Yes.

Tempting...

https://www.belizerealestate.bz/property/2-bed-2-bath-hacienda-style-home-with-pool-home-gym-on-manicured-%c2%be-acre-lot/

Cozy until you realize there's no HEB close by.

$1 is 6.14 inches long so $400,000 of them comes out to 38.76 miles.

IceAg08 said:

---

Cozy until you realize there's no HEB close by.

---

I live in Arlington, so I've already learned how to deal with that.

Look into Panama

Is that before or after you buy a place?

AliasMan02 said:

---

Look into Panama

---

Cambodia - Money goes pretty far there. I have a friend who moved to Phnom Penh and enjoys it. Siem Reap is pretty popular with expats as well since it's close to Angkor Wat.

I have a house in NE Thailand, and it's not too bad but nowhere as cheap as it used to be.

Puerto Vallarta is nicer IMHO and cheap as well. Highly developed infrastructure, great Walmart close to the port. Our neighbor has a condo by the ocean and a former classmate has a house just up the coast. They don't hate Americans and food is cheap. Flights to and from major American cities, lots of expats live there and it's not super touristy 24-7.

FAT SEXY said:

---

Could you be cozy AF for a couple of decades?

---

Belize is not that cheap. On San Pedro or in Orange Walk, if you want a US standard of living or close to it, and by that I mean daily A/C, US quality food, a vehicle or some mobility, etc. $400K won't go that far. But it will get you a lot more extended cool beach time than say in Florida.

The "allure" or "hook" that folk see in these type of places is that they can get beach front or resort type properties for a lot less than the states, that is the real estate, and does not include the costs associated with living a comparable US life style while at the real estate.

In the 3rd, or even the 2.5rd world such as CR or even Belize, the things that will be cheaper are:
-Medical care out of pocket (but if you can't pay, you don't get it, you will not receive care if you can't guarantee payment, think of a hotel type deal).
-Fresh fruits and vegetables, some meats and fish.
-Domestic and business labor
-Some air travel
-Some entertainment (fishing, hunting, diving, movies, etc. eating out at local places)
-Most booze
-Some hotels and such
-Taxes for the most part, both personal and real estate
-knick knacks

What is assured to be more expensive, much more expensive is:
-Electricity
-Appliances
-Vehicles
-Gasoline
-Clothes
-Processed food
-Anything imported

My experience in Belize is limited, but one of my dearest friends owns a ton of real estate there, a few businesses, a hotel and some other things. He spends a lot of his time living in El Salvador as opposed to Belize due to the costs. Also, Belize City, Corozal, and a lot of places are fairly dangerous. More so than other places.

Best cheap places to live south of Brownsville, based on my experiences (most of my life outta the US) are some of the mountain, non touristy areas, of Mexico (i.e. Oaxaca, Queretaro, San Luis Potosi, Tabasco and others), Nicaragua (just do not get involved at all in politics), some areas of Panama, and El Salvador. Cool thing about Mex is that you can easily get back to the US for cheap.

FYI, my experience is that in these places you get much more bang for you buck, with a lot less headaches, by renting than ever buying anything. This applies to non resort type places and renting long term.

Great info, RGV!! Thanks.

Probably a dumb question, but could I bring my guns into Belize (or any of the other places that you mentioned)? Handguns and AR-15s. Thanks.

Health care is limited in Belize. Closest thing to a US hospital is the hospital in Belize City. Most other hospitals are similar to a very basic urgent care. Belizeans who are able go to Mexico or the US for serious health issues.

gggmann said:

---

AliasMan02 said:

---

Look into Panama

---

Cambodia - Money goes pretty far there. I have a friend who moved to Phnom Penh and enjoys it. Siem Reap is pretty popular with expats as well since it's close to Angkor Wat.

I have a house in NE Thailand, and it's not too bad but nowhere as cheap as it used to be.

---

Why buy a home in Thailand? So far away. Family?

Thailand is pretty awesome.

Ghost of Bizbee said:

---

gggmann said:

---

AliasMan02 said:

---

Look into Panama

---

Cambodia - Money goes pretty far there. I have a friend who moved to Phnom Penh and enjoys it. Siem Reap is pretty popular with expats as well since it's close to Angkor Wat.

I have a house in NE Thailand, and it's not too bad but nowhere as cheap as it used to be.

---

Why buy a home in Thailand? So far away. Family?

---

My wife is Thai. Family takes care if the house when we are away.

AliasMan02 said:

---

Look into Panama

---

And look into Malarone while you're at it.

Belize is good if you enjoy getting pooped on

We're looking to retire in coastal Oaxaca or St. John, USVI in a few years. Both have pros and cons. We could definitely get more bang for our buck in Mexico but we couldn't outright own property, it would have to be in a 100 year trust. Mexico City would have good health care. The language issue scares my wife.

