Belize-Surviving the City

Belize City

If you are traveling to Belize, you will most likely encounter a brief or maybe longer stay in Belize City before you get to your final destination. A few months ago I wrote a blog post about "Crime and Personal Safety in Belize". I find that no matter where you live or travel there will always be areas of crime and you should always take certain precautions for your safety.

I recently read a great blog post on "How to Survive in Belize City" which gave some great safety tips if you plan on traveling through Belize City.

Belize City is the largest city in the country of Belize and had about 70.000 citizens at the time of the last census. It is the former capital and home to most companies. From a tourism point of view there is not much to do in Belize City and it is a launchpad to the safer areas in the country or on the Caye's.

If you’re an expat, or a volunteer, you may live here. If you arrive on a cruise ship you will disembark here.

You may have heard rumors or surfed websites that made a violent death seem like the inevitable result of a day spent here.

We’ve been here for almost 2 months now. We haven’t been killed, though a newbie carelessness quickly resulted in a snatched mobile phone.

Your trip to Belize city can be pleasant and uneventful. If you follow some basic rules:

To read more: "How to Survive in Belize City"

Thinking About Retiring or Relocating to Belize?

If you are thinking about retiring or relocating to Belize, you may want to check out two new sites that I have added to my blog, Wealth Ships' Expat Relocation Consulting and Red Roof Management-Belize. Sharon Hiebing, an American expat who moved to Belize is now helping others follow their dream. You will find both these sites under my "All About Taking Belize" section. Through her expat relocation consulting, Sharon will help you with all phases of relocating to Belize. 

Sharon also has Red Roof Management in Belize. If you are looking for a property to rent (long or short term), property  management, caretaker and house sitter services in the Cayo District, Western Belize, you will definitely want to talk to Sharon. 

You can email Sharon at sharonhiebing@gmail.com.

Questions about Belize

I am always receiving emails from my readers with questions about Belize, so I thought I would try to answer some of them. 

Can I afford to live in Belize on Social Security?
The answer is yes, especially for couples receiving two Social Security checks.  Belize in general has an affordable cost of living.  A couple interested in simple living can budget and live comfortably on US$1500 or less per month.  That would be living in Belizean housing and eating local foods. 

How is the health care in Belize? 
Belize is a mixed medical system.  Most Belizeans get free or low-cost medical care at a government run hospital or clinic.  Doctors with private practices charge a fee.  Most doctors in Belize are foreign born and trained. 

A visit to a doctor will cost about US$15-US$25 dollars, plus any medicines. A hospital stay could cost you about US$20 to US$50 per day.

Chetumal, Mexico just across the border of Belize has private physicians and clinics which can provide high quality care at a much lower price than care in the U.S. or in Belize.  Many doctors speak English.

You can't use Medicare abroad.  Expat organizations are lobbying for the use of Medicare in Mexico, but it is not expected to happen anytime soon.  Many expats makes regular "Medicare Run's back to the U.S.

It may be difficult to find a U.S. insurance policy that covers you abroad, but you can get reasonably priced international insurance that will cover you for serious illnesses.  BUPA, a European based insurance company is the most common.

Will I owe taxes?
Expats receive a $91,400 exemption from IRS for all income earned while living abroad.  Interest from your savings, pensions or annuities are not exempt, it must be earned income.

The U.S. is one of the few countries that taxes its citizens anywhere they live on worldwide income.  However, the U.S. government has agreements with many countries that prevent expats from paying income taxes in both countries.

Can I have my Social Security Benefits sent to Belize?
Yes, if you are a U.S. citizen, you may receive your benefits by check or direct deposit.  If you are not a U.S. citizen, it can be a little more complicated.  See:  "Your Payments While You Are Outside the United States."

Can I buy my favorite American foods in Belize?
Yes, many foods that you are accustomed to in the US are also available in Belize.  But everything has to be shipped in, so the prices can be very costly.  If you don't like the food in Belize, it could cost you some bucks to eat.

