It’s NO SECRET that we hate cold weather! The older Micah and I get, the more we hate it. Since Micah moved here from L.A. in 1995, he’s always wanted to get back out there! Not to L.A. exactly, but somewhere in SoCal. We love the Oceanside/Carlsbad area. Micah lived in cities near there before and now my best friend from high school happens to live there so moving there would be awesome!! But also would consider any nearby towns, even if they are a bit further from the beach than those two.
The kids are all so artistic and they are all interested in performing arts as well, so moving to California would be great for them if they decide to pursue anything in the field. (They are all interested in acting. Max and Macy would make great comedians. Macy wants to write and direct as well. Max would also make a great stunt double.)
We have actually been looking into real estate out there a lot over the past couple of years. Yes….. it is EXPENSIVE! Although, I have found some pretty decent deals. The problem for us is finding something with 4 bedrooms, that’s just not the norm out there, so when you find them, they aren’t cheap!. BUT, I am confident if we decide to move there we will find some great deal on the perfect place for us.
We have also considered moving to the Sacramento area, near Folsom, CA. Micah has a lot of family there and his siblings and parents are possibly considering moving back there as well. It would be pretty nice to live near more Cains, since we’ve always lived near my family, and rarely see his.
Another state I’ve considered is Texas. Freeport and Port Arthur, TX both made the list of the 15 cheapest U.S. beach towns to live in. I’ve never visited, but between my research in beach towns and friends that are familiar with Texas who say there are a lot of ‘artsy’ towns there…I’m definitely intrigued with Texas. I have one friend, from Indiana who has lived in Texas before and recently moved back there, and other friends who are moving to Houston in a couple of weeks!
I would love to do something REALLY adventurous and move to the Caribbean! There are so many reasons why! Real Estate is cheap. The lifestyle is so laid back. Weather is nice year round. I could go on and on!
I have been researching this for a few months now, after getting hooked on “Caribbean Life” and other shows like it. Here’s a breakdown of what I’ve found.
As of Nov 2018. The cheapest places to live in the Caribbean are:
- Ambergris Caye, Belize.
- Bocas Town, Panama.
- Roatan, Honduras.
- Isla Mujeres, Mexico.
- Las Terrenas, Dominican Republic.
Aruba is not on the list of the cheapest, but it is the one that’s least likely to be hit by hurricanes. Check out the rest of the list here.
Of the list of the cheapest, Dominican Republic also makes the list of islands who have the best healthcare. Puerto Rico is also on the list. Check out this article on NBC News to find out more about healthcare in the Caribbean.
When we talk about moving to the Caribbean, many of our friends have asked if we realize how dangerous it is. Especially when I mention Honduras and the DR, because they are both known to have high murder rates. However, just like in the U.S. or any place else, there are safe areas and not so safe areas to live. Think about where you live, you most likely have areas that you are aware of, near you, that are known to be less safe than others. Just like you probably wouldn’t choose to live in one of those less safe areas near you, you also wouldn’t move to an island and then choose to live in the slums. You would find a nice Ex-Pat community, where you will be safe, but still live like a local.
Check out this article on the
safest and most dangerous places in the Caribbean.
Here’s another specifically about Roatan, Honduras.
And another article on the top 30 most dangerous places in the U.S. as well. I found it very interesting that besides three cities in California,
nd one in Texas, all others are in the Midwest, South and Eastern states! Indiana has two cities on the list and one is Indianapolis,
which is basically ‘around the corner’ from us.
As of right now, my top three Caribbean locations to move to would be Roatan, Honduras, Utila, Honduras, and Las Terrenas, Dominican Republic. Since we’ve been to the DR already, we’d love to visit the two islands in Honduras, soon, so we can see how it measures up. I can’t wait until the day we get to actually look into real estate there! My dream is to buy something that has rental potential, like a little mini resort or a house with little casitas that we can rent out. Like this one!
For those of you who may be wondering about the kids…they are on board with the idea of moving. My sincere hope is that we can move by next year. 2020. I have to put this in the Universe as often as I can, so here it is for the Universe to see! I WANT TO MOVE BY 2020! Of course I wanted to move in 2019 as well, so I’m ok with pushing it back, if necessary, but you gotta start with goals! Right?
I know I talk a lot about the Caribbean, and even my deadline, but overall, I just know I’d like to move SOMEWHERE warm, sometime SOON… At this point, I’m just putting it out there and doing what I can to make it happen.
Always open to suggestions on places to move as well as moving tips!
Would you ever consider moving to another town?
If so, where would you go?
What are your thoughts about moving to the Caribbean
or to any other country?