Some of the positives that come easily to mind:
- A slow pace of life
- A friendly and welcoming society and population
- A lack of government involvment in people's lives or affairs
- A low cost of living, abiity to live a much simpler life than in Europe or N. America
- A low crime rate overall expecially violent crime (one exception explained shortly)
- An easy residency process you can handle yourself basically without lawyers or "helpers"
- And basically no personal taxes on income (foreign or domestic).
But with all good you have to understand the "bad"…which is as follows:
- A very closed economic system not supportive of foreign investment or involvement in the local economy,
- A very corrupt and inefficient government (which can also be a positive..sometimes)
- A distinct lack of any kind of social safety net
- A legal system that stacks the deck against foreigners in many cases
- A minor but never ending insurgency/narco gang problem in the northeastern part of the country. This makes it more or less a "no go" area for foreigners or those with money and this is the only real "crime issue" of consequence for expats
- A serious lack of employment opportunites for expats unless you work online or want very low paying jobs like teaching english.
- Insane drivers making driving more or less a "contact sport"
My two cents only, probably many other "positives and negatives" could be added by others.
