What’s the price of a home, condo or apartment in Mexico?
Alfonso Galindo - I Go Yucatan
A home, condo or apartment that would be acceptable to an American or Canadian for what they would consider average middle class living can run the gamut between US $8,000 and $50,000 for a brand new unit, be it an apartment, condo, or residential.
If you’re in Mexico City, it might cost you $50,000 or $60,000 for a one-bedroom house. But that same unit in Merida might run you $15,000.
I decided to buy in my neighborhood...
A home, condo or apartment that would be acceptable to an American or Canadian for what they would consider average middle class living can run the gamut between US $8,000 and $50,000 for a brand new unit, be it an apartment, condo, or residential.
If you’re in Mexico City, it might cost you $50,000 or $60,000 for a one-bedroom house. But that same unit in Merida might run you $15,000.
I decided to buy in my neighborhood in Merida because of many, many reasons, including that it’s a new suburb, there are many parks and sidewalks for my 4 year old daughter, etc. This is considered a middle or upper middle class neighborhood. A brand new 2-bedroom is 575,000 pesos (about $36,000). A 3-bedroom on 2 floors with 2-bathroom is 780,000 pesos (about $49,000). You would compare it to a villa or townhome that you can find in many new developments in Canada and US.
(Hundido Park, El Parque Hundido in Mérida, Mexico, pictured.)
How much does it cost to get landline phone service in Portugal?
Ana Ferraz
The cost for landline phone service in Portugal is about €10 to €20 (US $10.75 to $21.70 or £7.21 to £14.42), which would give you unlimited calls within Portugal.
During weekends, you would also get free calls from 9 PM to 9 AM to any place in Europe. Outside those times, you would have to pay for calls that you make to Europe.
(Telephone booth in Lisbon, Portugal, pictured.)
The cost for landline phone service in Portugal is about €10 to €20 (US $10.75 to $21.70 or £7.21 to £14.42), which would give you unlimited calls within Portugal.
During weekends, you would also get free calls from 9 PM to 9 AM to any place in Europe. Outside those times, you would have to pay for calls that you make to Europe.
What are the things I'll be most happily surprised by when moving or retiring abroad?
By Edgington
Sad to say, but for us the biggest surprise was how friendly, open and caring people are in both the countries that we've been expats in. Panama has some of the friendliest and most helpful people in the world, and Colombians are, if anything, even more so. If you're considering becoming an expat, give up the existential fear of other people, other cultures, and you'll feel a lot better, and fit in much faster. There are a lot of unfounded, stereotypical horror stories about hostile...
Sad to say, but for us the biggest surprise was how friendly, open and caring people are in both the countries that we've been expats in. Panama has some of the friendliest and most helpful people in the world, and Colombians are, if anything, even more so. If you're considering becoming an expat, give up the existential fear of other people, other cultures, and you'll feel a lot better, and fit in much faster. There are a lot of unfounded, stereotypical horror stories about hostile native people, and gringo bashing episodes, but the vast majority of them are fabrications, Sure, there are criminals and malcontents everywhere, but in our experience, the rest of the population, in Panama and again in Colombia more than make up for the bad actors.
One more thing: If you show a real effort to learn the local language, people tend to be even more friendly and helpful. Go for it.
The Cost of Living in Panama is really up to you. You can live frugally like my wife and I do with a monthly budget of $1,500 - $2,000, or you can live lavishly and pay twice that just for rent.
The best part about Panama is the cost of daily necessities like food, electricity, water etc. You can also grow your own fruit, like my wife and I have done.
Here to the right is a bunch of bananas growing in our backyard! Green bananas fried are...
The Cost of Living in Panama is really up to you. You can live frugally like my wife and I do with a monthly budget of $1,500 - $2,000, or you can live lavishly and pay twice that just for rent.
The best part about Panama is the cost of daily necessities like food, electricity, water etc. You can also grow your own fruit, like my wife and I have done.
Here to the right is a bunch of bananas growing in our backyard! Green bananas fried are a special treat.
As far as cable, internet house phone and wireless phones we spend about $100 per month for all three with data on the phone and one of the best internet speeds for the house.
So the question is What`s the cost of living in Panama? The answer is that you decide!
How much does it cost to have a cell phone in Belize?
