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      Top Destinations:

      Whether you’re looking for fun and sun, a peaceful retirement, or the chance to earn some extra income, you’ve got a real world of opportunity open to you… In short, we’ve done our best to narrow down your best options, but only you can decide the right country for you.

      • Spain
      • Portugal
      • Panama
      • Belize
      • Colombia
      • Cyprus
      • Mexico
      • France
      • Montenegro
      • Browse All Countries

      Best For:

      • The Best Places To Retire
      • Health Care Abroad
      • Cost Of Living
      • Investing in Real Estate
      • Establishing Residency
      • Gun Laws In The World
      • English-Speaking Countries
      • Safest Places For Retirement
      • Best Places In Latin America
    • Budgets

      How Much Will It Cost You To Live Overseas?

      The only honest answer is, we have no idea. And neither does anyone else. The only one who can answer that question is you. Here’s the most important thing to understand about budgeting your new life overseas…

      Super Cheap

      • Chitré, Panama
      • Santa Marta, Colombia
      • Phuket, Thailand
      • Dumaguete, The Philippines

      Cheap

      • Medellin, Colombia
      • Boquete, Panama
      • Kyrenia, Cyprus
      • Hua Hin, Thailand
      • The Algarve, Portugal

      Affordable

      • Valencia, Spain
      • Cascais, Portugal
      • Las Terrenas, The DR
      • Pisa, Italy
      • La Rochelle, France
      • Mazatlán, Mexico

      Luxury

      • Ambergris Caye, Belize
      • Kotor, Montenegro
      • The Panama City Beaches
      • Paris, France
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      • Investing

      Follow Us:

      • Meet Our Experts
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      Join our Weekly Newsletter
      Overseas Property Alert

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        VALENCIA, SPAIN

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        PANAMA CITY, PANAMA

        Oct. 15-17, 2025

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        Toll-Free U.S. and Canada:
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        overseas living letter offers affordable retirement guidance
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      REEF RUINS, RIVERS, AND RAIN FOREST, PLUS EASY RESIDENCY AND TAX-FREE LIVING

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        Home In Focus: Belize

        From The Frozen North To Sun-Soaked Belize

        How We Escaped The Frozen North

        by Live And Invest Overseas
        Nov 22, 2024
        in In Focus: Belize, Retirement/Living
        0 0
        Caana pyramid at Caracol archeological site in Western Belize

        AdobeStock/travelphotos

        Here’s our tale of How We Escaped The Frozen North…

        We came to Belize from northern Idaho. We were used to nine months of winter each year. Now we have 12 months of summer.

        When my husband David first got this idea of moving to another country into his head, I humored him. He’d start talking about moving to a new country, and I’d listen.

        To his face I’d say, “Ah, that’s interesting, dear.”

        To everyone else I was saying, “No way!”

        I’m pretty high-maintenance, I admit it. And I hadn’t traveled anywhere other than Paris in my life until David signed us up together, without telling me, to attend a Live And Invest In Belize Conference about eight years ago. I didn’t know anything about Belize at the time, but I knew one thing: Central America is nothing like Paris.

        But I agreed to come along to the conference, and I have to admit that I found I liked two things about Belize right away. First, I could communicate with everyone, because English is the language here. And second, it was warm.

        At first I thought I wanted ocean. But after two days on Ambergris Caye, I knew the beach life wasn’t for me. Then we went to Cayo, which I had been resisting.

        I’m not a jungle girl. When I think of jungle, I think of snakes and bugs the size of your head. But I told David I’d go see Cayo with him… even though Cayo is jungle… if he agreed that if we didn’t find a place to live that I was happy with within three weeks, he’d finally give up on the idea.

        So all I had to do was survive the jungle in Cayo for three weeks. Then I could tell David I hadn’t seen any place I’d have any interest in living… and this whole thing would be over.

        Our last day in Cayo before our return flight to the States, we walked into a house available for rent and I said, “Take this. Rent this. I can see myself living here.”

        We’ve been living in Cayo ever since. It’s now been more than ten years.

