Living on an Island or on the Mainland in Belize

While Belize is a small country, it is quite diverse, and even though it is geographically located in Central America, the country is also part of the Caribbean community.

One of the first decisions which many folks who are thinking about moving to Belize face is whether they would prefer living on an island or on the mainland in Belize.

While most of the posts here on Belize FAQs lean heavily on government and other official sources, for this post, I base a good deal of the information in this article on my personal experience, having lived on Ambergris Caye for about three and a half years before moving to my current home in Corozal.

If you are just starting your research on a possible move to Belize, you might want to check out our Basics of Real Estate in Belize article before diving in here.

What’s it like to live on an island in Belize?

Since San Pedro is the largest tourism market in Belize, many visitors get their first taste of the country on an island. With a welcome drink in hand, and a few coconut palms gently swaying in front of the turquoise water of the Caribbean, how can one not dream of what it would be like to live in a place like this?

We will examine island living in Belize, but before we take a deeper look at the differences between living on an island or on the mainland in Belize, I think it is important to first look at island living in a more broad sense.

Is Island Fever a real thing?

Prior to moving to the town of San Pedro on the island of Ambergris Caye, I spent 15 years living on the island of Kauai, Hawaii, and two years living in the small island nation of Palau in Micronesia.

No matter where an island is located, whether in the Pacific, the Mediterranean, or the Caribbean, there are similarities to island living everywhere, and I would argue that there are folks who are island people, and there others who aren’t.

However, I believe that it is impossible to really know if one is an island person until you have experienced living on an island for some significant amount of time.

It’s so easy to fall in love with an island; however, I would urge anyone dreaming about moving to any island, anywhere, to rent a place for six months or a year prior to even thinking about buying real estate.

For the first 11 of my 15 years living on Kauai, I owned and operated a café and retail coffee roasting business in the town of Hanalei on the north shore of the island. Hanalei is a dreamy, quintessential Hawaiian surf town, so nearly every tourist who came to Kauai spent at least a day in our town.

Because we had a nice, large outdoor lanai at the café, I would regularly see local realtors having coffee with clients in our shop. In my 11 years operating the café, I met hundreds of fairly affluent couples, mostly from the west coast of the US, who made the decision to purchase a home on the north shore of Kauai.

Honestly, I estimate that fewer than 30% of those folks remained on the island more than 3 years or so, despite having spent a considerable sum to buy a house on Kauai and having moved their entire lives 3,000 miles from their home on the US mainland.

During my tenure as coffee shop owner in Hanalei, I was asked, almost daily, “What’s it really like to live here?” Often, this question was followed by the customer telling me that they were thinking about moving to the island.

After having lived on the island for five years or so, when I was asked this question, I would respond by telling folks that one really needed to think about something before making the move to the island. I would say:

“You really need to come to the island as much, or more, for what we don’t have here, as for the things we have.” I would often repeat this and then tell people to go home and really think about it before deciding on the move.

Despite the fact that the folks who moved to Kauai were not leaving their home country and culture, the majority of the them left the island after a short time, so when you add emigrating to a new country on top of the island experience, one needs to exercise a great deal of caution before spending some $400k USD on the cute little island home on Ambergris Caye.

What are the Pros and Cons of living on Ambergris Caye?

Ambergris Caye, with its only real town, San Pedro, is both the largest inhabited island in Belize, and the number one tourism market in the country. Let’s take a look at some of the reasons why many find it a great place to live:

Pros of living on Ambergris Caye

• Water Adventures: With the world’s second largest barrier reef located between a quarter and half mile from shore, Ambergris Caye is the best place in the country from which to enjoy many water sports, including scuba diving, snorkeling, sport fishing, fly fishing, sailing, and others.
• Restaurants and Beach Bars: The last published figure I read noted that Ambergris Caye has as many as 200 bars and restaurants on the island. There are some really good restaurants, and during my time living there, I never had a bad meal in a restaurant in San Pedro.
• Social Events: Along with the proliferation of restaurants and beach bars in San Pedro, a good number of social events, many of which are enjoyed by resident expats, occur on a regular basis. There are trivia nights, music trivia, bingo, crab races, the chicken drop (everyone needs to experience this once), local craft markets, corn hole, pickleball tournaments, live music, and many other events. If you are someone who needs lots of social activities in your life, San Pedro might be the place for you.
• Expat Community: Because of the abundance of beach bars and social activities, it is likely easier to meet your fellow expats on Ambergris Caye than it might be in a smaller town on the mainland. Because there is such a large community of folks on the island, it is also probably easier to find people with whom you have things in common. There are also some civic organizations such as Rotary in San Pedro, which is a great place to meet people.
• Public Safety: Because of the importance of tourism on Ambergris Caye, during my time on the island, I always believed that both the police and the town council made a real effort to keep the island safe. I felt as if there was pressure put on authorities to not allow the drug trade to openly fight among themselves on the island. There is some theft in San Pedro, but mostly crimes of opportunity committed against tourists who are a bit unaware.
• San Pedranos: If you move to the island and are lucky enough to meet and befriend some of the original inhabitants of San Pedro, you’ll find that these are some of the sweetest people you will ever meet. Overall, most people on Ambergris Caye are kind and friendly, and they live on island time, without excessively worrying about hurrying off to the next thing on their schedule.
• Resort Developments: There are some large resort/condo developments in San Pedro which are built to North American standards. If you are in the market for something on the higher end of the market, some of these developments are quite well managed and can take some of the risk out of buying real estate in Belize.

There are many other positive aspects of living on Ambergris Caye, and one of these is that the second largest inhabited island in Belize, Caye Caulker, is just a 30-minute water taxi ride away from San Pedro.

Caye Caulker still has a much smaller population than San Pedro, and it is far less busy with tourists. It shares some of the positive aspects of Ambergris Caye, such as being located near the reef for water activities and a generally safe feel to the island, but some folks feel that it is too quiet and could not imagine living with some of the limitations of small island life.

Cons of Living on Ambergris Caye

• Cost of living: For any island, whether in Belize or elsewhere, there is always a price of paradise. Everything has to be shipped to the island by barge, and this adds to the cost of products, from food to construction supplies. After the pandemic lock down lifted, prices on the island rose in general, and many basic home maintenance items found in the hardware stores in San Pedro increased in price by as much as 50-100%.
• Cost of Rental Housing: As the major tourism market in the country, the cost of housing on the island is the highest in the country. Where I now live in Corozal, locals say that they can rent a place for a month in Corozal for what they would pay for a week in San Pedro. The high cost of rental housing is something that is common to any developing tourism location.
• Real Estate Prices: As San Pedro has developed its tourism market, prices of real estate on the island have increased over the years; however, over the past three-five years or so, prices have seen a real escalation. Part of this may be the result of the development of higher-end properties, but overall, everything has increased, putting island life out of reach for some expats who were counting on real estate prices from just a few years ago.
• Over-development and infrastructure challenges: Along with the rapid increase in the development of tourism properties in San Pedro, the island has been facing infrastructure problems, including the inability to meet demand requirements on the electric grid, stress on the water supply system in town, and a lack of adequate sewage treatment facilities.
• Traffic: Believe it or not, the small island of Ambergris Caye has a a real traffic problem. Many long-time residents find this to be one of the most pressing problems on the island. From my first trip to the island in 2018 until 2023 when I moved to Corozal, I would estimate that the traffic in San Pedro doubled, and in particular, the number of large construction trucks, full-sized autos, pickups, and vans exploded. The island roads are simply too small for both the quantity and types of vehicles which are currently operating on them.
• Shopping: If you are one who is used to either shopping in a fair-sized city in North America, or doing all of your shopping at big box stores, the shopping situation countrywide may be a bit of a shock, as there is not a single big box retailer in the entire country, and on the island, shopping is even more limited. Even grocery shopping can be an adventure, as I averaged about 4-5 stops to accomplish my simple, weekly grocery shopping in San Pedro.
• Construction/Labor costs: Since the end of the pandemic lockdown, construction costs have skyrocketed on Ambergris Caye, and I have read reports of the price to build a concrete home on the island to be nearly on par with US construction prices. Also, with the tourism boom since the country reopened, labor costs, while still far less than in North America, have increased by at least 20%.

