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Bhavna wrote:

Hello everyone,

Budget is an important consideration when moving to Mexico. Ideally, expats would settle down in a city in Mexico where the cost of living is low but where they could also enjoy a decent quality of life. Would you be able to give a few tips to someone planning a move to Mexico by answering the questions below?

What are the cheapest cities in Mexico?

Why are they cheap? What singles them out as a city where the cost of living is low?

What is the average budget for one person living in these cities?

Is it easy to find a job as an expat in these cities? What is the overall quality of life like?

Are they expat friendly? Would you recommend these cities to someone looking to settle in Mexico?

Please share your experience,

Bhavna

Well, Bhavna,

I guess the answer to your question would be it depends.

Generally speaking the more tourists the more expensive. Often the bigger the more expensive.
What I would advise is that people make a list of what is really important to them and see if they would be willing or able to flex that bottom line. Perfect is hard to do and is often very expensive.

The next thing I would advise is to visit more than one part of the country, followed by start learning about the country, the people and language Commit to leaving the stereotypes at the border. Realize that visiting a resort several times does not make you an expert on Mexico.

As for jobs, I would advise you to get a company in your country to send you to Mexico. If that doesn't work be aware that Mexico will give priority to Mexicans for jobs. It makes sense many Mexicans are very well educated because a college education is more or less available to all. If you have a desirable, needed trade bring your A game and apply.

As for the quality of life, be open to a major difference and go with it. It is not your country somewhere else. What I have found is that I became much less stressed fairly quickly and I have learned quite a lot. Yes, the streets are often in poor repair and government offices often have long lines as do banks. But I learned the days and the times to avoid those lines or at least get shorter lines.

It's nice to have people smile and say good morning or offer to help or give advice. It's nice to have a reasonable rent cost and fresh food which is not expensive. I walk in what I call the peoples market, an open-air market with the actual farmers selling fresh produce. There are also other more traditional supermarkets I visit. Time to get used to fresh butter,聽 eggs sitting out in the open (because they don't require immediate refrigeration like in the U.S.) and fresh fruit and vegetables.聽

Except for the government appointments, you will find that time is pretty fluid in Mexico you will have to learn to adjust to that also.

Melanie_In_Mexico wrote:

A better forum topic would be; 鈥淲hat are the top 10 things Expats consider when choosing a place to live in Mexico.鈥�

Who is to say that expats are looking for cheap places to live?

I don鈥檛 think most expats are economic refugees.

Rather, I would like to think that expats are more interested in security, Mexican culture, & the an English-speaking community.

Actually Melanie,
Many want to live somewhere more affordable. That is one of the top concerns. I would rate the concerns as Safe, cheaper, and comfortable.
' don't think I can afford to stay here and I don't feel safe, can I make it there'聽 would be the basic concern in a paraphrased single sentence.

philforrester1 wrote:

Hola I have lived in Playa a year and found a fairly inexpensive apartment at $385 usd. There are so many wealthy new developments going up its driving me to go elsewhere though. What part s of Baja and Yucatan do you recommend? I've tried Merida but too big for me. I like Campeche and Bacalar ! Never been to Baja. I am also Canadian from Niagara Falls and can't really afford to live there anymore! As but true.聽 Muchas Gracias Philip

Hi Phil, if your intention is to become a fulltime resident of Mexico not snowbirds then you should check the Riviera Nayarit coast. My wife and I move fulltime in Mexico since August 2017, no regrets affordable housing but price varies depending on what your looking for (annual rentals could go from <$6000 pesos/month to >$20000 pesos/month). They are various little towns and some of them have everything needed within walking distance.

Here's a link to check


Adios y buen dia a todos, GyC.

philforrester1 wrote:

Hola I have lived in Playa a year and found a fairly inexpensive apartment at $385 usd. There are so many wealthy new developments going up its driving me to go elsewhere though. What part s of Baja and Yucatan do you recommend? I've tried Merida but too big for me. I like Campeche and Bacalar ! Never been to Baja. I am also Canadian from Niagara Falls and can't really afford to live there anymore! As but true.聽 Muchas Gracias Philip

Interesting question Phillip,

If you have been to Merida and Campeche can I assume you don't mind a little heat? There are a number of smaller towns on the Yucatan coast. Bacalar is lovely but I'm sure the prices will go up and the wealthy will move in because it is quite popular, especially at this time of year. If you sort of like Merida but not to live in you might want to try its neighbor Progreso.

If you want costs to stay fairly low avoid anything advertised as a vacation spot that advertises a lot of resorts or big hotels. You might look at Valladolid, Sisal, and Chetumal. I have lived in Campeche for many years and I stay because due to the area and general geographical position it will never become Merida. It's a small old city that is pleasant and tranquil. But if I were to move Chetumal would probably be at the top of my search list

Melanie_In_Mexico wrote:

Mexico is currently( June 2019) going through big changes. As many of you already know violence is on the rise, federal funds to state governments have been drastically cut (health care, the elderly, infrastructure projects, tourism, education, etc.) Most of my English -speaking clients, neighbors, and friends are not aware of the full extent of the impacts. I urge anyone who is reading this to research the current state of security, economic, & political climate in Mexico. This is not meant to produce fear, but rather to invite people to read about what is going on from Mexican news sources.

Melanie

True the new government is reducing financing to many institutes and federal agencies and firing tens of thousands of government employees and gutting some federally funded agencies and secretaries that were helping Mexico become an industrialized country. This government will take Mexico backwards and cause many citizens to de cut from aid they were recieving. A bad situation is starting to be noticed by the informed and seems to just be the start of the new government's anti-establishment policies.

alleycat1 wrote:

Melanie_In_Mexico wrote:

Mexico is currently( June 2019) going through big changes. As many of you already know violence is on the rise, federal funds to state governments have been drastically cut (health care, the elderly, infrastructure projects, tourism, education, etc.) Most of my English -speaking clients, neighbors, and friends are not aware of the full extent of the impacts. I urge anyone who is reading this to research the current state of security, economic, & political climate in Mexico. This is not meant to produce fear, but rather to invite people to read about what is going on from Mexican news sources.

Melanie

True the new government is reducing financing to many institutes and federal agencies and firing tens of thousands of government employees and gutting some federally funded agencies and secretaries that were helping Mexico become an industrialized country. This government will take Mexico backwards and cause many citizens to de cut from aid they were recieving. A bad situation is starting to be noticed by the informed and seems to just be the start of the new government's anti-establishment policies.

Yes, this has been a problem since before the election and since it is just getting worse. Everyone talks about it carefully. It is the same pattern seen in all of the Americas as well as other parts of the world. We just have to communicate, read and understand. It is a problem for us all everywhere. It will require our full attention.

alleycat1 wrote:

Cheaper cities I have stayed in include: Tepic, Urapan, Culiacan, Cuidad Valles, Rioverde, Dolores Hildalgo, Lagos de Moreno, Irapuato, San Juan del Rio, and more.

Is that Uruapa?聽 Loved that place till the norcos took control.聽 I live 20 K from Centro GDL.聽 Plenty cheap here.

Two Mexican cities cited

in cost of living report.

Cuernavaca south of Mexico City and

Mazatl谩n on Mexico's West coast are

among seven Latin American cities

cited for Expat cost of living advantages

in a report produced by Livingcost.org ...

The report says that overall, the cost

of living (COL)聽 in the United States,

at $2,112 US per month, is 2.96

times higher than the cost of living

in Mexico.

The results of the LivingCost report

on the seven cities' COL have been

e-published at

in a Nasdaq.com article titled

"Top seven retirement cities

in Latin America include Cuernavaca,

Cuenca and Punta del Este."