Tegucigalpa, Honduras Report of what it's like to live there - 08/27/23
Personal Experiences from Tegucigalpa, Honduras
Background:
1. Was this post your first expatriate experience? If not, what other cities have you lived in as an expat?
No.
2. What is your home city/country? How long is the trip to post from there, with what connections? How easy/difficult is it to travel to this city/country?
Kansas City, MO
Most flights to the US seem run daily through Houston and Miami. I'm sure there are others (perhaps Dallas) but these two are the most common routes to the US. There is one flight/day from Houston and it leaves around 9:30 am so most flights leave your home city around dawn or you need to fly into Houston the night before.
Flights here are still ridiculously overpriced compared to the rest of Central America. For context: it's currently about $900 from Chicago/Comayagua and $500 from Chicago/San Salvador or Chicago/Guatemala City or Chicago/Managua. We keep hoping that prices will go down now that the new airport has been functioning for over a year but no such luck.
3. How long have you lived here?
18 months.
4. What years did you live here?
2022-2024.
5. What brought you to this city (e.g. diplomatic mission, business, NGO, military, teaching, retirement, etc.)?
Diplomatic mission.
Housing, Groceries & Food:
1. What is your housing like? What are typical housing sizes, locations, and commute times for expatriates?
Housing is usually reasonably spacious, however yards are pretty limited in availability and size. Having said that, there are a few families with small children that have either gotten no yard or a disappointingly small yard. We had four kids at post so we were fortunate to have a yard, albeit small and awkward. Turns out, our "small and awkward" yard is larger than most, so I am truly grateful to have this space.
Most houses are in one of the gated communities spread across the city. There are a few stand-alone houses that are not in gated communities, but I would guess that it's fewer than five. The apartments that I have visited are reasonably-sized, but certainly not particularly large. If you are from outside of State, your housing seems to be bigger. Not sure if that's accurate, but it seems to be true, perhaps due to rank and position of members from other agencies.
There is a shuttle available for a nominal fee. Some housing is ten minutes from the embassy, some housing can take an hour when it rains. We live close enough to walk, however, very few people actually walk to the embassy for a variety of reasons (crazy hills, traffic, and general safety precautions).
2. How would you describe the availability and cost of groceries and household supplies relative to your home country?
Almost everything you want from home is available here. Both of the main grocery chains have US brands, as well as a fair selection of vegan, gluten-free, keto, food items that are pre-packaged. It is definitely more expensive here to have US brands...for example a Starbucks brand creamer is about $11/bottle here and $5/bottle at home. However, fruit and veg from the street vendors is reasonably priced, even when given the gringo pricing. Wine is overpriced and mediocre. It's a huge disappointment, actually.
You really will be able to find familiar brands or something equal here (Tide, Doritos, Hershey).
We have a small exchange at the Embassy and a larger exchange at Comayagua which are fabulous! I love having easy access to fairly priced US goods.
3. What household or grocery items do you wish you had shipped to post?
Brooms here are crummy. We've been through 5-6 in about 18 months. Trash cans are wildly expensive and it can be hard to find a good lidded trash can....bring bathroom-sized, lidded trash cans from home since you must dispose of all paper products in the cans and not in the toilet.
My daughter has had a hard time finding feminine hygiene products that she likes...for a decent price. Cosmetics are wildly expensive. Hand carry good shampoo/conditioner in your luggage to to size restrictions on liquid shipments.
4. What typical restaurants, food delivery services, and/or takeout options are popular among expatriates?
Hugo and Pedidos Ya are commonly used food delivery apps. However, it seems to be only a matter of time before your US credit card gets you kicked off the app and you have to go cash only. Amex does not seem to work with Hugo, even though customer service will tell you that they take it.
Asian food is pretty hit or miss...they have their own Honduran-ized version of Chinese food that doesn't always satisfy. There are so many restaurant options, it's hard to start listing them all. When we want to eat out, it can be difficult to pick a restaurant because there are enough good restaurants that you cannot decide. Not amazing...but good. There is even a gluten-free restaurant and a separate gluten-free bakery to serve the community.
US chains like Pizza Hut, Domino's, Little Caesar's, Popeyes, Fridays, Wendy's, McDonald's, KFC, etc seem to do really well here.
