# Possible places to live



## deano.c (Jan 21, 2017)

Hi all. I am a 28 year old Aussie male who wants to move to Mexico at the end of the year. I am doing a degree in Structural Engineering and am going into my third year and want to finish my fourth and final year living in Mexico (my degree is done via correspondence through an Australian university). I am looking for some input into possible places people could recommend I live in. I am a very laid back guy who would be on a tight budget. I am not too keen on the big cities or luxury living. I am chasing authenticity and aiming to totally immerse myself in the language and culture. I will buy a motorbike over there and do some travelling in between uni semesters and other short uni breaks. I love adventure, hiking, getting lost and just doing crazy things. I'm not too fussed about being located on or near the coast as I've been lucky enough to love across the road from the beach my whole life here in Australia. Any recommendations I can look further into would be much appreciated!!

Thanks 
Dean


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## wkelley (Mar 13, 2016)

Try the Colonial highlands; Guanajuato, San Miguel, Queretaro. Great climate, low cost of living, and plenty of interesting things to see and do. Guanajuato is a university town which might appeal to you. Good luck!


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## DiverSailor123 (Sep 17, 2016)

You might want to make sure you can buy a scooter / moto without having a Perm. Res. visa. It may be different state by state.. LOTS OF THINGS ARE... but friends are telling me no more vehicle ownership on a 180 day visa.. Back in the day I bought my house my car and 5 motorcycles with a Passport a valid local address and what was back then an FMT... That no longer flies in the Q.Roo.....


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## RVGRINGO (May 16, 2007)

True; to get a residence visa requires that you apply at a Mexican consulate/embassy in your home country, before traveling to Mexico to finish the process upon proof of address, etc. There are financial requirements to prove income/resources. A residence visa and CURP are required in order to register a vehicle in Mexico now. I doubt that you would want to exit Mexico every 179 days to depend upon getting a new 180 day tourist permit......Would you?
There may be a loophole for you: I seem to remember that NZ and Mexico have some sort of special arrangement. Might that also be true for Australia, like their special arrangement with NZ? You could ask at a consulate.


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## Gatos (Aug 16, 2016)

deano.c said:


> Hi all. I am a 28 year old Aussie male who wants to move to Mexico at the end of the year. I am doing a degree in Structural Engineering and am going into my third year and want to finish my fourth and final year living in Mexico (my degree is done via correspondence through an Australian university). I am looking for some input into possible places people could recommend I live in. I am a very laid back guy who would be on a tight budget. I am not too keen on the big cities or luxury living. I am chasing authenticity and aiming to totally immerse myself in the language and culture. I will buy a motorbike over there and do some travelling in between uni semesters and other short uni breaks. I love adventure, hiking, getting lost and just doing crazy things. I'm not too fussed about being located on or near the coast as I've been lucky enough to love across the road from the beach my whole life here in Australia. Any recommendations I can look further into would be much appreciated!!
> 
> Thanks
> Dean


Hey - I'm an old fart but I have to ask - isn't the value of your undergraduate degree in structural engineering in any way tied into what you do as an undergraduate ? The kind of real life projects you participate in - the real life, well-respected engineers you associate with ? 

I think there are already a plethora of underpaid/under-employed structural engineers native to Mexico. What makes you choose Mexico over say Phuket Thailand ?


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## Zorro2017 (Jan 9, 2017)

RVGRINGO said:


> True; to get a residence visa requires that you apply at a Mexican consulate/embassy in your home country, before traveling to Mexico to finish the process upon proof of address, etc. There are financial requirements to prove income/resources. A residence visa and CURP are required in order to register a vehicle in Mexico now. I doubt that you would want to exit Mexico every 179 days to depend upon getting a new 180 day tourist permit......Would you?
> There may be a loophole for you: I seem to remember that NZ and Mexico have some sort of special arrangement. Might that also be true for Australia, like their special arrangement with NZ? You could ask at a consulate.


Another loophole is a cambio by family link. A 180 day permit can be changed if you meet, fall in love and marry a lovely senorita and apply for a change of status by a family link.

https://www.mexperience.com/applications-for-residency-from-within-mexico/


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## sparks (Jun 17, 2007)

You can buy a vehicle but can't register it without a Resident Visa. Takes about 1500 US over the last 6 months to qualify for that Visa. Visit a Mexican consulate


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## TwoBlackfoot (Jul 31, 2016)

Dean,

Check out the Sierra Gorda of Queretaro. I hike and run in the mountains all the time. The adventures around here are endless. Let me know if you'd like to learn more.

