The first thing most people would say to me when I talked about moving to Belize was "How can you afford that?" The common misconception that you need a lifetime of savings to make such a move is just not true... and I'm here to dispel that myth.



Moving to Belize is more affordable than you think. It CAN be done on a budget if you are conscious of your spending. For example, we were able to get 4 direct flights on Spirit Air from Detroit to Cancun for $26 ea. With taxes and fees the tickets went up to $85.00. Add baggage and we were at $165 per person! Prices like these are not always easy to find and your travel dates must be flexible (unless you get really lucky) but it is not impossible to get to Belize without depleting your entire 401K.

Here is our complete budget. This is a summary of what we spent from the time we left the house back home to the time we signed our condo lease in San Pedro.

Travel Budget for 2 adults, 2 kids	*($U.S.)
airfare p/p	$85.00	$340.00
baggage fees	$80.00	$320.00
taxi to hotel	$50.00	$50.00
hotel in Cancun	$120.00	$120.00
meals in Cancun	$45.00	$45.00
bus to Chetumal	$100.00	$100.00
taxi(s) to ADO terminal	$20.00	$20.00
snacks	$10.00	$10.00
hotel in Chetumal	$70.00	$70.00
meals in Chetumal	$20.00	$20.00
taxi(s) to 2nd class bus	$10.00	$10.00
2nd class bus fare	$12.00	$12.00
exit fee Mexico	$50 pp	$200.00
hotel in Corozal	$50.00	$50.00
meals in Corozal	$50.00	$50.00
taxi(s) to hotel	$10.00	$10.00
taxi(s) to airport	$15.00	$15.00
airfare	$50 / $35	$150.00
taxi to hotel San Pedro	$10.00	$10.00
San Pedro hotel x 3 nights	$85.00	$255.00
driver  x 3 days	$75.00	$75.00
meals x 3 days	$300.00	$300.00
Total:		$2,232.00

**This budget does NOT include the unexpected emergency funds (approx $1,000) that we needed to use for the extra 5 days we were held up in Mexico due to missing passports! It does however include the 3 days in San Pedro that we spent in a hotel while we looked around at rental homes and the 2 extra nights in Chetumal and Corozal due to lack of planning around the bus/water taxi schedules. So, technically it could have been shaved down even more but in the end, I think we did okay and I'm glad we decided to check out the rentals firsthand before making a commitment. Also glad that we ended up in Chetumal for a few days, it was surprisingly enjoyable. (Although the extra 4 days in Playa del Carmen were by far my favorite leg of the trip!)