5. Are there any unusual problems with insects or other infestations in housing?
Normal mosquitos and normal little geckos, but nothing that is a nuisance at all.
Daily Life:
1. How do you send and receive your letters and package mail? Are local postal facilities adequate?
Embassy mail room. Locals can order Amazon from the US to a locker in San Pedro Sula and then have it delivered to Tegucigalpa pretty reliably. We have never used it because the mail room at the embassy is full-service.
2. What is the availability and cost of household help, and what types of help are typically employed by expatriates?
Full time housekeepers seem to make around $1000/month. We pay a gardener about $30/twice a month to come take care of our front lawn/back lawn/landscaping. He "mows" by weed-eating and usually hoses down my car to rinse the dust off.
Twice a year you pay an extra month's salary (June and January, I believe). Our housekeeper did not want it in cash for fear of being robbed. However, the gardener and water delivery people love the cash. We do not tip the guards as the landlord pays them, so he tips the guards but you may need to budget the guards into your Pascua savings. The garbage collectors will drive up/down the street honking and yelling "Pascua"...just in case you wanted to race out and hand them some cash! Ha!
3. What kinds of gyms or other sports/workout facilities are available? Are they expensive?
There are a couple gyms but we're a little jaded after touring a gym that locals visit. The price we were quoted was exorbitant and about 4x what a local family pays. The embassy has a decent little gym, unless you're a serious body builder or looking for group classes, I suspect that the embassy gym would suffice.
Many families join Club BCIE for about $100/month with a small gym, a nice pool, some sports fields, tennis courts, restaurant, etc. We joined for a while and had no complaints, but we found that we weren't using it enough. We also have access to the former CMR which has tennis courts, a place for kids to ride bikes safely, and a pool with barbecue grill and kitchen area for impromptu gatherings. You can usually show up on a Saturday or Sunday and find people to swim with or barbecue with.
4. Are credit cards widely accepted and safe to use locally? Are ATMs common and do you recommend using them? Are they safe to use?
Credit cards are accepted everywhere and I've not had any problems using them. We usually take advantage of the ATM at the embassy but there are also ATM "rooms" at the local shopping malls that have a guard. We've used them a couple of times with no issues. However, we rarely carry cash and just use our cards everywhere.
5. What English-language religious services are available locally?
We know of two non-denominational Protestant church services, a couple of LDS temples, and a monthly Catholic Mass performed in English.
There is a small Islamic population and a mosque (inside an office building), but I don't know if the services are in English.
There is also a Christian kids camp called "MK Camp" that is a week-long, sleep-away camp geared towards missionary kids. They are happy to let expat kids attend, as long as the kids are fluent in English and willing to do a full-on Christian experience. This camp is held in late July or early August and kids are bused to/from Tegucigalpa.
6. How much of the local language do you need for daily living? Are local language classes/tutors available and affordable?
Learn as much Spanish as possible. Having said that, my Spanish is pretty pathetic and I can get around pretty well. Hondurans are always super-helpful when I'm trying to communicate with my combination of Spanish/English/Charades. I have probably encountered only one or two visibly-annoyed Hondurans in my 18 months here, with regards to my limited language capabilities.
The embassy is great about supporting language learning opportunities for EFMs. There are local tutors but they're not as cheap as you would think...maybe $17-$20/hour.
7. Would someone with physical disabilities have difficulties living in this city?
Yes. The sidewalks are atrocious and inconsistently available. Further, disabled parking is not as common as it should be.
Transportation:
1. Are local buses, trams, trains or taxis safe and affordable?
Nope. Uber is great but that's it. There are a few private drivers that the embassy community can recommend for airport shuttles, private tours, etc.
2. What kind of vehicle(s) including electric ones do you recommend bringing to post, given the terrain, infrastructure, availability of parts, burglary/carjacking risks, etc.? What kind of car or vehicles do you advise not to bring?
We have an Infiniti that is very difficult to park because it is so wide.
Parts are a problem. If I could get away without having a car here, I would because the automotive industry here is pretty shady. Obviously I'm a little bitter with experiencing some shoddy work and ridiculously overpriced services. Further, having parts shipped here is a long and difficult ordeal. If given the chance to start over, I would buy something crummy at post so that the crummy mechanics could do a crummy job and everyone would have their expectations fulfilled.
