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Here are typical costs for selected items in Belize. All figures are in US dollars. Note that as in any country prices for the same item may vary from vendor to vendor.
The traditional view is that Belize
is the most expensive country in Central America, yet one of the least expensive
in the Caribbean. While there’s truth to that, it really doesn’t
take into account that the actual cost of living in Belize can vary from almost
nothing to very high.
You can live in a luxury four-bedroom house on Ambergris Caye, with air conditioning,
telephones and faxes, a dishwasher, microwave and cable TV, U.S. food in your
pantry and imported vodka in your glass, and you can spend thousands a month.
Or you can live in a small house in Cayo, or around Corozal Town, with no phone
or internet, eat beans and rice and rice and beans, and drink local rum for
US$500 a month or less. Most expats in Belize choose somewhere in between.
Some condos in Belize go for more than US$400,000, but I know one happy Belize
resident who built and equipped his small house, using his own labor, with thatch
from nature and timbers from a lagoon, for US$4,000, and that includes furniture
and kitchen equipment.
After all, per capita income in Belize is a fraction of that in the U.S. A weekly
wage of US$100 to $150 is considered pretty good. Tens of thousands of Belizeans
live, and in many cases live comfortably, on a few thousand dollars a year.
You can, too. Or you can compromise, forsaking those high-cost icons of civilization
such as 80,000 BTU air conditioners, while keeping the family car, boat or other
toys that you enjoy. Live partly on the Belizean style, partly in the U.S. style,
and enjoy the benefits of both, and you’ll get more, for less.
One American expat, who returned to Colorado after living in Belize for five
years, said he was surprised at how the cost of living in the U.S. had increased
since he left. “Compared to Colorado Springs, ANYTHING in Belize is cheap.
And I can’t wait to get back — I just don’t have enough money
to live here in anything but poverty!”
Price Sampler: What Things Costs in Belize
Here’s a sampler of costs for common items in Belize, as of late 2003.
All prices are shown here in U.S. dollars. As in other countries, prices for
many items vary depending on where and when you buy them.
Transportation
Gallon of unleaded gas: $4.25-$4.40
Gallon of diesel fuel: $3.00
Bus fare from Belize City to San Ignacio: $3 regular, $4 express
Ferry from Belize City to San Pedro, Ambergris Caye: $15
One-way airfare from Belize City municipal airport to Punta Gorda: $76
17-ft. Whaler boat with Yamaha 150, used: $12,500
2004 Isuzu or Toyota 2.5L diesel crew-cab compact pickup, new: $21,000
Taxi fare within Belize City: $3
Utilities/Telecommunications
1-kilowatt hour of current (electricity): $0.21
“Current” (electrical service) for 1000 KW monthly: $210
Installation of residential telephone: $50 plus $250 deposit
Water from Belize Water Service, monthly cost: $25-$50 (varies by area and usage)
Monthly charge for residential telephone: $5 (includes 150 minutes of local
calling)
10-minute call from Corozal to Belize City: $1
10-minute daytime call to U.S.: $8.75
DSL Internet access: $50 to $200 a month
Cable TV, per month: $15 to $25
Digital cellular service: $25 a month with 50 daytime and 100 off peak minutes,
12 1/2 to 25 cents a minute after that
Butane, 100-pound tank, delivered: $35 (varies by area)
Bottled water, delivered: $50 cents to $2.50/gallon
“Dirt” (trash) pick-up: Free to $10 a month (varies by area)
Staples in Grocery Stores
Potatoes: $0.50 per pound
Red beans: $0.60 per pound
Coffee (Belizean, Gallon Jug): $6.50 per pound
Milk: $2.25 1/2 gallon
Ground steak (lean ground beef): $1.50 per pound
Pork chops: $2 per pound
Chicken: $1 per pound
Toilet paper: 40 to 50 cents a roll
Loaf of white bread: $0.65 (whole wheat $1.50)
Corn tortillas, freshly made: $0.02 each
Bananas: 20 for $1
Avocados (called pears in Belize): 6 for $1
Flour, bulk, 1 lb.: $1.50
Onions: $0.40 per pound
Soft drink, Coca Cola, 12 oz.: $0.50 - 0.75 each
Local rum, liter: $5 - 9
Belikin beer: US$28 a case including taxes
Sugar: $0.20 per pound
Crackers (Premium Saltines): $3.32
Cigarettes, Independence local brand: $2 a pack
Cigarettes, Winston (vending machine): $3 a pack
Canned soup (Campbell’s Chicken Noodle): $1.15
Cereal (Raisin Bran): $5
Cooking oil (1-2-3 brand from Mexico), 1/2 liter: $1.75
Household Items
Bamboo queen bed headboard, locally made: $350
Mennonite-made wood dining table: $175
Music CD (pirated): $5
Small home appliances at Mirab, Courts, Brodies or other stores: about 25% to
50% more than prices in the U.S.
Entertainment
Fish and beans and rice at local restaurant, Hopkins: $4
Fish, French fries and cole slaw dinner, San Pedro: $10
Lobster dinner at nice restaurant, Belize City: $22
Big takeout pizza, Corozal Town: $8
Movie theater ticket, Princess, Belize City: $5
Rum drink at bar, Placencia: $1.50 to $2.50
Shelter Costs
Monthly rent for simple, Belizean-style two-bedroom house in Corozal: $100-$300
Monthly for a nice North American-style house in Corozal or Consejo: $400-$800
Rent for two-bedroom apartment in San Pedro: $450 to $1,200
Cost to build a reinforced concrete home on the coast or cayes: $35 to $95 a sq. ft.
Cost to build a concrete or wood home inland: $20-$75 a sq. ft.
Small concrete house and lot in Belmopan or Cayo: $25,000 to $85,000
Modern three-bedroom house and beachview lot in Consejo Shores: $125,000-$200,000
Two-bedroom condo on Ambergris Caye: $225,000 to $500,000
Residential lot in Punta Gorda town: $4,000 to $15,000
Residential lot with bay view in Corozal: $15,000 to $50,000
Medical Care
Office visit, private physician: $20
Teeth cleaning, private dentist: $35
Root canal and crown, private dentist: $250 - $450
Building Supplies
50# bag of cement: $6 to 7
“Prefab” Mennonite House, 1,100 sq. ft, set up on your lot, $14,000
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