# Moving to Tampico



## Enochius

Hello all, I have recently been offered a job that would require me to relocate to Tampico, Mexico. I have been doing research and the information I get is mixed. Some sites say that the violence is out of control while others say that as long as you aren't involved in illegal activities then you are fine. 

Can anyone point me in the right direction to get info on the safest places to live or maybe even firsthand knowledge of living in Tampico. 

Thank you in advance for your help.


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## tepetapan

Enochius said:


> Hello all, I have recently been offered a job that would require me to relocate to Tampico, Mexico. I have been doing research and the information I get is mixed. Some sites say that the violence is out of control while others say that as long as you aren't involved in illegal activities then you are fine.
> 
> Can anyone point me in the right direction to get info on the safest places to live or maybe even firsthand knowledge of living in Tampico.
> 
> Thank you in advance for your help.


 I have driven through Tampico, spending the night southbound, 4 to 6 times a year for 10 years. Things have been very quiet there for the past 18 months or so, since the Marines have taken over most of the police duties and transit duties. I would not give the violence a second thought if that is the deciding factor.
You did not mention weather you are solo or with a family. I met a guy from Houston a couple years ago who was working for a company out of Houston. He was staying full time at the Holiday Inn Express. He liked having a breakfast there in the morning and head out to the ship yards to oversee the construction of some sort of off shore structure.
Not anything a family could take for long and maybe not you either but it might be a start while you make contacts through people at work . 
Don´t sell out too cheap, Tampico is an industrial town and although big it might get boring fast. The cost of living will not be cheap since it is only hours from the border and there are many US factories in town. A nice raise with a housing allowance would be a good thing.


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## Enochius

tepetapan said:


> I have driven through Tampico, spending the night southbound, 4 to 6 times a year for 10 years. Things have been very quiet there for the past 18 months or so, since the Marines have taken over most of the police duties and transit duties. I would not give the violence a second thought if that is the deciding factor.
> You did not mention weather you are solo or with a family. I met a guy from Houston a couple years ago who was working for a company out of Houston. He was staying full time at the Holiday Inn Express. He liked having a breakfast there in the morning and head out to the ship yards to oversee the construction of some sort of off shore structure.
> Not anything a family could take for long and maybe not you either but it might be a start while you make contacts through people at work .
> Don´t sell out too cheap, Tampico is an industrial town and although big it might get boring fast. The cost of living will not be cheap since it is only hours from the border and there are many US factories in town. A nice raise with a housing allowance would be a good thing.


Thank you for response and the info you have given me.

I will be traveling with my girlfriend and we will be looking to rent a stand alone house preferably in a nicer part of the town. Probably looking to live there for 3 years or so also.
When you say the cost of living is high, can you tell me what you are considering high please.


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## tepetapan

My guess would be a house in a gated community would be in the 12,000 to 15,000 pesos a month range. Electric is expensive in Mexico and could easily cost 2000 + pesos a month and likely lots more if you are not use to the heat of that area. 
Groceries at the Box Stores will be the same or more than the states, with practice you can save some money at the local produce stores and meat markets. Hanging out in gated communities you will be peer pressured into a maid and gardener. 
I would guess costs will be about the same as a mid sized town anywhere USA. Probably more the first year.
Myself I would go with a nice condo with a view. maintenance, security and landscaping are included and you do not have to deal with their problems.


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## Enochius

Thank you very much for the info! We have been looking at listings for condos and houses online. It seems that you can get some beautiful and large housing for that price range.
A nice condo with a view sounds really nice. We found a couple that were very close to the Laguna Chairel.
Thank you again!


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## mes1952

As mentioned, anywhere within short distance of the border means more $$$.
If you stay away from American stores/brands you can live much cheaper...but most Americans don't do that (due to lack of Spanish) so they incur a higher cost of living. I live in Baja/Rosarito which is considered more expensive due to proximity to the border and I rarely shop in any American store including Walmart unless it is a hard-to-find item. If you stay with Mexican brands for food you'll save $$$ compared to U.S. brands. I've found most of them comparable to U.S. products but less expensive.


