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Recently Answered Questions

How much do restaurants cost in San Miguel de Allende?

Suzie Osman

Here in San Miguel de Allende, we basically only go out for lunch. The average lunch for the two of us is around 500 pesos (US $25), which would be for a nice meal, for example, shrimp wrapped in bacon stuffed with cheese, some side dishes, and a glass of wine. At the café, here in Los Labradores (a planned community about 15 minutes from San Miguel de Allende) it costs 300 pesos (US $15) for the two of us, even with wine. I’ve tried some of the other restaurants...

How's the standard of living in Ambergris Caye?

Josh Buettner - Ambergris Seaside Real Estate

Expat in Paradise Belize – Best Places In The World To Retire – International Living

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:

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.
Those who are in the middle class.
Those who are at the top echelon.

There is a place for all three groups here. You don’t necessarily know which group someone is in just by looking at them. It is very difficult to discern a person’s status here in Ambergris Caye because everybody wear t-shirts, shorts, and flip flops, and nobody drives a Mercedes Benz here. Everybody has a golf cart. What makes it really interesting is that you will never know who you are talking to or what they are all about other than based on the conversations that you have. You cannot place people based on what they are wearing or the car that they drive.

(Expat in Paradise, Belize designed by Jet Metier, pictured.)

How much rain does Nicaragua get? When is the Rainy Season and the Dry Season in Nicaragua and what is it like?

Carolyn Membreño - León Travel Bureau

Lake Nicaragua, Nicaragua – Best Places In The World To Retire – International Living

The rainy season in Nicaragua starts around May and it gets heavier around September. September and October are the heaviest rain months. Then it starts to taper off by November. By mid to late November, you’re pretty much out of the rain and we are into the warm and dry season in December up to April.

During rainy season, it will be nice and sunny all morning then typically it will rain in the afternoon. Thunderstorms and lightning are very common here. It...

What are the advantages and disadvantages of having a Portugal passport?

Luis Rodrigues - Gouveia Pereira, Costa Freitas & Associates, Law Firm, RL

Electronic passport from Portugal – Best Places In The World To Retire – International Living

To have a Portuguese Passport it will be necessary to apply for Portuguese Nationality first.

The Permanent Residence Permit allows for citizens of third states to apply for the Portuguese Nationality after 6 (six) years of residence in the Portuguese Territory.

Nonetheless the citizen applying for the Portuguese Nationality shall also have to comply, namely, with the following requirements:

...

To have a Portuguese Passport it will be necessary to apply for Portuguese Nationality first.

The Permanent Residence Permit allows for citizens of third states to apply for the Portuguese Nationality after 6 (six) years of residence in the Portuguese Territory.

Nonetheless the citizen applying for the Portuguese Nationality shall also have to comply, namely, with the following requirements:

a) Proof of residence in Portuguese territory for at least 6 years;

b) The applicants must be over eighteen years old;

c) Sufficient knowledge of the Portuguese Language;

d) Absence of conviction for crime punishable in Portugal by imprisonment for more than 3 years;

e) Birth certificate;

f) Passport;

(Electronic passport from Portugal, pictured.)

g) Incorporation about personal data as the name of the parents, profession, etc.;

h) Countries where the applicant had residence besides Portugal;

i) Criminal registry issued by the Portuguese entity of the county of birth or of the nationality where the applicant has its residence.

The Portuguese Passport allows the holder to establish residence and free movement in Portugal and in other European Union Countries. Thus, with a second passport to get into countries that require visas for certain citizens could benefit you in substantial costs and less paperwork and unnecessary bureaucracy to travel around.

Other advantages of having a Portuguese Passport are the access to medical assistance, to education and others publics rights on the same terms as the Portuguese without losing your American citizenship.

(Electronic passport from Portugal, pictured.)

How's the standard of living in Panama?

