What are the worst reasons to retire to Nicaragua?
Mike Cobb - ECI Development
The worst reason to retire in Nicaragua is probably the same as for any country. People looking for a perfect place are always disappointed. There is no Shangri-La. Everything is a mix. Nicaragua is an affordable place to retire, but you have to expect to see and be close to poverty. Poverty does not mean danger. Poverty is just a reality of a developing country and if you can handle seeing it, you’ll be happy here.
The worst reason to retire in Nicaragua is probably the same as for any country. People looking for a perfect place are always disappointed. There is no Shangri-La. Everything is a mix. Nicaragua is an affordable place to retire, but you have to expect to see and be close to poverty. Poverty does not mean danger. Poverty is just a reality of a developing country and if you can handle seeing it, you’ll be happy here.
Posted February 13, 2014
Darrell Bushnell
Nicaragua has a fairly significant percentage of people who come here and do not make it. Here are some of the reasons:
- Some could not handle the heat.
- Others have problems getting used to the poverty.
- Some miss the more solid infrastructure they had if they are from Europe or the United States.
- There are others who are used to all the rules that to protect them which we do not have here in...
Nicaragua has a fairly significant percentage of people who come here and do not make it. Here are some of the reasons:
- Some could not handle the heat.
- Others have problems getting used to the poverty.
- Some miss the more solid infrastructure they had if they are from Europe or the United States.
- There are others who are used to all the rules that to protect them which we do not have here in Nicaragua. For example, if you buy a house in the US and you had legal problems with the person selling it, you can do several things, including using an attorney. The laws and rules are well known and you are protected. Here in Nicaragua, if you buy a property and later on find out that the title is bad or if you set up a deal with a local Nicaraguan to build a home and the work was not up to your standards, you probably would not sue. Are you going to sue someone who earns $8,000 per year? Probably not.
Posted November 9, 2014
Daniel Snider - Snider's Realty Nicaragua
The worst reason to retire in Nicaragus is if you are a felon in the US trying to escape to here. A couple of the FBI most wanted have been caught here in Nicaragua. They thought Nicaragua was a good place to hide, but lo and behold, they got caught.
Another bad reason to retire in Nicaragua as an expat is to think that you are coming into another state of the United States. Nicaragua is a completely different country and you should be able to assimilate...
The worst reason to retire in Nicaragus is if you are a felon in the US trying to escape to here. A couple of the FBI most wanted have been caught here in Nicaragua. They thought Nicaragua was a good place to hide, but lo and behold, they got caught.
Another bad reason to retire in Nicaragua as an expat is to think that you are coming into another state of the United States. Nicaragua is a completely different country and you should be able to assimilate different aspects of the culture, the people, the food, and everything else that Nicaragua has to offer. It will go very badly for you if you think that you will just come here as an expat and completely ignore the fact that people here have their own language, identity, and culture, and for you not to adapt in some way.
So if you are those two people that I have mentioned above, then do not come to Nicaragua.
Posted December 12, 2014
Immanuel Zerger - Solentiname Tours - Discover Nicaragua
If you are coming to Nicaragua and you expect that everything will work for you the same as it does from where you come, then that is a bad reason for coming here. If you don’t have an open mind and don't consider that you are going to live in a place with an entirely different culture, and that the people living in this country have different meals, sodas (vaso de gaseosa, pictured), traditions and history, that is a bad reason to retire...
If you are coming to Nicaragua and you expect that everything will work for you the same as it does from where you come, then that is a bad reason for coming here. If you don’t have an open mind and don't consider that you are going to live in a place with an entirely different culture, and that the people living in this country have different meals, sodas (vaso de gaseosa, pictured), traditions and history, that is a bad reason to retire here. You have to realize that you have your own culture and history and the people here in Nicaragua also have theirs. You just have to learn from each other and live amongst each other with respect. You have to be adaptable.
Posted January 21, 2015
Jewel Hoff - Tierra de los Suenos
If you’re on drugs, it’s a bad reason to move to Nicaragua because they’ll put you away for 20 years. Also, the age limit of having sex with a minor is 16 and marriage is 18. If you’re a pedophile, don’t come here.
If you’re a drug addict or an alcoholic—it’s a bad reason to come here because it’s so cheap.
It’s more difficult to stop smoking here, because a pack of cigarettes cost you...
If you’re on drugs, it’s a bad reason to move to Nicaragua because they’ll put you away for 20 years. Also, the age limit of having sex with a minor is 16 and marriage is 18. If you’re a pedophile, don’t come here.
If you’re a drug addict or an alcoholic—it’s a bad reason to come here because it’s so cheap.
It’s more difficult to stop smoking here, because a pack of cigarettes cost you $1.10.
