Considering retirement in Guatemala

Guatemala has been my home since 1992. I love the country, its people, their customs, culture, traditions and food. Like any other place it has its downside. Crime is high in Guatemala City, but mainly involving drugs and gangs. Antigua is great for expats to retire to as well as Panajachel and other towns around Lake Atitlan. Quetzaltenango is a beautiful high mountain city, gets down to freezing in the winter months. Pets, I brought a dog back from vacation in the U.S. last year. Needed just department of agriculture paperwork from the states to bring it in. Expat community is quite large in Antigua. HOWEVER, the only thing this country has in common with Costa Rica is Spanish.
Good Luck!!!

Hi there,
Great idea .. but nothing compare to Costa Rica..
First of all the weather on the highlands is much more comfortable
Second you don't have such a big expats community
Then you have a big population of Mayan communities which will make your human experience richer..
Still cheaper than Costa Rica...
Depending your life style you could choose between Guatemala City, offers great value real estate , Antigua for its colonial ambiance, Pacific Coast for Coastal Life, Rio Dulce if you are sailor, Quetzaltenango if you are looking for fresher airs...
Any way hope Guatemala will seduce you as it did for me..
See you around

Costa Rica has in common with Guatemala that they are on the same isthmus and the language. Other than that, not all that much.  Just the fact that Costa Rica has no military and Guatemala is a highly militaristic society says a lot.  Costa Rica has made great strides to take care of their environment, whereas Guatemala has serious problems in that respect.  Having said that, however, Guatemala has been for me a great place to live and work.  Guatemala is cheaper.  You can find a great many of the US groceries as imports in the supermarkets of the Capital City as well as doctors who have graduated from US universities and/or are licensed to practice in the US.  The local culture is much richer, as well, than in Costa Rica which to my taste is "blander".  Don't take me wrong, I love Costa Rica, but Guatemala is simply more "happening" and has a great many different cultural and geographic areas.  Antigua is a peaceful place to live as a retiree, with a large retiree expat community.  Expats in Guatemala City are more in line with international embassy staff, corporate business and security people, journalists, university professors and private school teachers, UN, Red Cross and other international cooperation staff and so on.  I prefer to live in the city, however, because I enjoy the trendiness of "zona viva" restaurants and pubs and the Bohemian life of the historic downtown.  Don't let people scare you too much about crime.  If you are prudent--and you MUST learn to be prudent when living here--you will be okay.  By that I mean, learn where and how to be safe.  Don't do things like walk around with expensive jewelry and laptops, for example, and get well-informed about what areas are okay to walk around on your own.  Not safe would be going for a hike in the mountains on your own, or the more peripheral areas of downtown that run into crime-ridden areas of the city.  The highlands of Guatemala are breathtaking and the admixture of indigenous Mayan, Spanish colonial, German other cultures produce much to be enjoyed. Anyhow, happy travels!

Hello,
I did already move here (to GUATEMALA CITY), but now I am just about at the point where I am to extend my 90-day tourist visa.  Is the next step a trip to "Migración" to do that?  Is it still a horrifying experience to go there, as it was when I went back in the 1970's?  Is it possible to get a "tramitador" to do all of this "stuff" for me?  Or will I need an expensive lawyer to make it happen?  My resident visa took about a year of going down there and then going down there again, and again, and again....  It meant standing in this line, then being sent to that line, and ultimately back to the "witch" in line 9 each time.  Finally at the end, I did get a lawyer, and in a few days the remainder was all taken care of.  What sort of visa does one ask for as a retiree?  A formal resident visa required all sorts of papers, then those were all ""authenticated" in the States before I ever left, and that took months.  Each document came back with blue or red ribbons and a gold seal (this is apparently all very important stuff for some reason).  Is all of this still the case, or do they have a simple "retiree" visa I can get because they like us old people down here spending our retirement funds and not bothering anyone.  Any advice most welcome, THANKS!

I don't know about the 1970s, but I got my resident visa without all that much ado. Yes, there were standing in line moments (mostly sit and wait for them to call your number, no real "standing" in line as in olden times... you can take or an iPad or a a book and read meanwhile), but the local INS (or "Migración") has subcontracted a private company for a long time now and everything is computerized.  It would definitely be more comfortable to hire a "tramitador", and right at the entrance of the INS there are people representing different such offices.  You can choose one. It will make your life easier, but cost you more.

Thank you ever so much, MissTrudy!  You are an angel.  This is just what I needed to know.

The BLOG WORKS!!!

I am impaired, so I think a "tramitador" is just what the doctor ordered.  The perfect Rx for
this task.

Thanks again,

Kathleen (from Falls Church, Virginia)

I just wanted to add that I got my permanent visa, residencia, a couple yars ago and used an attorney, Elizabeth Lopez, tel. 2360-0155. She was a referral from two good friends. I got my visa in about four months. I was very happy, and only had to go the city once, which is important as I live in Antigua.

