Is Mexico actually a desirable place for expats to live if you're not just gonna go hide in a wealthy gated community? I found a YouTube channel called Jose Arteaga Travels and the dude makes living amongst the locals seem just fine. Is he full of shit or not?
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Go find out for yourself. You wouldn't be the first, and you won't be the last.
Wow, so helpful. Just...wow.
There's like 3 threads right now mentioning insecurity issues in Mexico.
it's not that great, but not because of danger, just because of lack of infrastructure, you'll get frustrated after a while
the foods good though, just messy and disorganized, poorly built homes etc.
people are warm and welcoming, much better than canada or usa
Do they have infrastructure issues in the nicer areas of CDMX or Monterrey? I've read about water shortages and blackouts/brownouts, and it makes me wonder how companies can even operate down there.
yes, nowhere there will be on par with a first world nation's city
sure you might find a nice condo somewhere but step outt on the street and you're still in mexico
I never had issues with water/electricity in CDMX but the water there you cannot drink from the tap. It's fine for washing though.
Do NOT move to Monterrey, we are full. Literally. The city is running out of water.
How will the Tesla plant even be able to operate there? I honestly don't think it will ever get built.
New damn is getting built. How exactly that is going to help if it's not raining I can't say but that's the idea. City's got bigger issues though, namely the increasingly bad traffic, shit infraestructure and looming cartel wars.
Lmao I said "damn" instead of "dam" it's one of my quirks one of many
Cartel wars? I thought Monterrey was mostly safe by Mexican standards?
Things are getting bad. You know San Pedro right? People have been showing up dead there for a few months now. Just 2 months ago 12 people were found dismembered inside coolers scattered throughout the city. Don't know if you know this but the governor is the nephew of a big guy in the border. There's some internal conflict happening related to the end of his term so things are a bit hot right now.
The electrical power seems pretty reliable in Mexico but the state of infrastructure is bad so water main breaks and electrical outages aren't uncommon. In the north in particular like Baja California,
Monterrey, and other arid parts of the country the water supply has not kept up with population growth and water rationing has occurred where they shut off the water to various neighborhoods on certain days. Everyone has rooftop tanks but if the water is out and the tank runs out you've got no water. It's kind of shit and I'd avoid living somewhere like that.
All the large mexican cities are shitholes. I do not understand the digital nomad infatuation with living in the largest city possible. Yes there are a lot of rich people and there's nice areas but the large mexican cities attract more economic migrants than the infrastructure and economy can handle so there's a lot of poverty, crime, pollution and all kinds of social problems. Mexico's small/medium size cities are much nicer and much more livable and not really that boring at all since mexicans live very social lives.
>trad respectful wife
>cheap cost of living
>country with tons of history over centuries unlike amerimuttland
>don't have to call street tacos street anymore just tacos
>sunny weather
>police that respect the white man way of life
yup I am thinking based
I lived for a month in Hermosillo, Sonora last winter. It's like a shittier, cheaper version of Phoenix. Usually several degrees warmer in winter as well. Never once felt unsafe there, despite the prevalence of filthy recycler dudes all over the place. Nobody gave two shits about me being there, apart from one night when my landlady threw a Christmas party and invited me.
Guaymas was a little more sketchy, some drug-addled Mexican randomly shoved me on the street, then slapped me across the face with the shirt he held in his hand when I turned to confront him. I was listening to music while walking, which is never a good idea in Third World countries. I called him some nasty names and disengaged, didn't know what the frick was his problem and didn't want to find out. Never saw him again. Troublemakers in Mexico have a tendency to simply vanish.
Xalapa is a really cool city to live in if you like a mild wet climate. Very affordable and pretty as well. Veracruz is more hot and humid, but also has a kickass historic district and is quite cheap. There are so many different places to check out down there, and gringos only go to 5% of them.
How do you keep from constantly getting food poisoning there? It seems like most people that go to Mexico for any extended period of time end up shitting blood at some point.
I've also heard that animal abuse is common there and that there are tons of starving dogs roaming the streets. Is that true?
