# Help



## bevo (Aug 16, 2010)

Hi,

I am a single retired woman looking to move to Mexico or Central America but so much on the internet it gets confusing where to start. I thought if I told you my preferences maybe I could get some help? I prefer moderate climates so probably best around 5000 feet. I do not like extremely hot nor do I like humidity. I prefer an area where there is a community of other american expats since I will be alone. I also will only have about 1500 a month to live on. Please help me narrow my search to areas that you are aware of with these criterias plus good health care and low crime. 

Thanks for your help.:clap2:


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

I can only speak about Mexico. Most of central Mexico, away from the coasts is fairly high with a relatively mild climate. The two biggest expat communities are in San Miguel de Allende in the state of Guanajuato and in communities on the north shore of Lake Chapala near Guadalajara. There are fairly large communities in other cities, but those two are probably the biggest and most active. It is certainly possible to easily live in Mexico on $1500/month. Whether you can or not depends on your personal life style. You will pay more for some things in areas with a large number of foreigners because their presence, and money, tends to drive the prices up. Excellent medical care is available in all the major cities. You don't mention how much experience you have with the countries you are considering. If you have not already done so, you should consider spending a significant amount of time in extended visits to the places you are considering. I have had several friends relocate to places thinking they wanted to be there permanently, only to discover that living there was not what they expected.


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## joaquinx (Jul 3, 2010)

> If you have not already done so, you should consider spending a significant amount of time in extended visits to the places you are considering.


This is the best advise! Come and spend 2 to 4 weeks. Look at houses or apartments to see if they fit your life style and pocketbook. Although I live in Xalapa, I would recommend you look into Oaxaca for the climate and lower cost-of-living.


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## conklinwh (Dec 19, 2009)

The absolutely best advice that you will get is that above-you must do extended visits to a few locations to see what really works. One thing you didn't say was whether you want or need to be able to drive to the US in one day. If so, the Lake Chapala area and San Miguel are obvious choices. Others that are certainly possibilities are San Luis Potosi, Queretaro and Morelia/Patzcuaro but they have smaller expat communities although Queretaro growing with all the new industry. I am most familiar with San Miguel where we have a number of single woman friends that live well, their definition, on a lot less than $1500USD/month.
If distance to the border not an issue, Oaxaca would be another very good choice at which to look.


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## RVGRINGO (May 16, 2007)

Lake Chapala, at 5200 feet above sea level and within half an hour of the Guadalajara International Airport, has attracted the largest expat community and the specialty merchants who provide them with familiar imports. The weather can't be beat and that's why there are so many of us here. The highest concentration is in Ajijic, an 'artsy crafty' town, with the highest costs. Nearby Chapala (the governmental center of the same name) and Jocotopec offer more normal neighborhoods and economical living and shopping, as well as half-hourly bus connection to Guadalajara.
Each of the other towns that have been mentioned have some attractive attributes, but none have it all. Some are too high, cold in winter, too far from good airline connections, distant from Pacific beaches, too rainy in the daytime, etc.
So, yes, an exploration is excellent advice.


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## conklinwh (Dec 19, 2009)

Bevo, two more things. 1st, I should have included Guanajuato on list of options as a really interesting old city with very vibrant student population and a reasonable if small expat group.
2nd, most people will have very heavy biases toward where they live which I suspect is why they live there. I think about everyone can list why their choice is better than other options.
You need to find your "biases".


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## bevo (Aug 16, 2010)

TundraGreen said:


> I can only speak about Mexico. Most of central Mexico, away from the coasts is fairly high with a relatively mild climate. The two biggest expat communities are in San Miguel de Allende in the state of Guanajuato and in communities on the north shore of Lake Chapala near Guadalajara. There are fairly large communities in other cities, but those two are probably the biggest and most active. It is certainly possible to easily live in Mexico on $1500/month. Whether you can or not depends on your personal life style. You will pay more for some things in areas with a large number of foreigners because their presence, and money, tends to drive the prices up. Excellent medical care is available in all the major cities. You don't mention how much experience you have with the countries you are considering. If you have not already done so, you should consider spending a significant amount of time in extended visits to the places you are considering. I have had several friends relocate to places thinking they wanted to be there permanently, only to discover that living there was not what they expected.


Thanks for the info. You gave me a few things to think about.


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