If you discover that you are an island person, enjoy going out and meeting people, and not one who needs a great deal of retail therapy, the cayes could be a great place for you to live. I really enjoyed my 3.5 years in San Pedro, and I met some great people there.

I think that the demographics of folks moving to San Pedro may have changed a bit over the past five years, as the islands are simply considerably more expensive than they were during the first mini-boom in expat housing development. The market has matured, and buying a place and living in the islands is simply not the value proposition is was five or ten years ago.

What are the Pros and Cons of Living on the Belize mainland

Belize is small country, just slightly larger than the US state of Massachusetts, but the different areas of the country are quite diverse, so this section will not be quite as detailed as my description of island life. People are likely to have very different experiences, for example, in northern Belize, where I live, than they might in the mountains of central Belize or heavier rain forests of the southern part of the country.

One big difference between regions in Belize is the amount of rainfall per year. Rainfall in Belize varies a great deal from north to south. In northern Belize, in the Corozal district near the Mexican border, the average annual rainfall is about 50 inches, but average rainfall increases as you travel south. For example, Belize City sees about 75 inches of rain per year while Punta Gorda, in southern Belize, has around 175 inches of rain per year.

Pros of living on the Belize Mainland

• Countrywide Adventures: Because of the size of Belize, and the fact that most expats who live on the mainland have a car, many folks travel throughout the country and explore. There are Mayan ruins, river tours, cave tours, jungle lodges with great bird watching and other wildlife experiences, and other unique experiences to be found on the Belize mainland. Islanders generally don’t own a car in Belize, so after they take a water taxi or flight to the mainland, they still need to rent a car or arrange transport in order to go exploring.
• Meeting and interacting with locals: With the rapid expansion of the tourism industry, many of the Belizeans who live in San Pedro have relocated from the mainland for jobs in the industry, and they deal with North American tourists all day, everyday, so when they are off work, it is often more difficult to really get to know locals on the islands. While in most places on the mainland, there will be far fewer expats than locals, so I think it is easier to meet folks more naturally.
• Cost of living: The cost of living on the Belize mainland, in my experience, is far less than that of the Belize cayes. Everything from basic groceries, fresh fruit and vegetables, and basic hardware supplies are all between 20-40% less on the mainland than on the islands. One exception is that because most expats on the mainland have a car, both their automotive maintenance and gasoline expenses are quite high.
• Cost of Rental Housing: The cost of rental housing on the mainland, with perhaps the exception of Placencia and a few scattered expat communities, is far less than what one pays on the cayes. I’ve met a number of people who’ve found really nice rentals at $500-$600 USD per month. For a nice place on the cayes, a couple can easily pay rent of $1500-$2000 USD.
• Real Estate Prices: Outside of Placencia and a few expat communities, real estate prices on the mainland are still quite reasonable. Where I live in Corozal, there are a number of very nice places listed at between $200k-$275k USD, and there are smaller, simpler places priced considerably lower. When I bought my place in Corozal last year, had the house, a 2000 sq foot duplex with a nice pool, been on Ambergris Caye, the asking price would have been more than double what I paid for it.
• Abundance of Wildlife: While there may be a few species which one might not choose to encounter, think really big spiders or a swarm of African bees, there are also large cats, such as jaguars, ocelots, and jaguarundi, as well as tapir, howler monkeys, coatimundi, deer, and many other mammals. Of course, we can’t forget our flying friends, as Belize has some of the best birding to be found anywhere. For nature and wildlife lovers, there are unique opportunities to see some pretty amazing animals here.

