The Bilbe's stress levels are down and their satisfaction with life is definitely up since they moved to Belize

“Lifestyle like Florida in the 1940’s”

Names: Chuck and Jamie Bilbe

Ages: Early 60’s

From: Wisconsin and Alabama

Living in: Corozal, Belize

In 2007, after years working as an electrical engineer all over the U.S., my wife and I decided we’d like to move to a warmer climate and chose Florida. I was still working at the time and could continue over the Internet.

Times were good until the economy began its downturn, crashing the real estate market. We were concerned that our retirement savings wouldn’t see us through, so we began looking overseas for a place where our ever-shrinking nest egg might last longer.

We had always been intrigued by the idea of living somewhere “beachy” and exotic. And with the kids all grown—the youngest is 23—it seemed a good time to make the leap. So in 2009, we took a trip to Nicaragua on a “Chill Weekend” to see Rancho Santana; a beautiful area on the Pacific Coast. We purchased a condo there, where we really enjoyed spending time, but it didn’t feel like the right place for us to retire.

So we began looking at Belize as a possibility, and took an exploratory trip in early 2010 to see Corozal, Placencia, and Ambergris Caye. Corozal is close to Chetumal, a good-sized city in Mexico, and it just seemed to feel right. So we purchased a lot at the Orchid Bay development there and contracted to build a house. Orchid Bay is set up to feel like a small town. Its growing fast and we expect to have plenty of neighbors before long.

It’s a planned, gated community that will ultimately include stores, a clinic, riding stables, and hopefully even an airstrip. Even as small as it is, it has a community feeling already. Our home in Florida sold more quickly than we had expected, and rather than wait in the U.S. for the Belize home to be finished, we decided to make the move in February of this year.

We came with our two dogs and a half-container shipment of what remained of our pared-down household stuff. In Corozal, we rented a one-bedroom apartment for $400 a month, in the bottom floor of a house occupied by a couple we found through a local realtor.

It was a great way to get involved with all the locals, and the landlady kindly took us all over town, showing us where to shop, where to pay bills, where to eat, and how to go about renewing our tourist visa (every 30 days for a year, then we can apply for permanent residency).

Our house was essentially  finished in July and we moved in. The lot is about half an acre, close to the water. We estimate our building costs at about $125 per square foot.

We’ve been in Corozal for a few months now, learned our way around, bought a vehicle, and made a lot of friends. There’s a happy hour every Friday, a dart game every Saturday, a potluck every month, and various other women’s and men’s groups and special activities.

We were surprised by how many people have come here from the U.S., Canada, the U.K. and elsewhere. The time spent renting in town was invaluable in helping us form some real connections and friendships.

The Belizeans have been good to us and friendly, although it was up to us to take the first step. Once we got past some of their natural reticence, we have found them to be delightful people. The cost of living here depends on whether you use what’s made here or what’s imported. For example, brand-name boxes of cereal cost almost double what they would in the U.S., but corn flakes, rice, and so forth made locally or in Mexico are much less.

Our barbecue grill has been very busy since we moved in. The open-air market in Corozal is a wonderful way to stock up on fresh vegetables and fruits—far better than what we had been buying at the supermarket.

We’ve made a couple of trips to visit Chetumal, though we haven’t come to rely on the “big city” as much as we thought we would. We can get most of what we need in Corozal, or nearby Orange Walk. For a better selection, we have also gone to Belize City.

We’ve learned a great deal about the process of relocating overseas in these last few months. There are things we would do differently, but we are happy here. What we like the most about our move to Belize is that we can now have a lifestyle like Florida in the 1940’s, but at a price we can afford.

Our stress level is down and our satisfaction with life is definitely up. We’re eating better, sleeping better, and enjoying social activity much more now than we did before. Living next to the water is something we had always wanted to do but could never afford before now.

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“We Love the Old World Feel”

Name: Douglas Willis

Age: 46

From: Georgia

Living in: Cuenca, Ecuador

Douglas Willis didn’t come to Cuenca, Ecuador, with the intention of retiring. When he arrived in 2007, it was with his wife Lisa, and their two children and they came as part of a volunteer program. “We were only in our early forties and retiring was still some 25 years in the future,” says Douglas.

“Our original plan was to take a one-year sabbatical and then return to the U.S. to resume our ‘normal’ nine-to-five life. Our children were 8 and 10 years of age when we arrived and we chose Ecuador because we had read it is a safe place to visit with children. Other than that we really knew little else of the country.”