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## Enochius

It looks like they have several American retailers in Tampico. I may use them until I get more familiar with the area and learn the language a bit better. Thank you all for the help.


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## Isla Verde

Enochius said:


> Thank you very much for the info! We have been looking at listings for condos and houses online. It seems that you can get some beautiful and large housing for that price range.
> A nice condo with a view sounds really nice. We found a couple that were very close to the Laguna Chairel.
> Thank you again!


I'm not familiar with the Tampico area, but for Mexico in general, online real estate listings are always pricier than the ones you'll find once you get here.


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## Enochius

Isla Verde said:


> I'm not familiar with the Tampico area, but for Mexico in general, online real estate listings are always pricier than the ones you'll find once you get here.


Do you think I should find an agent to help rather than searching online at real estate? I had planned to make a couple of trips down before the move at least to work out housing arrangements.


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## Isla Verde

Enochius said:


> Do you think I should find an agent to help rather than searching online at real estate? I had planned to make a couple of trips down before the move at least to work out housing arrangements.


I don't feel comfortable about telling you to seek out a realtor when you get here, because I've never had to deal with one in Mexico. Can't the company you'll be working for in Tampico help you find housing or at least a reputable realtor?


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## Enochius

I should have someone there helping me with these things. I'll continue to look online to get some better ideas about the areas to look though. 

Thank you


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## Isla Verde

Enochius said:


> I should have someone there helping me with these things. I'll continue to look online to get some better ideas about the areas to look though.
> 
> Thank you


Looking online will also give you an idea of how much less you'll want to pay for a place to live. Good luck.


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## Longford

I don't think he's there anymore, but for a couple or several years a guy from the UK, who married a woman from Tampico, lived in Tampico and worked in the wife's family business in a mercado. He maintained a blog online and it was so insightful, as to life in that area. My sense after following his life for a couple of years was, at the time ... Tampico's not a place I would want to live. Best of luck with your opportunity.


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## mes1952

Be careful with agents...since they work on commission only don't expect them to have your interests in mind. Most of them get one months rent from the property owner. The only time I used an agent here in Baja it resulted in myself and another person (who used the same agent) staying at a less-than-desirable property for less than 3 months as the agent gave us false information to get a commission. Agent are not licensed here as in the U.S. so don't expect the same standards.


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## Enochius

Longford said:


> I don't think he's there anymore, but for a couple or several years a guy from the UK, who married a woman from Tampico, lived in Tampico and worked in the wife's family business in a mercado. He maintained a blog online and it was so insightful, as to life in that area. My sense after following his life for a couple of years was, at the time ... Tampico's not a place I would want to live. Best of luck with your opportunity.


I found his blog but he removed all of it except the last entry. The last entry is essentially the plug for his book that he turned his blog into. I also managed to find him in a forum that I found trying to find information. In the forum post, he seemed fairly happy. Thank you for the info!


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## maesonna

He started a new blog about his adventures and misadventures immigrating to Canada.
My impression from his previous Mexico blog is that he left Tampico for two reasons: 1) insecurity; 2) the business/family dynamic, which offered little scope for advancement.


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## Enochius

Everything that I have read seems to say that it isn't as bad as the media makes it out to be. It definitely looks like that I will want to live in one of the gated communities or the "Golden Zone" that I see being referred to.
I think it is a risk/chance that I have to take as the job I am accepting will greatly advance my career.


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## Longford

To provide some balance to the negatives you may hear about Tampico, I'm providing a link, below, to a blog post from John Todd ... someone who at one time was very active on Mexico-specific forums and who lived in Veracruz, but also worked in Tampico. He presents an upbeat assessment. I don't know how current his comments are, but he's a very reliable source regarding what he writes and it'll be worth your while to read what he's written.

http://www.johntoddjr.com/07 tampico.html


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## Enochius

Longford said:


> To provide some balance to the negatives you may hear about Tampico, I'm providing a link, below, to a blog post from John Todd ... someone who at one time was very active on Mexico-specific forums and who lived in Veracruz, but also worked in Tampico. He presents an upbeat assessment. I don't know how current his comments are, but he's a very reliable source regarding what he writes and it'll be worth your while to read what he's written.


Thank you


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