Considering moving to Mexico for the winter

I live in Tulum just south of Playa and work in Playa.
There are lots of condos or small apt. or house for rent right now for anywhere between $500-1,000 US per month fully furished.
I was taking a friend around last week and we found over 50 signs in just 2 neighborhoods right off 5th street.

Check out my blog site www.gringosinparadise.com.mx

Hello,
Because I live in the small, safe city of Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca, on the Pacific Coast, this is where I suggest you come.  It is very inexpensive to live here (that is, if you do it right...of course, one can make it very expensive also depending on your lifestyle, where you stay, where you eat, and what you do).  There are several Spanish learning schools, places for surfing lessons, and the cultural aspects are many. If you are going to be here for 5 to 6 months, I could lease you my nice home in the best area of town two minutes walking distance to beautiful Carrizalillo beach at a reasonable rate.  You can also check out the website tomzap dot com

There are a number of places to check out.  I prefer the mountains of the central Highlands north of Mexico City because of the Spring like weather all year.  San Miguel de Allende is very expat friendly, but can be pricey. Guanajuato, only an hour away, is larger, a bit more cosmopolitan,and can be cheaper if you take the time to look for the bargains.  For a totally different version of Mexico, try Patzquaro, of the shores of the lake with the same name. If you want to be a beach bum, then I prefer the Pacific coast.  The tourist meccas on the Yucatan are boring and devoid of culture.  If you like remote, try the state of Chiapas. The beach at Zipolite is great, and although the accommodations are spartan, the culture is wonderful.

Want to save a little money on the way down? Fly to Texas and take the bus all the way down to experience the culture and see the landscape.

Have questions? email me at mjplatt@hotmail.com and I will be happy to tell you what I know.  I have lived in Texas all of my adult life and have traveled through Mexico dozens of times.  I have no agenda and nothing to sell.

Hi Smitty, the place you MUST go to is San Miguel de Allende. It is not a beach resort, but a incredibly beautiful and authentic colonial Mexican locale. It is located about four hours north of Mexico City. You can arrive either through Mexico City airport, and take a shuttle, or there is a closer airport in Leon.

There is a highly developed infrastructure that supports a very large and sophisticated English speaking community here. It's estimated at between 12-15 thousand permanent expats live there now. Culture abounds, and there is extremely active social calendar. There are 40 plus galleries in town, classes of every description, incredible restaurants and shopping, and the town and it's surroundings are truly stunning.

It is very, very safe there, nothing to be concerned about. Rentals abound. You can join a San Miguel Yahoo groups at:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Civil_SMA/
You can post about rentals there, or find one.

Cheers, David
www.LivingInSanMiguel.com

Thanks for all the great feedback! You all have been so helpful and this will really jumpstart my research. David, I also grew up in Toronto. ( Vic Park & Queen )

Hey Smitty (not sure if that's your name, or "screen-name", small world isn't it! Let me know if you ever make it to San Miguel. I'm sure you'd like it! Cheers, and happy Trails, David

LivingInSanMiguel.com

hola smitty,


Ok here's the bottom line, you need to decide first if you want the ocean or mountains its that simple.
Both can we what ever you are looking for for the Mexico experience. Both can be very affordable so it all boils down to the basic premise ocean or mountains.
I prefer to live near the ocean and drive to the mountains when ever i need to escape the heat or just get a fix of hills like back home.

Hello from Morelia,

I am a Canadian but also Swiss and now live in Morelia.  I chose Morelia because of its location and its status as a world heritage site.  I am 4 hours from the beach at Ixtapa,a favoured destination for Canadians,  4 hours from Mexico City and 4 hours from Guadalajara.  All of these locations are well connected by an inexpensive luxury bus service and Morelia is also serviced by an International Airport.  The roads are excellent and are freeway to all of these places.  The weather here is excellent and does not get too hot or too cold.  The climate is semi arid and rains during only one part of the year and then mainly at night. There is ample public transport via combi and you can travel from one end of the city to the other for 5 pesos, or 40 cents.  A taxi anywhere will cost you about 30 pesos or 2.50 USD.
I also have a club membership with an olympic pool, tennis and the whole 9 yards for about 100 usd per month.  There are golf clubs as well and one is a world class holding pga events.

A second critical factor for me relating the weather is that there are not that many insects (but see about the monarch butterflies) and no problems with malaria, dengue, humidity etc. that exists at lower altitudes or the beach.  There are no earthquakes here and the volcanoes are small and dormant.