Paul McBride - Inside Panama Real Estate

The standard of living in Panama is best measured as a comparison of the average cost of living in Panama versus other places in the world. Fortunately, statistics covering things like rent, food, transportation, utilities and entertainment are readily available on the Internet and gives you a fairly good idea of how much it costs, and consequently, what the standard of living is like for an expat in Panama.

Since most cost-of-living comparisons use...

Since most cost-of-living comparisons use the cost of living in one city against the costs in another, it’s important to note the two cities being compared. For example, one of the most well documented cost of living comparisons measures the cost of living in New York City against other major cities around the world including Panama City.

In this particular case, the cost of living in Panama City is, on average, just about 60% less than the cost of living in New York City. Housing is just 30% of the cost of New York City, groceries are 40% less in Panama City and entertainment is 60% less than in New York City. So, clearly, it’s cheap to live in Panama City compared to New York City.

However, we have to take into consideration that New York City is one of the most expensive places in the world to live. Chances are that where you live now is much less expensive than living in New York City. So, for these cost of living examples to have value to you, you have to take into consideration how much less expensive it is to live where you are versus living in New York City.

Taking all of this into account, my experience with expats moving to Panama from across the world shows that the average person will spend about 30% less living in Boquete (a bit more if they live at the beach or in Panama City) than where they were previously living. Almost all expats I speak with tell me the same story – they could never afford the quality of lifestyle they enjoy in Boquete if they continued to live in their home country.

Do I lower my US income tax liabilities if I retire or work abroad?

Jackie Lange - Panama Relocation Tours

If you receive Social Security or other pension income, it does not qualify for the Foreign Earned Income Exemption (FEIE). They are considered passive income.

If you have ACTIVE income from a job or business, then you can take advantage of the FEIE. There are rules of course. It is best to consult with an international tax attorney or CAP who specializes in international taxes for more details.

Even if you can't reduce your...

Recently Posted Expat Stories

Oh Poop!

Riding a bike along the malecon in Lake Chapala – Best Places In The World To Retire – International Living

I live lakeside in Chapala. In all of Mexico, it’s the most picturesque, comfortable and enlightening place any Mexico-seeking expat could ever hope to find. It’s also quite common (living in paradise) you get drawn into like-minded social media groups.

I try to steer clear of “comment” sections. But a recent conversation erupting on a Ajijic chat site was just too juicy to swipe past. On the surface, it was about a seemly humdrum matter: poop...

Beach at Lo de Marcos, Nayarit, Mexico, looking north – Best Places In The World To Retire – International Living

In the period of less than half a day, our senses and emotions had experienced quite a workout. In the morning, we were on a ferry in the Sea of Cortez, headed towards Mazatlan. In Mazatlan, we were treated to an entirely new concept: jungle in an urban setting. From there, we had found the toll road, breezed through green and wooded highland farmland, and then gradually descended into a profusion of jungle, not only on the sides of the road, but overhead, as we glided...

Sunshine Morning Invites the Camera to Come Outdoors

We enjoy our coffee on the patio in Boquete, Panama, most mornings. This recent Sunday the weather was spectacular. We filled our coffee thermos and hastily dressed for a ride around Boquete while there was time before the clouds and rain arrived!

First stop was the Tourist Information Center at the bottom of the hill from where we live. Great timing, we had the camera this time and the White-nosed Coati troupe was there as if on cue. Best to see between 8:30 and 9:00 am....

Best Places In The World To Retire

Recently Answered Questions

How much do restaurants cost in San Miguel de Allende?

How's the standard of living in Ambergris Caye?

How much rain does Nicaragua get? When is the Rainy Season and the Dry Season in Nicaragua and what is it like?

What are the advantages and disadvantages of having a Portugal passport?

How's the standard of living in Panama?

Do I lower my US income tax liabilities if I retire or work abroad?

Recently Posted Expat Stories

Oh Poop!

Where the Jungle Drips into the Pacific: Our First Day in Lo de Marcos, Nayarit

Sunshine Morning Invites the Camera to Come Outdoors

Best Places In The World To Retire