How much does it cost for a housekeeper or maid in Los Cabos - La Paz, Mexico?
Cathie Smith LoCicero - Cathie Smith Insurance
I live in a condominium complex in Cabo San Lucas. I pay my housekeeper 400 pesos (US $22) a day and I have her come three days a week for at least four hours per day. My condominium is about 2,000 square feet.
Generally, in Mexico, we don't pay by the hour. We pay by the job so if my housekeeper is finished early, she can leave earlier. If she needs to stay later, she stays later and finishes everything.
The rates for...
I live in a condominium complex in Cabo San Lucas. I pay my housekeeper 400 pesos (US $22) a day and I have her come three days a week for at least four hours per day. My condominium is about 2,000 square feet.
Generally, in Mexico, we don't pay by the hour. We pay by the job so if my housekeeper is finished early, she can leave earlier. If she needs to stay later, she stays later and finishes everything.
The rates for maids in Cabo San Lucas are the highest in the state of Baja California Sur, most likely even higher than what they would be paying just next door in San Jose del Cabo. The reason that it's higher is not that the maids have asked to be increased at the start of their work contract, but because the lady employers pay them more, and so the maids just expect to get what the girl next door is getting. It has gone up over the years.
I used to pay 200 pesos ($11) per day in 2010. Now I pay 400 pesos ($22) a day. It's just the standard that is set not by the maids, but by the ladies in the community paying that much.
(Condos next to the lighthouse in Cabos San Lucas , Mexico, pictured.)
What is the cost for health insurance in Portugal and how does it work?
Ana Ferraz
A reasonable private health insurance plan in Portugal would cost you between €40 to €60 (US $43.40 to $65.10 or £29 to £44) a month. If you go to a doctor, a regular consultation would cost you around €30 to €40 (US $33 to $44 or £22 to £29) after insurance. This cost is for people who are basically in good health and middle-aged. A full comprehensive insurance plan is about €60 (US $65 or £44) a month. €60 is the minimum. ...
A reasonable private health insurance plan in Portugal would cost you between €40 to €60 (US $43.40 to $65.10 or £29 to £44) a month. If you go to a doctor, a regular consultation would cost you around €30 to €40 (US $33 to $44 or £22 to £29) after insurance. This cost is for people who are basically in good health and middle-aged. A full comprehensive insurance plan is about €60 (US $65 or £44) a month. €60 is the minimum.
The cost of your insurance goes up depending on the clauses that you want to incorporate. For example, some insurance policies do not cover you abroad. A friend of mine pays €120 (US $130 or £87) for health insurance because he travels a lot and he wants to be fully covered when he is traveling in Europe.
The cost of your insurance really depends on how far you want to go. If you just reside in Portugal and you just want basic insurance, the minimum you can get is about €60. There is no deductible. The insurance covers you from the first euro.
(The monastery courtyard of Mosteiro dos Jerónimos Lisbon, Portugal, pictured.)
Is Belize a good place for preppers to have their bugout location? Is Belize a good place for survivalists?
John Acott
Belize is certainly a good place for preppers because no one is going to bomb Belize, I shouldn’t think. Belize is pretty far down the list. We have been to at least two places that have these containers underground with their survival stuff but that is two in the entire country that I have seen and they are both Americans.
Everything is here in the Cayo district. We have clean rivers. There is no...
Belize is certainly a good place for preppers because no one is going to bomb Belize, I shouldn’t think. Belize is pretty far down the list. We have been to at least two places that have these containers underground with their survival stuff but that is two in the entire country that I have seen and they are both Americans.
Everything is here in the Cayo district. We have clean rivers. There is no pollution in Cayo because there is no industry here. Nothing is made in Belize so there is no pollution and the rivers here are clean. It would be very easy to get more than enough water because it rains enough and there are rivers. There are also fish in the rivers and you could grow your own food pretty easily. Belize is a clean country.
The Cayo district is beautiful and especially well-suited to preppers. You can grow your own food here while you cannot do that in Ambergris Caye or Placencia. There are fruit trees everywhere in Cayo. There are coconuts, bananas growing wild. If you have to, you can eat a monkey or two and the locals even eat iguanas.
There is not gardening in the cayes. However, they do have fish.
(One of many, many, waterfalls in the Cayo District, Belize, pictured.)
How much do healthcare and medical services cost in Nicaragua?
Carolyn Membreño - León Travel Bureau
There are not as many American-trained doctors in León as you would find in Managua, which is the capital of the country. But there are really good specialists here. Most of the top notch specialists graduated from our university. León is a university town and we have the top university in the country. Many of the people who graduated from the universities in Leon have gone to practice in places like Guatemala or Mexico.
My ophthalmologist in...
There are not as many American-trained doctors in León as you would find in Managua, which is the capital of the country. But there are really good specialists here. Most of the top notch specialists graduated from our university. León is a university town and we have the top university in the country. Many of the people who graduated from the universities in Leon have gone to practice in places like Guatemala or Mexico.
My ophthalmologist in León, whom I see to do checks for glaucoma, does a really thorough exam. His office is just as modern as the ones that I used to go to in New Jersey, where I come from. It has all the latest equipment. He charges me 400 córdobas, or around US $15 per visit. I spend around 90 minutes in his office as he does a thorough exam using a state-of-the-art computer system.
