Best Places In The World To Retire

The standard of living in Ambergris Caye is probably the highest in all of the country of Belize. Overall, people do fairly well here in Ambergris Caye. The cost of living here is higher than any place else in the country of Belize, which is more pronounced from a local standpoint.  From a gringo standpoint, it is not quite so pronounced.
 
What the locals pay for food and rent here is probably double than what they pay in any place else in Belize. It is very difficult for Belizean people to come out here and do well. There are lots of people, especially construction workers / laborers who come here and they have to share a room with four or five people. From the perspective of the lower end of the labor pool, it is not very good.  However, from the perspective of resort employees, management people, and office people, they do fairly well and they are used to a higher standard of living than in any place else in the country of Belize and their salaries reflect that. The middle class here in Ambergris Caye does better than any place else but the people on the low end of the spectrum spend a lot more money on lodging and food than they are any place else in the country of Belize.
 
From an expat perspective, you can live in whatever level you want here in Ambergris Caye. We have great restaurants, gourmet food shops and gourmet wine shops, spas, salons, dog grooming centers, a dozen supermarkets, a dozen large hardware stores, and so on, so you could get almost everything that you want here. What you can’t get here, you can have shipped in from Belize City almost immediately simply by making a phone call.
 
You can divide the expats here in Ambergris Caye into three groups: 

1. Those living on a very tight budget, whether retirees or people who are not really working and living off of a fixed income of some sort.
2. Those who are in the middle class.
3. Those who are at the top echelon. 

Food in Granada is quite inexpensive. When I spend around US $10 at the market I can feed three people with that. I can buy chicken or meat, cheese, plantain, and rice and I will have enough and plenty for dinner. I may even have something left to cook the next day.

I do not feel restricted with what I need at all. I spend around $300 every month on food and that is good enough to feed my whole family.

How much you spend on food obviously depends on what you choose to...

Food in Granada is quite inexpensive. When I spend around US $10 at the market I can feed three people with that. I can buy chicken or meat, cheese, plantain, and rice and I will have enough and plenty for dinner. I may even have something left to cook the next day.

I do not feel restricted with what I need at all. I spend around $300 every month on food and that is good enough to feed my whole family.

How much you spend on food obviously depends on what you choose to buy and maybe the brands that you choose. My wife and I prefer to live a non-pretentious, low profile lifestyle. We do not always buy top of the line products. We like local, normal food. We do not particularly look for a specific brand all the time. To give you an overall idea, a budget of $1,300 per month for my family’s expenses is good enough in my class. I do not feel like I have to budget everything just to manage my finances. $1,300 per month already covers food, clothing, and my car.

With a budget of $130 to $160, a single person can purchase food for a month.  This would equate to about $5 per day.