# Greetings



## Pantheist (Jan 21, 2017)

Hello to all, I'm new here, and am amazed by the enormous amount of useful information you all have contributed. It will take a while to even scratch the surface!

I've been thinking for years about moving to Mexico, but in the wake of the presidential election I'm beginning to feel urgent. I have visited quite a few times to various places around the country, and I am hoping that what I learn here will help me focus my plans.

I'm retired and living mostly on SS, but it appears adequate to support a modest lifestyle in Mexico, and certainly better than anything here I can have in California.

So, I look forward to reading your posts, and learning!


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## lagoloo (Apr 12, 2011)

You'd better believe you can live better on your SS in Mexico than you can in California!
(I'm from California)
Welcome......this is a good place to live!


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## perropedorro (Mar 19, 2016)

Pantheist said:


> I'm retired and living mostly on SS, but it appears adequate to support a modest lifestyle in Mexico, and certainly better than anything here I can have in California.
> 
> So, I look forward to reading your posts, and learning!


Great, :welcome:. Your money will indeed go much further than it does in the Bay Area, a place I know pretty well, having spent my youth pretty close to El Cerrito before a career took me to SoCal. I found myself in a job that was driving me nuts, and too old to start over. So I took early retirement and a modest pension that would have put me a half-step above homeless in L.A. Having a Mexican wife and already owning a small vacation house in the state of Colima, the choice was obvious. We're not living large for sure, having to avoid 5-star hotels, a new car every 3 years, and richified tourist destinations but overall we're comfortable enough--- and still shocked at how little most Mexicans live on. All that said, it's important that economy isn't your sole reason for retirement in Mexico. You haven't mentioned what your comfort level is with the Spanish language and Mexican culture, and that might be determinate in where you choose to live. Some require a large expat community where their neighbors and social circle are mostly fellow NorAm retirees and Costco, American chain restaurants, and English-speaking bank tellers are close by. Others settle where they're the only ****** within 40 kilometers. Climate and urbanization are also factors. Some on the board like the beach and others prefer the altiplano. Folks here live in small towns and in the center of huge cities. You'll get many suggestions about _the perfect place_ to settle down. First, perhaps you should offer some ideas about what your preferences and requirements might be. Mexico's a big place. Again, welcome!


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## TurtleToo (Aug 23, 2013)

Welcome, Pantheist!

.


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## Pantheist (Jan 21, 2017)

Some good questions there.

Spanish -- studied it intensively years ago, but I'm very rusty and have poor speaking proficiency these days. I've got a decent vocabulary and know lots of everyday expressions. I've used it on trips to Mexico and manage to get around, but I won't be having any deep conversations. I've found Mexicans very tolerant of my childish attempts at conversation. If I were young, I'd give in to adventure and find Paradise in the sticks somewhere, but I'm sure I will need a certain number of expats in order to speak English on a fairly regular basis, to preserve sanity.

Climate -- I might visits the coasts now and then during the winter, but couldn't live in the tropics full-time. So I've been concentrating on higher-altitude locations. I'm especially interested in Oaxaca, which I have loved on several visits, and in Morelia, which I haven't visited but looks like a good mix of climate, culture and conveniences. In previous visits, my favorite climate was in Xalapa, but I honestly didn't like the people there that I encountered -- the opposite of my experience in Oaxaca.

Culture -- a fan of Mexico since I saw The Brave One in childhood. I've visited Baja many times, and spent six weeks in DF, Puebla and Oaxaca years ago. I don't eat fast food here, so I don't think I would take it up there when the local options are so delicious. I love the cornier side of Mexican culture -- mariachis, folklorico, singing cowboy movies with Antonio Aguilar. Thinking of what I didn't like, two things come to mind: music or other noise long into gthe night, and the generally trashy environment in so many places.


