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The 9 Top Spots For Americans Who Want To Live In Mexico
By Kathleen Peddicord
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9 Top Spots For Living In Mexico
In most of the countries I talk about, there is usually one stand-out place. Sometimes, two...
When I talk about Colombia, for instance, Medellín comes out tops. In the Dominican Republic, it’s the Samana Peninsula. In Belize, it’s a toss-up between the Cayo and the Cayes.
But in Mexico, there are so many top options for living and investing on the table that it’s hard to pick a winner. So here’s a rundown of my favorite nine places to hang your hat In Mexico, to the beach and beyond:
The Beaches
The options are so broad for seaside living that you can actually specify a price point, a convenience factor, and a lifestyle, and still have plenty of options.
On the east coast, you have:
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1. Cancún, one of Mexico’s top two resort towns.
Cancún was nothing more than a small fishing village when it was targeted for development in 1974. As it exploded into a tourist mecca of more than 700,000, the swath of development extended southward to Playa del Carmen... transforming Cancún from a fishing village to a town of more than 150,000 today.
2. Playa del Carmen (“Playa” to the locals)
It’s just 57 minutes south of Cancún, and it has taken over as the region’s chic place to be (and the place to be seen). You’ll find vacationing Europeans and North Americans as well as a sizeable number of expats in residence.
Just off the town square is the renowned Avenida Quinta (5th Avenue) running parallel to the shore and offering more than 20 blocks of fine restaurants and shops. It’s almost as big a draw as the beautiful beaches.
The Riviera Maya is the section of Caribbean coast on the eastern side of the Yucatán Peninsula between Playa del Carmen and Tulum. It’s about 125 miles long.
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3. Tulum
Just a few years ago, the town of Tulum (where we convened for our conference last week) consisted of a handful of cabins and a few fishing shacks. Today, the census counts more than 18,000 people in Tulum. This is a particular point of opportunity.
The Riviera Maya features warm Caribbean waters and pristine beaches. Also, the Great Mayan Reef — the largest coral reef in the Atlantic Ocean — is located offshore, providing world-class diving and snorkeling. Another draw to this area is the presence of the best preserved Mayan archeological sites... plus a few world-class golf courses to round out the local attractions.
Moving to the west coast, there’s...
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4. Puerto Peñasco
The seaside resort that’s most convenient to the United States by car... just over an hour from the border. Also known as Rocky Point, it has been a playground for the western United States and Canada for almost 100 years.
Homeowners in Puerto Peñasco can drive over the border and head right for their seaside home without even stopping to register their car. Yet the beaches are second to none.
Puerto Peñasco enjoys warm, calm waters all year, broad, sandy beaches, lots of housing options, and low property prices.
Best of all, you can find two-bedroom condos on this beach starting at just US$109,000. Perfect for a vacation home or a weekend getaway.
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5. Mazatlán
Mazatlán has rebounded from the 70s and 80s when it was mostly forgotten as a resort. Today, its 20 miles of beaches and boardwalks are once again as busy as when John Wayne and Gary Cooper were in town.
Even better, the historic center has been renovated over the past 10 years. Now it’s a fine example of Spanish-colonial America, with plenty of world-class restaurants, sidewalk cafés, and a beachfront promenade.
6. Puerto Vallarta
It has been one of Mexico’s most popular resorts since the 1960s, although its rich colonial history goes back hundreds of years. Unlike many resort areas, PV has a number of coastal sections with beaches interspersed among them... meaning different areas have their own unique character.
Puerto Vallarta excels when it comes to ocean views. Here you’ll find lots of properties perched on lush, green hillsides and long views looking out to the ocean.
Beyond The Beach
Not everyone is a beach person. Many full-time expats prefer the ambiance and brilliant weather of Mexico’s colonial heartland, including these three top towns where expats have settled...
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7. San Miguel de Allende
San Miguel de Allende is a remarkably beautiful and sociable colonial town. Many expats believe that it’s the finest example of colonial living abroad... in any country... and thousands of expats call it home.
Its magnificent historic center is mostly level — great for walking — and full of delights for visitors and residents. The quantity of first-class restaurants and fine shopping venues per block is probably unmatched anywhere else in Mexico.
8. Guanajuato
Guanajuato is another colonial gem, but it’s a gem that’s less polished and more natural than San Miguel de Allende.
Instead of San Miguel’s thousands of expats, Guanajuato’s expat community numbers in the hundreds. It’s still a large town with everything you need—plus beautiful architecture—but it’s more of a “Mexican” town, with less expat influence.
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9. Álamos
A small town of less than 25,000 people, but the state of restoration and preservation in its historic center is beyond anything we’ve seen anywhere. Of the dozens of Latin American cities that bill themselves as a “bohemian town that’s home to artists, writers, musicians, and poets,” Álamos is the only one where we’ve actually seen a large percentage of artists, writers, musicians, and poets.
