Best Places In The World To Retire

Relative to the United States, food in San Miguel de Allende costs a lot less unless you buy something that’s imported, in which case, you’re going to pay more than you would in the United States. There are some things you can’t get here that are from the United States so you do pay more, with the exception of Costco. We have a Costco an hour away, which is worth the drive. When you walk into the door you think you’re back in the United States. It’s the...

Relative to the United States, food in San Miguel de Allende costs a lot less unless you buy something that’s imported, in which case, you’re going to pay more than you would in the United States. There are some things you can’t get here that are from the United States so you do pay more, with the exception of Costco. We have a Costco an hour away, which is worth the drive. When you walk into the door you think you’re back in the United States. It’s the same setup. Some of the products are different, but the prices are about the same. Everything’s the same. 

 

I don’t really pay attention to the cost of single items; I just kind of throw them in the cart. We tend to buy what we like so we’re not too concerned about the cost. But I can say if what you’re buying comes from Mexico, I’ll just give a rough guess- the cost would be maybe 25% less. Produce is wonderful here and it’s very cheap.

 

(Woman in traditional Mexican dress with corn in her bowl, pictured.)

Many of the comforts of home are available here in Nicaragua, although, you have to make some adjustments. For instance, in the US, I don’t know too many homes that don’t have an electric dish washer.  Here in Nicaragua, I can count on one hand the number of people I know have a built-in automatic dishwasher. Dishwashers are not common here because parts are impossible to get so if something breaks you cannot get it fixed. This is similar to the situation with...

Many of the comforts of home are available here in Nicaragua, although, you have to make some adjustments. For instance, in the US, I don’t know too many homes that don’t have an electric dish washer.  Here in Nicaragua, I can count on one hand the number of people I know have a built-in automatic dishwasher. Dishwashers are not common here because parts are impossible to get so if something breaks you cannot get it fixed. This is similar to the situation with swimming pools. A lot of people in Nicaragua have swimming pools but I don’t know anyone with an automatic pool cleaner. In the States, every pool has one. Here, no pool has automatic pool cleaners because it is more cost effective to have someone simply clean your pool every day and vacuum it by hand. Therefore, we could afford the US $200 a month it would take to keep a gardener / pool worker / handyman rather than an automatic pool cleaner which would cost $700 to $800 plus another $100 per year in repair and maintenance.

 

Here in Nicaragua, we can recreate our standard of living in the US with some changes and some adjustments in how we live. These adjustments can give you not only a better quality of life but also as good as the quality of life that you have had in the US. You will realize that you can still have a good quality of life and still do without some of the amenities that you used to have in the States and really, it does not affect you.

Yes, it is safe to drink the water in Belize, but I choose not to drink it personally.  Bottled water tastes better for me. I have a filter at my house, so I drink filtered water.

There is a guy from Canada I know, who woke up at midnight and was thirsty. He didn’t have any bottled water in his room, so he just went for the tap water. We spent a few days together and he had no issues. But he had already been to Panama and Costa Rica, and he had trouble with the water...

Yes, it is safe to drink the water in Belize, but I choose not to drink it personally.  Bottled water tastes better for me. I have a filter at my house, so I drink filtered water.

There is a guy from Canada I know, who woke up at midnight and was thirsty. He didn’t have any bottled water in his room, so he just went for the tap water. We spent a few days together and he had no issues. But he had already been to Panama and Costa Rica, and he had trouble with the water there.

 

We have noticed that when people move from North America to Belize or Central America, they are not used to the water because our water is different.  Our tap water is not purified water; it’s treated water.  It is filtered and has chlorine in it. Locals have no issue with it, but for people who are new to our water, they may have an upset stomach after drinking it, perhaps causing diarrhea for a couple of days. But they get treatment and then they’re okay.

 

Some expats do not even drink the water, but get an upset stomach from the ice that was not made with purified water or from brushing their teeth with tap water. It gets to them at first, but after living here for a couple of weeks, they get immune to the water, and it is no longer unsafe for them to drink the water in Belize.
 

All foreigners need a work permit to be able to work legally in Panama as a worker (working for someone else).

 

There are several options for foreigners to get a work permit in Panama if you wish to become a worker here.  Also, if you have a University Degree issued abroad, you can apply for residency and work in Panama.  However, in this case, you can only apply for residency if your degree recognizes you as a professional in job areas...

All foreigners need a work permit to be able to work legally in Panama as a worker (working for someone else).

 

There are several options for foreigners to get a work permit in Panama if you wish to become a worker here.  Also, if you have a University Degree issued abroad, you can apply for residency and work in Panama.  However, in this case, you can only apply for residency if your degree recognizes you as a professional in job areas which are not reserved to Panamanians, for example if you are an attorney in the USA, your title won't be enough to apply for residency in Panama.  According to Panama laws, only Panamanians (born here to naturalized citizens) can become attorneys here.  

 

Recently, Panama has also issued a new law through which US citizens can easily become permanent residents and work here, just by having a US passport and proving enough income (at least a bank account of 4 figures).  This has become the most popular way to become a legal resident in Panama.

 

You can also open your own business and apply for an investors visa.  In this case, you can work in your own company.