How much is it to build a house in Belize?

Right now, our estimate for building homes in Corozal is about US $80 per square foot. It could be more than that, depending on where you are in Belize. For us, we have the benefit of multiple houses being built at the same time, so we are able to save some cost on the materials by buying in bulk.  (We have four houses currently being constructed at the same time.)  They’re going to be laying their foundation around the same time and we can save on concrete and steel so...

Right now, our estimate for building homes in Corozal is about US $80 per square foot. It could be more than that, depending on where you are in Belize. For us, we have the benefit of multiple houses being built at the same time, so we are able to save some cost on the materials by buying in bulk.  (We have four houses currently being constructed at the same time.)  They’re going to be laying their foundation around the same time and we can save on concrete and steel so there are definitely ways to save money.  The cost can also go up if you want to go all out and have the all the nicest amenities that you could possibly want from the United States. The import tax can also be pretty heavy in Belize.

This is without the land. All of the extras, such as amenities like a dishwasher and granite countertops, would have to be calculated in. You could potentially get things like a granite countertop and a dishwasher at relatively inexpensive prices. It just depends on how much you shop around. After getting the structure up and sound, if you want more, things like more electrical outlets, you’re going to have to pay more. If you’re going with just what you’re comfortable with, the average amount you would pay is around that $80 per square foot.

So basically, you buy your land in Belize, and then you can build your house. If you have a 2,000 square foot home, you can expect to pay $160,000, more or less. As an example, we have an 1,800 square foot home on a channel lot that we’re selling for $199,000. It is on the actual channel, so you could dock your boat at your house and have access to the sea from your home.

 

(Home construction at the Cerros Sand development, Belize, pictured.)

Asking how much it costs to build a house is like asking how much a bag of groceries costs: It all depends upon what's in the bag!

To begin with, homes in Belize can be built out of a variety of materials like wood, concrete, insulated concrete form (ICF), steel panels, etc., which all have different costs as well as pros and cons.  The size, design and placement of your house may affect the type of foundation you need to use.  If you need to use pilings, expect to add...

Asking how much it costs to build a house is like asking how much a bag of groceries costs: It all depends upon what's in the bag!

To begin with, homes in Belize can be built out of a variety of materials like wood, concrete, insulated concrete form (ICF), steel panels, etc., which all have different costs as well as pros and cons.  The size, design and placement of your house may affect the type of foundation you need to use.  If you need to use pilings, expect to add $15,000 to $30,000 or more just for that. 

Large homes cost less to build per square foot than small homes.  Bedrooms, living area and outdoor living space is much less expensive to build than kitchens and bathrooms.

Next, it's important to specify what components you expect the price of your house to include. The lower end quotes you get may not include windows, plumbing fixtures, lighting, cabinets, trim, or a water heater.

Fixtures and finishes can greatly affect the cost of a house.  Choosing local and regional materials and products like natural thatch, Belizean hardwoods and Mexican tile or stone is more economical than using imported products.

In my experience, building a typical house to a North American standard in Belize costs about $125 dollars per square foot.  It can be done for a little less, or it can cost a lot more, based on the fixture and finishing choices you make.

The cost to build a house in Belize depends on what materials will be used and where the house will be built. If you build a house on the islands, it cost considerably more compared to building a house inland. If you are building a house made of wood inland, for example, in the Cayo District or in Corozal, it would cost around US $80 to $90 per square foot to build. The cost to build using concrete would be around $130 to $150 per square foot. It might not be up to American standards, but...

The cost to build a house in Belize depends on what materials will be used and where the house will be built. If you build a house on the islands, it cost considerably more compared to building a house inland. If you are building a house made of wood inland, for example, in the Cayo District or in Corozal, it would cost around US $80 to $90 per square foot to build. The cost to build using concrete would be around $130 to $150 per square foot. It might not be up to American standards, but it will be intermediate. It would not have granite countertops but it would have nice and decent fixtures. For sink faucets, for example, it would have Moen or Delta. (In Belize, a Moen is cheaper than a Delta. Delta is the best brand you can get in Belize.) In the intermediate home, they will include a Moen, which is a very good brand and it lasts for a very long time, but still it is not a Delta.

 

Other things like that can be expected in Belize houses are items such as dimmers, a nice finish, ceramic tiles, etc. In intermediate homes, you could have ceramic tiles but in better homes you could have better ceramic tiles or even granite. If you are going to build that same kind of house in the cayes, then you mark it up by 30 to 40%. So, if you’re looking at a house that is 1,000 square feet, you can build it for $130,000 on the mainland and $180,000 if you were to build it on the cayes. This is just to build the house, not including the land.

 

You have to buy the land separately. These figures are on the conservative side. I am not talking about lavish homes, for which the cost could be quite a bit more. It costs more to build a house on the cayes in Belize mainly because of the cost of transporting the materials over to the cayes. Everything from sand, gravel, cement, steel, re-bar, etc. needs to be transported to the islands. Everything that you would see on the cayes are there because they were brought there on a barge. And because fuel is expensive, it increases the price of building a house. Another thing to consider is if you want to build split units of air-conditioning instead of having centralized air-conditioning. The more fancy homes have central air-conditioning.

 

( A barge being unloaded in Belize, picture.)

If you build a concrete house (which has less maintenance than a wooden house), depending on where you are, you would pay US $75 to $85 per square foot.  The most significant difference in price has to do with what is in the foundation and also where the house is located.  For example, building a house in Placencia is far more expensive than building a house in Consejo. In Consejo, we're very close to all the raw materials. In Placencia, they have none of the raw material, so...

If you build a concrete house (which has less maintenance than a wooden house), depending on where you are, you would pay US $75 to $85 per square foot.  The most significant difference in price has to do with what is in the foundation and also where the house is located.  For example, building a house in Placencia is far more expensive than building a house in Consejo. In Consejo, we're very close to all the raw materials. In Placencia, they have none of the raw material, so they have to truck everything down, which makes it far more expensive. In Cayo, the cost is even less because they have lot more of the raw materials and a lot more available because Cayo is there in the mountains. 
 
How physically close you are to materials has a lot to do with how much it costs to build a house.  For example, I can buy a truck full of gravel in Corozal and I can buy a better quality of gravel in Orange Walk. But the gravel that I buy in Orange Walk to bring it the same location here in Consejo costs twice as much as in Corozal, because of the trucking cost for better quality.
 
The wood here is excellent. We have some of the best woods in the world in Belize. There are a lot of choices. We have a lot of exotic woods. One of the most common ones that we use here, white mahogany, is considered more of an exotic wood in the States, I built my entire kitchen out of white mahogany. Here, it's an average wood and is priced as an average wood.
 
If you use locally sourced building materials, including mahogany and so forth, it's going to be very reasonably priced.  All of the building materials that we have here are more natural and a lot of it is not made up of all sorts of other chemicals or other stuff. It's just raw. It's a different situation. Maybe we have to treat ours differently or have to clean up the wood more frequently than you would have to in the States but a lot of the materials that you are getting in the States is not the real thing. 
 
If you were to get a 2,000 square foot home for US $75 to $85 per square foot, it would be at $150,000 to $170,000. That would include your cabinets, tiles, doors, and windows. With the fixtures, you can go to any limits. You can get the cheapest stuff or the most expensive. We have everything here. $75 per square foot is mid-range.
 
All of these prices I’m quoting are for the northern part of Belize, in the Corozol area. Placencia is far more expensive. Ambergris Caye is even more so expensive because they have to boat everything out there. Because everything has to come by a barge, it’s very, very expensive.  

 

(Available sea view lot in Consejo Shores, Belize,  near Mexico, pictured.)