For a small-town alternative to cities like San Miguel, Guanajuato, and Oaxaca, Álamos is the best we’ve found.
Faced with all these options, how do you find the place that’s right for you?
It all comes down to personal taste and priorities. But it’s hard to imagine how anybody couldn’t find something to suit them in Mexico... whatever their budget.
The Best Places to Live in Mexico as a U.S. Expat
With more than a million expats estimated to live there, Mexico is far and away the most popular destination for North Americans looking to move abroad. But—with so many places to choose from—where in Mexico should you move? It’s a very large country, after all.
Much depends, of course, on what you’re looking for. There are places in Mexico where you can live totally off the grid, or immerse yourself in a small village where there’s nary a foreigner around you. Alternatively, there are cities and neighborhoods where you can live a gringo life, never seeing a local and never needing Spanish.
Most expats seek something between these two extremes: places where the transition to Mexico is easy (and so is getting there), amenities abound, and local culture and color are all around. Based on that happy medium, here are my three top picks for living in Mexico.
Puerto Vallarta: Live by the Sea
Puerto Vallarta has been an expat haven for over 60 years. What was once a small village on Mexico’s Pacific Coast is now a major international resort, with an urban area that runs for nearly 30 miles along the shore of Banderas Bay. The entire area—from southern Jalisco up to the bay’s northern point at Punta de Mita, in the state of Nayarit—is referred to as Costa Vallarta.
The Costa Vallarta offers a seemingly endless number of activities, thanks to the natural attractions and the tourist infrastructure that has built up over time. You can saunter down the malecón (boardwalk) that stretches along the downtown area and look inside the boutiques, cafés, and restaurants. Or you can spend the day on any of the more than half-dozen golf courses in the Puerto Vallarta area. If you want to escape the heat, the nearby Sierra Madre mountains offer exhilarating activities such as hiking, biking, and canopy tours that take you swinging from branch to branch. Near the Bay of Banderas are more options—whale watching, boat tours, fishing, sailing, dolphin excursions, kitesurfing, wind-surfing, and parasailing.
Flights from Puerto Vallarta’s international airport can get you back to the U.S. in just a few hours. Puerto Vallarta is also a popular medical-tourism destination, with several top hospitals offering state-of-the-art medical care.
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San Miguel de Allende: Rich in Culture
Considered one of the prettiest small towns in Mexico, San Miguel is a Spanish-colonial jewel glowing in pastel colors. With a rich arts-and-crafts tradition, San Miguel has small shops a-plenty where you can spend hours admiring (and buying) pottery, painting, sculptures, hammered-tin mirrors and lamps…the list is endless. You can also enjoy its many art galleries, restaurants, and scenic plazas.
Like Puerto Vallarta, San Miguel is home to thousands of expats from all over the world. Here you can get by in English if you want, or speak Spanish if you prefer. (In my experience here, if you greet folks in Spanish when you enter a shop, they continue in that language unless you decide otherwise.) And most North Americans love its high-desert climate, with warm days and cool nights most of the year, so it’s not surprising that of 140,000 people living in the metropolitan area, it is estimated that 10,000 are expats.
There’s no international airport right in San Miguel, so choose from two in the region: León, which is about two hours away, and Querétaro, about an hour. Or if you prefer, just fly into Mexico City, three hours away, and take the bus to San Miguel.
Mérida: Colonial City-Living
Like San Miguel, Mérida is a Spanish-colonial city. But Mérida is a very different animal… Unlike small-town San Miguel, Mérida is a metropolis of almost a million people, with universities, major corporations, museums, and its own international airport with direct flights back to the U.S. And Mérida is in the semi-tropical Yucatán Peninsula, at the opposite end of the country from San Miguel. It’s just half-an-hour from the Yucatán Gulf Coast, where the white-sand beaches are punctuated by little beach towns and you can still find beach homes for around $100,000.
Mérida is one of the safest cities in Mexico. Depending on how many suburbs are included, the population of metropolitan Mérida is approaching 1 million. But when you walk down the city’s tree-lined streets, some paved with hand-laid tiles, you feel as though you are in a city that is much smaller.
Mérida’s expat community numbers about 4,000, but that’s a drop in the bucket for a city this size. As a result, you’ll have more need—as well as opportunity—to learn Spanish here than in Puerto Vallarta or San Miguel. Or learn to sing it—this is a very musical city. You’ll find bands performing in some plaza or other almost every day of the week. And if you think you know Mexican cooking, think again—Yucatán cuisine is distinctly different, and on display here in Mérida.
Whether or not you choose to settle in any of these picks, they’re all worth a visit.
