What are the expats like in Granada, Nicaragua?

When I first moved to Granada, Nicaragua, there were about five of us ex-pats here. I opened a small restaurant which became the place to hang out and meet everyone. At that time, I did know everyone and just about everything going on (which was not much). Now, there are so many Americans, Canadians and Europeans living here that it is mind boggling. 

 

The ex-pat community is great and there are many things to keep us occupied like the Book Club, Dinner and a...

When I first moved to Granada, Nicaragua, there were about five of us ex-pats here. I opened a small restaurant which became the place to hang out and meet everyone. At that time, I did know everyone and just about everything going on (which was not much). Now, there are so many Americans, Canadians and Europeans living here that it is mind boggling. 

 

The ex-pat community is great and there are many things to keep us occupied like the Book Club, Dinner and a Movie Night, Friday night Mojitos on Calle La Calzada and more. Most ex-pats are very community minded and volunteer at community organizations. We help each other with problems and laugh at our silly mishaps. 

 

One of the most significant things taking place in Granada is the number of young families moving into our community. Now that we have a bilingual international school, they are bringing their families, starting businesses and enjoying life in a much more relaxed atmosphere. 

There’s been an interesting phenomenon happening in Granada, Nicaragua the last 2 to 3 years due to the opening of Sacuanjoche International School, started by my wife, Janice and I.  Before we opened the school, younger people who were traveling who would have liked to stay in Granada if there been an international bi-lingual school did not stay, and rather continued their travels to other parts of the world.
 
When the school opened, younger couples started to stay...

There’s been an interesting phenomenon happening in Granada, Nicaragua the last 2 to 3 years due to the opening of Sacuanjoche International School, started by my wife, Janice and I.  Before we opened the school, younger people who were traveling who would have liked to stay in Granada if there been an international bi-lingual school did not stay, and rather continued their travels to other parts of the world.
 
When the school opened, younger couples started to stay in Granada as opposed to just visiting for 3 – 6 months.  As they’ve stayed, they’ve opened businesses such as bars, restaurants and bakeries.  It turns out that the international school actually helped to attract younger families and enabled them to develop roots in Granada.  As a result, there’s a large and growing expat community in Nicaragua for 20 and 30-somethings.

Many of the American expats in Granada don’t speak Spanish.  When I came here, that would have been a problem, because so few Nicaraguans spoke English that I had no choice but to learn Spanish.  Now, that’s no longer the case.  Over the years, as tourism has grown in Nicaragua and many American expats have moved in, many of the local Nicaraguans here speak English. Now, its easier to live here in Granada and not speak Spanish. 

The expats in Granada have different levels of income.  We have middle class and middle-upper class.  We have some wealthier people who are looking to invest in a second home for rental income.  Also, we have people who are ready to retire and want to live full time in Granada.

The age of the expats in Granada will range mostly around the 50s to the 70s or so.  We have single expats and expats who come as a couple.  In the last two to three years, I have seen more families coming to live in Granada, trying to experience it, who bring their kids.  Now we have three bi-lingual schools in Granada that are filling that space where a family can bring their kids.

Also we have another group of Americans who perhaps work in Managua but who like to have a house in Granada, so they live in Granada.  These people commute from their home in Granada to their office in Managua.  The drive is a rather pleasant 45 minutes by car.  (I know this because I commute from my home in Managua to my office in Granada.)

About 6 out of the 10 expats who settle in Granada are people who have done a good amount of traveling prior to moving to Granada and people who have more experience with Latin countries.  Many have lived in another Latin country, so they don’t feel afraid or intimidated.  Generally, these expats are well educated.  Many are a bit bohemian or eclectic, have been working in different countries, and perhaps they are more familiar with Spanish.

The other 4 out of 10 expats who move to Nicaragua are a mix of people who:

• perhaps saw Nicaragua on House Hunters International, on Survivor, read an article in the New York Post or one of the magazines about moving overseas;

• married a Nicaraguan while in the States; or

• traveled to another Central American country such as Costa Rica and then by accident or on purpose visited Nicaragua and decided that they liked it and wanted to settle here.

More often than not, expats come to Granada to retire. Single men usually hang around, go to bars, drink beer, talk to other expats, and relax. Expats sometimes buy a house here in Granada and fix it, then live there the whole time. They connect with other people and look into potential businesses. Other expats come down here to do business, such as buying a piece of property and putting it back in the market. Others buy houses, renovate and they rent it out. Some expats buy houses by...