Belize weather is characterized by two seasons: a rainy and a dry season

Belize is situated on the Caribbean coast of Central America with Mexico to the North and Guatemala to the west and south. It lies between 15º45´ and 18º30´N and 87º30´ and 89º15´W. The terrain is low and flat along coastal areas and in some northern regions of the country while in the central and southern regions low mountains rise gradually to a height of 3,685 feet.


Belize is hot and humid and the weather is characterized by two seasons: a rainy and a dry season. Belize annual rainfall: most of the year's rainfall occurs during the period June to November, that is, the rainy season. The transition from dry to the rainy is very sharp. Belize annual rainfall ranges from 60 inches in the north to 160 inches in the south. Except for the southern regions, the rainfall is variable from year to year.

The onset of the rainy season begins in the early May in Toledo, (where the Belize annual rainfall is highest) progressing north to the Stann Creek, Belize, Cayo and Orange Walk District in late May, followed by Corozal District in early June. The mean temperature varies from 81°F/ 27°C along the coast to 69°F/21°C in the hills. The coldest month is January while the highest temperatures are experienced during the month of May.

For more information about the weather in Belize, check out The Belize government National Meteorological Service site.

Picking up Your Entire Life and Moving it Across the Sea - Part I

Bill and I have moved 8 different times in the last 26 years.  Once we moved 3 times in 18 months.  I would say we have the hang of it when it comes to moving.  But retiring and moving to a foreign country is not an easy thing to do, especially when you know that you cannot take all of your current personal things with you.  You think, "WOW" that should be so much easier with less things to move.  But taking a trip down memory lane and purging these memories is not always an easy thing to do. 

But now that the holidays have past and the most special of holidays the Superbowl, we decided to start doing some cleaning out this weekend and we started in the attic.  It is pretty overwhelming going through 26 years of papers and personal things that belonged to your children, siblings, parents and grand parents.  What do you do with all of these things?  Who do you give it to?  Who wants it?  What do you throw away?  What do we take with us to Belize?  Anyone have a bulldozer we can borrow?

We started with cleaning out one corner of the attic, which held many boxes with years of tax returns and these are our least sentimental items.  I thought I should shred all of our tax information and bank statements before I trashed them, so I pulled out our handy dandy shredder and let it rip.  It says right on the top of  the shredder 6 pages max, but don't believe everything you read, that was not true and it over heated many times.  So I would have to wait and let the shredder cool down and then I would start again.  7 extra large trash bags later and many hours, we were done.

Before

After, wow it looks pretty empty there in that space.

Oops, looks like we missed one box stuck back there in the back, oh well back to the shredder.

Where to Live in Belize? Belmopan

Belmopan is situated between Belize City and San Ignacio and with only a population of about 8,100+ makes it the smallest capital in the world.  Belmopan became the capital of Belize in 1970 after the devastation of the former capital, Belize City, by Hurricane Hattie in 1961. 

Next to the Plaza in Market Square is where most the activity takes place with vendors selling tropical fruits, tamales and Mennonite watermelons. 

Across the street from Market Square is the bus terminal.  If you plan on staying for more than 30 days in Belmopan, you can renew your passport at the immigration office which is directly across the street from the market.

The climate in Belmopan can be described as sub-tropical with trade winds that sometime blow across the city.  The temperature in the coastal districts of Belmopan stay around 10 to 35.6 degrees Celsius.  The average annual temperature of Belmopan is 79 degrees Fahrenheit.  The annual rainfall varies from 50 to 180 inches and the dry season generally starts from about the month of February and continues up until the month of May.

Things to do in Belmopan:
Belize Zoo - Houses over 100 animals indigenous to Belize
Cave Exploring
Heris Nature Walk and Trails
Inland Blue Hole
Guanacaste Park

40 Best Blogs for Your Retirement Planning

Ambergris Caye, Belize

Great news this morning, our Taking Belize Blog was featured by "Bschool.com" as one of the 40 Best Blogs for Your Retirement Planning on their web site.  Check them out.