• About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms
  • Unsubscribe
No Result
View All Result
Live and Invest Overseas
FREE REPORT
BEST PLACES TO RETIRE
*No spam: We will NEVER give your email address to anyone else.
  • HOME
  • COUNTRIES
    • Top Destinations
      • Portugal
      • Panama
      • Belize
      • France
      • Colombia
      • Dominican Republic
      • Thailand
      • Mexico
      • Spain
      • Argentina
    • Browse All Countries
    • Best For
      • Retire Overseas Index
      • Health Care
      • Cost of Living
      • Investing in Real Estate
      • Editor’s Picks For Retirement
      • Establishing Residency
      • Starting an Online Business
      • Single Women
      • Playing Golf
  • BUDGETS
    • Super Cheap ($)
      • Cuenca, Ecuador
      • Chiang Mai, Thailand
      • The Philippines
      • Las Tablas, Panama
      • Granada, Nicaragua
    • Cheap ($$)
      • Algarve, Portugal
      • Medellin, Colombia
      • Boquete, Panama
      • Carcassone, France
      • Buenos Aires, Argentina
    • Affordable ($$$)
      • Abruzzo, Italy
      • Barcelona, Spain
      • Las Terrenas, Dominican Republic
      • Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
      • Costa de Oro, Uruguay
    • Luxury On A Budget ($$$$)
      • Ambergris Caye, Belize
      • Paris, France
      • Panama City Beach Area
  • Real Estate
  • ARCHIVES
    • Living & Retiring Overseas
    • Raising A Family Abroad
    • Foreign Residency & Citizenship
    • Offshore Diversification
  • Making Money
    • International Real Estate
    • Banking
    • Employment
    • Investing
  • CONFERENCES
  • BOOKSTORE
Live and Invest Overseas
  • HOME
  • COUNTRIES
    • Top Destinations
      • Portugal
      • Panama
      • Belize
      • France
      • Colombia
      • Dominican Republic
      • Thailand
      • Mexico
      • Spain
      • Argentina
    • Browse All Countries
    • Best For
      • Retire Overseas Index
      • Health Care
      • Cost of Living
      • Investing in Real Estate
      • Editor’s Picks For Retirement
      • Establishing Residency
      • Starting an Online Business
      • Single Women
      • Playing Golf
  • BUDGETS
    • Super Cheap ($)
      • Cuenca, Ecuador
      • Chiang Mai, Thailand
      • The Philippines
      • Las Tablas, Panama
      • Granada, Nicaragua
    • Cheap ($$)
      • Algarve, Portugal
      • Medellin, Colombia
      • Boquete, Panama
      • Carcassone, France
      • Buenos Aires, Argentina
    • Affordable ($$$)
      • Abruzzo, Italy
      • Barcelona, Spain
      • Las Terrenas, Dominican Republic
      • Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
      • Costa de Oro, Uruguay
    • Luxury On A Budget ($$$$)
      • Ambergris Caye, Belize
      • Paris, France
      • Panama City Beach Area
  • Real Estate
  • ARCHIVES
    • Living & Retiring Overseas
    • Raising A Family Abroad
    • Foreign Residency & Citizenship
    • Offshore Diversification
  • Making Money
    • International Real Estate
    • Banking
    • Employment
    • Investing
  • CONFERENCES
  • BOOKSTORE
No Result
View All Result
Live and Invest Overseas
No Result
View All Result

High And Low Costs Of Things In Latin America

Live And Invest Overseas by Live And Invest Overseas
Nov 10, 2008
in Mailbag
0
A street view of Antigua, Guatemala
209
SHARES
3k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

“A box of Triscuits for US$7.52?” asks Guatemala Correspondent Michael Paladin.

“One thing you’ll discover once you’ve left the land of Walmart is that things like your favorite snack foods can enter the category of luxury items. Triscuits, made in Canada, have to travel far to end up on the shelf of a Guatemala or Nicaragua grocery store, as does U.S.-made Jiff peanut butter, for example.

“The point is, you make some trade-offs, living outside the United States (or wherever you hail). You’ll find that shopping takes longer, and you may have to seek out the imported foods section in the single gourmet shop, for example, in your adopted homeland.

“Even down here in the Banana Republics, you can find French mustard, Greek olives, and good wine from all over the world these days. It is a matter of logistics and has a lot to do with your distance from the manufacturer at the point of purchase. Proximity to the Panama Canal helps. The major cities in Mexico, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Panama, and Costa Rica have ‘big box’ stores nearby for major shopping expeditions.

