We are currently in Matagalpa, Nicaragua and will probably stay here until our senior dogs pass away. Even though we have only been here a few weeks and really enjoy it, we find ourselves already discussing our next stop and Antigua seems to be where we’ll be heading. We find the people here to be incredibly warm and welcoming, our internet speed is very high, cost of living is very low. The weather is pleasant but we like temps colder, like in Antigua, Cuenca, Arequipa, San Cristobal de las Casas, etc so we have lots of places to check out. My wife, Lidia, is Nicaraguan by birth, so a native Spanish speaker. I though my Spanish was ok until moving here. Now I realize daily that I still have lots to learn. There are very few expats or tourists here, which is ok with us. It looks like our average monthly cost of living is $1100-$1200 for the two of us and our 3 dogs, which cost us about $200/month. We lived in Costa Rica many years ago and agree…not really any desire to go back Hope all is well with you two ! Your friend, Banana Patch
@@JimMillsCSLC Hi Jim, all the places are good, each has its own charm. I met my 2nd wife in the Philippines and we were married 2 weeks after we met, we will be married 6 years next month.
Hi Dan and Qiang, I’m in Antigua it’s a beautiful city!! Everything you’ve shared is spot on, except I didn’t hear any mention of the horrible AIR POLLUTION from the vehicles 🚗 🚎 exhaust here that permeate everything…my lungs are crying sadly 🥲. Wish you had mentioned this key fact of daily life here.
Sorry to hear you are not enjoying it. We didn't experience that when we were there. In fact, I checked today and the ari quality is good. Here: www.iqair.com/guatemala/sacatepequez/antigua-guatemala
@@VagabondAwake I just spent five days in Antigua and did not find the exhaust from vehicles to have a problem with their exhaust.. I was actually surprised to see that comment.
I have been to Guatemala several times and I have not made it there. The "locals"/my family there said it was just a tourist trap and not worth visiting. However I plan to make this my next stop in Guatemala to visit and to check out the slow travel situation there. ❤️ Thanks again for your videos
You could be specific on costs: What are flat rental costs? What are house rental costs. What nature is really close by? What are grocery costs? E.g. how much per kilo mangos? How much per kilo Romaine lettuce.? How much is inexpensive local cuisine lunch? How much is a cup of coffee? What are options for vehicle rental? What is population of Antiqua? This video gives me no sense of what living here is like. Nothing eye catching or special or unique. You make no mention of issues with Guatemala City. And travel within Guatemala in general.
Great recommendations- have to say Antigua is a favorite, I lived there on and off through my son's adoption, but so expensive. Food costs were higher than anywhere else in Guate. We sort of blended in ( I am Cuban , he is Guatemalan) but noticed a ton of expats. We managed because we lived there and did pretty much nothing touristic. We spent a lot of time in parks. Splurged on a pool pass ( which we would stay at for 6 -8 hours ) , had only local friends - we would attend their music events. I shudder to think about prices today but agree , live somewhere , don't buy. I have a secret dream location for retirement in Guatemala- not sharing with anyone but well off the tourism maps.
best time to visit imo are the summer mos not the winter since antigua is one of the latin american towns in the tropics @ about 5000 feet with the best year round weather in the world, great info as always amigo, 👍👍👏👏!
Dan have you thought of staying in one place once you retire? Don’t you think staying in one place will end up saving you even more money in the long run? I love that you have gone to all these amazing places because you have basically done all the leg work to find the best spots for all of us. Now we just have to visit our top three and then pick one. I think being Canadian is even better for me. I get to come home every six months and then I can pick a new place every year or if I find a spot I really love I will go back every year and it will become my second home . ❤️🇨🇦❤️ Cheers!!!
GUATEMALA TERRITORIAL corporate tax regime is a big advantage for former USA citizens, and citizens of other countries, together with their tax treaty with Mexico to optimise tax strategies? Citizenship by investment is a path to pursue? Many thanks for the good work!
Good video crime gangs and road conditions were the down side of Guatamala for me I was robbed and in a car crash on the way to Atitlan BUT beautiful and pretty cheap best for spanish speakers.
Thank you 1Drummer! Thanks for watching and commenting. :-) Dan Do you have my free eBook yet? That is here: vagabondbuddha.com/fire-your-boss-travel-world/
This was great! I’ve heard of Lake Atitlan but not much about Antigua. *I think subpar medical care is an unfortunate downer for living there but it’s ok if just slow traveling through. Please consider some comparison or this vs that type videos with Guatemala, Mexico and maybe Nicaragua. I realize for example that CDMX is huge and maybe an unfair comparison to Antigua but maybe let’s say Zihuatanejo, Guanajuato or Oaxaca? Thanks!
Grenada , Nicaragua is nice BUT HOTTTTTT ! My wife is from Corinto…also HOTTTTTT ! 😃 We lived in Costa Rica many years ago. Not sure why expats would go there any more. There are so many options that are way nicer and way cheaper.
True. Costa Rica in many areas is trying to turn itself into a vacation only place now. Not really affordable for the average retiree daily life. And if I was going to spend that much I think I would opt for Greece or Italy first.
Yes, DrewHacks was the youngest member of our tour group. He is one of the most successful people on TicTok. he has been doing RU-vid since he was about 8 years old. His mother is also a RU-vidr. He said she adopted kids from all over the world. DrewHacks was her only biological child. Great story. Check him out!
Great video, Dan ! Looks fascinating. We’ll be 62 and 57 at retirement so we always consider safety and healthcare to be important in our search. Antigua seems safe, but I was curious what expats do for health insurance and what hospital they would go to for something serious ? We are currently healthy but as we age ?.... Thx very much !
So Dan, looking at San Cristobal de las Casas, Antigua, and Lake Atitlan…are the three roughly the same cost of living ? We also saw some suggest cities in Gustemala like Ciudad Vieja and 15-20 minutes from Antigua, and another city called Xela, saying these are beautiful cities but much cheaper and fewer tourists and expats…know anything about these two ? Thank you, Sir….hope you two are well !
Thank you for the wise thought Banana Patch. I couldn't have said it better myself. Once you pick a great part of the world, I like to explore the smaller less known towns around them to see if they are even better and cheaper. I had read about them but haven't had a chance yet. Let us know what you think. And thanks for taking the time to help our business grow by commenting. When you comment, like, share, or subscribe, RU-vid shows our videos to more people. So it is like you are paying me for my creative energy. So, thank you, :-) Dan
I used to carry around a Cannon M50 outside. But now we just use the GoPro Hero 7 Black and two smart phones: iphone 7 plus and Samsung A31. We still use the Cannon M50 for Qiang and I talking videos indoors (just the lens that it comes with).
@@VagabondAwake so, you are traveling light, good. I shoot a Fuji, it's small, and unintimidating to the people I photograph. It also has excellent color right out of the camera, after years of editing image files, the less time in front of a computer the better. 😁
Dan, to stay in Guatemala for a longer term do they still allow visa runs every 90 days ? So we could go from Antigua to say San Cristobal de las Casas for a couple days in Mexico and then return ? Thx !
Thanks for your thoughts @m.amaya.8435. Just book you first place online for a few days and then decide what neighborhood you like before booking long term. Personally, I have decided not to buy real estate overseas and I give a few reasons why in this video along with reasons some people should buy (in this report): vagabondbuddha.com/why-retired-expats-should-not-buy-real-estate-overseas/ Thanks, Dan
Just a question since I watch most of your content since I have been to most of your places. If I watch a you tube add in the middle of your video that lasts two hours do you make anything extra?
Sometimes they get better. If they have more food choices or the roads get better. Other times they lose value overtime, when they get too crowded or expensive.
