# Moving to Queretaro



## mexicocaro (Jan 2, 2012)

My name is Caroline and I am British. We are living in Mexico DF at the moment but we are moving to Queretaro from Mexico City due to my partners work. I have a boy of 13 months and we are looking for somewhere to stay. We know of Juriquilla and Puerta Real as we visited Queretaro. We like Puerta Real as it is close to where my partner works but were told by someone that it can be a smelly due to the water treatment place next door. Does anyone know how bad this can be? Also does anyone know of any other areas that might be good for us that are close to El Pueblito?

Thanks in advance!


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## Guest (Jan 2, 2012)

I have friends who live in Tejeda (or Claustro Tejeda in Google maps ). The streets are all named "Paseo de......and then named after European capitals. It is a very nice, quiet middle-class area. A few blocks out on Paseo Tejeda to the Celaya Libre highway.


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## MJB5293 (Feb 26, 2009)

Juriquilla is the safest and most modern and growing place i am a american i love it


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## bigred (May 22, 2010)

Caroline, you can "experience" that sewer smell in the finest of hotels or resorts (and just walking around) anywhere in Mexico at various times. I can tell you that from experience. The entire water/drainage system in Mexico is old and inadequate. Even in new buildings, you will most probably have to throw your paper in waste baskets rather than the toilets. Whether you get this smell where you live depends on your neighborhood and your particular home. Last month (December 2011) a room in a hotel in Playa del Carmen was so bad, even the employee who took us to it couldn't stand the smell. This is one of those things you have to get used to.


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## perezca (Jan 5, 2012)

*tips on places to live in queretaro*



mexicocaro said:


> My name is Caroline and I am British. We are living in Mexico DF at the moment but we are moving to Queretaro from Mexico City due to my partners work. I have a boy of 13 months and we are looking for somewhere to stay. We know of Juriquilla and Puerta Real as we visited Queretaro. We like Puerta Real as it is close to where my partner works but were told by someone that it can be a smelly due to the water treatment place next door. Does anyone know how bad this can be? Also does anyone know of any other areas that might be good for us that are close to El Pueblito?
> 
> Thanks in advance


We live in the US but our family lives close to El Pueblito. We have some suggestions on places to live. A lot depends on whether your partners employer is paying for the place to live or not. Since there are nice places that are expensive and nice places that are economical.

The expensive places are Ex Jacienda Balvanara next to El Pueblito and also Club Compestre in Queretaro 10 min from El Pueblito. Also Colonial Del Valle which is next to the Club Compestre (a country club), 
Nice but not as much price is Jardines de la Jacienda which is where our brother lives and is very nice a nice garden in the middle He has lived there for years and loves it. Close to everything, Sams Club and Walmart near by, he belongs to the Club Compestre also.
These arfe what ome to mind. We are vacationing here for the holidays and saw your post and thought we could help you with these ideas. Any other questions let us know since my husband is from here.

Sergio and Cathy Perez
Cathy and Sergio Perez
Colonia Tejeda which is next to El Pueblito.


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## perezca (Jan 5, 2012)

*addtl tips on living in qro*

additional: info
Colonial Tejeda is a nice place but expensive.
My niece just built a home next to my brother in law in the Jardine de la hacienda and he has a place in El Pueblito which is where she lived, it is a gated community. The place is small but nice 2 bedrooms, I think it is called La Piramides. It is through Century 21 if you are interested in that we can give you more info.

Cathy and Sergio Perez


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## melissalc (May 14, 2011)

I am looking for places to live in Mexico and your area sounds very intriguing. I know very little spanish but plan to learn more as soon as I get there. I would like to know about the day to day living there. Cost of living, type and level of crime. Just general info. Thanks in advance for your help


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## hjaimeo (Oct 16, 2012)

melissalc said:


> I am looking for places to live in Mexico and your area sounds very intriguing. I know very little spanish but plan to learn more as soon as I get there. I would like to know about the day to day living there. Cost of living, type and level of crime. Just general info. Thanks in advance for your help


I hope I'm not answering this one too late. I have been living in Queretaro for 5 years now with my family (wife + 2 beautiful preschoolers) and we really love it. Just to give you a bigger picture: I have lived in 30+ places, both in Mexico and US so I when I tell you that we might spend the rest of our days here is because we really love the place. 