Derek


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## deano.c (Jan 21, 2017)

Thanks for the prompt input everyone! This is my first thread on this forum and I am impressed with the amount of immediate help. The Colonial Highlands and Sierra Gorda look amazing. The university town Guanajuato seems like it would suit me well as I would have the chance to meet other university students and could exchange English lessons for Spanish lessons rather easily. I am unsure about the climate though. The average temperature seems to be in the low 20's with high precipitation, can anyone confirm this? I am used to 40 degree summers so low 20's is a jeans and sweater climate for me haha. I would like to live somewhere where the climate is warm, an average of say +27 with low precipitation. I am guessing the central highlands does not suite this?

Cheers for the heads up on the vehicle registration on a tourist visa. I have already contacted the Mexican embassy in Australia and I am waiting for a reply. When I have an answer I will let you all know.

Thanks again for the input everyone


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## deano.c (Jan 21, 2017)

Gatos said:


> Hey - I'm an old fart but I have to ask - isn't the value of your undergraduate degree in structural engineering in any way tied into what you do as an undergraduate ? The kind of real life projects you participate in - the real life, well-respected engineers you associate with ?
> 
> I think there are already a plethora of underpaid/under-employed structural engineers native to Mexico. What makes you choose Mexico over say Phuket Thailand ?


Yes Gatos an engineering degree equips the student with a broad coverage of all areas specific to the degree in question. It is only once you graduate and move into a specific field (for civil/structural engineering this could include bridges, high rise, mining, dams, roads etc.), then you will become an expert in that field. This is the same as most degrees such as medicine, law, finance, management, etc. 

I am unsure what the engineering economy is like in Mexico. I want to pursue a career in humanitarian engineering, specifically community development, fresh water supply and basic infrastructure development in underdeveloped countries. It is an extremely niche market to be employed into. Once I have completed my degree I will seek employment into the humanitarian industry, however I am unsure what country this will be in as this will be determined by the opportunities available at the time. 

I chose Mexico ('over say Phuket Thailand') to live in for a year to develop my language skills and enjoy the cheap living and diverse culture available in Latin America. Simply put, I have always wanted to live in Central or South America, I love travelling, volunteer work and helping people, so now I am initiating plans to follow my dream.


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

deano.c said:


> Thanks for the prompt input everyone! This is my first thread on this forum and I am impressed with the amount of immediate help. The Colonial Highlands and Sierra Gorda look amazing. The university town Guanajuato seems like it would suit me well as I would have the chance to meet other university students and could exchange English lessons for Spanish lessons rather easily. I am unsure about the climate though. The average temperature seems to be in the low 20's with high precipitation, can anyone confirm this? I am used to 40 degree summers so low 20's is a jeans and sweater climate for me haha. I would like to live somewhere where the climate is warm, an average of say +27 with low precipitation. I am guessing the central highlands does not suite this?
> 
> Cheers for the heads up on the vehicle registration on a tourist visa. I have already contacted the Mexican embassy in Australia and I am waiting for a reply. When I have an answer I will let you all know.
> 
> Thanks again for the input everyone


It sounds like your temperature comments are in degrees C. Good for you. Are we talking about minimums or maximums and is it January or July? Guanajuato (Ciudad) is at 2000 m and will be cool at night in the winters. Days and the rest of the year will be more comfortable.


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## eastwind (Jun 18, 2016)

What about getting a student visa? I think when I was applying for my RT card I saw some forms on the same website that had something to do with student visas. Surely there must be a way for foreign students to study in Mexico. Maybe you could register for a single course in, say, Spanish, at some Mexican Uni and use that in combination with your correspondence courses to meet the requirements for a student visa, and that would give you the paperwork to own a motorcycle.

But maybe that's too long of a way around. If all you need the visa for is to buy a motorcycle, why not just come on a tourist visa and make a mexican friend (or better yet a roommate) and have him be the owner of the motorcycle and lend it to you to use. I assume you'd be going for the cheapest thing that will do better than roll downhill, so you could give him the money to buy it, and if it all goes wrong you're not going to be out a lot of money.

The people here with more experience than I can say whether such an informal approach is reasonable or likely to land you in jail for motorcycle theft the first time you get stopped by the police.


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## deano.c (Jan 21, 2017)

TundraGreen said:


> It sounds like your temperature comments are in degrees C. Good for you. Are we talking about minimums or maximums and is it January or July? Guanajuato (Ciudad) is at 2000 m and will be cool at night in the winters. Days and the rest of the year will be more comfortable.


