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Recently Answered Questions

How's the golf in and around Puerto Vallarta?

Armando Contreras - Galvan Real Estate and Services

Los Angeles Lakers head basketball coach Byron Scott at Vista Vallarta Club de Golf Director of Golf David Quiroz in Puerto Vallarta Mexico – Best Places In The World To Retire – International Living

The golf in Puerto Vallarta is very attractive. We have three Jack Nicklaus golf courses here. One of them is in Punta de Mita, another one is in Marina Puerto Vallarta, and the other one is in Nuevo Puerto Vallarta. These are all world-class golf courses.

There are other golf courses in Puerto Vallarta which are not Jack Nicklaus golf courses and they are also of very good quality. Golfers tell me that It doesn’t cost a lot of money to play golf in...

How good are the medical centers, hospitals and health clinics in Managua, Nicaragua, and how close are they?

Mike Cobb - ECI Development

The best hospital in Managua is the Metropolitano. It was the 13th hospital in all of Latin America to receive the JCI accreditation. My daughter had surgery there and I go for general check ups and executive physicals as needed. Metropolitano provides top notch care at a fraction of the price of a US hospital or doctor's office.

Is Boquete, Panama safe?

Harry Hunt - ownboquete

Here in Boquete I do not know anyone who has been robbed. I do know two people whose cars were broken into and the radio stolen.

When I was building my first house the window guys broke in and got a chain saw and a Skilsaw as they knew how to take apart the windows and get in. I now have bars everywhere and have not had any more problems.

Many people bring misfortune upon themselves, I had a construction crew from David work on my house...

Here in Boquete I do not know anyone who has been robbed. I do know two people whose cars were broken into and the radio stolen.

Many people bring misfortune upon themselves, I had a construction crew from David work on my house on the beach. They were doing a lousy job and I fired them but paid them completely and got another crew from Boquete to finish the job. The original crew never paid the day laborers from the town I live in on the beach. I didn't realize this as they never came to me; just the guy I fired and had hired them. He told them that he had never been paid by me so he could not pay them, so they broke in and took enough stuff to make up their pay. The reason for this is that there are some people who think they don't have to pay people down here and have work done and don't pay. They tell poor ignorant people to get a lawyer and sue them and then unceremoniously kick the people off of their property. This is never the way to behave in someone else's country and sooner rather than later this catches up to them and they leave saying what a terrible place this is.

I know what the crime is like in America and we have nothing like it here. I have friends from Belize, Ecuador, Nicaragua and Jamaica and they all left to come here because of the crime in those places. I have bars but no dog or gun and I sleep well at night. I also try to understand the people who are working for me and treat them with the respect that they deserve. Contrary to what some people believe, there are a great many people who are living here who are not afraid and not getting robbed.

Your friend, Harry

How much does food cost in Corozal?

Jennifer Bellerjeau - Cerros Beach Resort

Chicken meal, Belize – Best Places In The World To Retire – International Living

The average shopping trip that we make for ourselves in Corozal cost about BZ $200 a week, or US $100. The prices of things like flour are very low.

As long as you buy local products, your shopping bill will be very low. If you buy imported items, however, it can get a bit expensive. For example, a bottle of imported wine could cost between US $45 to $90. Imported beers are at a pretty good price right now but there isn’t a large selection. Local...

The average shopping trip that we make for ourselves in Corozal cost about BZ $200 a week, or US $100. The prices of things like flour are very low.

Currently, price of beer is BZ $3.50 or US $1.75 for Belikin, which is a domestic beer. If you want to buy a Heineken, you will pay around BZ $5 or US $2.50, which is the average price for an imported beer. Red Strike costs around BZ $5 or US $2.50.

Meat is very cheap. The quality of meat is not a good grade right now but we’re hoping to get more imports brought in and we noticed that the meat quality is getting better as time goes by. When I first arrived in Belize, you could barely even get a steak, but now, they’re all over the place. We have Brahman meat, so the cows here are not fat cows like the ones you would expect in the US. Brahman beef is very lean. It tastes good but it is not tender.

