Tegucigalpa - Post Report Question and Answers
What is your housing like? What are typical housing sizes, locations, and commute times for expatriates?
The housing in Tegu is a mix and the housing committee does a really great job of assigning it based off of your housing survey needs. If you are a family but prefer an apartment, then they are available with amenities such as a pool, playground etc. However, if you prefer a house, as a single person or a family there are also town house communities and single-family homes available as well. Timing of the transfer season can impact everyone getting exactly what they want, but almost everyone gets exactly what they need to meet their family size and/or pet accommodations. Yard space is minimal, the culture prefers patios and/or balconies so be prepared to absolutely have outdoor space it just may not be backyard grassy space. We have a dog and it was plenty for them and the children. Some of the housing is much older and can have some maintenance issues arise, however GSO is fantastic and will quickly get those instances under control. - Mar 2024
Decent housing. No backyards A lot of cards park on the street so don't be surprised to weave through a lot of stationary cars on you way home. - Jan 2024
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). - Aug 2023
Great housing w/yard. - Feb 2022
Housing is quite nice. Most people live in stand-alone houses with small yards. Compared to many posts, the houses are modern and well-constructed. The location of housing is very good- in pleasant neighborhoods and close to work (15-20 minute commute). Some people even walk to work. - Oct 2019
Houses are large but dated. Apartments are more modern. Backyards are small or nonexistent. Commute to embassy is long (20-40min for 2-3miles) because traffic is bad and Honduran drivers are aggressive and rules aren't enforced. - Jul 2018
A big house (maybe 2500 sf) with decent yard (add another 500 sf). I think this is typical, though different yards have more paved-over or tiled space, and others more green space. Aesthetic leans towards 1970s narco-chic. I have bananas, passion fruit, mango, avocado, herbs, and beautiful flowers that were already growing there when I got here. There is also a nice lawn for the kids to play on. Most housing is surrounded by drab walls and concertina wire, so neighborhoods have a cold, community-less feel to them. Like a lot of US suburbs, but with walls surrounding each house, so you don't see much human life when you're walking around. My wife and I walk to work, and it takes about 15 minutes. On a bike it's like 4 minutes, and in a car can go from 5-10 minutes depending on traffic. Some USG housing is farther away: 40 minutes on foot (though few people walk), and not much less in a car, maybe 30 minutes with traffic. - May 2018
We live in a gated neighborhood. Even though the guards will stop everyone coming in by car to take ID information, they cannot refuse to let anyone through, and anyone can walk into the neighborhood. The American School is also in the neighborhood, so in the morning there are cars flying through the neighborhood, honking and passing people trying to get their kids to school. The commute from the embassy in the evening is a nightmare for us; it sometimes takes over an hour to drive about 2 miles home. Honduran drivers are aggressive, reckless, and VERY impatient. There do not seem to be any cops around to enforce driving rules, so it's every man for himself on the road. There are several other gated neighborhoods, many near Blvd Suyapa, which is a whole other level of nightmare because there are constantly street closings on Suyapa due to protests and student demonstrations. There are also a few apartment buildings diplomats can live in, the apartments I have seen are spacious and more modern than the housing. Our house was probably built in the 1970s and has not been renovated since. The bathrooms and kitchen are terribly dated. We are lucky enough to have a "large" yard by Tegucigalpa standards. Most houses have a patch of grass as a yard. - May 2018
Some people complained, but I thought housing here was generally really nice. Mostly single family homes and condos, but they are adding more apartments to the housing pool. One apartment building is right across the street from where the new embassy compound is being built and has a small pool and tennis court. The other apartments I saw weren't that spacious/modern and didn't have any amenities. The houses are in gated "secure" neighborhoods and generally have a small yard. Most housing is within a 15 minute drive to the embassy depending on traffic. There are a few properties on the other side of the city where it might take an hour to get home if evening traffic is bad. - Apr 2018
Good housing. Mostly made of concrete surrounded by high walls and razor wire. Small yards. - Jun 2016
- Houses are small with small yards, due to the hills and the city's layout. - The city is very managable and traffic is comparitively good. Commute time for us to the Embassy without traffic is 8 minutes. Traffic is bad, however, at rush hours, and people drive more agressively than they need to. - Feb 2016
Most houses are nice, but there are exceptions. - Aug 2015
Housing is decent, but there is barbed wire and bars even on the windows of my third floor apartment due to security standards. The housing can also be not so decent in certain instances: I've heard of leaky roofs, insect infestations, etc. Commute time is no more than 15 minutes from any Embassy residence if one leaves before major traffic begins. - Jul 2015
The housing is ok. - Dec 2014
Housing is surprisingly pretty good and not too far except traffic can be very difficult at rush-hour. - Oct 2014
Housing varies. - Sep 2014
Embassy Housing pool was fine, mostly in the neighborhood of Lomas del Guijarro. We loved our house. Great location close to mall multiplaza. 10 minute drive to the Embassy. - Aug 2014
10 to 20 minutes from most housing. - Jun 2014
All types, from ok to good. Commutes range from 7 to 30 minutes depending on yor location. - Mar 2014
For us, housing was ok; some embassy housing units need a lot of repairs because of poor building quality. Most of houses are two or three floors with small yards. The location close to the mountainside of the city has better security. Most housing is about 15 minutes from the center. - Jan 2014
Mostly hosues some apartments. - Oct 2013
Houses with small yards for the most part, and a couple apartments. - Jun 2013
Good housing. We had a 5-20 min commute, depending on traffic - Jun 2013
Mostly houses with small yards, scattered around the city. Traffic is often heavy, and commute time can vary from 15 to 45 minutes. - Apr 2013
Mostly houses, although there are a few apartments. Houses are nice, but yards are usually small. Oddly no one has swimming pools, although this climate would be great for it. - Jan 2012
I hear housing is generally good but with small yards. We have a real nice house but yes, a small yard. - Nov 2009
All the embassy housing is pretty much in and around Lomas de Guijarros, which is generally considered the wealthy area of town. The houses tend to have plenty of space indoors but very small yards. We live in an older home that does have a decent yard, but the newer nicer houses have small outdoor spaces. - Oct 2009