Hi,

I am moving to Guatemala leaving Arizona next month, in June.  I have a contact in Guatemala City and was tentatively planing to go there for a place to stay to start.  (Also have a contact in El Salvador, but think we prefer Guatemala). However, I doubt that is where I will end up living there.  Ultimately I am attracted to Ecuador and tentatively planning to get to Cuenca.  A friend is driving with me and we are coming in a Motor Home and I am bringing a 2007 Toyota Rav 4 also.  We have room for 1 or 2 more who will help with the work on the trip.
Planing to probably sell both vehicles if possible or keep the Rav 4 to use.  I have a ton of questions and any help would be appreciated. Lets start with 2.

1.Best place to post and find 1 or 2 others to come with us?
2. What cant we get in South America so should bring to use or sell (electronics)?

tbditwwu1952

Great idea.. you will find out Guatemala is a great place to retire.. but it will depend on where you will be living.. as there are various options .. for example Guatemala City, Antigua Guatemala, Pacific Coast, Rio Dulce, Lake Atitlan, Quetzaltenango.. I live in Lake Atitlan for 25 years now.. and soon to retire here....I would say come down rent a place there and there and find your spot.. It is not quite like Costa Rica.. The weather is better , temperature on the highlands is very comfortable.. except for Rio Dulce and Pacific Coast where it is hot.. Less Americanised as Costa Rica.. less gated community.. for local living mayan people..I'm sure you will find it the place to stay..
Sen me a PM if you have specific questions..

Armand. Can you give me an idea of how much it costs to RENT around Atitlan for a month or two or three? In our 70s, my wife and I aren't looking to buy. Ten years or so ago we spent some time in cheapo hotels in San Marcos La Laguna; our son actually built a tree-house just outside the village to the west. Maybe it's still there - and maybe (!) he still owns the strip of land it's built on - but I imagine it's in terrible shape now, even if it does exist.! And anyway - in our 70s...? We're past tree-houses.

I'd be grateful for any information you can give me. Last time we were down there, I vaguely looked around on behalf of a US friend of mine, but the couple of real-estate agents' offices I visited couldn't get the dollar-signs out of their eyes for long enough to talk mere rentals!

Thanks. Gordon.
(We live in the Cayman Islands at the moment, but it's getting too expensive. We have it in mind to go to Mexico - over by Lake Chapala; but we do have a soft spot for Atitlan.)

What is the average price for a good townhouse or similar in Guatemala city or Antigua?
Which location has the better international schools?

Where is it good to invest in real estate?
Also in buying and renting out to tourists.

Thank you.

In Guatemala City you can purchase a townhouse from US$100,000 to US$2,000,000 all depends on where and how big.. The city has a few very good and expensive school as does Antigua.

Dear Sir,

Average price as you might understand varies greatly from location to location.. but you can have $ 80,000 houses colonial style for example in Antigua but you have to count around $ 150,000 for a good town house around Antigua or Guatemala city.. same in Panajachel..
For international school you have Guatemala city but for the quality of life you might opt for Antigua.
Panajachel has good international school like Life School, Ama, PCI but the pool of students smaller than what you could find in Antigua.


Where is it good to invest in real estate?

for me purely investment I would say Guatemala city zona 10 , zona 01
now as well Antigua and Lake Atitlan

Also in buying and renting out to tourists.
for tourism Antigua and Lake Atitlan the best ones..
Let me know and PM if you need anything else
Best
Armand Boissy

Macla2006 wrote:

What is the average price for a good townhouse or similar in Guatemala city or Antigua?
Which location has the better international schools?

Where is it good to invest in real estate?
Also in buying and renting out to tourists.

Thank you.

Thank you so much. That is already a lot of information.

Hi there ! I don't know if you're still in the process of finding the perfect place to live but I am in the process of buying a house in Lake Atitlan, which has an AWESOME quality of life. Many people from the US and beyond are retired over here.
I am in touch with a real estate agent who's been living and working there for 27 years, if you need advices to rent or buy a house here, here is his website :
realestateatitlan.com/santa-cruz-la-lag … s-for-sale

Thank you, Bettina. I will definitely check that out. I am tending towards Guatemala City. And I really hope I will find some English or German speaking friends there.

Hey, guys! Great discussion. I moved from Canada to Panajachel 3 years ago and I enjoy it here, although there are some cultural differences that take some getting used to.
The Lake Atitlan area is very beautiful and has a lovely moderate climate. However, it is a small town with limited entertainment and shopping. City folks would be happier in Xela (Quetzaltenango) or Antigua. I love Panajachel because I came from a very small town and I enjoy knowing my neighbours and not being overwhelmed with cars and cement. I love to walk to the Lake and just sit and watch the fishermen and the birds and the sunsets. The expat community in Pana is also very nice, although I do find that most of them are retirement age, not middle aged like me.
Many of these questions have been answered ad nauseum on the Facebook group, Expats Living in Guatemala. Join the group and use the "search" function to find answers before asking the same question that everyone has asked! (The search box is on the left. Enter your term, and then choose the "All Posts" tab, not "Items for Sale".)
Feel free to peruse my blog for answers as well, although I don't write as much as I used to!
Chasing Marbles