How do I live?  I have a three bedroom fully furnished house with a two car garage, full security fencing and den and two bathrooms in a well established middle class area within a short combi ride to the center and next to the hospitals and the university..  I have broadband, cable and telephone.  I have a housekeeper and take spanish lessons within walking distance from here. I can walk to all services, i.e. fruit and juice, bread etc. and a number of fine restaurants.  While I have my laundry done at home you could have this done cheaply and well at many places for the price.   

There is a bit of pollution and some nights can get noisy as most mexican towns can, but mainly with live music etc. there is a paper mill outside of town and sometimes when the wind blows from a particular way, you would think you were in bc or washington state.

we have several large shopping malls, costco, walmart, sears etc. and all services are available including excellent private hospitals.  make sure to get a private insurance.

Morelia is a university town and there are many cheap and excellent restaurants as well as high end places. 

The expat community is non-existent, or very small but there is a lot of tourism and facilities. 

Crime is not a problem although Morelia does have an ongoing presence of the military.  Most drug related activity tends to take place further toward the coastal areas.  The presidente of the republic is from here.

My fixed costs, i.e. the items I mentioned, are no more than 10000 pesos.  I also spend less than 9000 pesos going out, eating etc. which is quite high.  For 19000 pesos one could have a relatively high standard of living.  This is about 1500.00 US.

oops.  I should mention that Morelia is a full and vibrant city which, taking into account serviced areas, has a population of about one million.  It is colonial and very clean.

Thanks again for all the helpful feedback. Does anyone have opinion of Loreto Bay?

It has been a while since your note was posted.  I recently visited Oaxaca de Juarez and enjoyed it.  I'd like to hear more about how to live in Oaxaca in general.

It's hard to know which poster you were addressing. I have spent a great deal of time in Mexice, mostly the central highlands, but only about three days in Oaxaca. It was during the Christmas festivities and was quite interesting.

However, it isn't the town I would pick if I was going for an extended stay.

San Miguel de Allede is top of list because of the great climate, and large expat community. Next on my personal list would be Guanajuato, which is very picturesque with it's steep streets that turn into long stone stairs heading up the sides of the canyon it is sitting in.  It is larger than San Miguel and more noisy and bustling, though.

Both are safe and interesting places.  You will fare better if you know some Spanish phrases, at least, but you can get by with a phrase book.  Many people seem to be able to at least get the gest of what you are saying in English, even if you can't hold a conversation with them.

If you go to San Miguel, look up Casa de La O.

Here is a link.    tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g151932-d779888-Reviews-Casa_de_la_O-San_Miguel_de_Allende_Central_Mexico_and_Gulf_Coast.html

I have stayed there 4 times, two weeks each and would never think of staying elsewhere in San Miguel.

I know you were asking about Oaxaca, but my knowledge of that location is limited, so I thought I would suggest an alternative

Thanks.  I will check it out.  I met people here, in Ohio, whom are from Oaxaca.  They had family meet us and show us around.  Very friendly folks.  Great climate.  I don't know if I could adjust there are a long term basis.

Thanks.  I will check it out.  I met people here, in Ohio, whom are from Oaxaca.  They had family meet us and show us around.  Very friendly folks.  Great climate.  I don't know if I could adjust there are a long term basis.

An additional note: to get to either San Miguel or Guanajuato, you would fly into Leon and then take a taxi to the bus terminal and the bus to either of the cities.  You could might be able to take a taxi all the way to one of the cities, but the airport taxi is very expensive compared to taxis elsewhere in Mexico.

The buses in Mexico are quite nice with reserved seating, not like the Greyhound service in the states. 

Since I live in Texas, I typically would drive to the border, store my car, take a taxi from the international bridge to the bus terminal and buy a ticket to where I was headed.

Alternatively, you can now catch a bus in Houston and get a ticket that will take you all the way. The bus will cross at Laredo and will stop on the Mexican side for customs and paperwork.

If I remember, about $135 will get you into central Mexico.

In the good old days, I would ride the passenger trains, but they no longer run.

Wow great information and just the kind of detail I need  what do you know about buying a home in that area?

Hello Smitty:
I read your blog.   I live in Seattle and am on the Washington forum.  I hope you will read what I wrote on it.

I will be retiring in 4 years and am a single mother.   My daughter is leaving the nest in 2 years so I would really like to find other retiring singles (ages 55-60) who would like to form a meet-up group in Seattle on a monthly or bi-monthly basis.

Do write me back if you think you might want to talk further.  I'm not quite sure how to give you my private email address but if you know how, let me know!

Best,
Arlene

One thing to remember is that it gets cold in the higher elevations. Once you are up to the 3000 foot level and above you can expect to see nights in the low 40's on a normal basis during the winter.
Central heating is nearly unheard of in Mexico. Small, portable heaters are the norm.

tepetapan wrote:

One thing to remember is that it gets cold in the higher elevations. Once you are up to the 3000 foot level and above you can expect to see nights in the low 40's on a normal basis during the winter.
Central heating is nearly unheard of in Mexico.

