Mike, thank you for sharing your perspectives on this subject. My view is that your concerns are fairly universal no matter where you folks may move in retirement that would move you away from your present cultural and physical milieu. Even, for example moving to Phoenix Arizona or Boca Raton Florida would present similar "assimilation" challenges. Mexico presents both excitement and very specific challenges. Easiest would be the language challenge. This would be temporary as you folks would assimilate and learn to communicate with locals. In retirement learning a foreign language is a dazzling hobby! More of a challenge is to remember that even when you folks find those leafy greens for salad making, living too far from the agricultural activities wherein those crops are grown presents increasing challenges the farther away from larger cities one chooses to domicile. Lastly, leafy greens need to be washed (even in our towns, mine in California). Washing leafy greens or anything in Mexico presents a unique challenge due to the water treatment (or lack of it) situation in water supplies (even in larger Mexican cities). You probably would not drink a glass of tap water in a cafe in Mexico (bottled water is virtually everywhere there), so washing veggies and fruits must be accompanied by methods easily learned on line (like adding a touch of vinegar to the "soaking" water then drying. After all, we certainly cannot undertake all veggie washing in Mexico using bottled water! Good luck with your move. I believe that all your concerns will melt away and you folks will live dazzling lives ahead.
Thanks for the wonderful comment Steven. I am also certain that once we get there most of the concerns will melt away! We are already learning Spanish, albeit slowly!
Hi Mike, a fellow Canadian here! I agree with the previous comment from stevenk... that your concerns are valid. However, compared to the prices in Canada you'll be able to live more economically here. I was just in BC and ON last month and the prices in Canada are insane! Prices here in SMA have risen tremendously over the past 10 years - for example, when I first started coming to SMA a taxi into Centro was 30 or 40 pesos and it has doubled to 80 in a decade - but it's still generally cheaper than Canada overall. San Miguel de Allende is much more expensive to live in than most other cities so keep that in mind. You'll have no trouble finding any kind of fresh fruit or vegetable once you get your bearings. The variety and choice of produce here is exceptional! Just make sure to wash it properly before consumption. In addition, there is always SO MUCH going on that you will never be at a loss for things to do and people to meet. Just last night I was at a free language exchange and met some lovely people, both local and expat. As for the weather, there is absolutely no need for AC or heat. I bought a gas heater for the cooler "winter" nights a couple years ago but was without for many years. I put it on for an hour or so during the coldest months to warm the bedroom while reading then shut it off to sleep. The life you lead here in SMA is 100% up to you. You can be as busy and active with daily events or as laid back as you want. You can chill and your wife will have absolutely no problems finding a million things to do with lovely people to meet - the best of both worlds!
Thank you so much for the reassurance. You are correct about the costs in Canada, they are out of this world now. When you say wash the vegetables properly, what exactly do you mean? Are you using the disinfectant or just soap and water?
@WadingIntoRetirement We retired very early, in 2013, mostly because I realized I was working to support an extremely high cost of living in the DC suburbs. We became economic refugees, we moved to a small town in FL. We didn't know a single person in FL. It took a while, but we made friends, started a new life. That lasted almost 7-years, until I realized that every plant, animal, insect and republican in the state wanted to kill me. So we moved to Asheville, NC. Again, we didn't know a soul. Here it is 7-years later and my wife & I have many friends and activities. I love my life in Asheville. Then came the orange idiot and fascism. We decided to explore Mexico, to live our remaining years as political refugees. Well, if you believe the polls the orange idiot may not win…….that’s not good enough for me. We just came back from a trip to Guadalajara. In the past we have traveled to Mexico City, Oaxaca, Queretaro and of course Cancun. My wife & I both speak Spanish and are very comfortable with the culture. The bottom line for us is we love living in Asheville, we will only move to Mexico if Trump is elected. Here are my issues: you can’t flush TP in most cities. Water is in short supply. Not to mention end of life issues and the surviving spouse. Good luck to you. I recommend San Migal de Ayende or the Lake Chapala area. Both have tons of Americans, it will be easier for you to adapt.
The truth is Mexico is now very expensive and the government is very scary now. Be careful We're moving back it's not cheap anymore and not sure what is going on.
I am sure there are other options. We like Mexico and thus why we picked it. Danger did not make it to my "concerns" list as there is a risk of danger everywhere. Just being alert mitigates most of those concerns.
Thanks for the comment! The place we have chosen does mitigate most of the concerns I have. As I had said, most of the concerns are consistent independent of location.
Mike, thank you for sharing your perspectives on this subject. My view is that your concerns are fairly universal no matter where you folks may move in retirement that would move you away from your present cultural and physical milieu. Even, for example moving to Phoenix Arizona or Boca Raton Florida would present similar "assimilation" challenges.
