Travel & Leisure Facts and Notes

It seems that each year, a larger number of Americans start living in Mexico. Canadians come too. Although the seasonal snowbird population accounts for a lot of the numbers around Lake Chapala, San Miguel de Allende, Mazatlan, and other places, many foreigners take up residence here. Of course, visiting family back home may pull them away at times, or perhaps the impulse to shop, but they become residents of Mexico.

It’s not always evident why such large numbers of us have migrated south to Mexico. After all, most of us struggle with speaking Spanish, we love to complain to our expat friends about all sorts of things in our daily lives, and the cultural differences between our own way of life and the Mexican culture are significant.

Put simply, there are two inescapable appeals: the lovely weather and the lower cost of living. Mexico offers a variety of climates, from the steamy tropical beaches to the cooler climes of the central highlands, but in none of these locales will you step outside to shovel snow.

It is hard to generalize about what any given person or couple from the US or Canada will spend for average monthly expenses, because people differ a lot. Fresh produce in the local street market, all the tortillas you can eat, and local meat are very economical. Health care is typically lower in cost than up north, and so are other basics. Many expats who took care of their own housework and yard back home find they can afford a gardener, a maid, or both. One area that will not necessarily provide big bargains is that of housing. In places where a lot of foreigners congregate, prices may be very much like home.

A third aspect of why so many North Americans like living in Mexico is that the Mexican people are generally very pleasant and well-mannered. They have ready smiles, and are willing to figure out our fractured Spanish with patience. A difference in our cultures that you should know, however, is that Mexicans would rather give you inaccurate street directions than say they don’t know where a particular place is!

Cynics may argue that the friendliness is because the Mexicans know which side their bread is buttered on. The foreign population certainly provides a large boost to the income of many Mexicans in the popular expat centers. But all you have to do is sit on a park bench and do some people-watching to see how both courtesy and warmth come naturally to the Mexicans.

Living in Mexico is really quite different from life back home, and the best way to find out if it would suit you is to give it a try. Come for a few weeks, or if your schedule allows, come for a few months. Don’t buy a house right away, just absorb the culture and see what you think!