Queretaro is a gorgeous colonial city with one of the cleanest _centros_ that I have been to, they even “wash” the streets during the night: Imagine a group of 15-20 people with plastic sweepers, lots of water, shampoo and chlorine washing the pink-stoned streets downtown, whenever I see it I just stop to enjoy the view, is really nice to know that the streets are THAT clean. The _centro_ is full of activities, you can find jazz groups, folkloric choirs, dancers and so on every other day performing in the different _plazas_ or _jardines_ for free; there is plenty of places to eat and lots of history all around: Queretaro played a very important roll on the Mexican Independency.

You can choose to live in the centro or settle on a nice suburb like with all the amenities that you need (that is the “modern” face of Queretaro) have in mind that if you choose the latter you might consider having a car. 

Climate is hot and dry, the average temperature is 64°F and it will rarely go above 80°F and below 10°F so it is very comfortable all year round. The city is considered a “middle class city” as it has a GDP per capita of around 20K USD (US national average is around 40K) which is quite high for Mexico and, in fact, for LatAm.

The city is very popular for being safe, you will find the normal crime-type that you can find in most 1,000,000+ inhabitants city, no drug-related violence is seen around here, to help a little further I will use some crime-related statistics: in the last 14 years the city of Queretaro reported a yearly murder rate of 3.2 homicides per 100K people, this is low when compared to the current 6.43 homicides per 100K people of Dallas, which is a city with a similar population and that has achieved 7 straight years of crime rate drops ; it is funny that I came across this data after my relatives living in the states expressed their concerns that I would die in one of the shootings that occurred everyday “throughout Mexico”. So, other than taking the safety provisions dictated by common sense safety should not be a concern.

Cost of living is quite interesting as it depends a lot on the number of people in the family and (mostly) on your lifestyle. Based on my experience it is more expensive than other parts of Mexico (mainly for the real state) but cheaper than the US. You can expect to spend something in the range of 400 USD to 800 USD on the rent of a nice 3-bedroom house depending on the location, groceries will be a little cheaper (unless you decide to get imported stuff) and fruits will be much cheaper: e.g. you could get 2 pounds of avocadoes here with what you pay for one piece back in the states (yep, I am a big real-guacamole fan).

If you need any additional information from around here, do not hesitate to ask :-D


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## hjaimeo (Oct 16, 2012)

Ups, I forgot to say that health care is just a charm, both of our children were born here in Queretaro, we went to a private hospital (Tec 100) and (even WITHOUT insurance) we would have payed LESS than what our realitives in the states would pay JUST for the insurance deductible; isn't that nice? The infraestrucutre is at least equal and the attention is way better.


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## bigred (May 22, 2010)

*Queretaro*

I found Queretaro as clean as you say, as well as prosperous and very safe. The medical care I had was outstanding. I did find January a very uncomfortable month--cold and lots of rain. My daughter and I were there studying Spanish, and we stayed with a Mexican family.There was no heat in the house, so we always wore our ski jackets, and we wore long johns with our pijamas, and gloves, hat and scarf to bed (honest!). In fact, my daughter bought a heater for her room even though she would be there only one month. I have lived in many cities in Mexico, and find that the weather can be quite varied, and at times much colder than the people living there like to admit. It was cold and rainy in Ajijic in January (no heat), and San Cristobal de las Casas required winter clothes and warm blankets at night. So my advice would be to not throw away all your cold-weather clothes unless you are going to the Yucatan or West Coast beaches.





hjaimeo said:


> I hope I'm not answering this one too late. I have been living in Queretaro for 5 years now with my family (wife + 2 beautiful preschoolers) and we really love it. Just to give you a bigger picture: I have lived in 30+ places, both in Mexico and US so I when I tell you that we might spend the rest of our days here is because we really love the place.
> 
> Queretaro is a gorgeous colonial city with one of the cleanest _centros_ that I have been to, they even “wash” the streets during the night: Imagine a group of 15-20 people with plastic sweepers, lots of water, shampoo and chlorine washing the pink-stoned streets downtown, whenever I see it I just stop to enjoy the view, is really nice to know that the streets are THAT clean. The _centro_ is full of activities, you can find jazz groups, folkloric choirs, dancers and so on every other day performing in the different _plazas_ or _jardines_ for free; there is plenty of places to eat and lots of history all around: Queretaro played a very important roll on the Mexican Independency.
> 
> ...