I know a good ultrasound radiologist in Leon whose office is equipped to do an ultrasound if you are having a baby or any type of ultrasound procedure. A visit to her office would run you about $30 or less depending on the type of ultrasound you get. These are highly-trained physicians. We have a public hospital in Leon and we have some private clinics as well.
Overall, the physicians here in León may not have been trained in the US but they had extensive training and practice from outside of the country. You will find the best of the best doctors in Managua. About 98% of the doctors there were trained in the US. The cost to go to a doctor in León is about on par with the cost to see a doctor in other parts of Nicaragua.
(A teaching course on the project of pastoral health ministry at Heodra Hospital , Leon, Nicaragua, pictured.)
How much do healthcare and medical services cost in Panama?
Philip McGuigan - Chiriqui United, an Association of the leading humanitarian organizations in the Chiriqui Province of Panama
Panama is a destination for elective surgery and all kinds of other medical treatments because the healthcare in Panama is highly affordable and it is of excellent quality.
One of the reasons it is so affordable is that Panama does not have a big medical malpractice bar. I am sensitive to this issue because my personal physician in Chicago ended up taking early retirement because he didn’t want to deal with his huge insurance payments for malpractice.
Panama is a destination for elective surgery and all kinds of other medical treatments because the healthcare in Panama is highly affordable and it is of excellent quality.
One of the reasons it is so affordable is that Panama does not have a big medical malpractice bar. I am sensitive to this issue because my personal physician in Chicago ended up taking early retirement because he didn’t want to deal with his huge insurance payments for malpractice.
Over the last 10 years, various cities in Australia (Adelaide, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney) and Canada (Calgary, Vancouver, Toronto) have ranked among the best places in the world in which to live or work. But in-so-far-as retirement is concerned, where do you go? That answer will ultimately depend on what you, as an individual, value most. As a 40 year-old American who has lived outside the United States for almost 1/4 of his life, I can share with you what I...
Over the last 10 years, various cities in Australia (Adelaide, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney) and Canada (Calgary, Vancouver, Toronto) have ranked among the best places in the world in which to live or work. But in-so-far-as retirement is concerned, where do you go? That answer will ultimately depend on what you, as an individual, value most. As a 40 year-old American who has lived outside the United States for almost 1/4 of his life, I can share with you what I believe to be some of the most important considerations when trying to determine 'what are the best places in the world to retire' for you!
First and foremost is language. At retirement, a great many Americans look to move south to warmer weather and consistent climates. But, unless you speak Spanish or Portuguese, you may not find the lifestyle as enjoyable when ordering at restaurants becomes a nuisance and trying to initiate a conversation over drinks at the beach is problematic. If you only speak English and have no real desire to learn a foreign language, then your top choices may be anywhere in English speaking Belize or St Kitts & Nevis, or (in and around) Panama City where large numbers of expats reside and tourism demands locals speak your native English language.
Second may arguably be the cost of living. If you are on a fixed monthly income of say $1,500 (USD) a month, then you will certainly want to stretch every dollar and countries which offer favorable exchange rates will be of tremendous value. While the Dominican Republic has a (fluctuating) exchange rate of around 40 Peso to 1 Dollar, Chile offers an exchange rate over ten times that amount at around 490 Chilean Peso to 1 Dollar. Other top favorable (fluctuating) exchange rate countries include the Philippines (42 to 1), Mexico (12 to 1), and South Africa (7.5 to 1).
Lifestyle and medical care might tie for third. If you live to snorkel or scuba dive, then you might want to live near a barrier reef in Australia or Belize. If you want hiking, back-packing and related outdoor adventures, then Ecuador, Argentina or Chile might be good possibilities. Ongoing medical issues could cause you stay within in direct-flight distances to Miami, Florida or Houston, Texas. Surprising to some, Costa Rica and Panama have excellent medical facilities and often allow for homeopathic remedies (prohibited in the United States) for cancer and age related maladies.
Notwithstanding any of the aforementioned concerns, and depending on which part of the world in which you wish to live, here is my list of the top 3 best places in the world to retire listed alphabetically by region:
Africa: Canary Islands, Republic of Seychelles, South Africa
Asia: Thailand, Philippines, Singapore
Central America / Caribbean: Belize, Dominican Republic, Panama
Europe: Estonia or Latvia, Ireland, Switzerland
South America: Argentina, Ecuador, Paraguay
"The mind is its own place, and in itself can make a heaven of hell (or) a hell of heaven."
We have been in Nicaragua since 2006 and it has been 11+ years of frustration and work. It has never been boring. The past year has felt different. There was a feeling of increased tension happening that we were beginning to notice. We at first thought it was resistance to the increasing modernization. But it now appears that it was civil and political tension.
The past 35 days have been taxing to put it mildly. We thought we had a bug out plan but the continued protest marches...
Panama's new international beach airport named Scarlett Martinez and located in the general Coronado Panama area received its very first international flight from Toronto Canada this morning! The Sunwing charter flight arrived right on time, packed with happy vacationing Canadians seeking to escape from the northland cold to the warm & sunny Panamanian Pacific Ocean Beaches.
Weekly Sunwing charter flights are scheduled for each...
It is called the Manglar Lodge because there are three kinds of mangrove trees found on the property, which you see on the long wooded road to there, the road that never quite leads you to a view of the Pacific, but rather into an intimate place tucked into the nearness of fresh water and salt, land within the reach of sea, a four room structure of masculine sophistication, a boutique inn for surfers and beachcombers alike.
It is situated down the lane from a surf camp and...