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Retiring to Mexico
Source: AIM Mexico Newsletter • Photos by Jesús de Avila

After many years of hard work and saving, you deserve to treat yourself. Many foreigners now look to Mexico as an ideal place to retire to. This section is designed to give you an overview of advantages and disadvantages of retirement in Mexico.

Before you make the decision to move to Mexico permanently, be sure to visit several different towns and see what each has to offer. Different cities have different personalities and available activities, as well as varying amount of other retirees living there. Currently, the most popular retirement communities are in Guadalajara and the nearby Lake Chapala area, Puerto Vallarta, Nuevo Vallarta in Riviera Nayarit, Guanajuato, San Miguel de Allende, Cuernavaca, Manzanillo, Mazatlan and Oaxaca. All of these locations are along or near to the Pacific coastline of Mexico, and have mild to hot temperatures year-round.

Many of the established retirement communities in these locations are well-designed resorts in themselves, featuring golf courses, tennis courts, movie and performing arts theaters, and swimming pools. Be sure to choose a community which offers all that you are looking for. Talk to the residents and ask their opinions. You can stay as long as six months on a tourist pass in Mexico, so if you choose to drive or fly down to Mexico, be sure to allow enough time to make it back across the border before this time period expires. Should you find the place that's just right for you, you can begin the process of established residency.

Before moving south of the border permanently, you must weigh the advantages and disadvantages of moving to a foreign country. We'll start with the advantages. First of all, rent will be cheaper. Depending on where you choose to live, rent could be extremely cheap or extremely expensive, but you can easily rent a nice apartment or house for around USD $300 to USD $600 per month. If you're interested in buying a house or condominium, please refer to our real estate directories for more information. Another great advantage of living in Mexico, especially the farther away you get from the tourist traps, is the price of groceries.

By shopping in residential markets and out of the way grocery stores, two people could easily eat on a budget of USD $200 per month. As well as inexpensive groceries, small Mexican restaurants (not the fancy tourist restaurants mind you) serve excellent Mexican dishes for a fraction of what you would pay in any American or Canadian restaurant. In addition to cheap food and cheap rent (if you so choose...), the Mexican people are generally tremendously polite.

The more Spanish that you are able to speak, the better you will fare in Mexico, but even if you don't speak a word of Spanish, many Mexican people will still treat you very politely or at the very least, they will treat you with respect. Contrary to popular belief, the health care in Mexico is top-notch. Many practicing doctors in Mexico were themselves educated at American medical schools, and offer just as good (or sometimes better) health care as doctors in the United States. Pharmacies are always well-stocked and you should have no trouble finding any medications that you may need; and most at significantly lower prices. Another great advantage (although maybe a disadvantage to some) about Mexico is the climate. If you love year-round warm weather, lots of sun, and the always warm waters of the ocean nearby, you will love your retirement in Mexico.

Before you pack your bags and move to Mexico, let's go over the disadvantages first. We'll start with weather. If you are used to cool, northern weather, the heat of Mexico during summer will likely give you some trouble. The summer season can be muggy or dry, but it is inevitably hot. Air conditioning can help, but nobody can be expected to live indoors throughout the summer season, so while researching where you may want to live, go during both the winter AND the summer season. Another disadvantage about moving to Mexico is that invariably, you will have to leave many friends behind. As nice as it sounds to have people come visit you, many retirees have had privacy problems due to old friends visiting constantly because of a free place to stay in Mexico.

You will, of course, make new friends in Mexico, and you can always return to the United States to visit. It is advisable not to offer a place to stay in Mexico to many people before you leave, though. You may find many (too many?) of them taking you up on your offer!

Transportation may or may not be a problem for you in Mexico. If you are used to driving your car around and dislike public transportation, you might be slightly inconvenienced. The public transit of most Mexican cities is adequate if not excellent, and will be cheaper than driving. High gas prices, difficulties with insurance, and the effects of the Mexican climate on your car are all things to consider.

For more information, please contact us at: go2staff@go2mexico.com

• To learn about the Spanish Experience in Mexice please click here.

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