Moving to Belize

Belize compared with its neighbours

Most people who end up on Ambergris Caye also looked at Mexico's Caribbean coast, Roatán, Costa Rica or Panama. Here's how Belize stacks up on the things that matter when you move, including where it comes out worse.

Figures are as of the dates in the sources. Retirement thresholds and travel advisories change often, so check each country's official page before you decide.

At a glance

On a phone, swipe the table sideways. The full comparison, topic by topic, is below it.

Side by side, topic by topic

Retiree programme

Belize

QRP: US$2,000 a month, age 40 and over^[4]

Mexico (Quintana Roo)

No retiree category. Temporary residency by "economic solvency": about US$4,300–4,600 a month, or large savings; varies by consulate and year^[5][6]

Guatemala

Pensionado or rentista: US$1,250 a month^[7]*

Honduras (Roatán)

Pensionado: US$1,500 a month^[8]

Costa Rica

Pensionado: US$1,000 a month^[9]

Panama

Pensionado: US$1,000 a month (US$750 with property over US$100,000)^[10]

Foreigners buying on the coast

Belize

Foreigners can generally own land outright (full ownership, called "freehold" title), just as Belizeans do; 8% transfer tax for foreigners^[2][11]; a 66-foot shore reserve may apply

Mexico (Quintana Roo)

Within 50 km of the coast (and 100 km of borders), residential property only through a bank trust (fideicomiso), up to 50 years, renewable^[12]

Guatemala

A 3 km coastal strip is reserved to the State; foreigners need executive authorisation. No foreign ownership within 15 km of borders (with exceptions)^[13]

Honduras (Roatán)

Land within 40 km of coasts and on islands is reserved to Hondurans, except urban land certified for tourism or development^[14]

Costa Rica

First 50 m from high tide is public. The next 150 m is by concession only, and not to foreigners with under 5 years' residence^[15]

Panama

No foreign ownership within 10 km of borders. Island land only in declared development areas^[16]

Health care

From the US State Department's country pages.

Belize

Serious injuries or illnesses "normally require evacuation to another country"^[18]

Mexico (Quintana Roo)

Many facilities; quality "varies widely"^[19]

Guatemala

Full range in Guatemala City; limited outside^[20]

Honduras (Roatán)

Inadequate in beach areas; buy medevac cover^[21]

Costa Rica

Not assessed in the sources we used

Panama

Adequate in Panama City; weaker in rural areas^[22]

Hurricanes

Hurricanes whose centre passed within 75 km, 1975–2024, from NOAA's official storm-track record. For comparison: Grand Cayman 7, Kingston (Jamaica) 5, San Juan (Puerto Rico) 7^[28].

Belize

In the hurricane belt (June to November), but hit less often than many Caribbean islands. Ambergris Caye: 3 hurricanes passed within 75 km in the last 50 years, one of them major (Keith, 2000); Belize City: 5^[28]

Mexico (Quintana Roo)

Cancún: 4 in 50 years, 2 of them major (Gilbert 1988, Wilma 2005)^[28]

Guatemala

Caribbean coast (Livingston): 1 in 50 years (Iris 2001, major); most of the country is inland^[28]

Honduras (Roatán)

Roatán: 3 in 50 years, 2 of them major (Greta 1978, Iris 2001)^[28]

Costa Rica

Puerto Limón: none in 50 years; south of the usual hurricane tracks^[28]

Panama

Bocas del Toro: none in 50 years; south of the usual hurricane tracks^[28]

Law and money

Belize

English common law · Belize dollar, fixed at 2 to US$1^[1][2]

Mexico (Quintana Roo)

Civil law · peso, floating^[1]

Guatemala

Civil law · quetzal, about 7.8 to US$1 (2024)^[1]

Honduras (Roatán)

Civil law · lempira, floating^[1]

Costa Rica

Civil law · colón, floating^[1]

Panama

Civil law · US dollar (balboa at par)^[1][3]

US travel advisory, the detail

Belize

Level 2; south side of Belize City Level 3^[24]

Mexico (Quintana Roo)

Level 2; Quintana Roo "exercise increased caution"^[24]

Guatemala

Level 3^[24]

Honduras (Roatán)

Level 3; Bay Islands resort areas "better policed"^[24]

Costa Rica

Level 2^[24]

Panama

Level 2 (Level 4 in parts of Darién)^[24]

Cost-of-living and groceries figures: Numbeo mid-2026, crowd-sourced; Belize's sample is small^[17]. Broadband: Ookla Speedtest Global Index, August 2026^[23]. Country-level figures, not island-level: San Pedro prices are generally higher than the Belize average. * Guatemala figure from a law firm; the official immigration site was unreachable.

Where Belize comes out ahead

• English, and English law. Belize is the only one of the six where English is the official language and the legal system is common law^[1]. Contracts, titles and court papers are in English.
• You can generally own the beach house outright (full "freehold" ownership, not a lease or trust). There's no bank trust as in Mexico's coastal zone^[12], no concession as in Costa Rica's maritime strip^[15], and no island ban as in Honduras outside tourism zones^[14]. Foreigners pay a higher transfer tax, though^[11], and a 66-foot shore reserve may apply; see Buying property.
• A fixed exchange rate. Two Belize dollars to one US dollar since 1976^[2], so US-dollar income doesn't swing in value.
• A retiree programme with a mid-range income bar and a big import benefit. The QRP asks for US$2,000 a month. That's more than Costa Rica or Panama but well below Mexico's solvency figures, and it comes with duty-free import of your household goods and a vehicle^[4].

Where Belize comes out behind

• Everyday costs. Belize's groceries index is second-highest of the six. Only Costa Rica is higher, even though Belize's rent index is among the lowest^[17]. The US government notes high import duties and licensing on food and agriculture^[3]. GST is 12.5%^[25]. Island prices run higher again.
• Electricity. BEL's residential rates run BZ$0.34–0.46 per kWh^[26], roughly US$0.17–0.23. A secondary comparison puts Belize's household power price second-highest of the six, after Guatemala^[27].
• Health care. The US State Department says serious injuries or illnesses normally require evacuation to another country, and specialised medicines may be unavailable^[18]. Budget for evacuation insurance.
• Internet. Belize has the slowest median fixed broadband of the six^[23].
• Paperwork and land records. The US government reports that red tape slows investment, and that Lands and Surveys has a history of corruption complaints and land fraud^[3].
• Crime in parts of the country. Violent crime is concentrated on Belize City's south side, much of it gang-related. The State Department notes most crimes go unresolved^[24]. Ambergris Caye is not the south side, but police resources are thin everywhere.
• Hurricanes. Belize is in the hurricane belt, though Ambergris Caye has seen fewer hits than Cancún, Jamaica or the Cayman Islands over the last 50 years. Costa Rica and Panama sit south of the usual tracks^[28].

Read the table with care

• Mexico's income figure is set in UMA units, a government index, and resets every year. Each consulate publishes its own dollar amount^[5][6].
• Costa Rica also has a rentista route at US$2,500 a month^[9]. Honduras has one at US$2,500 (law-firm source)^[7].
• In Honduras, foreign individuals are reported to be limited to small residential plots in tourism zones, but we could only confirm that from a news source, not the regulation.
• Language, legal-system and hazard data come from the CIA World Factbook's last editions (Dec 2025–Jan 2026). The Factbook was discontinued in February 2026^[1].