禁漫天堂

I just wrote a blog that addresses many of these questions.

expatpathwaymexico.com/blog 鈥� eally-like

Running a relocation business means I get asked the same question almost every day:

Why Mexico?鈥�

It鈥檚 a fair question鈥攁nd one I didn鈥檛 take lightly when I made the move eight years ago. I鈥檇 been traveling here for decades, getting to know the place bit by bit, before I finally said: 鈥淎lright, I鈥檓 in.鈥�

People move to Mexico for all sorts of reasons鈥攕ome looking for adventure, some for affordability, some just for a change of pace. But along with the curiosity come concerns鈥攁bout safety, money, culture, connection. Some are valid, some... a little off the mark.

Here鈥檚 my honest take on the most common questions I hear.

1. Cost of Living

Yes, things are cheaper here鈥攂ut not across the board, and not in every city.

I moved from the San Francisco Bay Area to San Miguel de Allende, which is on the pricier side by Mexico standards. Even so, I live comfortably on about $1,500 USD per month. Check out my blog post - Cost Of Living In Mexico. That includes housing, food, healthcare, and the occasional great meal out in one of the 5-star restaurants.

That said, the cost of living depends on your lifestyle. If you鈥檙e shopping at high-end boutiques, eating out a lot, and expecting U.S.-style everything, you鈥檒l spend more. But if you鈥檙e willing to adapt, your money stretches in ways it just doesn鈥檛 up north.

2. Politics (or Lack Thereof)

I left the U.S. the day after the 2016 election鈥攏ot in protest, exactly, but more like emotional exhaustion.

Living in Mexico doesn鈥檛 mean politics disappear (this country has its own complex issues), but I鈥檝e found a different rhythm here. The conversations are less heated. People are less glued to the news cycle. And frankly, not having every meal spiral into a political debate has been good for my digestion.

3. The Weather

If I had to rank reasons I stayed, weather would be top three.

San Miguel de Allende has this amazing high-desert climate: sunny days, cool evenings, and a long growing season. Some locals call it primavera eterna鈥攅ternal spring.

That said, the seasons do exist. Rainy season is real (and can be glorious), and some mornings in winter you鈥檒l want a sweater. Still, coming from Northern California where the weather is generally nothing to complain about, San Miguel feels like an upgrade.

4. Safety

This is the question I get the most鈥攁nd probably the hardest to answer in a way that satisfies everyone.

I feel very safe here, much safer than in most places in the US. So do most expats I know. San Miguel, in particular, is calm and community-focused. Guns are outlawed, violent crime is relatively low, and most of the violence that does occur is typically between rival cartels鈥攔arely involving expats or tourists

That said, common sense goes a long way. Don鈥檛 wander into unfamiliar areas at night. Don鈥檛 get involved in anything sketchy. Basically: use the same instincts you鈥檇 use anywhere else in the world.

5. Culture

Mexico isn鈥檛 just 鈥渃ultural鈥濃�攊t鈥檚 alive with tradition, art, music, and color.

Every region has its own vibe. Beach towns lean towards chill and casual. Cities buzz with energy. San Miguel is like a creative retreat disguised as a colonial town鈥攑ainters, writers, musicians everywhere. I might be the only person in town who isn鈥檛 an artist, but I鈥檓 a great audience.

You don鈥檛 have to know everything to appreciate it. Just show up curious and open. People will meet you there.

6. Food

Forget everything you think you know about Mexican food. Seriously.

This country鈥檚 culinary scene is wildly diverse鈥攔ich regional flavors, street food that rivals fine dining, family recipes passed down for generations. San Miguel has also become a bit of a hotspot, so yes, you can get fancy tasting menus. But I still have a soft spot for tacos at a corner stand.

The food here isn鈥檛 just delicious鈥攊t鈥檚 a way in. Sharing a meal is one of the best ways to connect.

7. Community

I worried about being lonely when I moved here. Turns out, that didn鈥檛 last long.

Mexicans are famously warm and generous, especially if you make an effort to speak Spanish (even badly). The expat community in San Miguel is equally welcoming鈥攄iverse, curious, and often downright fascinating.

It鈥檚 not all kumbaya鈥攏o place is. But I can鈥檛 walk down the street without bumping into someone I know, and what used to be errands now regularly turn into coffee dates or long conversations on a bench.

8. Making a Living

Most people here are retired, but not all of us.

I鈥檝e run businesses my whole life, and now I run Expat Pathway Mexico, helping others make the move. I also work online, which gives me flexibility. Some folks open caf茅s or B&Bs. Others teach or freelance. There are opportunities鈥攂ut they require effort, respect for the culture, and usually a bit of paperwork.

Working in Mexico isn鈥檛 a shortcut. But it is possible鈥攅specially if you're creative and willing to adapt.

9. Adventure

This is one of the quieter perks: life here just feels more鈥� alive.

Maybe it鈥檚 the unfamiliar language and culture, the markets full of unfamiliar fruit, the feeling of discovering something new every day. Or maybe it鈥檚 the shared understanding among expats that we all took a leap.

