Living in Mexico: The Good and Bad 

City in Mexico

Yes. Are some parts safer than others? Yes. Ask any of the nearly 1,000,000 ex-pats if they feel safer in Mexico than in the USA. They will respond with a deafening YES.

The Good

I lived in Mexico in the ’80s. Worked there in the 90’s – for the Mexican government and private industry, including Hollywood. I was set to move back in the 2000s with my wife. Her pet birds could not be imported, so we settled on the border. Today I still keep my fingers on the pulse of the ex-pat community.

I won’t help you with how to get visas or buy real estate, lots of people can do that. I will help you decide if Mexico is right for you and give you some unvarnished opinions about different ex-pat communities. 

Moving to Mexico could be the joyous fulfillment of your life’s dream. Or it could be as much a disappointment as your first failed love. I’ll help you achieve the former.

What does it cost to live in Mexico?

The old days when you could live like royalty on Social Security are distant dreams. You can live less expensively than in the States, but that’s not universally true. In some areas of the USA, it costs less to live than it would in a gringo haven in Mexico.

Most people live comfortably in well-known gringo destinations for about $28,000 to $35,000, single or $35,000 to $45,000, for a couple, per year in most places.

If that’s too rich for your blood (as it is for mine), I know people who live on $800 – $1,200 a month. If you are not living under a bridge in the USA, you can live better in Mexico. Even if you live under a bridge, you’d be happier in Mexico. Please don’t get all hung up on why you CAN’T do it. Just go and keep your eyes open, and it will work out. Somebody may need a roommate or someone to watch their McMansion while they’re in Europe.

Is medical care good?

In many ways, medical care is superior to the US system. You see a real doctor, and he/she takes time to listen to you. Most medicines cost from 1/4 to 1/2 USA prices.

Medicare and USA health insurance policies are generally not accepted. I allied with MexInsurance’s program and they offer the TME (Travel, Medical, Evacuation) insurance which is underwritten by Nationwide Insurance. This is a superior insurance policy for ex-pats. See the middle of the page for the link.

Hospitals can be excellent to mediocre. Some are world-class. So the answer to this is – to ask your neighbors.

Alternative Expat Havens

Just because other towns are popular with foreigners doesn’t mean the rest of the country isn’t safe or interesting. Popular places have built their “brand” since the 1960s. People follow the herd. Be independent.

If you try to escape the Gringo Trail, you’ll be richly rewarded with cultural awareness and save money! Mexico is a big country with various experiences to sample at its cultural buffet.

Spend time in less well-known towns like Guanajuato, Campeche, Durango, Patzcuaro, San Cristobal de las Casas, etc. You’ll get a better feel for what you do and don’t like about living in Mexico. You’ll get a much better idea of a fair price for housing. Regardless, you will at least have seen more of Mexico than most ex-pats. All too many of them settle in a town and never go out and explore Mexico. They didn’t move to Mexico. They moved to a gringo enclave. Then they die. Live! Explore!

What Towns Are Considered Safe and Popular With Expats?

San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato
Lake Chapala area. Jalisco
Pto. Vallarta, Jalisco
Merida, Yucatan
Cancun, Quintana Roo
Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo
Mazatlan, Sinaloa
San Carlos, Sonora

Are There Downsides to Moving to Mexico?

Many a man has fallen in love with a girl in a light so dim he would not have chosen a suit by it. – Maurice Chevalier. Many men and women choose Mexico in a Margarita haze.  Follow your heart, but bring your brain on the ride. 

The BAD

Mañana Mañana

People will make you the greatest promises with the greatest intentions. They may follow through. Workers will make solemn promises, sealed by making the sign of the cross and kissing their fists, that they will arrive at “9 AM – en punto.” Maybe they will. Maybe it will be noon. It’s not that people are dishonest. It’s that whatever is in front of them at the time is the most important. When they leave you, someone else takes your place. Be patient. If you are the type to blow up, maybe Mexico is not for you.

You will pay more sometimes

Yes, there is a gringo price for goods and services and a Mexican price. When it’s not onerous, let it go. When it is outrageous, get another contractor. It’s not that the contractors are cheating you (in their minds). It’s like they believe gringos have some money tree in their backyards. Happy gringos don’t mind paying a little bit extra or tipping extra. But don’t be a patsy, either. It will take time to learn the difference.

How Well Do You Tolerate Noise?

One person’s noise is another’s sound of a joyous life. Mexicans generally go for the joyous option. When you walk into an empty restaurant, they will crank up the music so you won’t feel sad. Barking dogs are tuned out. Music from a radio is not music unless all the neighbors on the block can share it. Vendors selling propane, vegetables, etc., or advertising for anything have to be heard blocks away. There’s always a confused rooster who crows all night. Either adapt or invest in noise-canceling earphones, earplugs, or white noise machines. Mexico is not going to change.

Never, ever ask, “Why?”

When something illogical happens, once you determine that it is not fixable, let it go. If you spend your life trying to make sense of things, you will live a frustrated existence. Sometimes it works in your favor – something you’ve been trying to get done (a government document, a permit, an item fixed) miraculously appears. Other times it just doesn’t happen. Go with the flow. Try again tomorrow. This will make much more sense to you when you are there.

Look at moving to Mexico as choosing a life partner. See how he or she is in different circumstances. Honeymoons with places or people only last so long. You buy or marry, and you’re stuck.

Follow These Suggestions

Drive around the country living in several areas for a few months before you buy somewhere. 

 Spend some time in smaller towns for a few days to get a feel for “real” Mexican life.

 Make a list of the things and activities you think you will miss. Then see if they are available wherever you want to settle. Be reasonable, though – you aren’t going to get a good bagel except in Mexico City. 

 Moving your stuff is a royal PITA and $$$. While investigating places to live, see what’s available locally and what you can let go of back home.