My mom and I had a comfortable life in Corozal on $1,200USD total every month for both of us. She still resides there and lives on even a little less than that without me; approximately $1,000 USD per month. A lot of your monthly expenses are dependent upon where in Belize you plan to live. These costs are representational of Corozal Town which is on the mainland in Northern Belize. Corozal is located on a bay and a two hour boat ride or 15 minute plane ride to nearby Ambergris Caye. There are a couple factors that kept our costs so low, the main being our house was purchased outright for around $95,000 USD so we did not have rent or a mortgage to deal with. That aside the following is a breakdown of what our monthly costs were and still are for my mother. All monetary amounts are in USD. The fixed exchange rate in Belize is $2BZD = $1USD. Also note that all utilities required an initial set-up or installation fee.
| Rent/Mortgage | $0 |
| Electricity – no air-conditioning (BEL: Belize Electricity Limited) | $60 |
| Water (BWS: Belize Water Services) | $30 |
| DSL Internet & phone (BTL: Belize Telemedia Limited: fastest available) | $167 |
| Passport Extension Fee ($25pp for 6 months & $50pp after 6 months) | $100 (2 people) |
| Lawn Maintenance (bi-weekly) | $40 |
| Car Insurance (based on length of time purchased) | $32 |
| Butane | $30 |
| Gas for vehicle | $40 |
| Cable (Centaur) | $25 |
| Food (we purchase mostly local products) | $250 |
| Water (5 gallon jugs) | $4 |
| Entertainment/Eating out | $200 |
| Health Insurance (major medical only) | $60 |
| Misc. Expenses/Repairs | $162 |
| Total Monthly Expenses (2 people) | $1,200 USD |
The following is a cost of living chart for a single woman living in Corozal Belize – a friend of ours;
| Rent | $250 |
| Electricity (no air-conditioning) | $50 |
| Water | $30 |
| Cable | $22.50 |
| Internet (Stellar Links) | $75 |
| Lawn Maintenance | $100 |
| Phone | $33 |
| Residency (over 6 months) | $50 |
| Food | $200 |
| Butane | $20 |
| Total | $830.50 USD |
I will also update this section with other cost of living charts so you can see what the numbers may look like based on a couple other situations. There are also periodic costs that will come up along the way such as the cost to become a resident after having lived in Belize continuously for 12 months (minus 14 days allowance to leave the country). The cost for residency is $1,500 USD for Americans. It is slightly less for British folks.
Hopefully this gives you a clearer picture of how much you can expect to pay living in Belize. If your heart is set on living on an island in Belize these costs will increase because everything is imported. http://tacogirl.com is run by a woman living in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Belize and she periodically posts information about the cost of living on the island.
How does one go about finding a rental in Belize for $250 to$300 per month. Everything we were shown by real estate agents was $700 up. We would love to rent year round, but can’t afford to pay high rent.
Jennie,
I think the key is where you are looking. There are certainly a range of rental prices but my friend (who’s expenses I quoted here) is renting a place in Corozal district a little outside of the town. I would suggest going to the belize forums and starting a thread to ask about rentals in a specific area of Belize. Let me know if you don’t have that link – it should be listed in my links section as well. Thanks for reading!
I’m canadian & work in the oilfield as a medic. I visited Belize City after xmas for 10 days. I love it there. I met someone & he will b working in San Pedro starting Apr. I plan 2 visit in May. I need info & advice on whether i can work there on the island. I wanna stay all summer but don’t wanna come home broke. I make good money at my job. What jobs pay at least $2000 US a month? From what i read i may b outta luck. Please help
Kelli, I think you may have trouble finding a job that pays you that much. I would suggest going on the Belize forums and pose your question there. Also there is a blog Tacogirl.com that you may want to ask the same question. She lives on San Pedro and would have a better idea of the jobs available there. I know that in Corozal you may have trouble. Good luck!
Hi, can you talk more about the medical system there and how to obtain a comprehensive medical insurance,cost of medical insurance and does that cover your medication if you have to be treated in a hospital, thanks
Jun – I will work on putting together a post specifically about the medical costs in Belize. Stay posted 🙂
My wife and I are planning on retiring to Belize, hopefully in the Corozal area, within 2 years. Probably about January 2014. Our combined incomes will be about $3,000 monthly and we plan to rent for the first 6 months before buying a home. We will be paying cash so there will be no rent. We have been considering the Orchid Bay community. Do you know anything about that development? We have a friend that lives near San Ignacio.
Hello Steve, I have been to the Orchid Bay development a few times. I also have a friend who purchased a home there (he is in the process of selling it now). It is a long drive from Corozal so it all depends on your expectations about being close to larger stores. The development is still under construction, but they seem to have a solid plan and are making progress. Email me at belizedragonfly@gmail.com if you have specific questions. Thanks!
Hi
I am planning to move to Belize next January and rent accommodation with a view to retiring there with my husband. What is the best way of handling the money situation until we buy a property. Can we hold USD in a Belize bank, or do we have to change it to BZD? Can we use British credit cards there? (We are Brits who have been living in the USA for the past 12 years.
Thanks for your help!
Maureen
Hello Maureen,
In Belize I was able to use major credit cards (subject to international charges) from the US to make purchases. As for a bank I believe the only bank you can open an account with as a non-resident is Atlantic Bank (this may have changed so if anyone has different information please comment). You can deposit USD or Belize dollars into the account, but when you withdrawal it will be in BZD. We opened an account with Atlantic Bank and periodically transferred money from our US bank accounts into the Atlantic Bank account. I hope that helps. If anyone else has suggestions or information, please comment!
My husband and I will be moving to Belize in the next year. We will have a modest income and he would like to find employment to supplement that income. He is willing to work for a lot less than he currently makes in Non-profit Social Services here and he has many other interests and talents. Any suggestions as to where we should look for job opportunities? Thanks in advance.
Hello Kelly – thanks for the comment. Why don’t you email me at belizedragonfly@gmail.com and hopefully I can help answer some of your questions.