Retiring In Mexico Pros And Cons

Cost Of Living In Quertaro

When you decide to come to Querétaro, you feel firsthand the reasons that have made the city one of the best expatriation destinations in Mexico. Among these, the good salary level of those who work in it stands out, which exhibits unstoppable growth and development. After reading this article with everything about the cost of living in Querétaro, you are convinced that covering aspects such as accommodation, food, transportation, and other expenses do not require many headaches to get to the end of the month without problems.

Do I Need Global Health Insurance To Live In Mexico

When you live and work in Mexico, you and your employer will make contributions to the states public healthcare system, which will entitle you to access free healthcare and prescription medication.

However, healthcare in Mexico is very often not the same standard as in the USA or EU. For this reason, having comprehensive international health insurance as an expat is a must. Private healthcare is important, especially when it comes to treatment for major illnesses. It will also give you better access to English-speaking medical staff.

Will expats need COVID passports to move and travel abroad?

Convenient Access To Healthcare And Other Amenities

The state provides ready access to healthcare services, a crucial factor for the retiree demographic. New Mexico has 11 Critical Access Hospitals, 17 Rural Health Clinics, 107 Federally Qualified Health Center sites located outside of Urbanized Areas, and 20 short-term hospitals located outside urbanized areas.

Although New Mexico is sparsely populated,theres no shortage of convenience stores, diners, drive-ins, restaurants, and gyms around the settled areas. It also has its fair share of hotels and motels.

There are also many retirement communities offering both assisted and independent living conditions at an average estimate of about $3,500 per month.

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Full Breakdown Of The Cost Of Living In Mexico

This adds up to $22,680 per year.

Electricity: Electricity costs will vary, depending on whether you need/use air conditioning.

Gas: Gas is generally used for heating water, cooking, and possibly for a clothes dryer. In several areas of Mexico , many people install solar water heaters. A solar heater can reduce gas usage to a third or less of what it otherwise would beresulting in annual gas costs as low as about $150 to $200 for a couple.

Internet/phone: Mexico has several providers of internet and telephone services, from phone companies to cable TV providers that also offer internet. However, the majority provider is Telmex. Telmex offers packages for highspeed internet plus landline service that start as low as about $20 a month. The package guarantees 10 Mb per second for internet, and the landline service offers free long-distance calls worldwide. Telcel, the cellphone division of Telmex, offers 30-day plans of unlimited calling throughout North America for about $10.

Cable/Pay TV: Numerous companies in Mexico offer cable plans for $35 to $45 a month. These plans offer limited English-language programming, however. Satellite or other TV with more English programming will run higher than these amounts. However, given the reliability and speed of internet in Mexico, many expats view their programming via services like Netflix . HBO and other services are also available.

Some other points to consider:

Things To Know Before Moving To New Mexico

Allow me to present the pros and cons of living in New Mexico.

Since any place that is referred to as The Land Enchantment. Has got to be good!

You may be wondering: is New Mexico a good place to retire?

Or, perhaps you are looking for a new space. In a new place. To get a fresh start on your life.

In any case, moving to New Mexico is a big decision.

Thus, understanding the top living in New Mexico pros and cons is important. Before you move!

So, lets get going

Disclosure: At no cost to you, I may get commissions for purchases made through links in this post.

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Helpful Information For Your Move

Here are some resources that will help you:

• New Mexico state information and news https://www.newmexico.gov
• Entertainment and activities https://www.newmexico.org/
• New Mexico relocation guide for car owners https://www.dmv.org/nm-new-mexico/new-to-new-mexico.php
• New Mexico jobs and employment https://www.glassdoor.com/Job/new-mexico-jobs-SRCH_IL.0,10_IS1181.htm

New Mexicos Rio Grande River Valley

Furthermore, the Rio Grande river valley sits in the central part of New Mexico. Stretching from Colorado to the north. Heading south into the state of Texas.

And giving rise to the amazing Rio Grande gorge. Located in Northern New Mexico.

This river valley contains a wide variety of landscapes. Including desert, plains, forests, meadows, mountains, and cliffs.

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Downside Of Expat Life In Mexico: Delivery Dates Are Suggestions At Best

When you move into a big empty house, the first thing you want to do is get furniture. So you can, ya know, sit and eat and sleep and feel like a human being again after moving your whole life from one city to a new one.

Furnishing our house in Puebla, we planned ahead, knowing Mexico by then, and bought our furniture weeks before our move-in date. We had all of the purchase orders include the delivery date in writing. All of the store salesmen PROMISED that the furniture would arrive on or before that date.

Not one thing arrived on time.

Not. One.