        One of my favorite things about being in Belize is the other expats. We’re all a little quirky. We’re all different, a little off in our own ways, but we have one big, important thing in common. We all left home, left the States, to come somewhere completely new. It’s no small thing. It’s a pretty amazing and cool thing. And it definitely creates a bond.

        Back in Idaho, I had a fine life but a small life. I had my work, my home. I had Target. I shopped for entertainment. I was happy, but I had no idea how much I was missing out on. Making this move has opened up the whole world to me.

        Newcomers In Belize

        Now I see how small and fearful my perfectly fine life really was. I was afraid of moving outside my comfort zone, but I didn’t even realize it. I made this move for my husband, but I think I’m the one who has really benefited.

        The two biggest challenges our first year in Belize were the internet and the roads. Both of these things have improved dramatically since we’ve been living here.

        However, the biggest change for the better these years I’ve been an expat in Belize is personal.

        The fears I had moving here have been replaced by confidence. In the beginning, I was afraid of Belize City. Now I travel to Belize City on my own, walk around, shop, speak with people I meet. Belize City doesn’t scare me anymore.

        Get Your Free Belize Report Today!
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        Belize City wasn’t the problem. The problem was my perspective on Belize City.

        Living as an expat this past decade I’ve learned that the most important thing in life is to remain open. And to be willing to change your mind.

        Here are six more tips I’d offer, things I wish someone had told me before we made our move:

        #1. Birds are noisy

        They wake us at the crack of dawn most mornings…

        #2. Bugs are a part of life here

        This is the tropics, after all…

        #3. Belize has no big department stores

        You must look for what you want in small shops, and you’ll find things in unusual places. The best place to find electrical parts in San Ignacio is the Esso station in Spanish Lookout. You can buy Victoria’s Secret-style underwear at the bakery. They have some drawers off to one side…

        #4. Check your canned goods before purchase

        I bought three cans of beans, and two cans out of the three had no beans. So now I shake my bean cans to make sure they have beans in them and not just bean juice. A friend bought a can labeled green beans but opened it to find corn. These are U.S. brands coming from the United States…

        #5. Don’t ask if a price is in U.S. dollars or Belize dollars

        Assume that everything is priced in Belize dollars. If you ask, they may tell you U.S. dollars and you just paid twice as much as you should have…

        #6. Which side of the road do Belizeans drive on?

        The side with the fewest potholes…

        Eight years in, would we do it again? Absolutely. This is a beautiful country with beautiful people.

        If I could offer one final word of advice, it would be this:

        When you come here, embrace what Belize has to offer. Embrace the country and the way of life it offers. And adapt. Don’t bring the United States with you. Come here to discover Belize. Come with an open mind and an open heart. Belize will reward you with the adventure of your lifetime.

        Sincerely

        Cathy Thayer
        Contributor, Overseas Opportunity Letter

        Get Your Free Belize Report Today!
        Simply enter your email address below and we'll send you our FREE REPORT – Discover Belize: Reef, Ruins, Rivers, And Rain Forest… Plus Easy Residency And Tax-Free Living.
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        Tags: 'Belize''Cayo'expatlive in Belizelive in cayoretire in belize
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        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.

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              HOME

              Top Countries

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              Best For:

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              BROWSE ALL COUNTRIES

              Budgets

              How Much Will It Cost
              To Live Overseas?

              Super Cheap

              • Chitré, Panama
              • Santa Marta, Colombia
              • Phuket, Thailand
              • Dumaguete, The Philippines

              Cheap

              • Medellin, Colombia
              • Boquete, Panama
              • Kyrenia, Cyprus
              • Hua Hin, Thailand
              • The Algarve, Portugal

              Affordable

              • Valencia, Spain
              • Cascais, Portugal
              • Las Terrenas, The DR
              • Pisa, Italy
              • La Rochelle, France
              • Mazatlán, Mexico

              Luxury

              • Ambergris Caye, Belize
              • Kotor, Montenegro
              • The Panama City Beaches
              • Paris, France

              Resources

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