Rubi Young - Altamira Residences
The cost to get a cellphone in Belize depends on what brand you buy. There are cheap phones and there are expensive ones. The latest Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge costs $2,500 Belize or US $1,250. This is an expensive phone, which only most people in the working sector can afford. There are also cheaper phones here in Belize. The cheapest phone would cost around $100 Belize or US $50.
The cost of cellphone service also depends on what kind of service you want. It...
The cost to get a cellphone in Belize depends on what brand you buy. There are cheap phones and there are expensive ones. The latest Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge costs $2,500 Belize or US $1,250. This is an expensive phone, which only most people in the working sector can afford. There are also cheaper phones here in Belize. The cheapest phone would cost around $100 Belize or US $50.
The cost of cellphone service also depends on what kind of service you want. It costs $25 Belize (US $12.50) for a prepaid SIM card and then you put credits in it. Here in Belize, there are special days when the cellphone providers offer a “double-up” or “triple-up.” They usually have these offers on Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, and other public or bank holidays, such as Independence Day and Christmas. So for example, you buy a top-up card for $50, and they have a triple-up promo that day, then you will get $150 worth of calling added to your card. If you buy $10 and up, you will get a double-up. Aside from using prepaid service, you could also have a postpaid plan here in Belize. There are people who have open line cellphone service where they pay what they have used.
A phone call within Belize costs 5 Belize cents per minute up to 45 Belizean cents per minute. If you make calls outside of Belize, it costs more. A phone call to the US or Mexico could cost around $1.10 Belize per minute. (The exchange rate in Belize is fixed to 2 Belize dollars to 1 US dollar, so in order to get US dollar rates from Belize rates, divide in half.)
How's the kayaking in and around Nicaragua and the rafting in and around Nicaragua?
Dr. Carlos Alemán - Centro de Diseño Denta (Clínica Dental)
There are places in Nicaragua like the little lakes where you can go kayaking and canoeing. There is a little island in the Pacific called Apoyo, located between Masaya and Granada where you will find new restaurants that are owned by foreigners that offer kayaking. You can go to the restaurant and rent a kayak for the whole day to go around the lake.
I do not think you can go kayaking on the oceans of Nicaragua because it is a bit dangerous but there is...
There are places in Nicaragua like the little lakes where you can go kayaking and canoeing. There is a little island in the Pacific called Apoyo, located between Masaya and Granada where you will find new restaurants that are owned by foreigners that offer kayaking. You can go to the restaurant and rent a kayak for the whole day to go around the lake.
I do not think you can go kayaking on the oceans of Nicaragua because it is a bit dangerous but there is kayaking on the lakes. Most places in Nicaragua that have little lakes have kayaking.
Sept 14 to 15 is a holiday in Nicaragua. That’s when we celebrate Independence Day. This year we went to Rio San Juan, which is the river the divides Costa Rica and Nicaragua. We went kayaking through the hotel where they offer this activity at different rates. You could go kayaking for half an hour or a whole hour. You can also go to Isletas de Granada, which is a group of little islands in Granada, 45 minutes away from Managua. You can take a little boat to any of those little islands on Lake Nicaragua. There are lots of places there that rent out kayaks and you can go kayaking over the little islands.
When doing a road trip anywhere, and especially in Mexico, the ability to improvise and adapt are traits that come in handy. Case I point: unfortunately, our much-anticipated plans to visit Puerto Vallarta fell through, so we would have to content ourselves with a “drive through.”
In the lavish and lovely garden area in the front of what had been our Lo de Marcos home for eight days of various parts serenity, adventure, discovery and enjoyment in the greater Nayarit...
After a year and a half of reading over 4,700 answers and 200 stories posted by the expat experts who contribute to Best Places, I've learned a thing or two.
Below is an article I was asked to write for Next Avenue, a website whose media partners include PBS, Huffington Post, etc., and run by very talented and accomplished public television people and journalists.
This article represents the distilled wisdom of...
It is the same sun after all. Places seem familiar when you arrive in Panama City. You recognize the clean modern airport at Panama City as being so much like the airports in the United States. As you leave by car, taxi or bus you still feel quite impressed by the ease of it all. Once away from the airport, passing shopping venues, multi story apartments and condos, there are billboard signs with well known brand names the same as in the places you left behind. After a...