Within the last 2 years, Belize joined the Caracol Nations, which is a group of Caribbean nations that have a trade agreement between each other, so we are now getting imported beers from Dominican Republic, Jamaica, and a couple of other places at pretty reasonable prices. You can get one of those beers for around Belize $4 or US $2 each so the price is almost equivalent to local beers. Restaurants and supermarkets sell beers at around the same price but it could be cheaper if you buy in bulk.

When you go to the market, you can buy a flat of eggs, which is thirty eggs. The cost varies depending on the season and how the season is going for the Mennonites, who raise the chickens, but usually a flat of eggs is BZ $6 to $9 or US $3 to $4.50. I have only seen the price of eggs go up to BZ $9 or US $4.50 when there is a shortage of the food supply for the chickens on account of the growers having a bad season. If you went to the market and bought egg, toast, and bacon to cook it at home, it would cost around 25 US cents per breakfast. If you go to a restaurant, you’re going to pay Belize $3.50 or US $1.75 for a breakfast.

A loaf of domestically produced bread is BZ $2.25 or US $1.13. You will not find any imported bread products here. However, each town you go to here in Belize has three or four bakeries in it so everything is very fresh. You can buy straight from the bakery itself at BZ $2 or US $1 a loaf of bread. We have some very good pastries here, too.

If you want vegetables, you can go to the market and buy tomatoes for around BZ $2 or US $1 a pound. Onions are BZ $1.25 or 63 US cents a pound. Pepper is around BZ $3 or US $1.50 a pound. Melons, pineapple, and cantaloupe range around BZ $2 or US $1 each. Mangoes run about BZ $1 or US 50 cents each at the market. When they are in good growing season and there is an abundance of mangoes and oranges, you can get really good bargains. You will pay around BZ 25 shillings, or around 13 US cents for one mango. Imported juices could be a bit expensive. The cost for a gallon of orange juice is about BZ $5.95 or around US $3.

(Chicken meal, Belize, pictured.)

How are the homes in Portugal different than in the US, Canada or the UK?

Ana Ferraz

House in Portugal with rooftop terrace – Best Places In The World To Retire – International Living

The construction of homes in Portugal is very different than homes in England because homes in Portugal are built with bricks and tiles. Homes here are not very as well insulated as in England because of the difference in the weather. Portuguese use a lot of ceramic tiling, large terraces, and big windows. Central heating was just introduced in Portugal in the last 10 years. Air-conditioning is not very common because it is not needed unless you are in Lisbon since Lisbon is hotter than...

What are the worst reasons to retire overseas?

Ross - Abroad We Go

Ross at the Colosseum in Rome, Italy – Best Places In The World To Retire – International Living

The worst reasons to retire overseas are financial and health reasons. If you’re moving overseas because you need to be in a country where it’s less expensive, that sets you off to a bad direction. If you’re moving overseas with the primary reason of a lower cost of living, you need to be careful.

Many retirees move overseas for a lower cost of healthcare. When you move overseas for healthcare, you need to understand that the...

Recently Posted Expat Stories

The Top 7 Worst Things About Living in Mexico

Like any mature, clear-thinking, rational couple, before coming to live in Mexico, my wife and I did research into what it would be like to live there. Maybe you’re in this research phase now.

It’s not easy getting to the truth.

On the one side are the obvious promoters; people, websites, businesses, seminar-sellers, certain magazines and YouTubers, etc., that tell you how wonderful absolutely everything is. It’s not unusual to hear that you can live for $1,019 a...

Hospital Insurance in Panama

My husband is 73 and he was on several medications over the last few years in America. We have been in Panama only 10 months and he has cut his medications in half. He feels better, has more energy and feels less stressed. We attribute our good health to foods, climate, and less stressful lifestyle here. He has lost over 12 pounds, walks often and enjoys our life here.

We were paying almost $700 per month additional to Medicare for supplemental...

At Long Last, Love and Fulfilment in David, Panamá

As we learn from Robert Reichert’s story, the dreams you never release will find you, and the practice of doing your best will richly reward you. Jet Metier discovers what motivates one of Best Places’ most generous contributors and how collaborating with his Panamanian wife Eneida was the most satisfying aspects of making a home in David, Panama, for follow Canadians, and for himself.

Jet Metier: Hi there, Bob. I am glad we are...