Cons of living on the Belize Mainland

• Poor Infrastructure: Unless you are living in the tourist destination of Placencia, and to a lesser extent Hopkins and some expat communities in northern Belize, you are likely going to regularly meet some really rough road conditions. Because much of the Belize mainland is so low-lying, you may also experience flooding during the rainy season in many areas as there are few storm drainage systems here. Some rural areas may also lack reliable internet service or even access to the electricity grid.
• Car Maintenance: Most expats who live on the Belize mainland own a car. And with the really rough road conditions in much of the country, vehicle maintenance is required far more often here than in other places, and with the tariff regime on auto parts, and the lack, sometimes, of a mechanic with the means to scan for engine codes, vehicle maintenance can quickly become difficult and very expensive. I was without a car for six weeks of my first year in Corozal because we were unable to find the parts necessary to perform a repair. The 8-9 mile bike ride in the sweltering heat several times a week to buy groceries was quite an experience.
• Meeting and Interacting with Fellow Expats: Again, unless one is living in one of the tourist spots or expat communities, it can be a little more difficult to build a social circle. Unlike on the cayes, there are far fewer entertainment options in many towns and villages, so there are fewer places to meet people. And many expats who live in more rural areas have, in my view, a bit of a ‘homesteader’ mentality that leads them to want to spend more time at home gardening or working on their homes or property than meeting new people or socializing.
• Rental Housing: In places that are more off of the beaten path on the Belize mainland, you may find that homes are not nearly as well maintained as they might be in more touristy areas. Leaky windows and roofs are often a common complaint one hears during the rainy season. And lots of folks complain of losing appliances or expensive electronics during power outages. At times, this can be attributed to substandard wiring in many places. If you are moving to Belize, you really need to acquire a number of good surge protectors for both your appliances and devices.
• Shopping: While prices may be considerably lower on the mainland than on the cayes, again, unless you are in an area with lots of tourists or expats, you may not find nearly as many imported food and household items. I tend to buy local items or things made in Mexico, but if you have any specific needs or wants concerning food or household items, you may have to drive a good distance to find what you are looking for. Where I live in Corozal, many people drive to Chetumal, where there is a Home Depot, Walmart, Sam’s Club, etc. One still needs to pay tariff on the items they bring back to Belize, but there is a much larger selection of goodies across the border in Mexico.
• Medical Care: Now that San Pedro has what appears to be a quality private hospital, Ambergris Hope Hospital, islanders may have closer access to quality healthcare in Belize than do many people on the mainland. While there are public and private clinics all around the country, most of the advanced diagnostic equipment is located in Belize City, so if you live a good distance from the city, you may have a long trip to find the care you need. There are great general practitioners in Belize, and the cost of treatment is very reasonable, but there is still a real lack of sophisticated diagnostic equipment and the specialists who are required to operate the equipment.

As stated above, the Pros & Cons list here for living on the mainland in Belize is by no means exhaustive, as the different regions in the country are quite diverse. My hope here is to just provide a glimpse into the differences between living on an island and living on the mainland in Belize.

Final thoughts on living on an island or on the mainland in Belize.

Prior to moving to Belize, I had spent more than half of the previous 30 years living on tropical islands, so I had come to think of myself as an island person. Thus, I started my Belize journey on the island of Ambergris Caye, and I enjoyed my time in San Pedro. And I was somewhat worried that I would miss island life after I had made my decision to sell my place on the island and relocate to Corozal in northern Belize.

Having spent time now both on the island and on the mainland in Belize, even though I had been an island guy for so many years, I am happy that I made the move to the mainland. I am still able to walk to the bay every day and see the water, and I really prefer living in a quieter town which still functions primarily for local people rather than for tourists.

Whether considering a move to either an island or to the mainland of this beautiful, interesting, and quirky country, the best advice I can give is to repeat what I have heard from many long-time residents here: Rent a place for at least six months to a year before making any big decisions, and don’t even think about buying real estate until you have been here for a year, through both the rainy season and the dry season.

If you are interested in living here in Belize, come down with an open mind, and discover the pros and cons of a given area for yourself before making a large financial and emotional commitment to anything.