Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:To the person moving to Belize….be extremely cautious about healthcare in Mexico!!!
Why? Do you have to go to Mexico for healthcare? Does Belize not have any?
Belize has healthcare and routine visits are cheap and convenient. Prescription medication is mostly available OTC and cheap. Right now we don't have any complications that we anticipate would require going to Mexico, but we have been advised that if we develop something a little more complicated, that might be necessary. So we're setting aside money for that in addition to keeping catastrophic insurance coverage in the US.
Anyway, came on here for an update. We closed on our house in Belize yesterday and our retired friend is down there dealing with things until we go down for good in October. The college kids are coming down for the month of January and are so excited. The grown up kid is trying to figure out her schedule to come down as well. We don't see her that often anyway since she's busy with work and friends and looking for a husband.
Online work is in place to bring in a steady income from the US. This is basically what I've been doing since Covid started and I moved my own business online/phone and just never switched back. I just ramped it up to fill in for some things I was doing in person. It will make enough money to support us indefinitely in case the business there doesn't. It's work I enjoy and I only have to work 15-20 hours/week, max, to pay all of the bills and put some additional savings aside. We have plenty of savings also and of course no house or car payment since the house and the golf cart are paid off. Fastest, best internet is $60/month. We bought a used golf cart and the insurance is $6/month. So far both WAY under my projected budget. The pool is a little green but the chemicals are doing their job.
The business is formed. It only has to break even which, with 2 full time employees, would come to $1,500/month so we anticipate being able to do that! There has been tons of paperwork, but I would anticipate that in starting a business and applying for health permits, work permits, trade licenses, etc. Work permit paperwork is going in soonest. So many people have gone above and beyond to help us get all of this in place, I'm going to spend the first month taking Belizians out to well-deserved thank you dinners. Or having them over to swim in the pool and gaze at the lagoon.
Our belongings went on a shipment on Monday and will arrive in Belize in 4-6 weeks. That came in a lot cheaper than we budgeted too. Our plane tickets were cheap also, but still working on making sure the dog can get on one of our flights or else we might have to do a service that flies him down. We're flying on different days to better the chances. It has to be under 85 degrees on the tarmac in Miami the day of in order for him to go. So that might end up being an extra expense. Thankfully we were finally able to sell our other business here, the one we can't run from there, so that's an extra bunch of cash we weren't sure of. There do seem to be a lot of little hidden expenses. For example the water hook up was almost $500 including a deposit which seems like a lot more than I would have expected. I suppose the deposit will be there one day for our kids! Having a work permit makes things easier than reupping a tourist visa monthly, but the overall cost is the same ($1,200/year each). I don't blame them for wanting to make some money on people who decide to come live in their paradise.
I share all this to say that you can do it! We're in our early 50's and have a lot more living to do. I hear people's concerns about living in a 3rd world country, though on Ambergris Caye it doesn't seem so primitive. The healthcare system is a concern for us, but on the other hand live-in help is cheap and available and we bought a house that can sustain that eventually. We have enough money to fly to Houston and use our health insurance there if needed. There are bugs and rainy seasons and we will miss friends and family. I know I will even miss drive throughs and Walmart sometimes. AC in the car. Everything has its pros and cons and we're ready for the adventure. Only 7 1/2 more weeks!!!
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