(Joya de Nicaragua, the oldest cigar company in Nicaragua, pictured. )
Posted October 11, 2015
David Smith - Nicaragua Sotheby's International Realty
The only thing that comes to mind for a bad reason to retire to Nicaragua is thinking that you’re going to live off the land. I keep meeting people like me who thought I was going to come here and super simplify my life. I would have my chickens and grow my corn and I was going to be completely self-sustainable and get back to the basics of life growing my own fruit and vegetables. Certainly I do that but the reality is once you get here,...
The only thing that comes to mind for a bad reason to retire to Nicaragua is thinking that you’re going to live off the land. I keep meeting people like me who thought I was going to come here and super simplify my life. I would have my chickens and grow my corn and I was going to be completely self-sustainable and get back to the basics of life growing my own fruit and vegetables. Certainly I do that but the reality is once you get here, it’s so cheap to get fruit and vegetables (a huge basket of tomatoes and melons and watermelon and pineapples or bananas for around US $2) that the effort that it takes to actually understand the soils and the plants and growing them and harvesting and then dealing with the need for shade and water and horticulture here and the varieties that work here is not worth the effort. (I brought seeds from England and Canada and none of them work.)
If you think you’re coming to just live off the land and go back to basics, you probably won’t end up doing that. You might do a little bit to supplement but you’ll find that it’s just so cheap to buy at the market or the side of the road or the guy with the truck that’s delivering it to you that for the most part, you’ll buy it.
(Fruit and vegtable stand, San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua, pictured.)
Posted October 5, 2016
Barry Oliver - Surfing Nahua
One of the worst reasons to retire in Nicaragua is the fact that things are slightly slower at times. There are times when the process works in your favor. There are also times when the process can work more quickly than what you’re used to. For example, getting building permits in Nicaragua can take only a few days or months. Other things may take longer than usual, and if you’re not patient, you’re not going to make it. That’s one of the main reasons...One of the worst reasons to retire in Nicaragua is the fact that things are slightly slower at times. There are times when the process works in your favor. There are also times when the process can work more quickly than what you’re used to. For example, getting building permits in Nicaragua can take only a few days or months. Other things may take longer than usual, and if you’re not patient, you’re not going to make it. That’s one of the main reasons people leave Nicaragua. People think there’s a lot of crime in Nicaragua, and they come to Nicaragua to find that there are some really honest and hardworking people, and there’s not much crime going on. This surprises people.
In Nicaragua, you have to be patient and be on top of everything. For example. building costs can sometimes get out of hand if you’re not on top of it.
People don’t think it’s as much of a struggle to learn the language here in Nicaragua, but the truth is that things like building costs and can rise than they would be if you knew the language. Northern Nicaragua is a great place to be but is new. There aren’t as many language schools in northern Nicaragua as they have in southern Nicaragua.
(Las Sevillanas rental home in Norther Nicaragua, pictured.)
Posted April 21, 2017
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.)
Posted July 17, 2017
Carlos Roman Gutierrez Solis - Casa Granada Properties
One of the worst reasons to retire in Nicaragua is if you cannot handle the weather, because foreigners may not be happy when it gets too hot. Another reason is that services in Nicaragua are still very basic. Things go slowly in Nicaragua and processes don't work the same way as you may be used to in the United States. People need to be patient and wait until the next day or "mañana" (tomorrow or thereafter).
...
One of the worst reasons to retire in Nicaragua is if you cannot handle the weather, because foreigners may not be happy when it gets too hot. Another reason is that services in Nicaragua are still very basic. Things go slowly in Nicaragua and processes don't work the same way as you may be used to in the United States. People need to be patient and wait until the next day or "mañana" (tomorrow or thereafter).
Americans may not find in Nicaragua everything that they have in the United States, such as American brands and other commercial items. If you need to have with you things that you are used to, these must be sent to you from the United States.
Companies are now trying to bring in American brands and stores like the Home Depot, Walmart, Costco, and PriceSmart, but these stores won't have the same variety of items as they do in the US.
Electricity is not cheap in Nicaragua. Expats need to be careful with their electrical consumption, especially when they have air conditioning in the house because they would be paying more than what they are used to paying for electricity in the United States. If you use air conditioning for three to six hours a day, seven days a week, your electricity bill may reach US $300 a month. The smart usage of air conditioning in Nicaragua is to turn it on before you go to sleep and leave it on for two to three hours.
Lastly, if a foreigner doesn't speak Spanish, he might not be able to understand what's going on, especially when he figures in some accident and the language barrier makes him feel uncomfortable, which may make him want to go back to his own country.
It is better to first come to a city in Nicaragua and rent a house for three to five months. This gives a foreigner enough time to figure out if Nicaragua is a place where they can stay.
(Eco lodge, Rivas, Nicaragua, pictured. )
Posted July 22, 2017