Mexico presents both excitement and very specific challenges. Easiest would be the language challenge. This would be temporary as you folks would assimilate and learn to communicate with locals. In retirement learning a foreign language is a dazzling hobby!
More of a challenge is to remember that even when you folks find those leafy greens for salad making, living too far from the agricultural activities wherein those crops are grown presents increasing challenges the farther away from larger cities one chooses to domicile.
Lastly, leafy greens need to be washed (even in our towns, mine in California). Washing leafy greens or anything in Mexico presents a unique challenge due to the water treatment (or lack of it) situation in water supplies (even in larger Mexican cities). You probably would not drink a glass of tap water in a cafe in Mexico (bottled water is virtually everywhere there), so washing veggies and fruits must be accompanied by methods easily learned on line (like adding a touch of vinegar to the "soaking" water then drying. After all, we certainly cannot undertake all veggie washing in Mexico using bottled water!
Good luck with your move. I believe that all your concerns will melt away and you folks will live dazzling lives ahead.
Thanks for the wonderful comment Steven. I am also certain that once we get there most of the concerns will melt away! We are already learning Spanish, albeit slowly!
Hi Mike, a fellow Canadian here! I agree with the previous comment from stevenk... that your concerns are valid. However, compared to the prices in Canada you'll be able to live more economically here. I was just in BC and ON last month and the prices in Canada are insane! Prices here in SMA have risen tremendously over the past 10 years - for example, when I first started coming to SMA a taxi into Centro was 30 or 40 pesos and it has doubled to 80 in a decade - but it's still generally cheaper than Canada overall. San Miguel de Allende is much more expensive to live in than most other cities so keep that in mind.
You'll have no trouble finding any kind of fresh fruit or vegetable once you get your bearings. The variety and choice of produce here is exceptional! Just make sure to wash it properly before consumption. In addition, there is always SO MUCH going on that you will never be at a loss for things to do and people to meet. Just last night I was at a free language exchange and met some lovely people, both local and expat. As for the weather, there is absolutely no need for AC or heat. I bought a gas heater for the cooler "winter" nights a couple years ago but was without for many years. I put it on for an hour or so during the coldest months to warm the bedroom while reading then shut it off to sleep. The life you lead here in SMA is 100% up to you. You can be as busy and active with daily events or as laid back as you want. You can chill and your wife will have absolutely no problems finding a million things to do with lovely people to meet - the best of both worlds!
Thank you so much for the reassurance. You are correct about the costs in Canada, they are out of this world now. When you say wash the vegetables properly, what exactly do you mean? Are you using the disinfectant or just soap and water?
My biggest fear is how will my wife manage living in Mexico when I die. Don’t get me wrong, this thought worries me in general.
We have talked about this as well. It didn't make my list, but it is definitely almost on the list!
@WadingIntoRetirement We retired very early, in 2013, mostly because I realized I was working to support an extremely high cost of living in the DC suburbs. We became economic refugees, we moved to a small town in FL. We didn't know a single person in FL. It took a while, but we made friends, started a new life. That lasted almost 7-years, until I realized that every plant, animal, insect and republican in the state wanted to kill me. So we moved to Asheville, NC. Again, we didn't know a soul. Here it is 7-years later and my wife & I have many friends and activities. I love my life in Asheville. Then came the orange idiot and fascism. We decided to explore Mexico, to live our remaining years as political refugees. Well, if you believe the polls the orange idiot may not win…….that’s not good enough for me. We just came back from a trip to Guadalajara. In the past we have traveled to Mexico City, Oaxaca, Queretaro and of course Cancun. My wife & I both speak Spanish and are very comfortable with the culture. The bottom line for us is we love living in Asheville, we will only move to Mexico if Trump is elected.
Here are my issues: you can’t flush TP in most cities. Water is in short supply. Not to mention end of life issues and the surviving spouse.
Good luck to you. I recommend San Migal de Ayende or the Lake Chapala area. Both have tons of Americans, it will be easier for you to adapt.
The truth is Mexico is now very expensive and the government is very scary now. Be careful
We're moving back it's not cheap anymore and not sure what is going on.
Thanks for the comment. Can you elaborate on your concerns with the government?
Plenty of other countries with a very low cost of living that you can retire to that don't have the dangers Mexico does.
I am sure there are other options. We like Mexico and thus why we picked it. Danger did not make it to my "concerns" list as there is a risk of danger everywhere. Just being alert mitigates most of those concerns.
Sounds like you need to pick a different place in Mexico. Most of your complaints are based on the location you chose to stay in.
Thanks for the comment! The place we have chosen does mitigate most of the concerns I have. As I had said, most of the concerns are consistent independent of location.