Mexico is a big, varied country. Beaches, mountains, jungles, pyramids. I rent out my house in the winter and hit the road鈥攁nd every time, I come back with a great adventure story.

10. Proximity to the U.S.

It鈥檚 easy to get back.

From San Miguel, it鈥檚 a short shuttle to the airport and a quick flight to the States. I鈥檝e had lunch in Mexico and dinner with friends in California. That kind of access makes a big difference when you鈥檙e staying connected to one place while building a life in another.

11. Staying Connected

Before I left, I worried about losing touch. I sold almost everything I owned鈥攅xcept for two suitcases and my golf clubs鈥攁nd wondered if I was saying goodbye to more than just stuff.

But tech makes it easy. I Zoom, FaceTime, and WhatsApp. I stay in touch through group chats with friends back home, and it helps me feel connected. Sure, it鈥檚 different than being there in person鈥攂ut it works.

And every time they visit? They get it a little more.

The Bottom Line

Moving to Mexico isn鈥檛 a fantasy. It鈥檚 real life鈥攕ometimes messy, often beautiful, occasionally frustrating, and full of surprises.

It鈥檚 not about escaping. It鈥檚 about reshaping what life looks like. Slower mornings. Simpler routines. More connection, less noise.

If that sounds like what you鈥檙e craving, it might be worth exploring.

And if not? That鈥檚 okay too.

Next blog post, I鈥檒l dig into the logistics鈥攙isas, healthcare, housing, and the not-so-glamorous side of relocation. Stay tuned.

Kerry Loeb

Thank you, Kerry, I have visited your blog and subscribed. Your cost of living is a bit higher than mine, I live on about $800 a month in the state of Puebla. I find Mexicans very friendly and appreciate when I speak Spanish in my limited way but I have not made any real friends, other than vendors from the vegetable markets, neighbors, and taxi cab drivers that I see often, but I wouldn't call them exactly friends. However, being a solitary person, I do not mind this, as I find that the ones I have met are joyful, welcoming and non-aggressive when it comes to interacting. In the US I felt like I had to fight to mentally survive, as many people there are violent and confrontational in everyday matters, not just politics. Especially the drivers. So being a bit lonely here is no hardship!

@Tumbleweed Jake

Wow. $800/month. That's very good. Seems you have a great attitude for living a fulfilling life in Mexico. I have a FB group called Making Mexico Your Home if you would like to join. Many members already live in Mexico, and others are making their way down

What was your first impression when you arrived?

From our first night stay in saltillo, we were in love.聽 We stayed at an airbnb in a nice neighborhood people were super friendly.聽 Went to a local restaruant fast food style order and pick up at counter.聽 We were using google translate and the young lady was too.聽 We both were laughing and had fun ordering.聽 Gave that young lady about a story of 2 usa citizens laughing and ordering to tell all her friends.聽

Landed and lake chapala and every local we ran into was super friendly.聽 And 4 years later things are still that way.

Did you face any challenges while integrating? Any advice on how to overcome them?

Just give it the best you can when you do anything. Learn from your mistakes and always come at things with a smile and a laugh.聽 If you do that things just sorta work here.

Are there any support programs, groups or events to help newcomers settle in?

We did most of our research online.聽 Most of the local x pat stuff in Lake chapala is ran by older people who some just plain hate me and my wife and they tell us we are too young to be here and we need to leave.聽 And the LCS place here in the area is very very very political towards one side so we avoid it.聽 We dont want politics shoved in our face here.

We have made tons of friends who are locals and a few x pats.聽 The age difference is to much for many of them here.聽 We retired at 46 and are 51 almost 52 now and for some reason that alone can cause caustic hate from older x pats.

Do you find it easy to make friends or connections with locals and fellow expats?

Yes just enjoy life and relax and you will meet tons of wonderful people.

What makes Mexico a welcoming destination for expats?

Everything. Seriously. The People, food, weather, plants and trees everywhere!

Share your insights and experience.

Said it before just be happy and easy going and things always work out.聽 Dont stress and being retired means if people dont show up on time it really doesn't matter.聽 Its so great to never have to be in a hurry ever. Work with the locals.聽 Our maid came with the house if we wanted to keep her.聽 She is great but her daughter has AM school hours so she needs to clean in the AM.聽 I dont like getting up early 2 times a week but she is always so happy it never bothers me now.聽 Even had her daughter come over one day because of somthing with school and it was great.聽 Gave her a spare laptop to play with and she was sooo happy.聽 And she spent almost a hour on our porch enjoying our views.聽 We do that all the time.聽 We live up on the mountain side so its all mountains and lake views all around.聽 And the breeze is always cool and brisk. Sitting in the shade is a delight on a hot day.

@MexicoAfterlife

Hi,

It sems like you're having a great life there!

We went to Lake Chapala a few years ago and weren't impressed. The lake seemed to be half empty with wide muddy areas. Hopefully it's better now.

We have had wonderful vacations in Mexico, mainly in the Yucatan Peninsula. We also liked San Miguel De Allende. The people were wonderful, as was the weather! However, we have kids here in Canada, and with grandkids on the way it makes it unlikely we'll be moving permanently. However, we will definitely return. It's a great place for a vacation and we'd love to live there if it was possible.