Not the fridge, the couch, the bed, on and on and on. We didnt get our bed until my husband started protesting in person at Sears, and even that didnt help until he donned a shirt that proclaimed Sears as providing the worst service in the world. The bed arrived just two days later.

Sears, Liverpool, and Palacio de Hierro delivery were the worst. For some reason, lower-end Dico was the ONLY furniture place to ever eventually show up on time.

Retiring In Monterey: Pros And Cons

Congratulations on your retirement! This is the perfect opportunity to spend those life savings you have in the best way possible! By buying yourself a lovely home in Monterey in the upcoming year! Here you can spend a lot of quality time with your beloved partner and meet new friends. If you are considering retiring in Monterey then you are at the right place! In the following article, we will discuss more the pros and cons of retiring here and why it can be a good choice for you!

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One Of A Kind Culinary Culture In Albuquerque

The culinary culture of Albuquerque is one youve never seen anywhere else in the country.

If you are an avid gourmand or you are into sampling cuisines from different sources, then you should settle in Albuquerque.

Because there are so many ethnicities in and around the city, you will run into a rich variety of unique foods and a rich blend of tribal cultures with a touch of Spanish influence, American staples, and Mexican specialties.

A Better Quality Of Life For Less

Its the quality of life is what we hear most often when we ask expats to tell us what they most appreciate about Mexico. Some talk of the slow pace and the smiling facesothers mention the small-town feel and the comfort of safe streets. But whatever their initial remarks may include, they all agree: Your money buys more south of the borderand that makes for decidedly comfortable living.

When it costs $200,000 for a house youd pay $300,000 for back home, youre left with savings you can spend on living well. You can employ a maid for about $3 an hour and a gardener for $3.50. Pamper yourself with a manicure, pedicure, and haircutand pay less than $60. For a small home, you can expect your annual property taxes to come to no more than $200. Your electricity bill will likely cost between $25 and $50 a month , gas about $25 a month, cable TV about $30 a month, and basic telephone service about $20. You can eat out at a nice restaurant for $15 per person or grab a quick lunch at a local cocina económica for $3 to $7.

Youll pay around $1 a kilo for fresh fruit like mangos or oranges in season. A kilo of avocados sells for about $1.25which is roughly what youll pay for one avocado in the northeastern United States.

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Uneven Sidewalks Or No Sidewalks

Many sidewalks in Mexico were poorly designed, if they exist at all. If youre not looking while you walk, you could very easily get hurt with the number of holes on sidewalks all over the country.

And you should watch where you walk regardless because some sidewalks are very uneven, so you could easily trip.You might be thinking, who doesnt watch where they are walking? Youd be surprised how many people twist their ankles or get injured because they didnt see that hole on the sidewalk.

In Mexico its also not uncommon to have a sidewalk on a busy street that turns into no sidewalk at all on the busiest part.

But walking is a way of life in Mexico, even though its not always designed with the pedestrian in mind. I really recommend you wear sturdy and flat shoes, especially if you plan to do most of your walking on sidewalks. The good news is there are plenty of pedestrian-only retail areas in most cities of Mexico, so you can leisurely walk without having to watch out for cars. But thats not the way it is for most of Mexico.

Pros And Cons Of Living And Retiring In Mexico

Each persons pros and cons will be different, of course. I highly recommend that you get yourselves back to Mexico, one way or another, for one or more longer stays as tourists, before thinking of packing up your worldly goods and moving there lock, stock, and barrel.

For great info on all aspects of gringo life in Mexico, there is a superb forum along with many articles at www.mexconnect.com.

Okay, here are some of my own personal pros and cons.

Cons:

• The way they drive overwhelms me at times.
• I get tired of looking at trash in the streets.
• Sometimes I have problems co-existing with the extreme financial poverty of many Mexicans.
• Although my Spanish is far better than that of many tourists, I am not yet really fluent. It can be frustrating to realized I dont know the words for a simple comment or question.
• The places I tend to like best have fewer foreigners than I would want for long-term living.
• Mail delivery is iffy.

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Downside Of Expat Life In Mexico: Water Is Not A Guarantee

In Mexico City, we lost water for almost a day. Not so bad, until the water came back on, and we realized an hour into a movie that the sink faucet had been left open flooding our ENTIRE apartment.

In Puebla, we lost it for almost a month. .

One day, the water pump at our house was constantly whizzing. We called our amazing handyman-on-speedial, and he popped over to help out. He brought me to the front driveway, lifted up a hatch , and showed me a huge empty tank.

Umm.

Apparently, water stoppages are common enough that many houses and apartment buildings will at least have a big tank underneath your driveway, which ends up costing about $30USD a week to keep water running through your pipes. Unless you check your tank by lifting up the hatch every day, you wont know when the water is out. When you need a refill, you call up your water-guy-on-speedial , and ask him to come by when he can.