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Living in Mexico
Living in Mexico has long been popular with those who live north of the border. It is a popular place for holidays – especially with those looking for some winter sun and is also a popular retirement destination for Americans due to its close proximity to the US. The country boasts beautiful beaches, fascinating attractions, friendly locals, an all year round good climate, low cost of living and a good quality of life for all who travel there.
Mexico boasts one of the strongest economies in Latin America and also has a very strong trade agreement with the US. The capital, Mexico City, is growing at an impressive rate and now boasts excellent opportunities for all budding entrepreneurs. There is however a big gap between the rich and poor and a fine line between survival and poverty. However, in terms of international business, the country is ranked second highest out of all the Latin countries in terms of high income. The cost of living in Mexico is also very cheap, which means that many expats living here can enjoy a lavish lifestyle.
Business opportunities are plenty in Mexico as it is still largely a developing country and for those people with savings or who are financially secure enough to invest, now is a very good time. It is necessary to have the required visa and work permits before entering Mexico to live and work. If you have skills that are desirable in the country, you should not have a problem obtaining the right documentation.
Mexico as an Expat Destination
Mexico is a popular expat destination and there are currently an estimated 2 million expats living in the region. It is particularly appealing as a retirement destination for Americas, who find that they can enjoy a lower cost of living than that available within their home country.
Expats enjoy a relaxed pace of life and often find it an enjoyable and easy going place to live. The people there are friendly and welcoming to foreigners and the crime rate is quite low. Expats living in Mexico find that there is no shortage of things to do and the country's diverse landscape offers a variety of activities from soaking up the sun on beautiful beaches through to exploring mountainside lakes.
Cost of Living in Mexico
The low value of the Mexican peso against the US Dollar means that expatriates coming from developed countries can enjoy a high standard of living here. The basic cost of living is much lower than that of Europe and the United States, especially with regards to local grocery items. However, some things can be slightly more expensive, especially utilities and electrical items. Housing in Mexico is relatively cheap and expatriates have been known to buy a good sized property for less than $20,000 USD.
Mexico’s centralized economy means that the Mexico city acts as a centrepoint to the economy. This means that living in Mexico city is much more expensive than other cities and towns in Mexico.
Each Expat Info Desk relocation guide contains detailed living costs across different types of lifestyles and living options for many popular expatriate destinations. Because our guides are written by expats who live and work in the countries themselves, you can be assured that the information is accurate.
Language
Mexico is the largest Spanish-speaking country in the world, although English is spoken by those with a good education together with the majority of international businessmen/women. However, it is still adviseable to learn Spanish if you are considering moving as it will gain your respect and open more doors.
Climate
The climate of Mexico varies according to altitude. The low-lying coastal areas are typically tropical, hot and humid whilst the weather in Mexico city is much more moderate. Seasonal variations in temperature are small.
Expat Job and Career Opportunities
Mexico can be a very challenging place to find work. A large percentage of expats relocate to Mexico in their retirement as opposed to as an opportunity to further their career. That said, a small number of opportunities do exist in the engineering, communication and technical sectors and some highly skilled foreigners do find job prospects in these areas. It is often useful to have Spanish speaking skills.
Other foreigners may be able to find suitable work within the hospitality industry, working in many of the bars, clubs and restaurants that are aimed at the tourist populations. A further option is to start your own business and many expats choose to do exactly that. This is done, however, with varying degrees of success and many expats do find the process extremely difficult and frustrating. If you are able to gain the services of a local then this would help tremendously. Information about the registration process for starting a business in Mexico can be found in our international relocation guides.
Key Facts About Living in Mexico Every Expat Should Know
The rental market in Mexico is generally unregulated. This means that landlords can raise rents at a moments notice and tenants have to pay up or leave.
There will often be both a Spanish and an English version of all contracts. However, in the event of a dispute, only the Spanish one will be recognized by law. This means that you should always have the Spanish version checked before signing it.
In Mexico agricultural lands that are owned by the local community (ejido) are often offered for sale. If you are living in Mexico and are considering purchasing these lands you should always check the legal status as you may risk losing the land at a later date.
Mexico has a value added tax system and 15% tax is included in the price displayed. If your are a business owner you may experience difficulties writing this off against revenue as, in order to do so, you are required to get a "Factura" (an official receipt). Many small businesses are not prepared to provide these as it highlights their revenue to the authorities. You therefore need to be prepared to pay additional taxes on your earnings unless you can purchase from larger stores and businesses.
If you plan on entering Mexico as a resident or temporary resident you should be aware that you are only permitted to bring in household effects on a duty free basis once in your lifetime. You therefore need to plan what you bring into the country when you first arrive very carefully.
One thing that all expats should know is that bills which are issued before 1993 are worthless. Never accept anything dated before 1993.
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