That sure sounds cold, but I suppose the winter won't last very long?

On the other hand, how warm/hot could the summer be? Is air-conditioning ever needed? A fan, perhaps?

Thanks to Eveningson for a detailed intro about Morelia. I'm considering Morelia or Guanajuato. How do they compare in terms of climate, infrastructure, cost of living, and safety? I'd also like to know school options for primary school kids in the two cities. Thanks for any input.

Temps can dip into the 40's but the days are usually in 60 to 70's range. You don't see central heat or cool there, but a space heater is common. The trade off is not having to deal with the heat and humidity of lower elevations. Unless you are a commited beach goer there is no reason to live on the coast and deal with heat, humidity and flooding from storms

"The tourist meccas on the Yucatan are boring and devoid of culture. "

Lots of likely good advice about personal favorite locations in Mexico. I live in Campeche and Had to respond to one of those posts. Campeche and Merida are restored ancient cities. Campeche in particular is a famous city with a long history and rich culture. It is very humid yet much of the history and the structures have been maintained. Any one who says the Yucatan is devoid of culture has not ventured beyond the hotel strip in Cancun. Tourist destinations any where will be lacking in authentic cultural qualities. I've lived in Seattle also, and you know what I mean. If you judge places just based on tourist shops in Seattle you will miss all of its history.

mjplatt wrote:

Unless you are a commited beach goer there is no reason to live on the coast and deal with heat, humidity and flooding from storms

You're absolutely right. In addition to heat and humidity, bugs are also a problem where I've lived. Have you lived in Guanajuato? Are there problems related to ants or mosquitoes when it's warm?

Thanks for such useful information about living in Morello.

I'm also Canadian, and planing to live like you.  Please let me know how was safe buying a property in Mexico.

I would like live in Morello because of the nice weather and culture, but my wife prefers to be close to the beach.

Is playa de Carmen nice place to move to.

Thanks for your reply.

Regards.

Stan

I would like to learn more as well.  Please include me in your discussions.  I visited Oaxaca, Oaxaca last Summer and liked a lot about it.  But living there and no knowing Spanish would be a problem.

Please tell me more about how to live in Escondido.  Tell me about your house.  I don't think I can be away from home for 5 to 6 months.  But I would like to be for say 1 to 2 months.

Living in Mexico is different than the U.S. or Canada. Yet like those places there are small and medium sized cities as well as fairly large cities. Some of them, also like Canada and the U.S. are very small, some what primitive cities.
Playa del Carmen is a fairly large more modern city, something like a suburb of San diego or Vancouver. There are businesses you will recognize there like Walmart or Costco.
Knowing some Spanish and planning on learning more quickly is a definite good plan. If you are polite and respectful they will return that respect.Plan on fitting into the culture, not demanding that they adapt to you, and you will get along.

My daughter is also from Wa. ( Puget sound area ) we are considering , Baja Norte area because its close to San Diego if we need major medical care ,yet there is vineyards ,ocean, fishing, and RVin near by .Plus a mixture of expats and locals.If & when,  you have found something that sounds Interesting could you share it ? Thanks

Hi I read your ad and comment on it which is 3 retired military and are considering coming in the winter to Mexico, I would recommend them to the city of Cuernavaca, Morelos as a city warm, no cold without hot, also beautiful, this also the City of San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, Mexico finally is nice, I'm Mexican and I live for my North Country. No need more information I could gladly help you, just contact me by this page.
Thank you

Hola from San Miquel de Allende! Thus is my fourth winter in Mexico. I live in Nanaimo, British Columbia from May to the end of October. A superb snowbird place for newbies is Ajijic beside Lake Chapala just an hour south of Guadalajara which is easy to fly into. If your espanol is better San Miquel de Allende is good. That's why I'm back for my second winter here. SMA is a bit more difficult to get to and from and the closest airport is Leon, almost two hours away. Both have well established expat communities. Do check out my blog at www.snowbirdsoliloquy.wordptess.com

ramblingrrl wrote:

Hola from San Miquel de Allende! Thus is my fourth winter in Mexico. I live in Nanaimo, British Columbia from May to the end of October. A superb snowbird place for newbies is Ajijic beside Lake Chapala just an hour south of Guadalajara which is easy to fly into. If your espanol is better San Miquel de Allende is good. That's why I'm back for my second winter here. SMA is a bit more difficult to get to and from and the closest airport is Leon, almost two hours away. Both have well established expat communities. Do check out my blog at www.snowbirdsoliloquy.wordptess.com

Hi. I read your blog after finally figuring out that the typing error in your link was the reason why it wasn't working. I have one question for you about either SMA or Ajijic. Are there any golf courses nearby?