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## hjaimeo (Oct 16, 2012)

bigred said:


> I found Queretaro as clean as you say, as well as prosperous and very safe. The medical care I had was outstanding. I did find January a very uncomfortable month--cold and lots of rain. My daughter and I were there studying Spanish, and we stayed with a Mexican family.There was no heat in the house, so we always wore our ski jackets, and we wore long johns with our pijamas, and gloves, hat and scarf to bed (honest!). In fact, my daughter bought a heater for her room even though she would be there only one month. I have lived in many cities in Mexico, and find that the weather can be quite varied, and at times much colder than the people living there like to admit. It was cold and rainy in Ajijic in January (no heat), and San Cristobal de las Casas required winter clothes and warm blankets at night. So my advice would be to not throw away all your cold-weather clothes unless you are going to the Yucatan or West Coast beaches.


I guess that the fact that I lived in UT has an effect on the way I feel about "cold" here jejejejejeje. I must confess that I use a light jacket only 20 or 30 days-a-year, the rest of the year just my shirt and that’s it; no wonder why my wife keeps complaining about my "thermostat". I totally agree with you: cold-weather clothes are still needed like from around mid-November to mid-February, but snow in Christmas is just not going to happen


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## bigred (May 22, 2010)

Nice to get such a quick reply! I was afraid you were going to disagree with me and I would be embarrassed! I would be interested in knowing if there is a support group of ex-pats in Queretaro. I am a single woman, which makes in harder to settle in a new place. The Lake Chapala Society in Ajijic (for ex-pats) is unique, and I haven't heard of another such organization in Mexico. I would be very interested in hearing from you regarding this. Thanks!


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## hjaimeo (Oct 16, 2012)

bigred said:


> Nice to get such a quick reply! I was afraid you were going to disagree with me and I would be embarrassed! I would be interested in knowing if there is a support group of ex-pats in Queretaro. I am a single woman, which makes in harder to settle in a new place. The Lake Chapala Society in Ajijic (for ex-pats) is unique, and I haven't heard of another such organization in Mexico. I would be very interested in hearing from you regarding this. Thanks!


Don't worry; I'm VERY aware of my unique (around here) approach to weather :-D

Mmmh... that's a thought one, the thing is that I'm actually mexican, I lived for a while up in the states and then came back (I guess real tacos will keep me bonded to my country for ever), besides that I'm very used to move from one place to another so when we came here it was just live a regular move-somewhere-else kind of thing. That being said, I guess that explains why I didn't look for an ex-pat community, BUT I have "heard" in the forum that there is a very good ex-pats club, they even have a webpage: newcomersqueretaro (dot) org, you might want to check it out. 

If you need additional information on something else please feel free to ask :-D we'd love to help you with all that we could. Just for the record: how long have you been living in Queretaro?


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## DNP (May 3, 2011)

> If you need additional information on something else please feel free to ask :-D we'd love to help you with all that we could....


What a kind offer !

Sent from my iPod touch using ExpatForum


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## hjaimeo (Oct 16, 2012)

DNP said:


> What a kind offer !
> 
> Sent from my iPod touch using ExpatForum


Anytime! When I have been abroad I received a lot of help from the locals, so I'm just trying to pay that back ;-)


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## bigred (May 22, 2010)

I don't live in Qro. I live "up north" in CT, but I have been going to Mexico once or twice a year. I have now rented my house beginning feb. 1 (2013), so I am exploring all possiblities. Thank you for the info on the web site; I will check it out. Kind of you to offer your help.


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## melissalc (May 14, 2011)

No, you are not too late in your reply. Thank you so much for all the information. I would really love to make a trip down there to check things out. Can I fly there directly from the US? Where would be a good, reasonably priced place to stay.
I appreaciate all of the answers, this sounds like a place with a great community
Melissa


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## hjaimeo (Oct 16, 2012)

bigred said:


> I don't live in Qro. I live "up north" in CT, but I have been going to Mexico once or twice a year. I have now rented my house beginning feb. 1 (2013), so I am exploring all possiblities. Thank you for the info on the web site; I will check it out. Kind of you to offer your help.