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## perropedorro (Mar 19, 2016)

Some good responses.
*Spanish*. Language has a way of being dusted off pretty quickly when a persistent need arises. I studied Spanish formally, even got a useless degree in it that put me nowhere near fluency, but with lots of grammar and vocabulary locked up in the back of my head. Lots of long vacations to non-touristy places and getting involved with a very talkative _mexicana_ who knew zero English at the time. I had to sharpen my Spanish enough to bamboozle her into marrying me, and going on 28 years now, we have some spectacular arguments in Spanish. I'm prudent enough to never make the fatal mistake of winning, but I can hold my own for a few rounds--- the _real_ test of language ability.
*Climate* True dat. We live on the coast and while it's great this time of year, come July through September most people here bug out looking for cooler altitudes. In Colima, a very small state, it's only an hour to the side of the volcano, but hoping it doesn't blow.
*Culture* Another important consideration, 'cause it's boring to come just for cheap digs. I'd recommend being near a university if that's feasible. A U has lots of stuff to do that provides exercise for the brain. Professors along with students often know some level of English and are eager to practice it ..... with you. Any ******-like individual within reach is often "interviewed" by students for their class. 
Now we've got something to go on, and the recommendations will come. Best of success on your search.


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## Pantheist (Jan 21, 2017)

Lol...it's a smart man who knows when to lose, gracefully. I've never remarried after a tumultuous 10 years, followed by a nasty divorce. I truly admire people who make it work.

Personally, I would love to live near a volcano, especially one as lovely as Colima. I've considered Ecuador for that reason (too far away), or the Big Island, where I have at least 100 cousins that I know of (too expensive). One of my other formative childhood movies about Mexico was Captain from Castile, still in my Fave Five ever. If you've seen it, you may remember the final scene, as Cortez leads the Spaniards and allies across the pass into the Valley of Mexico...in the background is an erupting Paricutin, which was active in Michoacan when the movie was filmed, but of course nowhere near Tenochtitlan. Still, a great finale.


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## DiverSailor123 (Sep 17, 2016)

Welcome : )
No doubt you can live in many parts of Mexico much cheaper than in all of California. Depending on where you live in California, you might find substantial , financial relief in 70% or more of America.. Stay out of ALL the big cities and focus south and east.. entertain living in any of the gulf states.. There are lots of COL websites, you just punch in your income and your present location and begin choosing locations anywhere in the USA. You may find that trying to survive on $50K a year in the Bay is likened to living like DJT if your living in Timbuctoo Alabama.. Remember Too, that Vacation Land is ALWAYS an Expensive place to LIVE.. 
Language it appears , that wont be the problem for you , not to the extent that it is for many others.. The where, is very personal and may even change once you make the initial relocation.. To Me its more than a move.. I have chosen to move around a lot here in the USA.. Mexico was different and we never made it full time. That said, now we too are looking at it more seriously. Trashy... We drove from Nuevo Laredo to Cozumel and back and we found "trash" everywhere.. Its kind of a cultural thing.. plastic shopping bags that never dissolve/decompose, have sure made it a lot worse.. Obnoxious music and dogs an nosier businesses have been mentioned here from time to time ( and on EVERY OTHER Mexican chat board website) and you may as others before have done, you may come to understand and appreciate laws, that in the past you felt were useless or imposed upon your rights ... BTW you may be reminded that your a guest in Mexico .. Even if your 100% Legal you may not be afforded the right to openly express your view points as, illegal Mexicans are here in the USA.. Back To, What Location to choose? No doubt weather plays a huge role here.. but so should, depending on your needs and desires , for yourself and family to come and go, back and forth from the USA and Mexico..AND.. Health Care may be a determining factor as well. Friends who bought in Telchec Puerto asked us why we took that area off our list? 1 hr Ambulance Drive! .. If I am shopping for coffee beans I have all day.. If I am having a Heart Attack I have only minutes.. 65 years old lying on the floor watching your life dissolve before your eyes is NOT the time to start thinking about health care opportunities and availability..
No matter where you chose to live, you need to glean as much information about Banking... and Health Care... and Insurances and Residency Requirements .. Mistakes / Ignorance ( lacking knowledge) and mis-understandings can be very costly $$ If SS is the majority of your income versus a minority you will want to keep the financial punishments to a minimum!


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