Living in Mexico is still a great idea. The news coverage of the violence and drugs refers primarily to the 35-mile border strip between our countries. Once you get past the 35-mile checkpoint, you are in "true" Mexico, where the people are gentle and welcoming and the cost of living is approximately 60% less than it is in most areas of the U.S.
Deciding where to live in Mexico is as complicated as deciding where to live in the U.S. There are varied climates, choices of jungle or pine forrest, desert, farm, lakes, rivers, or oceanfront. If you choose to live at the beach, in a tourist area, it will be expensive. There are still beach towns that have not been discovered, where you can cut your cost of living by 30 to 40%. The downside of oceanfront living in Mexico is the heat and humidity during the summer months. If you move to a mountain town such as Ajijic, in the State of Jalisco, you will find weather like San Diego and a cost of living at about half that of the U.S. There is a very large lake, Lake Chapala, and more than 8,000 U.S. Citizens who have part- or full-time homes there. During the rainy season, when it rains primarily at night, there are waterfalls on the mountains that come down to the lake.
Utilities throughout Mexico cost approximately the same as in the U.S. Your electrical, gas, phone and internet will cost about the same. In most areas you can now access high-speed internet and U.S. or Canada-based satellite TV.
The first question most people ask is if you actually own your home in Mexico, or if the government can take it away. The Mexican laws have been the same for a long time in this regard, and they provide that a non-citizen can only "lease" land that is within 50 miles of the US-Mexico border or within 50 miles of the coast. Newer legislation has allowed for non-citizens to own even that land if they are in a partnership with a Mexican citizen. The entire center of Mexico is available for non-citizens to own outright, in their own names, with all the property rights that Mexican citizens have in such matters.
If you have a job or income that allows you to live where you choose, you would expect the following monthly expenses anywhere in Mexico except high-tourist areas: Rent, $350.00 / Telephone $18.00 / Household gas $50.00 / Electric $60.00 / Internet service $20.00 / Maid twice a week to clean your home $120.00 / Gardener twice a week to keep your large yard $120.00. Your biggest savings are in food and insurance. You can get complete health insurance, which includes drugs, for about $250.00 a year. The coverage starts at minimum the first year, but in your third year you have complete coverage. Car insurance costs about half as much as in the States. You can dine at home on fresh fish, chicken, and an unimaginable variety of year-round fruits and vegetables for about $1.50 per person per meal. You can dine in the best gourmet restaurants, featuring cuisines from around the world, for less than $15.00 per person.
Food there is fresh from the vine or tree that same morning. Virtually all fresh food available for purchase is steroid-free, antibiotic-free, and insecticide or chemical-free. Even two weeks away from the preservatives we unconsciously eat so much of in the U.S. is enough to bestow better health and vitality; and for those of us carrying a few too many pounds, you will likely see a weight loss in even that short a period of time, simply as a result of chemical-free eating.
Don’t let the news headlines scare you away, and don’t believe everything you read is the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Take a vacation to Ajijic, and plan to spend at least a week there. The least you will receive is a week in paradise and a better understanding of the "real" Mexico, and perhaps you will find your destiny there.