Nice! hope to see you down here next year :-D



melissalc said:


> No, you are not too late in your reply. Thank you so much for all the information. I would really love to make a trip down there to check things out. Can I fly there directly from the US? Where would be a good, reasonably priced place to stay.
> I appreaciate all of the answers, this sounds like a place with a great community
> Melissa


That's good to know. I understand there is a direct flight from Houston (HOU) to Queretaro (QRO) and also, Volaris (a low-cost mexican airlaine, good rates, new airplanes) goes from Tijuana to Queretaro.


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

hjaimeo said:


> …
> Volaris (a low-cost mexican airlaine, good rates, new airplanes) goes from Tijuana to Queretaro.


Volaris also flies to San Diego, Los Angeles and San Francisco Bay Area (San Jose/Oakland/SF, I don't remember which).


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## batman1971 (Nov 24, 2012)

hi i am moving to queretaro from texas i am planning to buy a taqueria and start a life in mexico. i have always wanted to move to mexico as i have traveled some in mexico and love it. i was born in laredo mx but raised in the states so i know english and spanish good. i like queretaro and guadalajara but not sure where to go. i am looking for a safe area for my 13 year old daughter and my wife to feel comfortable. can anyone give me some advise on where in queretaro would be a good area or town and also good for a taqueria business ???


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## hjaimeo (Oct 16, 2012)

batman1971 said:


> hi i am moving to queretaro from texas i am planning to buy a taqueria and start a life in mexico. i have always wanted to move to mexico as i have traveled some in mexico and love it. i was born in laredo mx but raised in the states so i know english and spanish good. i like queretaro and guadalajara but not sure where to go. i am looking for a safe area for my 13 year old daughter and my wife to feel comfortable. can anyone give me some advise on where in queretaro would be a good area or town and also good for a taqueria business ???


I have lived in both, Gdl and Queretaro and I like Queretaro more, specially to rise a family; the city is smaller but with all that you need, it is very safe and very clean.

Does your wife speak spanish? are you looking for a states-like suburb? or more like a mexican-like _colonia_? as for the place to put the _taqueria_... I think you should look for that once in Queretaro.


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## conklinwh (Dec 19, 2009)

batman1971 said:


> hi i am moving to queretaro from texas i am planning to buy a taqueria and start a life in mexico. i have always wanted to move to mexico as i have traveled some in mexico and love it. i was born in laredo mx but raised in the states so i know english and spanish good. i like queretaro and guadalajara but not sure where to go. i am looking for a safe area for my 13 year old daughter and my wife to feel comfortable. can anyone give me some advise on where in queretaro would be a good area or town and also good for a taqueria business ???


QRO has been expanding in all directions and decisions seem to be quite different.
Personnally, I'd look in centro as we really enjoy just going there but you would have to offer something different business wise.

Now this comes from a non-resident but these my impressions.

The gated communities in the hills northeast seem to be preferred by people from DF.

The area south being developed along the extension of Bernardo Quintana seems to be preferred by middle class and upwardly mobile locals from around QRO.

Jurica and maybe now more Juruquilla are very similar to suburban communities in the US. They seem to be favored by families on temporary business assignments. There are very large and ostentatious house complexes around the reservoir but looks like neighborhoods on about every level.

Good luck!.


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## conklinwh (Dec 19, 2009)

bigred said:


> Nice to get such a quick reply! I was afraid you were going to disagree with me and I would be embarrassed! I would be interested in knowing if there is a support group of ex-pats in Queretaro. I am a single woman, which makes in harder to settle in a new place. The Lake Chapala Society in Ajijic (for ex-pats) is unique, and I haven't heard of another such organization in Mexico. I would be very interested in hearing from you regarding this. Thanks!


Probably the area with the most and varied group of expat organizations is San Miguel.
In addition, San Miguel almost a magnet for single women as probably the easiest transition that you will ever find.


