Questions about Caye Caulker

[RON D.]

I have three questions about Caye Caulker. First, the lower Cost of Living and quieter scene (compared with Ambergris) appeal to me, but I’d like to mix with the bar scene on Ambergris a few times a week. How hard is it to do that? Second, if it is easy, why would people choose to move further out from San Pedro, instead of doing that? Finally, I’d like to explore living on Caulker from January to May. Do you have any suggestions about whom I should contact?

[COUNTRY EXPERT ANN KUFFNER]

Caye Caulker in general has a lower cost of living than Ambergris Caye. It is a much smaller island, with less options, so less places to spend your savings. You don’t really need a golf cart there. Walking and biking will suffice. I’ve heard that there are still home rentals available for under $600/month, but they are in short supply.

I recently reviewed property for sale on Caye Caulker and found far fewer condos there than on Ambergris Caye. I have concluded that the real estate on Caye Caulker is no longer that much less expensive than on Ambergris Caye. But there are some decent wood construction houses off beach, which are less expensive, but also less hurricane resistant. Most construction on Ambergris Caye is concrete, and thus more hurricane resistant. Concrete construction costs more.

You can easily take a water taxi over to Ambergris Caye from Caye Caulker during the day. But the last water taxi leaves around 5:30 PM. Water taxis don’t run between the cayes after sunset. So you could head over to Ambergris Caye and spend the day each Sunday for the local beach bar and BBQ activities, then return late in the day. But if you want to enjoy the evening bar and music scene in San Pedro you’ll need to spend the night there. Hotels in San Pedro are not cheap…

January to May is the high season in Belize. You can contact real estate offices on Caye Caulker to ask about rentals during that time frame. And you can also join the Ambergris Caye Forum on line. It covers the entire country. So ask on line about rentals on Caye Caulker. But realize that you’ll find better rental deals after you spend time in Caye Caulker and get to know people on the ground who will alert you to deals as they come up. Many rentals are taken without ever being advertised.

During your first visit on the caye you’ll most likely pay more to rent. But once you know people on the ground in Caye Caulker and get connected, you’ll start to hear about the better deals, as they come up. The longer the period you are willing to rent, the better the deal will be. That’s true anywhere in Belize. Six month rentals are much less per month than a month rental.

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