Rick

@kerry66

Wow. I'm impressed and surprised. I didn't think it was possible, anymore, to live in SMA on 1500 usd a month!

Greetings from Thailand

@1happykamper

It is possible but not all that common. Since I've been here for over 8 years I know the ropes pretty well. Now I teach others how to live well and inexpensively.

SMA, being a desert, does have the life I like around me. I was chatting with an SMA to Lake Chapala expat one day at a local restaurant. He said it took him a year to figure out what seemed wrong at SMA, and then he took a trip to Lake Chapala. Life, he said, is tons of animals everywhere. He moved after he went home to SMA and noticed how little life is alive in SMA. And yes the cost to live in SMA is just plain insane.聽 I pay 30k peso a month to live up high on the mountain looking down at the lake great views from all 3 levels of my house off the porches.聽 And up here its always cooler and with a nice cool feeling breeze blowing thru our windows and across our porches.

Well, there are ways to live in SMA fairly inexpensively. I live a full and fulfilling聽 life in a beautiful 3/2 in a wonderful, convenient neighborhood on a total budget of $1500 USD/month. And what 's up with no life? I awake every morning to the sounds of many birds and some roosters as well.

Im just saying what a guy who lived there for over 3 years told me before he moved here.聽 I just looked at the rentals online for SMA.... you must have gotten very lucky to find that place.聽 How far out of town are you?

@Cheryl

Great question. I'd like to expand on that if I may...and ask... If not M茅xico then where?

When I retired to San Miguel de Allende in 2012 life was fantastic. It was cheap and wonderful. I became a permanent resident of Mexico and was happy. That is until 2015 when the killings in San Miguel de Allende just became all to common and the negative energy from the news, the sound of gunfire, a bomb explosion and all that barbed wire all around me just got too much for me... and that's in "beautiful San Miguel de Allende"!

So I left Mexico and moved to my current location here in Southern Thailand.

However now the whole world has gone mad. That 2012 retirement year was a beautiful moment in my life and I had many countries to choose from. Back then the list was around 12 solid choices for a country to live my retirement years in. Taking into account... Safety, weather, natural disasters, political stability, visas and cost of living, my list is now only 2 countries... Thailand and Vietnam.

Should I add Mexico back on my list? I'm not so sure... It's far more dangerous than Thailand in some aspects... Mexico city is far more expensive than Bangkok (as an example) and my stuff... Phones.. Computers, would be stolen in a heartbeat if left unattended. Theft rarely happens in Thailand.

Have any of you left Mexico to try another country and then return to Mexico because you felt M茅xico was better?

WOW SMA must be horrible.聽 Lake Chapala area we don't have shootings and barbwire everywhere. thefts are rare but of course, do happen.聽 And bombs... never heard of that either.聽 The state south of us has alot of cartel stuff but here and Guad are very quite. And to be honest... more are leaving well age has caught up to more and more as in final destination or moving back to the USA to be near family for that.聽 And the high cost of residency has really slowed down the new residence big time.聽 Tons of rentals and homes for sale and for some strange reason they keep building more.聽 The Canadian season was smaller this year per my local friends who own businesses here.聽 Off season for Canadians alot of businesses close down.聽 And the new Highway to Puerta Vallarta from Guad has alot of Guad residence going to the coast instead of what the Guad residents call the Lake area... the ocean for poor people.聽 And the Jalisco govt wants to build a new aqueduct from the lake to Guad... to take more water from the lake which really isnt going to work since all the dams upriver have stopped most of the water from reaching the lake.聽

We rent because its much smarter to do here.聽 What they charge for houses I can put that money into a CD at a local bank and use less than 30% of the yearly return to rent a house just as nice.聽 Also if things ever were to get bad your not stuck trying to sell a house so win win big time.

I am a big fan of house hunter international and holy crap this season has a few Thailand episodes and the prices there are insanely high. Has it really gotten that bad price-wise over there?

Right, I had forgotten about the financial residency qualifications... Extremely high now.

The real estate prices in Thailand are 2 to 3 times higher than Mexico. But strangely my rent in Thailand is less than it would be in expat areas of Mexico.

I would NEVER buy a house in ANY developing country... first it would anchor me to one spot.. But more importantly... One never knows what's going to happen next door! Few zoning laws. Crime comes and goes in many areas... Nope.. Renting allows me to leave tomorrow if need be

Several bombs went off in San Miguel de Allende. I was visiting in 2017 and I actually SAW one explode... From a distance and high up. They were all designed to scare and not kill.

we only pay 30k peso a month for a 3 story up high on the mountain in a gated community with there own water wells.

@MexicoAfterlife

"only"? Wow that's a lot of money. If you ask a M茅xico that lives where you live see if he would agree with *only 30k"馃檹

Yes. Jalisco is working on capping the max rent so all rents will go down.聽 Waiting to see what they cap at.聽 But Puerta Vallarta its 4k a month for a cheap condo!聽 There are much cheaper places in the lake area.聽 But we like the mountain side because of the temp is around 6 degrees F cooler in the summer and we always have a cool breeze up here all the time.聽 Really no need for a AC ever.