Most people get their windows tinted at post which can deter would-be carjackers who are hoping for cars with one occupant.
You need a high-clearance vehicle just for the speed bumps, not to mention that potholes.
Phone & Internet:
1. Is high-speed home Internet access available? How long does it typically take to install it after arrival?
High-speed internet and cable are great here and installed within a couple of days of arrival. We homeschool, so we use it all day, every day and have only had a one or two outages that lasted beyond 15 minutes, nothing more than an hour. Power surges will happen and kill your connection but once the modem reboots, you're back online in no time.
2. Do you have any recommendations regarding mobile phones? Did you keep your home-country plan or use a local provider?
We use Claro and are happy. Many others use Tigo and are equally as happy. Claro does NOT work in the US. It worked for us in El Salvador and Nicaragua, but not in the US, Europe, or Africa. There is also no option to add a global plan.
Pets:
1. Are qualified veterinarians and/or good kennel services available? Do animals need to be quarantined upon entry to the country? Are there other considerations regarding pets that are particular to this country?
Lots of families have pets and they all seem to find providers that they like. Personally, I think the vets are pricey and frustrating, but my lack of language ability is probably the biggest contributor to that problem. Further, I'm used to midwest US vet prices, but I suspect that the vets here are more like DC prices with a fraction of the DC skills and training.
Our cats were having UTI problems and the vet said to stop giving them tap water due to parasites. I never imagined that I would need to give my cats filtered water...but here we are...filtering their water!
Employment & Volunteer Opportunities:
1. What types of jobs do most expatriate spouses/partners have? Locally based or telecommuting? Full-time or part-time? Can you comment on local salary scales?
Most EFMs work at the embassy, a couple work at the international schools. There are a few that telework with US based companies. I don't know anything about local salary scales.
2. What volunteer opportunities are available locally?
There are tons of missionary groups that you can help, some local library services, an Environmental/Animal Welfare club at the embassy, and other ways to help the Community Liaison Office (CLO). Frankly, I am sure there are more, but there are enough opportunities available to serve with others in the embassy community, I haven't needed to go search for more.
3. What is the typical dress code at work and in public places? Is formal dress ever required?
As an EFM, I notice that the office seems to be a mix of business and business casual. Some people have on khakis and collared shirts, others collared shirts/ties, and an occasional suit. Women tend to wear slacks and nice blouses or a simple sheath dress. Basically, the mood seems to be "Do your job well and nobody is going to police your fashion choices". Again...I'm an EFM...so take that into consideration.
In public, local women dress-up...even to walk around the mall.
If you go to public events or a local citizen's barbecue...expect to dress up. No shorts for men and a dress/heels for women.
Health & Safety:
1. Are there personal security concerns to be aware of at this post? Please describe.
This is definitely a place where you don't walk at night and you don't carry your phone in your hand while walking down the street. At busy intersections, keep your windows up OR stay super vigilant. There are a lot of panhandlers at busy intersections and you get to know a few of them. I usually keep a few small bills for the ones I "know", but I never roll down my window at night.
Having said this, I have never been scared or afraid when following the RSO recommendations. Now that one time that I ignored the RSO and took a shortcut through the mountains...that got dicey...lesson learned.
Listen to your RSO.
2. Are there any particular health concerns? What is the quality of available medical care? What medical conditions typically require medical evacuation?
I love our health unit. They handle everything they possibly can for us. They even arrange for bloodwork to be done at your home and with minimal interruption to your daily life. Do yourself a favor and contact the health unit before crowd-sourcing providers because the health unit knows stuff about local providers that your co-workers do not.
Local dentist, vision, etc are fine. I had a weird experience with a dermatologist who wanted to literally freeze every single freckle off my entire body (I'm a quasi-ginger so that was gonna take a while) and she was not happy when I refused. I think it's a cultural difference in that local women want ZERO fat, hair, freckles, etc.
3. What is the air quality like at post (good/moderate/bad)? Are there seasonal air quality issues? Does the air quality have an impact on health?