More often than not, expats come to Granada to retire. Single men usually hang around, go to bars, drink beer, talk to other expats, and relax. Expats sometimes buy a house here in Granada and fix it, then live there the whole time. They connect with other people and look into potential businesses. Other expats come down here to do business, such as buying a piece of property and putting it back in the market. Others buy houses, renovate and they rent it out. Some expats buy houses by the lake or by the ocean. They use it for maybe 3 or 4 months to relax and then they go back home and work.

I also see interesting groups of Americans who bring their families here. Probably they are tired of living in the US and needs a new environment. They took their families to Nicaragua. A lot of expats are involved in social work, too. Others work for a church as a missionaries

I thought it would be fun to answer this question from the perspective of a native of Granada, which we call “a Granadino”, and which includes me.

Most of the expats in Granada are not as tan as we, the native Granadinos. The expats here in Granada do, however, like to walk a lot. While we Nicaraguans use the shade-side of the street, the expats like to use the sunny-side of the street, which I find really fun. The expats are looking for the sun and the native Granadinos...

I thought it would be fun to answer this question from the perspective of a native of Granada, which we call “a Granadino”, and which includes me.

Most of the expats in Granada are not as tan as we, the native Granadinos. The expats here in Granada do, however, like to walk a lot. While we Nicaraguans use the shade-side of the street, the expats like to use the sunny-side of the street, which I find really fun. The expats are looking for the sun and the native Granadinos are always looking for the shade.

Many expats here in Granada walk around with their cameras and they speak some other language that is not Spanish.

The expats here in Granada are very nice people. They always have a ready smile for you and they are very friendly. I am the kind of person who also smiles back so that they feel welcome in my city. When I see an expat in the corner with a map and they look a little bit confused, I always try to help. The expats here in Granada are adventurous people. They live in a city that’s totally different from where they came from and they like doing a lot of risky and fun things.

You can also tell the expats apart by the way they dress. They usually wear shorts, they bring backpacks and they wear different kinds of sandals. The usually stay with themselves but there are a few here who really mix with the locals. 

 

(Tree-lined Calle Calzada, Granada, Nicaragua, pictured.)

What are expats like in Granada? Well, they are retirees, investors or seasonal tourists or people that live year round in and around Granada. Some have a tourist visa and others are either pensionado (retired) or inversionista (investor) and yet others are perpetual tourists leaving the country every 90 days to get a new visa for 90 days. Some speak fluent Spanish yet others have learned to make due without...

What are expats like in Granada? Well, they are retirees, investors or seasonal tourists or people that live year round in and around Granada. Some have a tourist visa and others are either pensionado (retired) or inversionista (investor) and yet others are perpetual tourists leaving the country every 90 days to get a new visa for 90 days. Some speak fluent Spanish yet others have learned to make due without really learning the language, but picking up a few words here and there. 

 

Some might own a home and or business and others rent. We have been here since 2015, and full time in 2016 after we purchased a home outside of Granada. Some expats love to live in Granada with its great colonial architecture, history, tourism, entertainment and ability to meet with other expats, and maybe to a degree people feel safer in Granada than in the smaller communities. Some expats are also involved in the arts, animal shelter, schools teaching English and more. But yet others like us live in smaller communities around Granada. We feel totally comfortable in Diria, very safe and quiet relative to Granada. But the quiet period is over in December or during other holidays. We feel that we have more opportunities to integrate with the local community than being in Granada. But as the saying goes, "different strokes for different folks".

 

We have a great mix of expats that are: French, German, Brits, Danish,  Dutch, Italian, Canadian, American, Chile, and more.....

 

There are expats here that have lived in Nicaragua for over 20 years and others for over ten years, which is the great majority. We have lived as expats in many countries in Latin America and other places. To us, Nicaragua is what the 80's was like in such countries as Venezuela and Colombia or even Mexico. Again, that's our view.

 

One thing you the reader needs to understand is that we all have different backgrounds and views on how we perceive Nicaragua and life in general in Granada. I would suggest don't take our opinion at face value but talk, listen, read and make up your own mind where to live and how to experience Granada and its surrounding areas.  

 

Come and visit. Some of you may decide to stay like we did!

 

(Pictured: Guadalupe church, Granada, Nicaragua.)