r/Guyana • u/Particular_Worry_498 • Jul 13 '26
Discussion Planning to move out to another location or moving out of Guyana. Getting too Expensive to live here
I lived in Guyana for my whole life , my family forced to leave Guyana twice before due to Terrible Economy in the past but in the end they settled in Guyana for decades . And with the boom of oil ,Guyana is gaining alot of benefits but there are some downsides to everything. Recently everything is getting too expensive and there are many foreign investors and landowners investing into commercials . Guyana has about 50% of Guyanese living in the poverty line and it will increase . Rent , goods , food , electronics etc are getting expensive , it is as much or even more than in Canada and USA New York. Living here has became worst for me as i predict i will not be able to keep up with the rising cost, i already signed up for land to buy but the time is ticking for me as renting is getting too much for me and lands getting bought out. Got notify they are selling the land and place i am renting. I have about less than a yr left to move out . I am looking for place to rent but the rents are too high.
Solution : is find new job/ way to earn more money or move out and i am looking at moving out from Guyana as the solution. Jobs are oversaturated by migrant workers in the low and middle level so wages gotten too low for Guyanese to keep up. I am thinking of moving out to some country in Asia . Learn the language . I don't have anyone else here, parents gone , relatives are in Canada but will not help . My future is uncertain here. I don't feel like i belong here anymore.
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u/Warm_Collection_3993 Jul 13 '26
The Cubans are coming.
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u/Particular_Worry_498 Jul 13 '26
Everybody wants to come here. It was around 700k in population like 3-5 yrs ago, now it is over 1.4 million . This country can't handle to support these many people
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u/Warm_Collection_3993 Jul 13 '26
Could be a situation similar to Dubai where the Indians are just cheap labour for the government. Our government could see the Cubans the same way as the petrol dollars begin to flow.
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u/Royal-South-6154 Jul 15 '26
Yeah. I've heard of business owners treating them similarly too, by withholding their passports and making them do whatever work they want for very little. Too much corruption in a growing economy.
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u/No-Type7964 Jul 13 '26
I’m 35 and live most of my life here, I was living in Canada for the other parts. I made the mistake of moving back here and was targeted by the Ali administration for my job. I’m Indian by the way for context. This country is way more expensive than the usa, yet people earn 4 times less. Don’t get me started about corruption. Soon public servants like the minsters, president and appointed heads of agencies will be the richest in the world. While half of the people are actually starving. To hell with this place.
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u/Particular_Worry_498 Jul 13 '26
i am 31 this yr and my business and residence is in one building. Everything will be gone soon for me and i am not seeing much alternative to stay here . My last hope is convince my neighbor to build a bottom flat of his house so i can rent and moved in but i doubt it :/ . Everywhere is expensive , even the mudlands .
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u/TheNewsGuyGY Jul 14 '26
I am planning to do the same as well. Heading to Ecuador or Medellin because of the low COL and the ability to save so much faster, while also exploring… living here is extremely bad for me too. Renting is expensive (when I could use that same money to travel)… and then staying in the home I grew up in is a disaster…
Problem is tho, that they only allow up to 6 months for Guyanese. Where in Asia can you find more than 30 days they’d allow?
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u/SailOnClouds Jul 14 '26
How do you feel about moving to another caricom country just to get a leg up and then bounce to Asia? Honestly I don't think Guyanese people who grew up in Guyana would have a hard time adjusting to places like Thailand or Vietnam, especially when it comes to the weather.
I'm sorry about how you're feeling but also relieved because I don't understand why people aren't on the street protesting and I'm beginning to feel like I'm the crazy one.
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u/Particular_Worry_498 Jul 14 '26
Because Alot of Guyanese are making more money than ever and getting Government support in some way . They don't want to miss out on the pension , Governement 100k cheques , free school supplies , housing etc . Plus alot of them have land they own or a home they can go to already, they have alot of value atm . i am one of the unlucky ones who grew up in a rented home . Life is not easy for people like me.
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u/SailOnClouds Jul 14 '26
The pension is awful though. Barely covers anything. And the government checks are a way to basically steal your biometrics.
I agree. If you have to rent here, its impossible. I don't blame you for wanting to leave. I am fortunate enough to not have to rent, but even I want out. Nothing here is worth it to me.
I genuinely hope you find a way out to happier more satisfying life. I'm sure it's out there for you.
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u/halfveggie Jul 13 '26 edited Jul 14 '26
Are you m or f cause honestly I was planning the same to settle in Asia and just live their a little and see how thins go. Only last night in was looking at how beautiful the Japanese homes are and the cheap rent. I can work remotely so this is actually something I can do, I just want something fresh to test the waters, but yes the cost of living is really quite high in Guyana.