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## conklinwh (Dec 19, 2009)

hjaimeo said:


> Nice! hope to see you down here next year :-D
> 
> 
> 
> That's good to know. I understand there is a direct flight from Houston (HOU) to Queretaro (QRO) and also, Volaris (a low-cost mexican airlaine, good rates, new airplanes) goes from Tijuana to Queretaro.


There are also direct AA flights to Dallas or at least there were three months ago when friends visited. Also rumors about Delta to Atlanta.

As to the discussion about Volaris/other low cost airlines the problem is destination pairs. 
Southwest is making partnerships but so far not into QRO. I believe Toluca is closest.


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## batman1971 (Nov 24, 2012)

yes my wife is from mexico so we both speak spanish well. i am looking to put or buy a taqueria with a more modern concept or at least a more natural concept of offering freshly made fruit waters as drinks with orders and natural fruit cups with like all the fixings you can get from mexico like granola and bionicos and yogurt with fresh fruit along with the taqueria for those that want to eat healthy or not in the mood for tacos they have an option. i would be looking for a rental home in the beginning in a mexican colonial type home not to expensive but safe area and good school near by. i would like to have business and home close and maybe a good area for that type of business. do you think juriquilla is good? or another area you can recommend? thank you


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## conklinwh (Dec 19, 2009)

batman1971 said:


> yes my wife is from mexico so we both speak spanish well. i am looking to put or buy a taqueria with a more modern concept or at least a more natural concept of offering freshly made fruit waters as drinks with orders and natural fruit cups with like all the fixings you can get from mexico like granola and bionicos and yogurt with fresh fruit along with the taqueria for those that want to eat healthy or not in the mood for tacos they have an option. i would be looking for a rental home in the beginning in a mexican colonial type home not to expensive but safe area and good school near by. i would like to have business and home close and maybe a good area for that type of business. do you think juriquilla is good? or another area you can recommend? thank you


Juriquilla might be a good place and with all the expats on temporary assignment there, it could well be fine for schools. I've never really heard anything bad crime wise about any area around QRO and that includes Juriquilla.
I find Juriquilla a little sterile for my tastes but is certainly a growth area. We usually go there to shop Superama if we are looking for things we miss from the US or to eat on the water at one of the restaurants in Club Nautica.


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## hjaimeo (Oct 16, 2012)

batman1971 said:


> yes my wife is from mexico so we both speak spanish well. i am looking to put or buy a taqueria with a more modern concept or at least a more natural concept of offering freshly made fruit waters as drinks with orders and natural fruit cups with like all the fixings you can get from mexico like granola and bionicos and yogurt with fresh fruit along with the taqueria for those that want to eat healthy or not in the mood for tacos they have an option. i would be looking for a rental home in the beginning in a mexican colonial type home not to expensive but safe area and good school near by. i would like to have business and home close and maybe a good area for that type of business. do you think juriquilla is good? or another area you can recommend? thank you


Juriquilla is good but is more like a north American type of suburb, not that I don't like it, it is just different. In Juriquilla you can find houses in the range of 10,000-16,000 MXP for a house, if you want to put your taqueria there you will have to rent a place in one of the commercial plazas nearby, the pros is that you get good schools and very safe and nice neighborhood, the cons is that the rent for the house and the taqueria might be higher than in other neighborhood. Still a good choise if you ask me.

A more mexican-like option would be Milenio III, is a nice neighborhood, very safe, closer to the centro and renting there is around 20% cheaper than in Juriquilla, you can even get a good deal on an apartment at around 6,500 MXP. Also, you can find a spot for the taqueria there that might me cheaper than one in Juriquilla, Milenio itself has a couple of plazas scattered around. El Pueblito/Tejeda has is very similar to Milenio III and might be another good option.

I would start looking there. There are cheaper options that are still good like the area around Pie de la Cuesta close to Avenida de la Nacion (e.g. Punta San Carlos, Mision Bucarelli).


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## ramses47 (Mar 18, 2013)

I am looking forward to moving to Queretaro in the near future and am so excited. Glad I found this forum.


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## GARYJ65 (Feb 9, 2013)

ramses47 said:


> I am looking forward to moving to Queretaro in the near future and am so excited. Glad I found this forum.


Welcome to Queretaro!


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