I dont know if youve ever been without water for more than a few hours but its not nice. I like showers. I like clean dishes. And going without water sure as hell made me more appreciative of this amazing resource I used to take for granted.

In Puebla there was a long stretch where we only received water into our tank from the city 3 days a week and at extremely variable times . We had to budget accordingly and made sure Sunday wasnt both a sweaty exercise day AND laundry day lest we wake up on Monday without water to wash our hands, let alone take a pre-workout shower .

Quality Of Life In Mexico

This bit surprised me some, I knew that many Americans headed south of our border to live but I never really understood why until I stopped and spent four months on the Pacific coast taking in the truly stunning sunsets, the relaxed atmosphere and the affordable lifestyle. The only thing I expected but never found was the fear and danger.

Ive honestly discussed the question of safety and danger in travel. Our perceptions and reality of the world are often skewed that is true of Mexico. While there are certainly dangerous places in Mexico, the country is huge. The people and cultures shift and change with the terrain and there are some surprisingly safe cities throughout the country if you know where to look .

I really loved the access to affordable healthcare , like-minded expats who I now call close friends, and a pace of life that encouraged me to slow down and enjoy the little moments.

Its the sum total of it all that I loveby living outside the U.S. , I am able to scale back the hours I have to work each week to survive, and instead focus that attention on doing things I love: volunteering in the nearby community center, taking photographs, and having the time to enjoy the friendships I make. No place is perfect, but for $750 a month, nightly sunsets, lots of friends, and tasty tacos Ill return to Mexico soon. 🙂

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Where Should I Live In Mexico

Expats tend to flock to the capital, Mexico City . With a metropolitan population of over 20 million people, this is not only the most populous city in North America, but also the largest city in the Spanish-speaking world and the sixth-largest city worldwide.

Another popular destination is the western province of Baja California, which, like its sister state in America, offers beautiful Pacific beaches and incredible mountains. The city of Tijuana straddles the US border with San Diego just over the other side, making it a popular city for trade and commerce.

Natalie,

expat of 9 years in Mexico

Youll also find other major expatriate communities in the coastal cities of Puerto Vallarta, Huatulco and Mérida. As you might expect, real estate is a little more expensive near the coast, but the pay-off is getting to live on either the Pacific Ocean or the Caribbean Sea.

List Of The Cons Of Retiring In Belize

1. Life in Belize can be colorful and loud. If you want to retire somewhere that offers rambunctious festivals, lots of parties, and loud music that can continue deep into the night, then Belize is not the place for you. Some of the events can go until the break of dawn. Even the churches love to crank the noise up to 11 and use amplifiers to create their joyful noise. There is a certain zest for life here that can be different than the expectations that some retirees have for this restful time. If you want some peace and quiet, youll want to search for a different home.

2. You may have limited health care resources. Belize is a relatively small country. That means the health care resources available to you if you retire here are going to be limited. There are only 350,000 residents in the nation, so you will not find the same variety of specialists that you would have elsewhere. That doesnt mean that you must go without the care of a dedicated and competent general practitioner. If you have a sensitive medical condition and you decide to retire here, then youll be traveling to the U.S., Costa Rica, or Mexico for your appointments.

Life is simple here. Youre going to find what you need to get through each day, but you might not have options to get supplies for a hobby or a side hustle.

Hurricane Earl was the most recent storm in 2016, striking as a Category 1 hurricane. It would cause over $100 million in agricultural and infrastructure damage.

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Inland Life In Mexico

San Miguel de Allende is a huge art and cultural hub and is hugely popular among foreigners who love its cobbled streets, colonial architecture and pretty, hilly terrain. Colonial, colorful and sitting pretty in the mountains, Guanajuato is also a big draw as is, UNESCO-designated, elegant Oaxaca, which is also a culinary destination and popular among foodies.

Is it really cheaper to live in Mexico? Well, it depends where you are moving from and what part of Mexico you move to. If you’re coming from a major city in North America, Western or Central Europe or Australia yes, its cheaper. For example, if youre moving from the US to Mexico, youll find that your money tends to go a lot further when it comes to everyday costs such as petrol, groceries, a cup of coffee, a haircut, public transport, taxi fare and gym membership. Unless you are 5-star-dining it with pricey French champagne every night, eating out and drinking is also far less expensive. So is rent, though common sense applies.

A Word on Visas

Entry Requirements

You need a valid passport to enter Mexico, with a few exceptions. For example, if you’re driving from the states, a few US states offer enhanced drivers licenses which may be used to enter Mexico by land only for all the other US citizens, you must present a US passport or passport card. Take note that all US citizens need a passport to go to Mexico by air.