The street animals are definitely abused in Mexico. I'm in the Philippines now where people are very gentle to animals and always respect them (unless they want to eat them, LOL). The cats here have zero aversion response to humans whatsoever, even if you step like four inches from their tail. Whereas in Mexico, the street cats won't let you get within 30 feet of them. Most Mexican strays are always cringing around humans, but some street dogs are mean AF and will go berserk at random. I got bit by an attacking pack of small street dogs in Magdalena de Kino - they ran off after the one bit me hard in the calf. Several times I had to pepper spray or lunge at strays which rushed at me barking aggressively for no apparent reason. Don't kick at them, you might lose your balance. Throwing stones works very well to deter them. Most of them find plenty of food, but disease from trash eating can make them look starved.
As far as food poisoning, I have a pretty tough gut after several winters of foreign travel, but I still dealt with chronic rumbling and bloating after almost every meal last winter in Sonora. Had to punch two new holes in my belt after I returned to the USA and resumed cooking my own meals, that's how bad the bloating and inflammation was. Of course, heavy beer drinking also contributed - Mexicans always have bellies for a reason. Surpisingly, my shits were nearly always solid.
>Guaymas
curious, you know anything about the coast between guaymas and mazatlan? might go check it out this winter.
You will need to get a temporary import permit at the federal checkpoint just past Empalme on MEX-15. My van has a total wreck in its carfax history, so I was denied an import permit last winter.
Most of the Sinaloa coast is marsh, so you won't be hitting up too many beaches - though I have seen reports of expats in RVs camping in little fishing villages near Topolobampo and having a good time. Temps in the 90s occur even in midwinter. Tons of sunshine and no rain between mid-November and April. The Sierra Madre Occidental mountains are fascinating - Alamos in Sonora used to be a major nature tourist destination - but if you want to explore in your private vehicle, you will need to have the fearless confidence and calm nature necessary to deal with the lawless and insecure nature of the region.
I do not recommend travel to this region if you would pass as a Mexican, and it never hurts to ask upfront if is safe for foreigners to hike up a certain trail. Hiring a guide wouldn't be a bad idea for the more remote areas, as the sudden appearance of a foreigner may be extremely alarming to traffickers. Usually, word will get out about your presence in the area, and people will only give you hard curious stares. Give them a nod back.
In Mexico, speaking directly and neutrally is the best way to assuage the suspicions of the local enforcers, whether they are in or out of uniform. Sometimes they will ask to see the pictures and contacts in your phone, so be sure to photograph every cool nature spot you see. Avoid taking pictures of people or facilities. Of course, you will have no cell signal up there.
Picrel is a hot spring deep in cartel territory on the Chihuahua side of things.
furiously taking notes. thanks. I was gonna do it on a bike if I went, which I suppose makes for a slightly different but not obviously worse risk/reward.
>The Sierra Madre Occidental mountains are fascinating
I read JPS Brown's books this summer and they're largely set here, albeit mostly on the Chihuahua side. Would love to visit someday but a bit ambitious for this trip.
"God's Middle Finger" is another good book to read. The ending shows what happens when you try to befriend cartel members. Would you befriend a rattlesnake in its natural habitat?
Picrel is Cascada Basaseachic, one of the most spectacular waterfalls on Earth after good summer rains. The rest of the year it is dry.
BTW, driving down to the Recowata hot spring, we crossed paths with a literal drug mule which had come down a trail and was being unloaded into the bed of a pickup truck. Everyone paused to stare at us...I ignored them and kept driving. My buddy started freaking out and saying that this is a bad and stupid idea, but I kept going. None of my business. Freaking out would have been the worst possible choice when headed down a steep and narrow cobblestone road not wide enough to turn around.
>dont take pictures os sus things
>procedes to take photo of children swimming
Veracruz best state
Did you go to Orizaba?
Bumping for interest. I would love to know if there's a way to get a job/visa to live there. I have the money but nothing to do when I get down there so I would need some kind of a job to not go insane.
Doing grunt work on Upwork.com should keep you busy enough. If not, try Mexican Glassdoor for local job listings:
https://www.glassdoor.com.mx/index.htm
Americans can stay for 180 days at a time on a tourist "visa" - the FMM. If you still want to stay in Mexico after that time, then you can look into getting permanent residency.
