How much does food cost in Yucatan: Riviera Maya, Playa del Carmen, Cancun, Merida, etc?
Mikki James
The cost of food in the Yucatan depends. I live in the small fishing village of Progresso, in the state of Yucatan, about 30 minutes from Merida, a city of over a million. Personally, I went native a long time ago so I don’t seek out all the things that I’m missing from the US, like a large jar of peanut butter, which they do provide to a huge degree up in Merida. Goodness gracious, a large jar of peanut butter down here is going to be 100 pesos (about US $5.75). And...
The cost of food in the Yucatan depends. I live in the small fishing village of Progresso, in the state of Yucatan, about 30 minutes from Merida, a city of over a million. Personally, I went native a long time ago so I don’t seek out all the things that I’m missing from the US, like a large jar of peanut butter, which they do provide to a huge degree up in Merida. Goodness gracious, a large jar of peanut butter down here is going to be 100 pesos (about US $5.75). And if you want specialty item foods like Blue Bell Ice Cream straight from Texas—that’s my favorite—it’s very expensive and hard to find here. So you have to go to the stores that cater to the American taste, where the items are imported, and cost much more than locally sourced items.
I go grocery shopping once a month and I spend a about $150. For this amount, I’ve got my paper products stocked up; I’ve got my vegetable products stocked up; I’ve got all my meat products stocked up; all my cleaning—everything that I need. Here in Progresso, the majority of the population are fishermen and they rely on the sea for their income. In general, we could expect that the prices in other less developed areas in the Yucatan Peninsula, even in the non-tourist and less well-known areas in the state of Quintana Roo (where Cancun, Playa del Carmen and Tulum are located) to be about the same. The prices in Merida are different. In Merida we have Dairy Queen, Burger King, McDonald’s, TGI Fridays and iHop; it’s not like it’s a Third World country anymore.
I recently invited a friend of mine from San Francisco to dinner who said, “I’ll pick up a couple of steaks when I go to the Costco and then we can throw them on the grill.” He came back with two pieces of US grade A Choice prime rib or T-Bone, for which he paid 650 pesos (US $38). In contrast, I would go right over here to Bodega, which is an offshoot branch of WalMart, walk-in and pay 45 to 80 or maybe 100 pesos (US $2 to $4) for the same cuts of beef that he bought imported to Costco. So it all depends on how you want to spend your money.
(Food set out for a party at Mikki James's home, Progresso, Yucatan, Mexico, pictured.)
What do I need to know about living overseas and retiring abroad?
Keila Mulero - Savvy Link
Hi I moved to Panama a year ago and I love it. I have lived in Puerto Rico, Peru, Miami, Atlanta and Indiana and Panama is by far the best choice for retirement. You must remember, and a lot of people often forget, that Panama is still a third world country. BUT with lots of advantages like currency, cost of living, life style, and much more. It's a lot safer than Puerto Rico and Miami. You can have a maid for $350 a month. Fruit and vegetables are always fresh. I even became...
Hi I moved to Panama a year ago and I love it. I have lived in Puerto Rico, Peru, Miami, Atlanta and Indiana and Panama is by far the best choice for retirement. You must remember, and a lot of people often forget, that Panama is still a third world country. BUT with lots of advantages like currency, cost of living, life style, and much more. It's a lot safer than Puerto Rico and Miami. You can have a maid for $350 a month. Fruit and vegetables are always fresh. I even became vegetarian in Panama. If you like sports, every weekend there is at least two sports events in the City or at any of its provinces. Panama has a lot of beauty. I do agree that the service industry needs a lot of improvement. When it comes to people and manners the average Panamanian is behind. However, my close Panamanian friends are well educated with manners, very good people. Traffic is an issue, like any cities such as Miami, New York, Atlanta. I have learned 'short cuts' and always managed my way out of it. One more thing, I have visited 75% of the country, I have been to places like Torrijos Carter, San Miguelito for business as well as Boca Chica, Las Lajas, Boquete, San Blas and great resorts. In summary, I know Panama very well and my experience has been fantastic. If you like more information about Panama, moving or relocating, feel free to contact me. I am US Citizen and permanent resident in Panama.
Opening a bank account in Panama is a huge headache if you are a foreigner, non-resident, but especially if you are American. Some banks won't accept Americans at all while others will have a very long list of bank requirements, some of which may be impossible to produce. Most documents need to be original and dated within 30 days.
