Live Like a King on $1200 a Month.

This morning as Barbe and I took our usual walk through the countryside, I was reflecting on how good life can be here in Honduras if you have a little money. How different are the lives of most of us "Gringos" who live here, even for those who work, compared to those who live in the States. I know so many people who work 50 or even 60 hours a week back home...and this is considered normal.  Most of the truck drivers I know work 70 hours per week or more. Here the work day may start at eight, an hour for lunch and done by four. If you're retired...well, even better. Without a doubt, if you have an income of $10,000 to $15,000 per year, life in Central America can be very, very nice

Here in Siguatepeque there are many retired folks. "Expats" as they are called by us, "Extranjeros" or "Gringos" by the Hondurans. There is a growing number of expats in all of Latin America. Why would someone want to retire here anyway? Well let me put it this way. While most retired folks back home are stretching every social security dollar they have just to get to the end of the month, retirees down here are living like kings by comparison.

Here's what you can have, retired or not, for $850 - $1,200 per month.($10,200 - $14,400 annually)

A very nice house with all utilities.                     $300 - $400    (per month)

A part-time maid/cook and a gardener.              $150 +/-

All meals/groceries, American style food.           $300 +/-

Central American health insurance.                        $55 +/-

A taxi ride anywhere in town $1.10 per                   $30 ?

There is no real need to own a car, unless you just want to or like to travel in-country. Insurance is not required. Taxis are cheap, buses even cheaper. Walking is recommended, not only for savings, but for health. (I've lost almost 20 lbs since we left Maine) It is also a great way to meet and talk with people. I can't begin to tell you how many great people I have met just by walking instead of driving.

The days are warm, the nights cool. We have yet to experience the rainy season...so stay tuned. But, I can assure you of this; it does not snow. (Update: 5 years after this post, we are still here and the rainy season here where we live are actually some of my favorite months. Rains come in the late evening or at night, everything is green and the air fresh. Apr. 2018)

Health care is very good here in Siguatepeque and very inexpensive. We have an excellent hospital and a Medical Specialty Clinic. When we were here in 2012 for a couple of months Barbe had to have an emergency surgery. Three days in hospital, all test and meds, the surgery and an emergency room visit all for $1,700 USD. And the care she received was fabulous. A visit to a specialist, $25. You can even prescribe your own medication. I recently purchased Ciprofloxacin for pennies on the dollar to what I would have spent at home and bought it over the counter. (Update: In May of 2016 I had my gallbladder removed laparoscopically at the medical specialty center. Total cost was $1350 USD)

Safety is probably the biggest concern people have when considering moving to a third world country. Personally, I don't see it. Choose a decent area to live, don't flash your wealth and definitely make friends with your neighbors. If it really bothers you there are gated communities with guards available. Besides, have you seen the headlines from the States recently!

The cost of food is actually less here than in the States. Imported items like designer cereals are more as well as some name brand canned goods, but everything else is less. Milk cost about the same. Ground beef  as well as most other cuts run about $2.50 -$4.00 per pound. After living here a while you really begin to enjoy beans and tortillas too. We eat them often. They are inexpensive and healthy.

Flights in and out of the States are reasonable. Into the south, they run about $400 - $500 round trip. A bit more to the far north.

If you have children, the cost increases some, but much less than it does at home. There is far less, entertainment wise, to spend your money on. That DOES NOT mean that there is nothing to do or that life is boring. You can send your child to a decent private, Spanish only school for about $60 per month plus the cost of uniforms, which all schoolchildren are required to wear by law, or to a private bilingual school $150 per month. The cultural experience and learning a second language is priceless as far as I'm concerned.

Honduras is a very easy place to own a small business if you're not ready to retire. I know missionaries and expats who have coffee shops, bakeries, language schools and export coffee or own coffee fincas. (Update: I now own six businesses. Apr 2018) Almost anything you want to do here is possible. Profits margins may be less, but so is the cost of labor. There are very few personal taxes and not much government involvement in small business, other than mandatory minimum wages. Note: The US still requires it's citizens to pay taxes on profits earned here. There are also many missions, bilingual schools and charitable organizations as well as other types of NGOs who are looking for Americans, especially those with specialty skills, to work for them. With the explosion of the Internet and online businesses, living and working outside the States has never been easier.

So, although there are definitely things you will miss when living outside the US, (family being one of those) I believe that whether you are still working or retired and have at least $12,000 in annual income...living in a third world country may be the best kept secret in the world!



Or you could stay home and have this!