# Live Mexico border town/work U.S.



## Ambros (Feb 21, 2013)

Hey There,
My name is Ronnie,my husband is Frank. We lived in Chapala & Guadalajara Mexico for 2 years back in 2004ish. We were semi-retired and started a business while in Chapala.
We had to go back to Florida to take care of issues with my parents and help them out. Now,we are in a position where we are so missing our time spent in Mexico,and we are considering moving back. 
Both of us have jobs with large companies in Florida that we could request transfers to another state. We are considering the possibility of living in a Mexico border town and then commuting daily to our jobs in U.S. border town.
We've looked into the Rosarita/Ensenada to San Diego commute,and it does have it's appeal ,but we were hoping to hear from people that are doing the same.{living in mexico,commuting daily to a job in the U.S.}
What are the pitfalls/ Pros?Cons?
Is the sentri pass much of a time saver?
How hard is it to be approved for a sentri pass?
Any other ideas for safe(relatively)border towns other than the SD /Ensenada would be greatly appreciated.:ranger::ranger:
Thank you in advance for any ideas or help...it is GREATLY appreciated.


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## mes1952 (Dec 11, 2012)

Are you aware of how much time it will take you to drive from Ensenada to the border??
Rosarito is a good 30 minutes away.
Also I would check the San Diego economy (which remains a place of low pay and few jobs). Once I retire in a year I am definitely moving somewhere else that is more affordable and more of the real Mexico. You definitely need to check the job market in San Diego and expect a good commute once you cross the border as any moderate or high pay job is north of I-8.
And Baja is NOT the real Mexico and the most expensive part to live as well.


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## GARYJ65 (Feb 9, 2013)

mes1952 said:


> Are you aware of how much time it will take you to drive from Ensenada to the border??
> Rosarito is a good 30 minutes away.
> Also I would check the San Diego economy (which remains a place of low pay and few jobs). Once I retire in a year I am definitely moving somewhere else that is more affordable and more of the real Mexico. You definitely need to check the job market in San Diego and expect a good commute once you cross the border as any moderate or high pay job is north of I-8.
> And Baja is NOT the real Mexico and the most expensive part to live as well.


I agree with You, but some people just love traffic!


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## sparks (Jun 17, 2007)

I wouldn't commute over a half hour when working in the US but some could stand 2 hours in rush hour. Border crossings are slower the last few weeks due to cuts in Government spending. I've only met a few border guards/immigration I liked. Just be prepared to move back to SD in a few months to lessen the pain


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## Ambros (Feb 21, 2013)

sparks said:


> I wouldn't commute over a half hour when working in the US but some could stand 2 hours in rush hour. Border crossings are slower the last few weeks due to cuts in Government spending. I've only met a few border guards/immigration I liked. Just be prepared to move back to SD in a few months to lessen the pain


From 1980 until 2003 when we semi-retired,my husband and I would never even consider driving more than 30 minutes for a job. But,trust me,since about 2009,at least in Florida,people drive to where the jobs are.....where ever they are...and selling your house and moving to said area was not an option either.


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## mes1952 (Dec 11, 2012)

The border employees will not be the problem; the problem is with the wait time (depending on when you cross) and the fact that there are not many good paying jobs in San Diego and you will have to drive farther once you are across the border to find them. 
If I didn't have to work I would definitely be living somewhere else; the San Diego area has a lot of crappy jobs with low pay (due to the abundance of cheap labor coming from Tijuana) and you'll find $10 or less AND less than 20 hours a week the standard for the average job.


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

mes1952 said:


> The border employees will not be the problem; the problem is with the wait time (depending on when you cross) and the fact that there are not many good paying jobs in San Diego and you will have to drive farther once you are across the border to find them.
> If I didn't have to work I would definitely be living somewhere else; the San Diego area has a lot of crappy jobs with low pay (due to the abundance of cheap labor coming from Tijuana) and you'll find $10 or less AND less than 20 hours a week the standard for the average job.


The OP said that they would ask for transfers to the San Diego area within the company they now work for, so hopefully that would mean that they would receive pay and benefits similar to what they now get.


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## mes1952 (Dec 11, 2012)

Did you read the part about they live in Florida??? which is even worse pay than California as it is a right-to-work (right to starve) state. I've lived in 2 areas of Florida so know the economy very well. So they defintely would have to live across the border to work in San Diego. San Diego is the 11th most UNaffordable place to live due to high cost of living and low paying jobs...just like Florida.


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## Ambros (Feb 21, 2013)

mes1952 said:


> Did you read the part about they live in Florida??? which is even worse pay than California as it is a right-to-work (right to starve) state. I've lived in 2 areas of Florida so know the economy very well. So they defintely would have to live across the border to work in San Diego. San Diego is the 11th most UNaffordable place to live due to high cost of living and low paying jobs...just like Florida.


Right to starve...LOL..so right.
Actually,my husband makes a very good salary,but only because it's a large national company(you all know it well),and he is in upper management.
The ONLY way it could work is if we worked in SD and lived in Mexico. We lived for one year in Aniheim CA,early in our marraige. It was a job transfer.We nearly went broke with the high cost of living. 
So living in CA is not an option financially,nor do we want to live there anyway!
The thing is,even though we own our home outright,the cost of mantaining it between taxes,insurance,and upkeep are wearing us down.
We have a 4 bed/3 bath home with pool on 1 acre. Just the yard work alone is exhausting. Even though we love the house,downsizing and simplifying are looking better and better.
In 33 years of marraige I've only paid rent once,when we were transfered to CA for a year. Right now,renting ain't looking so bad!


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

Ambros said:


> In 33 years of marraige I've only paid rent once,when we were transfered to CA for a year. Right now,renting ain't looking so bad!


Speaking as someone who's always rented her home, the best advice I can give you is to find a really honest, helpful landlord. Especially in Mexico, that can make all the difference!


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## mes1952 (Dec 11, 2012)

Well, you'll find upkeep here in Mexico won't be much different when it comes to time (and money) spent if you own a home. Just like in the U.S. owning a home here means your life will be focused on repairs, finding decent services, etc. so it won't be different in that respect and perhaps even more headaches.
Not everyone who lives in Mexico owns a home; many people rent as they like the freedom it provides if your lifestyle or plans change. You have to be really careful about buying esp. in Baja. Baja is still considered the wild west of Mexico and laws here are not the same as on the mainland of Mexico. There are several disputes going on here in Baja Norte with Americans who purchased homes/lands years ago and now Mexican relatives from previous owners (who sold the property) are coming forth to claim a stack. And courts and laws here usually always favor nationals rather than foreigners. This is why so many Americans got shafted with buying property here as they did not perform due diligence.


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