Why you shouldn’t overlook Guatemala if you would like to live in a place with:
• The perfect climate: The Land of Eternal Spring (as Guatemalans call their country) delivers as advertised. The climate here is NOT tropical; there is neither oppressive humidity nor oversized bugs here. Rather, the average high in May, the “hottest” month of the year is 78, while in January, the “coldest” month it is 72 F. The corresponding lows are 62 and 55. Wow!
• Scenic Beauty: a range of mountains runs through central Guatemala and there are more than 23 volcanoes and a number of natural lakes. Therefore, a house with a view of a volcano, a lake, or a valley is not exceptional in Guatemala. Guatemala also features towns with beautiful colonial architecture.
• Proximity to the United States: Guatemala City is about 3 ½ hours flying time from Chicago.
• Low cost of living: The best of all is that you can have all this at a big discount. Guatemala is open to international trade with low to no tariffs on international goods. Real estate and housing are at a major discount of what they would be in the United States or Europe. In addition, services such as housekeeping, gardening, and construction are a steal.
• Inexpensive Medical care and prescription drugs: an ever-increasing number of Americans are traveling to Guatemala for surgeries and medical operations that can be obtained for a fraction of what they would cost in the United States. Furthermore, more basic treatment such as dental care and treatment for minor illnesses are also extremely economical and of high quality.
• Telecommunications: Guatemala has a liberalized market with the best services for cellular telephones, Internet, and cable in the region. In Guatemala you can cellular service right after getting off the plane with no long-term commitments.
• Banking: the financial sector is fully privatized and you will find a number of large multinational banks represented there. The banking system, which has strict privacy and secrecy rules, has been set up to mimic the more famous offshore banking centers.
• Opportunities to do good: some people just aren’t happy sipping rum in a hammock. Guatemala presents many opportunities for those who would rather spend some of their time running their own business, working, volunteering, or working with international schools or development organizations.
• English language schools: for those with children the capital city and several of the more important towns with expatriate populations have schools that teach in English and use an American or International curriculum.

Finally, Guatemala actively encourages and promotes itself as a destination for tourism and retirement. It has imitated the retirement programs of Costa Rica and Panama but has not yet done much promotion. This will change as more people realize the advantages that living in Guatemala offers.

The Cimate:

Central Guatemala has an unsurpassable climate.  Don’t believe it?  Go to http://www.weather.com/outlook/travel/businesstraveler/wxclimatology/monthly/graph/ GTXX0002?from=search @ weather.com and see for yourself.  Average high in May, the “hottest” month of the year is 78, while in January, the “coldest” month it is 72 F.  The corresponding lows are 62 and 55.  Wow!
This is NOT a tropical climate but much, much better!  Guatemalans call their country “Land of Eternal Spring” and it fits.  Due to the moderate climate, Guatemala is an incredible garden that is always in bloom.  Everything from apples and pears to mangos and coconuts grows here.  There also is a thriving business exporting flowers to the US market. 
In Guatemala the climate is varies with the altitude.  So at Lake Atitlan the temperatures will be slightly warmer the numbers above while Quetzaltenango, at 7,500 feet, is usually about 5-10 degrees Fahrenheit cooler.  You can live fifteen minutes away from Antigua and be 1,500 feet higher in elevation.  Coban in AltaVerapaz, another delightful area has similar temperatures to the central highlands but is more humid.
Among other benefits, the climate in the highland is not conducive to mosquitoes and other biting insects.  I brought done plenty of mosquito repellant when I first went done only to find that the only time I used it was when I visited jungles of the Peten.  Even the nicest Guatemalan homes and hotels don’t use screens; they don’t need them!

The seasons in Guatemala are basically divided into a rainy season and a dry season.  Generally, the rains begin in May and end in October.  Usually, during rainy season the mornings are clear and clouds begin gathering in the early afternoon to rain in the late afternoon.  During the dry season precipitation is infrequent to rare.  I am not sure which season I like best, the beautiful green mountains of rainy season or the radiantly blue skies of the dry season.  I will say that during the rainy season travel to more remote areas becomes problematic.  It is nice to visit in both seasons, just to see the difference.

The Coast.

In addition to the highland climate there are low lying areas along both coasts and in the eastern third that have true tropical climates.  The coasts are hot and humid and the East, called the “Oriente” in Guatemala, is hot and dry.  Don’t misunderstand me, both regions can be delightful to visit, especially from November through May, but I doubt that they will be as attractive as destinations for expatriates to live in as are the highlands.

Where to Go - The decision of where to live in Guatemala depends on a number of factors.  While some may want to get away to a remote location away from other expats, most will probably want a community of other English-speakers nearby.  The locations that I believe will be the most popular with expats are:

Antigua, Sacatepequez:

Antigua is easily one of the most beautiful locations in the Western Hemisphere.  Even the McDonald’s has a beautiful colonial courtyard with a view of the volcano!  Tourists come in flocks because of the beautiful colonial architecture set in a valley surrounded on by volcanoes.  You will want to stay to live because:

If Antigua has a drawback, it is its own popularity.  Not only foreigners but also Guatemalans from the capital are snapping up those beautiful colonial style homes the city is famous for.  However those on a budget should not despair, the surrounding towns and countryside offer affordable options at a fraction of the price.  Below are some options that we believe will become increasingly popular as alternatives to Antigua:

Lake Atitlán, Sololá:

The Lake, as gringos call it, is the most jaw-dropping, drop dead gorgeous natural location in North America.  This is Guatemala’s second most popular tourist destination and with good reason.  It is set in a valley rimmed by mountains and three volcanoes and at the heart of it all is a shockingly blue lake.  If you haven’t been then call your travel agent now!  The lake is ringed by small native Mayan villages, some still very basic and some now with well developed tourism infrastructure.  Each town has its own identity, both traditional and for the expat/visitor.  The land slopes sharply away from the lake up to the mountains and volcanoes that surround it, so you almost can’t help but have a to-die-for view and will find it almost impossible to build on flat land.  The most popular spots for expats are, roughly in order of popularity:
Panajachel (locally called Pana) is the first town most visitors to the lake see and the most developed for tourism.  The traditional Mayan village sits up above the new, tourism oriented heart of the town.  In Pana you will find most of the amenities of civilization, including the area’s only English language school catering to the children of the local expat community; but it remains a small village at heart and you will not find any malls or fast food restaurants. 
San Pedro la Laguna has a reputation as a Bohemian place that is very popular with the backpacker set.  Like Pana, it has a nice mix of restaurants, bars, and other places to meet your fellow expats.  The town has a less polished feel than Pana and I expect it will be more popular with younger expats than the Baby Boomer generation.
San Marcos la Laguna is a funky, sleepy little village that has a tropical air about it; perhaps due to the footpaths through foliage and orchards of tropical fruits.  It is host to a meditation center and very popular with the New Age set, perhaps due to its fantastic aura.  I must confess it is my favorite site on the Lake, perhaps just for the pleasant vibe about it.  It also has a neat lakefront and is a great place to go for a swim.  If you’re looking to get away from it all, this might be the place!
Of the other sites around the Lake, Cero de Oro, San Lucas Tolimán, and Santiago Atitlán are all stunning places with potential for settlement.  In addition, all along the Lake, and especially between San Pedro and San Marcos, you will see beautiful homes nestled in the hills above the lakeshore. 

Guatemala City:

La Capital, or Guate as locals most commonly call it, is by far and away the political and economic center of the country.  Its over three million people make up about a quarter of the population of the country.  It can be both overwhelmingly chaotic at the same time modern, cosmopolitan, and charming.  In the capital you will find many of the major stores and restaurants you can find in the US, including the local version of Wal-Mart, Hiper-Paiz.  The city is divided into zones (zonas), some of which are very poor and have problems with gang violence.  That said there are several areas where the cities upper and middle class live and shop that can be very delightful, at times reminding me of the neighborhood of Coral Gables in Miami.  Zones 9 (Zona Nueve) the home of the US embassy and other major embassies, and zones 10, 14, and the neighborhood Carretera El Salvador are those that will most interest the expat and are the homes of much of the expatriate and diplomatic community of the capital.  In addition, the shopping centers of Tikal Futura, Miraflores, and the gigantic Wal-Mart owned Hiper-Paiz a few blocks down the street are located on the road to the western half of the country and very convenient for those based in Antigua. 
Guate has the same delightful climate as Antigua, but even for Guatemalans can be intimidating and, relative to the other areas mentioned, expensive.  I suspect most expats that are not working in the business or diplomatic community of the capital will choose to live outside it.

Quetzaltenango (also commonly called Xela):

Before commenting on Xela (pronounced Shayla) we have a confession to make; it is our second home and we, like all denizens of our town, are fiercely proud of it and extremely loyal.  However, we will try to set aside bias in the spirit of journalistic integrity.  Xela is Guatemala’s second city but is a fraction of Guate’s size and much less intimidating.  Nonetheless it possesses a sizable expatriate community, including an English language school based on the US system of education.  The cosmopolitan community is due to the city’s economic base, which is: higher education (five Guatemalan universities are represented), Spanish language schools for foreigners, as center for international religious and not-for-profits organizations operating in the western highlands, as a tourism center for exploring the western highlands, and as the primary commercial center for the western half of the country.  Xela possesses the second best central park in the country and the best malls, theaters, and restaurants outside the capital.  Also, the city has many excellent doctors and dentists and the best hospital outside Guate.  Finally, the city is set in a beautiful valley at the foot of the volcano Santa Maria. 
The climate, though, is quite different from the capital or Antigua.  The city sits at an altitude of 7,500 feet, so it can get quite cool, especially at night.  Nonetheless some plucky expats will become as entranced by the proud but friendly people of highlands as we are, and will earn the right to call themselves Quetzaltecos (citizen of Quetzaltenango). 
Quetzaltenango is the official name of the city given to it by the Mexican allies of the Spanish during the conquest of Guatemala.  Most people, however, persist in calling it Xela, which is a derivation of its traditional, pre-conquest Mayan name.

Rio Dulce:

The Rio Dulce is Guatemala’s slice of the Caribbean, and is lush, hot, tropical and strikingly beautiful.  The Rio Dulce is a river that runs between Guatemala’s second largest lake and the Caribbean Sea.  Along the way it pasts a colonial era fort, some expensive (by Guatemalan standards) yacht clubs and resorts, Mayan ruins, and Guatemala’s only Afro-Caribbean community. 

Cobán, Alta Verapaz:

Coban is a little further off the beaten path than the areas mentioned above but has a small expatriate community, loads of charm, and we feel that it may appeal to some of the more adventurous expats.  The city is at a slightly lower altitude than Antigua, but has a more humid climate.  For that reason the rolling hills and countryside around the city are usually a transcendent green and lush with vegetation.  Cobán is the epicenter for ecotourism in Guatemala and bird watching, mountain biking, rafting, and general all-around exploring opportunities abound.  The people are also of a different ethnic group and very proud of their traditions and culture.  If all this sounds exciting to you, than by all means consider blazing a trail by making Cobán your home.

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