If you are up to the task, it is possible in theory. The regulations change regularly so it is recommended to go to bank...
Opening a bank account in Panama is a huge headache if you are a foreigner, non-resident, but especially if you are American. Some banks won't accept Americans at all while others will have a very long list of bank requirements, some of which may be impossible to produce. Most documents need to be original and dated within 30 days.
If you are up to the task, it is possible in theory. The regulations change regularly so it is recommended to go to bank branches in person to get the most updated info. If you go door to door visiting 20-30+ banks in Panama, eventually you will find one with a reasonable list of requirements. I recommend applying to open an account with at least 2-3 different banks if you are going to try it this way on your own, to increase the odds of one accepting you.
The best way to get through this process while maintaining your sanity and keeping your blood pressure down is to hire a lawyer with a good track record for helping people open bank accounts. That's what I do for all my relocation clients. Even then, it can still take 4-6 weeks to open the account. Legal fees range from $500-1,500 on average but it's well worth it.
(Logo for offshore bank in Panama, Bancafe, pictured.)
Where are the best beaches in and around Placencia, Belize?
Veronique McKenzie - CTTBeliZe
Placencia has the best beaches in Belize.
At 3 PM every day there is this breeze that brings in some seaweed. You can always find an area where there is no seaweed, of course.
The advantage of Placencia is that it is pure sand beach. The bottom of the sea is sand. There is no coral that would scratch your feet. It’s like a pool. If you go so San Pedro (Ambergris Caye) or to Caye Caulker, the color of the sea there is what...
Placencia has the best beaches in Belize.
At 3 PM every day there is this breeze that brings in some seaweed. You can always find an area where there is no seaweed, of course.
The advantage of Placencia is that it is pure sand beach. The bottom of the sea is sand. There is no coral that would scratch your feet. It’s like a pool. If you go so San Pedro (Ambergris Caye) or to Caye Caulker, the color of the sea there is what you see on the magazines, but on the other hand, there is no access to the beach because there is erosion. The entire island is a seawall. You cannot just go into the sea like you can in Placencia. I hope Placencia Village will stay that way where there is sand and a real beach. You can lay down on the sand or walk on the sand and you will see that the water is clear. The water in Placencia is dark green and not blue like what you see in other places in the Caribbean.
The nice beaches are in Placencia Village. All others have seaweed and if you go further north, you will see that the sand is brown and thinner. So the color of the sea is more brown and the when you walk on it, it has a muddy feel to it because the sand is too thin. It is clean but visually it looks different compared to Placencia where the sand is like the sand in Marseille, France, where I come from. The beach is made of sand and the sea has tiny waves.
How are Americans and British in Portugal treated? How are expats in Portugal treated generally?
Carol Bartlett Ribeiro - Carol Bartlett Ribeiro, Property Consultant
It is important to note that the Portuguese are extremely helpful and respectful towards foreigners. Obviously, if an American or English person or other foreigner spoke to them badly or rudely a Portuguese person would reply in kind. But in many cases the Portuguese are far nicer to foreigners and more helpful to them than they are to many of their own people.
Here’s a story to illustrate the point. We have a bridge here that goes over the...
It is important to note that the Portuguese are extremely helpful and respectful towards foreigners. Obviously, if an American or English person or other foreigner spoke to them badly or rudely a Portuguese person would reply in kind. But in many cases the Portuguese are far nicer to foreigners and more helpful to them than they are to many of their own people.
Here’s a story to illustrate the point. We have a bridge here that goes over the river that is like the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco except that it’s about 2 meters longer. An American company contracted to build it. At the time our president was Antonio de Olveira Salazar, who said, “I would like you to do this so that one day they’ll be able to put a railway line underneath it.” That day came about 15 years ago when they put the railway underneath. Many of the same people that did the original construction came here and I was going around with a lot of them looking for accommodations. Many of the Americans were a little bit surprised because they kept saying (about the country in general), “This isn’t like America.” And I said, “Well, it’s not America but if I could offer some advice it would be to find something to like.” I’ve lived in quite a few countries and I think it’s so important from the minute you arrive to find something to like—bottle of wine, a person, a place.