Potcake said:

---

We're looking to retire in coastal Oaxaca or St. John, USVI in a few years. Both have pros and cons. We could definitely get more bang for our buck in Mexico but we couldn't outright own property, it would have to be in a 100 year trust. Mexico City would have good health care. The language issue scares my wife.

---

Why can't you own property in Mexico? I don't understand the 100 year trust requirement

How much better is the cost of living in the Virgin Islands than say Florida? I would imagine the Virgin Islands have a very close standard of living to the US. Lots of restaurant and retail chains, but that's me speaking out of my ass without actually knowing

gggmann said:

---

Ghost of Bizbee said:

---

gggmann said:

---

AliasMan02 said:

---

Look into Panama

---

Cambodia - Money goes pretty far there. I have a friend who moved to Phnom Penh and enjoys it. Siem Reap is pretty popular with expats as well since it's close to Angkor Wat.

I have a house in NE Thailand, and it's not too bad but nowhere as cheap as it used to be.

---

Why buy a home in Thailand? So far away. Family?

---

My wife is Thai. Family takes care if the house when we are away.

---

Do you talk Thai? Talk Thai real good?

You can form a Mexican corporation and buy they land that way as well. There are some tax advantages to doing it that way. If you are looking at buying, and or just staying for an extended period, in Mex I suggest you spend some money and retain one of the many bi-national law firms that exist in Texas. There are many of them in South Texas, i.e. Laredo, the RGV, San Antonio, probably in both EP's as well. The ones in Houston and Dallas are expensive as hell and more cumbersome. The ones in South Texas have various offices conveniently in the border areas of Mex and seem to be much more reactive and cheaper. These tend to advise companies, and individuals as well, that purchase border lands which have the same restrictions as coastal areas.

Also, my advice still stands, lease and don't own, you will get much more bang for your buck.

After spending most of my life in Mex and Central America I have one serious piece of advice for any potential expats. Before ever buying, spend at least a year living where you are considering moving to. I would say that at least 70% of expats that move to LatAm, don't make it 5 years. And they waste a ton of $$.

Had a good friends that summered in Oaxaca, the city, this past year. He was there from May through Sept. He had a nice 1/1 in the city for $160 a month which included once a week maid service. He spent several weeks in Hutulco and got a line on a vacation rental there that he got a real good deal on

Coastal land and border lands have individual foreign ownership exclusions. They can be owned via "fidecomisos" or trusts. They can also be owned by Mexican corporations whose shareholders can be of other nationalities.

Man, gun ownership is allowed in Belize, I know that much. What types and what restrictions I have no idea. Very, very few countries in CentAm or LatAm are gonna allow private ownership of a weapon like an AR or AK, or anything that the countries would consider "reserved" for military uses.

Mexico? Forget about it, you are lucky if you can own a single shot shotgun. In Mex you not only have to have a permit to own the gun, you have to have a permit to transport said gun. The other countries have more open gun laws, but not by much.

If you go to any of those countries I would pretty much count on not being able to have something like an AR or semi auto hand gun.

Leasing or buying, I'd have to think that you would always need a backup plan in Mexico. Surely if you built up something nice that a well connected local decided he wanted, you'd be in a bad spot. What legal recourse do expats really have there?

The crime in MX is worrisome. Somewhere off the gringo tourist trail is your best bet IMHO. Antigua GT is a place where a couple could live nicely on $2k/month. Year round springtime weather to boot.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-expat-files-living-in-latin-america/id407532450

Quote:

---

but that's me speaking out of my ass without actually knowing

---

You'll fit in nicely around here

Imagine deciding which country you want to live in based on if you can bring your automatic weapon

Honestly, my experience has been that foreigners, be they individuals or companies, will typically get a fair shake if, and that is a big IF, they do things entirely above board and legally. Countries like Mexico make it so difficult to comply and be legal in every small detail, and they create them by the gross for bureaucratic purposes, that there always seems to a deficiency of some sort. And that is where foreigners get held to different standards than locals.

There is plenty of foreign ownership in all the LatAm countries, and has been for a long time. But to your point, if a pissing match develops foreigners tend to down wind at most times it seems. You are correct.

The reason I mention leasing in these countries is that a properly executed lease that complies with the law will benefit the leaseholder given the civil codes. Being a landlord is a big biscuit eating beetch in LatAm and the tenants have all the rights. That is why most local LatAm landlords much prefer leasing to Gringos, they are more honest. Twice in my life I have gotten some nice places to live at lower than asking price because of being a Gringo, a rare oddity of the gringo tax in reverse.

Yea, Huatulco is where I was referring. We love it there.

Called Houston

Tobias Funke said:

---

Imagine deciding which country you want to live in based on if you can bring your automatic weapon

---

Semi-automatic

Tobias Funke said:

---

Imagine deciding which country you want to live in based on if you can bring your automatic weapon

---

Why would I have to imagine it?

Tobias Funke said:

---

Imagine deciding which country you want to live in based on if you can bring your automatic weapon

---

Not my sole criteria, but pretty damn high up on the list. Why wouldn't it be?