After just a few months though, Doug and Lisa knew they were falling in love with the country and its people. “We suddenly found ourselves entertaining the unthinkable: We wanted to make Ecuador our permanent home. Our children immediately felt at home here and we were much happier and united as a family.”

Figuring out a way to stay in Ecuador became the number one priority. “We were fortunate to find exceptional people to take over our business and manage our property in the U.S. That has given us the financial freedom to settle in Ecuador. We call ourselves ‘accidental expats’ because we did not come here to stay. We feel very fortunate to have discovered Ecuador and appreciate the opportunity we have to make this beautiful country our home,” says Douglas.

“Life in Cuenca is unique and interesting. We love the fact that Cuenca has preserved its old world feel. People here still take siestas at midday. Cuenca closes down after 10 p.m. and for the most part is quiet at night. Family life is very important for Ecuadorians and the many public parks in Cuenca are full on the weekends with families playing together. Cuenca has relatively little crime compared to the U.S. and we can easily engage in conversations with total strangers. We feel safe and comfortable living here.”

And the low cost of living in Cuenca means the Willis’ can live well on about $1,000 a month. “That’s a quarter of the budget we lived on in the U.S. We pay less than $300 in rent per month for a large four-bedroom house. Our food bill is about $400 per month. A bus ride to any part of the city is only 25 cents. An average taxi ride is $2.50. A hair cut is $1.50. A dozen roses cost $2.00. And a meal at a restaurant can be had for as little as $2.00 per person.” – Dena Haines.

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“The Government Stays Off Your Back”

Names: Karl and Liz Parker

Ages: 72 and 62

From: Montana and New York

Living in: Alto Boquete, Panama

In Boquete, you want a really good camera. That’s because the mountain views are lavish and rainbows appear nearly every day. Karl and Liz Parker fell for this landscape when they first arrived. Now they live in Panama part of the year, spending the rest of their time traveling or back in the U.S. with family. As pensionados, or “pensioners,” Karl and Liz are entitled to discounts in Panama on everything from entertainment to airfare.

They’re entitled to 25% off their monthly power bill, 50% off weekday hotel stays, 15% off dental and eye exams, and more. And the best part of Panama’s pensionado program is that it grants “pensioners” or retirees like Karl and Liz residency in Panama…for as long as they like.

But while the discounts are great, they’re not the reason Karl and Liz moved here. A lot of their favorite activities cost little to nothing. Liz enjoys hiking and walking tours. She even manages to make a little money.

A former beauty-shop owner, she has been doing professional hair coloring for years. When word got out in the expat community, people began to seek her out. “People get upset when they hear she’s leaving for the States,” jokes Karl.

Karl starts his day here with a few hours on his computer, after which he makes his way along a winding mountain road to a cozy place called Sugar & Spice where, he enjoys a breakfast of freshly made empanadas and a cup of some of best coffee in the world.

Karl and Liz bought their home in Boquete four years ago. It’s in a quiet, mostly Panamanian sector called Alto Boquete. The gable roof, vanilla ice-cream tone, and decorative stonework fi t right in, among by pines. Homes like theirs will set you back as little as $100,000. Smaller homes can cost $20,000 less. Some U.S.-style homes in Boquete go for $200,000 to $300,000, but Karl says, “you really don’t have to spend that much for a house in Boquete. There are many homes on the market right now.”

Karl’s house is never quite “finished.” After his morning café, he often spends rainy afternoons working on it. He has installed new hot water heaters, water storage tanks, and painted it inside and out. It’s a work in progress.

Evenings, he and his wife Liz enjoy an array of local events…there are plays, courtesy of an active English-language theater group…charity events…music concerts. “Some of the presentations have been just excellent…better than back home,” Karl says.

When I ask whether, one day, they’ll choose to stay in one place full-time, Karl hesitates. He has pet peeves…like anyone… but most everything here, to Karl, is a plus. “My wife really likes Panama,” he says. “And it suits me. Panama has lots going for it. And the government stays off your back.” – Jessica Ramesch

Editor’s Note: This article was taken from a past issue of International Living’s monthly magazine. To get full access to all past and future articles and to receive the magazine in the mail or online each month, you can subscribe here.

Read more articles from our sample issue here.