“One secret is to search out the locally made version of the brand you know. I’ve found locally made Kellogg’s cereals, Frito-Lay concoctions, and even Fore-Most dairy products in my local supermarket. I priced a box of U.S.-made Cheerios this morning: US$5.

“A bottle of Stolichnaya, which retails for US$16 or so in the States, goes out the door here for US$9. Superb Chilean and Argentinean vintages range from US$7 to US$70 a bottle.

“Rum? We live in the land of rum, from the stuff that peels paint to the finest 24-year-old Flor de Cana or Ron Zacapa at US$24 a bottle. Havana Club, long my favorite, is available for US$13 a bottle. ”

Cuban cigars? A wide range of brands are available at all price points, as fresh as you could wish for. In fact, all the major brands have local manufacturers, with superior ingredients without the additives. ”

Fresh vegetables? This is one of the big pluses of living in this part of the world. They’re readily available, just out of the ground and washed, wrapped in plastic, and ready to go. Fresh fruit, too unsprayed, un-genetically engineered, and picked from the tree a day or so ago. Meat and poultry? Fresh and local…and cheaper.

“My point is, you aren’t going to find everything you’re used to eating once you leave the world of developed consumption. I haven’t seen beef jerky or Slim Jims here in Antigua, for example, nor Kool-Aid.

“On the other hand, a lot of food items are cheaper. Go local, and you can eat really cheap. And probably healthier. “Bottom line, though, is that you may have to cut back on the Triscuits.”

Comments

Tags: mailbag
Share84Tweet52
Previous Post

Visiting Paris/Renting Out An Apartment In Paris/Marche Aux Puces

Next Post

FAQs About Retirees Overseas

Live And Invest Overseas

Live And Invest Overseas

Live and Invest Overseas is the world's savviest source for top opportunities to live better, retire in style, invest for profit, do business, and own real estate overseas. Established in 2008, the Live and Invest Overseas' editors and correspondents have more experience researching and reporting on top opportunities for living well, investing for profit, doing business, and owning real estate around the world than anyone else you'll find.

Related Posts

Aerial view of Fortress Vila Vella and Badia de Tossa bay at summer in Tossa de Mar on Costa Brava, Catalunya, Spain
Mailbag

Low-Humidity Retire Overseas Options

by Live And Invest Overseas
January 2, 2021
0

When searching for a place with “perfect weather,” many people look for locations in low humidity countries. People with arthritis...

Read more
Assisted Living

Assisted Living In Panama

December 11, 2020
Boa constrictor imperator

Malaria, Dengue, Bugs, Spiders, And Snakes In Panama

December 9, 2020
Establishing Retirement Residency In Portugal - Lagos

Establishing Retirement Residency In Portugal

July 6, 2016
The Tax Advantages of Operating A Business Offshore can be plenty in a country like Panama.

How To Live Tax Free In Panama

June 1, 2016
Man riding motorbike past Very colorful two story houses in Dominican Republic

Tourist Visa Versus Residency In The Dominican Republic

May 23, 2016
A bright green banking button on a computer in Panama

The Ins and Outs of Banking In Panama: Q&A

May 22, 2016
Next Post
Live and Invest Overseas Readers are Retiring Abroad

FAQs About Retirees Overseas

A world full of fun, adventure, and profit awaits! Sign up for our free daily e-letter, Overseas Opportunity Letter, and we'll send you a FREE report on the 10 Best Places To Retire In Style Overseas Today.

Start Your New Life Today, Overseas

how to retire overseas

LIOS Resources


  • New To LIOS
  • Ask An Expert
  • Media Center
  • Contact Us
  • FAQs

Quick Links


  • Best Places To Live
  • Best Places To Retire
  • Finding A Job Overseas
  • Real Estate

Sign up for our free daily e-letter, Overseas Opportunity Letter, and get your FREE report: The 10 Best Places To Retire Overseas In 2021

  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms
  • Unsubscribe

© 2008-2021 - Live and Invest Overseas - All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Countries
  • Budgets
  • Archives
  • News
  • Events
  • Bookstore
  • Newsletters
  • About Us
  • Members Area
  • Contact Us

© 2008-2021 - Live and Invest Overseas - All Rights Reserved.

WANT TO RETIRE OVERSEAS?

Sign up for our free daily e-letter, Overseas Opportunity Letter, and we’ll immediately send you a free report on the 10 BEST PLACES TO RETIRE in style overseas. Each day you’ll learn about the best opportunities for international living, retiring overseas, offshore diversification and asset protection, and investing in real estate around the world.

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.