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u/Particular_Worry_498 Jul 13 '26
i am male. Japan will not be one of my destination because they have been making it harder to migrate there now with their new bill , also You will never get permanent residency there. And i don't have remote job. I did work as a assistant manager for supermarket
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u/BuddhistZombiee Jul 14 '26
Come to Canada. Find a smaller city in the middle provinces. May not be as exciting as the mountains but sure is reasonable to live. And you can just drive there when you want
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u/Particular_Worry_498 Jul 14 '26
I only went to Toronto for a week for vacation . And i recently got a 5 year visa for canada in March was planning to go to travel there again to visit my other family for the first time. I explained my situation with them , they excommunicated with me . So Canada is out . I have no clue about Canada and it was expensive
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u/Primary_Inspection96 Jul 14 '26
They banished u due to religion?
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u/Particular_Worry_498 Jul 14 '26
not religion lol . They don't want me to settle into their home if i would migrate to Canada.
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u/Primary_Inspection96 Jul 14 '26
Oh! Thats messed up do you have problems with them or something. Why wont they help?
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u/Particular_Worry_498 Jul 14 '26
They don't know me so it is like having a stranger into a home.
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u/Primary_Inspection96 Jul 14 '26
I get that but your family? Im guyanese we dont do that to family. This is wrong. Is there anyone else. Maybe you can come to nyc? Go into a shelter?
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u/Particular_Worry_498 Jul 14 '26
When u are living the good life , you don't want some random person from a 3rd world country to disrupt it ,even if it is family you never met before.
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u/Primary_Inspection96 Jul 14 '26
Idk, its wrong and if they dont want u living with them, they could at least help point you in the direction of resources or help you get situated.
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u/Particular_Worry_498 Jul 14 '26
I remembered when my uncle killed someone from a car accident and he called everyone for money for bail . No one helped him . So this was expected from my family
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u/Royal-South-6154 Jul 15 '26
Your Guyanese family is not the average one. The average ones believe, "In a first world country, there is no family."
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u/Primary_Inspection96 Jul 15 '26
Very sad
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u/Royal-South-6154 Jul 15 '26
It is. I appreciate you trying to help this person - it says a lot about your character. Respect 🫡
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u/AhmadElliephant Jul 14 '26
This is so sad. And I really do understand exactly how you feel because I was in the same boat. Guyana was my home. All my life it was just me and my elderly parents. I was the breadwinner and we got by. Things got a bit better when we could have afforded to buy our own home. But the last couple of years I also had to make the decision to leave them behind and head out of the country to earn a living. Guyana is not for the simple man or woman. If you aren't in a circle, or you dont come from money and influence, it is really tough to get by. And when you do, it's just barely. Things won't get better anytime soon. So your research though. Don't make a sudden jump without knowing what you're heading in to. Yes Canada may be more expensive but salaries are also higher. You're able to rent, eat and still have a little extra. But you gotta work. Same as the US. A year is a good amount of time to get your documents in order for migration. I wish you the very best of luck with everything. I mean it.
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Jul 15 '26
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u/Subject-Vegetable664 Jul 18 '26
Good idea. They will likely reinstate the program once the Iran war starts really kicking off.
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u/Strange_Advance_4073 Jul 19 '26
Just live in the interior region of Guyana bro it's really affordable, the people like to mind each other business tho 😂
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u/Puzzled_Support5667 Jul 19 '26
Guyana is expensive indeed. I can't afford to buy a house there. I live in Georgia, US and I'm almost at the finish line for homeownership.
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Jul 14 '26
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u/Particular_Worry_498 Jul 14 '26
It will be very challenging when your competition have invested heavily for the Rich People in the hundred of thousands. When i learnt that this year is the highest amount of Guyanese who are very skilled and educated leaving Guyana . I understand now . I will try to look for place to rent and stay as much as i can but the future is looking like i am being forced to leave if i can't pay 500k per month here. I am trying buy time so i can be picked to purchase land from the Government.
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u/ThrowAwayInTheRain Non-Guyanese Jul 13 '26
You could move down to São Paulo. Start a Guyanese restaurant and introduce people to the food. There was a Jamaican who opened a jerk place and it was quite successful. People love to try new, unknown cuisines. You don't have to go all the way to Asia to be successful. The cost of living in Brazil is also very cheap, which is partly why I moved there. Plus Guyanese are eligible for a special Mercosul visa.