How much does it cost to maintain a car in Belize?

Here in Ambergris Caye, we don’t use cars; we use golf carts.  So when you ask “How much does it cost to maintain a car in Belize?” for us here, that translates to “How much does it cost to maintain your golf cart in Ambergris Caye?  The roads here in Ambergris Caye are pretty rough so your golf cart will need a little bit of service. I would say I spend probably about US $250 a year in maintenance for my golf cart, which of course, is still much...

Here in Ambergris Caye, we don’t use cars; we use golf carts.  So when you ask “How much does it cost to maintain a car in Belize?” for us here, that translates to “How much does it cost to maintain your golf cart in Ambergris Caye?  The roads here in Ambergris Caye are pretty rough so your golf cart will need a little bit of service. I would say I spend probably about US $250 a year in maintenance for my golf cart, which of course, is still much less than it costs to maintain a car.
 
Gas is also affordable. I spend around $25 every two weeks to put gas in the golf cart. In contrast, when I went to the filling station in Canada, I would spend around $60 to fill up my fuel tank. Therefore, the $25 every other week that I spend on gas for my golf cart here in Belize is considerably less.

I pay US $150 a year for insurance on my Dodge truck, which is a big truck. 

 

Once you get residency in Belize, your driver’s license is about $50 a year. 

 

The gas prices are higher than the US because most of the fuel is imported from Venezuela. Right now with crude prices down, I have seen that diesel is cheaper in Belize than diesel in the United States. Usually, gas is higher by as much as $1 per gallon. The...

I pay US $150 a year for insurance on my Dodge truck, which is a big truck. 

 

Once you get residency in Belize, your driver’s license is about $50 a year. 

 

The gas prices are higher than the US because most of the fuel is imported from Venezuela. Right now with crude prices down, I have seen that diesel is cheaper in Belize than diesel in the United States. Usually, gas is higher by as much as $1 per gallon. The benefit of living close to the Mexican border (if that’s where you live in Belize, for example, in Corozol),folks drive across the border to fill their cars. Not only do people do that, but there is also some smuggling going on. You can go to some houses, as they have gasoline. Its poured out of a bucket into your car. Buying this way will save you that $1 per gallon compared to if you bought gas in Belize at a station. Gas prices in Mexico are pretty close to the price of gas in the US per gallon. However recently, their prices are higher as Mexico has a National Gas Company PEMEX. 

 

Mechanics are very inexpensive in Belize.  You can pull have a tire repaired and changed for $2.50 US. You could get a repair done on your vehicle where the mechanic would work on it all morning and the repair would cost no more than $20US. 

 

Parts for most vehicles are readily available. If not, they can order it. It should be there within 24 to 48 hours. If you have a Mercedes, you have to wait a little bit longer, but the parts for Toyotas and anything along that line are really available. They have a little problem with Chevrolet. Parts come from Mexico. But most parts especially for Japanese cars are right down the street and there are used parts if, for example, you need a transmission.  

 

(Pemex gas station in Mexico, pictured.)