Hi! I'm Mexican and I like to help people learn Spanish, at the same time improve my English.
I don't really know what place would be the best for you. Maybe if you told me what kind of weather you aim for, what kind of city, etc. Culture in Mexico variates from city to city. I was born in Cancun, but I now live in Veracruz, both places are totally different. There is a school for foreign people in my town (Xalapa, Veracruz), I've met many students from all over the world. Maybe that would be a good idea for you. The weather in my town is not that warm in winter, but of course it would be ok for people who live in Canada or USA, since those places are usually way much colder than Mexico.

Send me a personal message if you need help.

Best wishes

You want to go to the Lake Chapel area where there is a golf course and clubhouse.. Here the Canadians play croquet in the winter and have a very active, lively snowbird season. Lo siento. Sorry for the typo I just got here last Friday and am still adjusting to the change in elevation from sea level in Nanaimo on Vancouver Island and here in the colonial highlands of San Miguel DE Allende.

Joanna B
snowbirdsoliloquy.wordpress.com

(Moderated: please post in the housing section)

This sound really good to me.  I need to find a way to visit Tulum first just to get to know my way around.

Health care is great in Mexico   THere is a great clinic in Rosarito.  I use Oasis of Hope in Playas.  Mother Theresa was treated here at a major hospital in Tijuana several during her  illnesses, heart and other age related issues.  I think that hospital  has the word "Dolores" in its name.

I used to go across the border to Scripps when I first came here.....
THen I tried Oasis of Hope ER.  English speaking Drs.  American run.  35$ for an ER visit.  AND a MD at Oasis of Hope solved a "mystery" illness for which the doctor in SCrippts had no answer.   

Every phamacy has a doctor but I would not go to them.  It will be easy to find a "good hospital'  that wrks with expats unless you go into some remote area.

I started this and then hit the wrong key.  Hope it is not duplicating.

This is my experience about cars with US license plates in Mexico. The plates are stolen as momentos.  Usually the rear plate.  So unless your car is garaged 24/7 when you are not in it, this could happen to you.  THEN WHAT WILL YOU DO?  A friend took a job as a TV journalist with a Mexican station,

He drove his American licensed SUV to Mexico.  The first day here someone stole his rear plate.   He was stopped 14 times by the police that day. Some threatened jail.  And being a newbie he paid the bribes.  When he ran out of cash....one police man drove him to an ATM.   It took  a LONG TIME for him to correct the missing license plate problem  In the interim he rented a car from a Mexican Car Rental.

IF you are being hassled by the police ( in Baja Norte, maybe all of Mexico?), tell them to wait a minute while you call  311. This is a  number to be used by tourists for this specific reason.  Cops wanting bribes will not
wait around for the 311 responders to arrive.

You can also insist on  going  before a judge immediately if someone wants to give you an "inapropriate" ticket and  threatens jail time if you don't comply.   311 is a good number to remember.

Expats I know living in the area directly south of San Diego have cars with USA licenses that they use to commute across the border but keep them garaged in Mexico.   Many who are not commuters  have an older car licensed in Mexico that they use around town in Mexico and drive their USA licensed car to cross the border to shop or whatever.   Some commuters keep their car across the border in San Ysidro at night and go and come into Mexico as pedestrians using taxis in Mexico,

The thing to think about...............if your license plate is stolen while in a public parking situation it will cause major problems.  So think how you will handle that in advance, My personal advice:  If you want to drive in Mexico, fly into Mexico (or come by other means of public transportation and rent a car from a Mexican car rental company with FULL insurance.  Probably won't be much more expensive than taking your own car across the border. There is an unsavory group of people in any location who will target "gringos" (to them all gringos are RICH). Why put a bullseye on your back that says "HERE I AM"?

This is obviously a border specific problem, because I have not seen that in any other part of Mexico. I would advise those people to remove the plate and take it with them, then re apply when they drive the car again, or tape it in the rear window of the car. My car has been on public streets or hotel parking lots in many parts of Mexico and there have been no problems. Others I have known have not had this experience either. I have also not been hassled anywhere for bribes in any of the over 30 cities I have stayed in or traveled through..

In most of Mexico it would be like waving a red flag to have a U.S. plate and no permit on your window.

Understandably the people at the border have had about enough of gringos. Sounds like it's better to get that permit and drive south where the gringo attitude is not so evident. Then fly back to visit Baja.