Belize is very cheap and very affordable.
The cost of living I find for the necessities of life, which are food, shelter, and clothing, are very cheap in Belize. If you look at the labels that are mostly being worn in the US, for example, you will notice that they are not made in the US anymore. They are made in different places, such as Mexico, which is next door to Belize, Guatemala, and different parts of the world. At one time, Belize had a thriving textile business. Some of the clothing ends up in the Belizean market, like Dickies. So the price that you would pay for Dickies, for example, would not be the same price in Belize as it would be in the US.
Accommodation and rentals of course vary from region to region, but, for example, in Belmopan, you can rent a 3-bedroom, 2-bathroom, fully furnished house with 2-stories for $1,700 Belize (US $850) per month. This house would have a solid cement structure, fence and gate for security purposes. You cannot typically get that in the US.
I can compare because I personally have a tenant who is paying US $1,100 for a one-bedroom unit in Queens, New York. For a similar place that I mentioned in Belize, you would they pay at least three times that amount if you were in Queens.
Healthcare is going to be definitely cheaper in Belize. Personally, I believe that it is better to have your dental and optical attended to in Belize. I fly to Belize to see my dentist and to have my eyes dealt with. You will get nice frames for your glasses, from wherever you want such as France, Italy, wherever, for a fraction of what we pay in the US. It’s amazing.
Medicines? Oh please don’t get me started. I can only speak from personal experience. I remember two years ago, I had to go in to see my gynecologist in Belize because I’ve used him for years and I go nowhere else. He did some blood work on me. I paid $145 Belize (US $72.50) for the whole thing because I was a little bit concerned that I was borderline diabetic. The doctor’s visit was $40 Belize, which is US $20. So even though you have health insurance and typically people do not worry so much about those things in Belize, you could afford the care that you need on your own dime.
When it comes to transportation, if you want a car you need to import into Belize or buy it there because vehicles are not manufactured in Belize. This would be a significant cost to you. In terms of ongoing maintenance for insurance and upkeep, the cost in Belize comparatively speaking is at least half, for example, for tires, and for servicing. I know because I had to go through doing the same thing when I had to buy tires for my vehicle in Belize and when I looked at what my husband pays for tires in the US. The cost of two tires in the US is the cost of four tires in Belize.
(Dickie, which manufactures clothing in Belize, sponsoring a concert at the Grand Ole Opry, pictured.)
The typical Mexican desserts that we find in this area (Yucatan Peninsula) are mostly bread-based and usually extremely sweet. One example is the three milk cake, which is quite moist and very sweet, and is one of the more popular desserts here in Mexico. Other popular desserts here include a loaf of very sweet bread with some fruits and nuts and one made of pudding with lots of sugar. Every dessert here has massive amounts of refined sugar!
When renting a house or apartment in Nicaragua, it is good to hire an attorney as an adviser, but hiring one is not required to write up and finalize the contract. The attorney would help you understand the rental contract, especially if it is written in Spanish, to determine if everything makes sense so you can go ahead and sign it. The rental contract is a private agreement between the renter and renting parties, in which the contract states the rental period and cost. 
You can drive in Portugal with your home country driver’s license. However, if you move your residency to Portugal, it is advisable to either obtain an international driver’s license or register your driver’s license at the Portuguese authorities in order to convert it into a Portuguese driver’s license. 
Things I now know about driving in Panama! Finale! (1).JPG)
In Panama, the government doesn't allow insurance to be written for individuals over 62. That makes health care an important issue. Yes, it is cheaper than in the USA. However, the type of insurance available with MS Chiriqui Hospital in David has changed! (David is the closest large city to Boquete. The picture to the right is of the author, Linda Jensen.) 