Most of the year the air quality is fine. April/May is burn season and it was particularly brutal this year, but the year before it was practically non-existent. We have embassy provided air purifiers in each bedroom plus an extra for the living room. We run them during burn season but then they're turned off for the rest of the year.
4. What do people who suffer from environmental or food allergies need to know?
Take your R&R during burn season if that's going to disrupt your health. Food allergies are mostly understood at the nicer restaurants, but I would not feel safe with a life-threatening allergy unless I was fully fluent in Spanish. However, I don't see nuts often so perhaps this might be a little safer post for a nut allergy.
There are people with celiac disease at post. You can probably manage it here, especially since many food items are made from the corn flour (Masa) instead of wheat flour. I do not have celiac disease, but am wheat-allergic and I eat pupusas, tacos, salads, and parilladas (cooked meats platters) when going out to eat.
5. Are there any particular mental health issues that tend to crop up at post, such as Seasonal Affective Disorder (winter blues)?
I haven't seen this in my friend group, or heard of it being a real problem. If anything, I've known no fewer than five EFMs who originally considered staying in the US while their spouse came to post because they heard things like, "murder capital of the world", gangs, crime, etc.
Every single one of them ended up loving Tegucigalpa and living their best lives here. I bet you will, too!
6. What is the overall climate: is it extremely hot or cold, wet or dry, at any time of year, for example?
Absolutely perfect. It's basically 75-85 year round. In November/December/January we can even leave our screen doors open all day and not worry about mosquitos. Basically, Tegucigalpa is far enough from the ocean and high enough in the mountains that we don't have that overwhelming humidity or the extreme weather changes.
Schools & Children:
1. What is the availability of international schools? What has been your general experience with them, if any?
There are two main international schools, but another three to five that could easily be attended. Everyone is pretty happy with their school. If not, they switch to the "other" school and seem to be happy there. We have four kids who either homeschool, attended a local school before switching to boarding school in the US, and/or attended the Montessori school at post.
2. What accommodations do schools make for special-needs kids?
I've heard that it has been a struggle but that the two main international schools are now making measurable progress in this area.
3. Are preschools available? Day care? Are these expensive? What has been your experience with them, if any? Do the schools provide before- and/or after-school care?
Yes. I have no experience but I get the feeling that while they are not dirt cheap, they're not breaking anyone's bank account either. Everyone that I know who has sent a child to preschool has loved their school and their teachers.
The international schools have before/after school programs and both of the main ones offer busing.
4. Are local sports classes and/or activities available for kids?
Yes. The schools offer sports and lots of activities.
Outside of the schools there is fútbol, baseball, horseback riding, tae kwon do, swimming team, French lessons, music lessons, and art classes...that I know of. I'm sure there is more but we're out of free time so I've quit paying attention.
Expat Life:
1. What is the relative size of the expatriate community? How would you describe overall morale among expatriates?
I really haven't met many expats from other nations, but then we don't "get out" much with all of our kids' activities.
Morale at post seems fabulous, especially with our existing leadership team.
2. What are some typical ways to socialize, either with local people or with other expatriates? Are there groups or clubs that you can recommend?
Club BCIE is a sort of country club owned by a large, Honduran bank. People there are very friendly.
There's adult rugby, running clubs, youth running club at the embassy, a monthly dinner club, ultimate frisbee, two book clubs, churches, and lots of bars/restaurants. You can find things to do if you want to!
3. Is this a good city for single people? For couples? For families? Why or why not?
I've known some single people that loved it, but I'm so out of that circle, I can hardly comment on it!
I think it would be great for couples because you could easily take a weekend trip to Lake Yojoa or hop a quick flight to Roatan. There are lots of decent restaurants, so I suspect I would never cook...we would just go out every night!
With kids, there are lots of activities and lots of other kids to get together with. Presently, the kids at post are all pretty friendly with one another and if you get invited to an embassy kiddo birthday party, there will be 20 kids there ranging in age from 3-14. There are some fun road trips to take to the beaches in El Salvador which are inexpensive and right on the beach....fun trips to Copan....day trips to Valle de Angeles or Santa Lucia. There are lots of easy things for families here, the trick is getting any down time to spend at home!