Yes definitely degrees C haha. I like heat and humidity, it is what I have been bought up in and I would much rather sweat than be cold! The hotter the better for me, so I guess an average min of 22 and an average max of 30. I may need to live on the coast for these warm temperature ranges? At 2000m I could imagine the nights becoming very cool indeed. I want to spend 12 months living in one place, as I will be completing my uni degree it will be hard to relocate, so I will spend a summer and winter there.


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## deano.c (Jan 21, 2017)

eastwind said:


> What about getting a student visa? I think when I was applying for my RT card I saw some forms on the same website that had something to do with student visas. Surely there must be a way for foreign students to study in Mexico. Maybe you could register for a single course in, say, Spanish, at some Mexican Uni and use that in combination with your correspondence courses to meet the requirements for a student visa, and that would give you the paperwork to own a motorcycle.
> 
> But maybe that's too long of a way around. If all you need the visa for is to buy a motorcycle, why not just come on a tourist visa and make a mexican friend (or better yet a roommate) and have him be the owner of the motorcycle and lend it to you to use. I assume you'd be going for the cheapest thing that will do better than roll downhill, so you could give him the money to buy it, and if it all goes wrong you're not going to be out a lot of money.
> 
> The people here with more experience than I can say whether such an informal approach is reasonable or likely to land you in jail for motorcycle theft the first time you get stopped by the police.


A student visa would be an excellent option, however I will be completing my engineering degree over there, so I wont have a lot of time or energy to complete excess additional studies on the side. In saying that though I do plan to learn Spanish over there so maybe it is a good idea to enrol in a 12 month course. Has anyone out there done this?

Regarding registering a vehicle what are the chances of being stopped and inspected by the police? What will be the punishment if you are caught with an unregistered vehicle? A fine? Jail time? A bribe? Deportation? This must happen on a regular basis in Mexico with the amount of backpackers and travellers buying vehicles and just cruising around unregistered for a few months?


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## ojosazules11 (Nov 3, 2013)

You may want to check out Merida. I have never been there, but I have read quite a lot from blogs of people who are living there as long-term expats. It sounds like an interesting city with lots of cultural and community events. The only downside frequently mentioned is the heat and humidity. Sounds like that would suit you just fine!


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

deano.c said:


> Yes definitely degrees C haha. I like heat and humidity, it is what I have been bought up in and I would much rather sweat than be cold! The hotter the better for me, so I guess an average min of 22 and an average max of 30. I may need to live on the coast for these warm temperature ranges? At 2000m I could imagine the nights becoming very cool indeed. I want to spend 12 months living in one place, as I will be completing my uni degree it will be hard to relocate, so I will spend a summer and winter there.


If you want an average minimum of 22 C, you definitely need to stay away from the central highlands, or anywhere in the interior north of Yucatan.


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## RVGRINGO (May 16, 2007)

An unregistered vehicle would have no plates & would be stopped immediately. Not a good option & confiscation would be likely, and/or the possibility of arrest and jail on suspicion of vehicle theft.
You do need a residence visa, for sure.


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

TundraGreen said:


> If you want an average minimum of 22 C, you definitely need to stay away from the central highlands, or anywhere in the interior north of Yucatan.


Wouldn't north of the Yucatan be in the Gulf of Mexico?


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## eastwind (Jun 18, 2016)

To be clear, I wasn't suggesting driving an unregistered/plateless motorcycle, but a motorcycle registered in someone else's name, like a roommate's name.


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## RVGRINGO (May 16, 2007)

eastwind said:


> To be clear, I wasn't suggesting driving an unregistered/plateless motorcycle, but a motorcycle registered in someone else's name, like a roommate's name.


That would be OK, if Mexican registered and insured with you as a driver and/or a letter of permission from the owner.
If a foreign plated vehicle, it would not be OK, except for an immediate family member.


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## TwoBlackfoot (Jul 31, 2016)

Jalpan is definitely hotter than you're used to. It frequently gets in the mid-40s around here from April to June. There are some surrounding communities that are more to your liking, temperature-wise. Check out the Grupo Ecologico Sierra Gorda for potential employment/volunteer opportunities in your field.


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## deano.c (Jan 21, 2017)

As I want to study Spanish whilst living in Mexico I may actually look into a student visa. I would be fairly confident you could register a vehicle with a student visa (this is something I will confirm though). I am going to start another thread asking about the institutions other people have studies through. 
As far as information about places to live in Mexico I have a bunch of places I am interested in so thank you all for the input it is much appreciated!


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