums The Cayes Ambergris Caye US News piece on retiring in Belize

I thought you were agreeing and you understood what was being said. You seem happy to be here and your expectations match the place.

Gwen, three economies. Many groups but they fit into one of the three. Just wanted to let folks know what to expect if they move here and try to live. There is a cost ($2,000 a month minimum) for some comfort in the third world. The other is to be in an economy that is the gringo economy. This is a part of the local economy but not the local economy. This the truth and it will help to managed expat expectation and this will help you stay and be happy as you begin to blur the lines more and more. But this will take years..most do not stay for many reasons. Money is a part and should be dealt with early and upfront so this is not a reason to stumble in your expat home.

I guess we will have to agree to disagree then. I think the economics is much more complicated. I think people are more complicated. And, I think what makes one person happy with their life, and how they live is different from another. Studies have been done on what makes a happy and successful retirement. Continued interest in ones life and good health are the top factors for a happy retirement. It isn't the money, but you need enough.

By the way, other than myself, and a couple of others I know personally; who else participating in this thread is actually retired and actually living here full time? I notice some particularly prominent ex-pat retirees aren't participating. My guess is that this has thread has become too irrelevant, or too off the wall.

Its just dumb.

i agree the thread seems to be off the wall at times
What we were looking at is cost of living in belize ,i realize there are different standards of living and different lifestyles
which will make the numbers jump all over the place.
I keep reading about people who leave as thier expectetions are not met,can any one elaborate?
we are looking at moving down within 2 years im hoping we do not have false expectations and we are doing our best to met any financial considerations.
being from canada we are still weighing the option of the retirement program,any input is appreciated

Of the people I know who have left, it's the women that are most unhappy. Shopping for food and food ingredients drives some crazy. The quality of food isn't that good compared to what they were used to. Cooking takes up a major portion of time because there are few prepared foods. It's hot, when you live here year round it is very hot in the summer. Guys seem to be fat, dumb and happy hanging out, watching TV, fishing and snorkeling. Most women get bored unless they find a hobby or work in a cause. It's dirty with sand and salt blowing in all the time (unless you seal up and totally AC). A friend calls driving around in a golf cart "sauna and micro-dermabraision". What is fun on a vacation can drive people nuts, day in and day out. A lot of people don't retire well anywhere because it is too different from their previous life. With regard to the health and mind stimulation I reported earlier, that makes good aging; island life isn't conducive (read: is mind numbing) for both, for some.

With all the condos, ex-pats, gringos, retirees moving there, it may not seem like such a different life in the future.

Laurie, in theory that may be true. I think it will take a long time though. I lived in Hawaii for a couple of years. That is the first world, this is the third. Both are Islands though. Just take the food issue as an example. Hawaii only bothers to import and produce the best quality, and there is a demand for it. Here there is a demand, but the economy of scale is too small, and even with more ex-pats wanting more quality and variety the economy of scale will always be too small. For the twelve years I have been coming here,(two living here) it has improved a little, but now everything is more expensive. Demand hasn't improved quality, hardly at all. We have a little more variety.

Many moons ago, when I conducted job interviews, there were always those candidates that, when asked: "why do you want this job?"
replied: "because I am ready for a change / not happy with my current one"

My philosophy has always been "run to" where / who you want to be with, as opposed to "running away from" where /who you want to be with. Can you guess who didn't get a second interview?

That said, the posters here have responded accurately, as everyone has their own preferences and lifestyle costs.

I had a difficult time adjusting initially to the lack of conveniences and frankly, didn't find the local expat community to be very welcoming to newcomers. We were told that we had to be here a year before making friends - in order for people to trust that you weren't going to abandon them (this does happen frequently, BTW). I just happen not to agree with the above approach.

That said, 3 years later, I feel very fortunate to be in a beautiful corner of the world and able to dabble around with new hobbies and meet new and interesting people. Need to cut out some of the drinking and adopting stray animals, but all in all, I am in the right place