(Antonio de Olveira Salazar in 1940, Prime Minister of Portugal from 1932 to 1968, pictured.)
A couple of months later, one of the people I offered this advice to called me and said, “Caroline, I was riding my bicycle and had an accident. This Portuguese couple stopped and took me to a hospital. The man took my bicycle to have it fixed and the woman called me every day to ask me how I was recovering. And the only thing I could think of was to phone Caroline to say thank you I found something to like.”
There’s a lot more English spoken here now than there was several years ago. If a Portuguese person doesn’t speak English well, they will still try. And most of the people now speak English so they are very, very nice to all foreigners.
What are the worst reasons to retire to Nicaragua?
Elisha MacKay
If you were someone who wants to transport your North American life to Nicaragua only for it to be cheaper, then that is not a good reason to retire to Nicaragua. If you were someone who wants to embrace a different culture, learn a different language, live with less, slow down, and enjoy life more, then these are good reasons to move to Nicaragua.
For someone who wants to transplant their North American life to Nicaragua and have a big beautiful home to...
If you were someone who wants to transport your North American life to Nicaragua only for it to be cheaper, then that is not a good reason to retire to Nicaragua. If you were someone who wants to embrace a different culture, learn a different language, live with less, slow down, and enjoy life more, then these are good reasons to move to Nicaragua.
For someone who wants to transplant their North American life to Nicaragua and have a big beautiful home to live in, have a brand new car, have all the food that they were used to having, and have ease of being able to get things done, this person will have troubles and may not last very long in Nicaragua.
(Elisha MacCay taking a water taxi, Nicaragua, pictured.)
My husband pulled our high-top white van with the dogs in the backseat into the Pemex, the ubiquitous gas stations of Baja California, Mexico. We were returning to the outskirts of La Paz, a busy little town that fronts a bay and is held in by the mountains. He spoke in Spanglish to the attendant about the price of gas as the van was serviced. I sat inside, drowsy from a day of walking along soft surf. From my side of the van, I watched a woman approach the car to the right of me....
Or at least we did, until about a year ago. That’s when we sold our comfortable home in Arizona, sold, gave away or put into storage about 90% of our “stuff,” packed the rest into a big white van, and along with our two dogs, spent a year traveling around Mexico.
It was mid-November, overcast, 72 degrees, with just a hint of rain in the air. On the highway a few hours after leaving Cordoba and headed southeast to our planned destination of Palenque, there were literally no other cars within sight in either direction. The road was high quality and safe. Even the shoulders were full width, as opposed to ¾ width shoulders we had seen so many times before, that were used for...
The cost of food in the Yucatan depends. I live in the small fishing village of Progresso, in the state of Yucatan, about 30 minutes from Merida, a city of over a million. Personally, I went native a long time ago so I don’t seek out all the things that I’m missing from the US, like a large jar of peanut butter, which they do provide to a huge degree up in Merida. Goodness gracious, a large jar of peanut butter down here is going to be 100 pesos (about US $5.75). And...
Opening a bank account in Panama is a huge headache if you are a foreigner, non-resident, but especially if you are American. Some banks won't accept Americans at all while others will have a very long list of bank requirements, some of which may be impossible to produce. Most documents need to be original and dated within 30 days. 
Placencia has the best beaches in Belize. 
It is important to note that the Portuguese are extremely helpful and respectful towards foreigners. Obviously, if an American or English person or other foreigner spoke to them badly or rudely a Portuguese person would reply in kind. But in many cases the Portuguese are far nicer to foreigners and more helpful to them than they are to many of their own people. 
If you were someone who wants to transport your North American life to Nicaragua only for it to be cheaper, then that is not a good reason to retire to Nicaragua. If you were someone who wants to embrace a different culture, learn a different language, live with less, slow down, and enjoy life more, then these are good reasons to move to Nicaragua. 
My husband pulled our high-top white van with the dogs in the backseat into the Pemex, the ubiquitous gas stations of Baja California, Mexico. We were returning to the outskirts of La Paz, a busy little town that fronts a bay and is held in by the mountains. He spoke in Spanglish to the attendant about the price of gas as the van was serviced. I sat inside, drowsy from a day of walking along soft surf. From my side of the van, I watched a woman approach the car to the right of me.....jpg)
Maybe my wife and I lead lives a lot like yours.
It all started so innocently.