4. Is it easy to make friends with locals here? Are there any prejudices or any ethnic groups who might feel uncomfortable here?
Yes, if you want to. We've run the gamut of making friends who message you once a month for questions about a friend's visa to befriending locals who are the children of former presidents. Everybody seems to want something from you.
My favorite people I've met are the street vendors and service workers. I will treasure some of these friendships when we leave post.
5. Is this a good city for LGBT expatriates? Why or why not?
I think the community is growing but there is still a pretty traditional, Catholic and Evangelical, base here. Never mind that all the local husbands have mistresses or multiple families.
I suspect it can be challenging to find LGBTQ+ dating partners here due to cultural norms. The embassy is very vocal and active in their efforts to remake local traditional belief systems. You will be fully supported by the embassy community.
6. Are there problems with ethnic, race/racial minorities or religious prejudices? Gender equality?
Gender equality is not a thing here. Male drivers try to bully women drivers out of their lane, etc. Don't be bullied. It's fun to watch them go nearly apoplectic because a woman did not cede her place in this world for them.
7. What have been the highlights of your time in this country? Best trips or experiences?
We've loved visiting all the fun things around Copán Ruinas...Macaw Mountain, visiting a working ranch, hot springs, Mayan ruins. We've loved driving into El Salvador for the beautiful beaches that aren't very commercial, and are affordable for large families. We enjoyed a long weekend in Nicaragua, but won't return until the political landscape there is less adversarial towards US citizens.
8. What are some interesting/fun things to do in the area? Can you recommend any “hidden gems"?
Visit Valle de Angeles, but don't buy your souvenirs at the Banana Souvenir shop or on the main drag. Instead, go a couple of blocks east to the Tienda de Art Pabellon which is a HUGE souvenir "warehouse". The $50 shawls from the Banana shop are $30 at the Tienda de Art.
Visit Finca El Cisne near Copán Ruinas (about a 75 minute drive from Copán down a very rough road...bring 4-wheel drive). The owner, Carlos Casteljón, loves to offer tours. I'm not sure but it may have cost about $150-$200 for 6 of us, including lunch. He took us horseback riding through the mountains, showed us his coffee processing facilities, cacao farming, vanilla farming, etc and then feeds you an amazing meal on the patio of his family home. He does not have helmets for children or special equipment for inexperienced riders. Frankly, he just plopped our 9 year old on the horse and let him learn how to ride by shouting instructions while our son half-listened. Carlos was right, though...experience is the best teacher. If that's going to make you uncomfortable, then this is not the tour for you. We spent about 6 hours on his finca and it was truly the highlight of our time in Honduras. Reservations are required, I would give at least 3-4 weeks notice.
9. Is this a "shopping post"? Are there interesting handicrafts, artwork, antiques, or other items that people typically buy there?
There are some lovely pieces of Lencan pottery that are black with white designs. It's super fragile and doesn't travel well in a suitcase. Some fabrics and table covers can be found, along with hand woven hammocks.
Wood furniture made from giant trees (dining tables, benches, desk tops, etc). The lead time on these items can be ridiculous and you may have to hunt down your craftsman to push him across the finish line, so shop for this stuff early in your tour!
There are a lot of hand-carved wooden boxes, covered with images of jungle, macaws, ruins, etc.
10. What are the particular advantages of living in this city?
The embassy community is just large enough to offer a variety of social activities, but not so big that you don't know anybody. Also, I haven't experienced a lot of gossiping and back chatter, but that could just be the people I've been able to surround myself with. The locals are friendly and want to be helpful. No daylight savings time, so we're either on Mountain time or Central time zone.
Words of Wisdom:
1. What do you wish you had known about this particular city/country before moving there?
How I much I would hate that it is only a two-year tour!!
2. Knowing what you know now, would you still move to this city?
Absolutely! Maybe we'll bid it again in the future????!!!!
3. If you move here, you can leave behind your:
wide cars, snow boots.
4. But don't forget your:
hoodies and wine.
5. Do you have any other comments?
We have absolutely loved our tour here. The local staff are top notch and absolutely skilled enough to keep your home in top shape. I KNOW I will miss the GSO staff that takes such good care of our homes!!!