Unless you want to volunteer to sweep the streets or something similar, you are not going to find work in Mexico outside of the expat communities, who you can befriend and who will be able to find you something to do. Mexicans don't want gringos making money, they want them spending money.
>lack of infrastructure
Most of Mexico has sidewalks and is quite walkable. Public transport infrastructure is excellent - taxis are very plentiful as well. Electricity has been reliable in my experience; however, WiFi often glitches out. Telcel data plans are very reliable. The roads and water supply infrastructure are often horribly neglected, with "springs" from leaking pipes making a filthy mess in the streets. Everyone has rooftop tanks which drain by gravity into the plumbing, due to the unreliability of the water supply. Be careful even when brushing your teeth with the water.
>people are warm and welcoming
If you are paying extra for everything in a tourist zone, of course they will treat you like a VIP. Otherwise, you don't get any special treatment as a foreigner in Mexico. "Digame" (talk to me) is a common phrase used to greet a customer in certain regions where everyone's personality seems bitten-off after decades of violence. In such regions, use of casual obscenities in the street is very common, even among old ladies. Then it's "andale pues" (go on now) after they deliver the product and make change for your payment. Other regions are bigger on the formalities. "que Tenga buen dia" (have a nice day), or "quedate y vaya bien" (stay well and go well) are common farewells.
>you are not going to find work in Mexico outside of the expat communities
Not true. There are jobs for English-speaking foreigners in the tourist industry, customer service at certain companies, English language schools, etc. And staying insulated amongst the expat communities will limit your opportunities, not improve them.
Wrong pic, LOL. That was the road to Recowata Hot Spring.
The dog thing sounds horrifying and as for Mexicans becoming more guarded and hostile, I've heard that it has only gotten worse since 2020.
Covid was taken more seriously in Mexico, which was a real bummer. After seeing everyone wearing masks I cut a trip short. Though, almost everyone I meet in Mexico says someone they know died from covid, someone close not a distant relative. Whereas here in the US where there were supposedly the most deaths, I don't even know anybody who went to the hospital for covid, including elderly and frail people that got it. IDK what the reason for that is, if people are generally in worse health there but I think they are.
COVID response varied state by state, as Mexico is a federal republic just like the USA. Some regions were very strict about masks for everyone; other places like Nuevo Laredo in March 2021, nobody gave a frick about a virus when bullets could start flying at any moment. Arrived there by bus and stayed 10 days, it was an adventure. In Oaxaca City in January 2022, the (White) tourists nearly always ignored the mask recommendation, while the (mestizo/indio) locals universally followed it.
>nobody gave a frick about a virus when bullets could start flying at any moment.
In Durango I saw dad and two kids on a motorbike, no helmets, all wearing masks.
They only just stopped wearing masks outdoors in CDMX this spring.
¡Válgame Dios!
Cost of living in Sonora for me was $1200 USD/month, with $22/night being a base price for a budget hotel. In Ensenada, it was around $30/night. Baja and northern Mexico tend to be pricier than the other parts of the country.
Eastern and central Mexico are significantly cheaper, and one can live a decent life on $800 USD/month in a state like Puebla or Veracruz. Base hotel costs there ranged from $12-16/night, and they were often of better quality than the horribly neglected budget hotels farther north.
>I noticed the change in people's attitudes
In some places people have come annoyed at gringos coming in gentrifying the place, driving prices up and making it hard to get an apartment.
Blaming a few hundred thousand expats in CDMX for the global inflation crisis doesn't really make sense to me.
With all due respect anon, you wouldn't say this if you saw any moderately good part of puerto vallarta in winter. The place gets outright invaded. And I'm not taking the traditionally touristic areas, either.
That guy is very Mérida specific, so his Mexico relocation advice is largely worthless. Tangerine Travels is quite a bit better for that type of thing.
My english is not all there, but assuming I'm reading this correctly. You are going to get the type of women sexpats get.
>I'm aware the tourists are mostly boomers and homos
Plenty of springbreakers, too.
Medellin vs CDMX
Which is best for a short stay? How's the nightlife in both compare?
CDMX and it's not even close. That's like asking what is better for a short stay, NYC or Buffalo, NY. Medellin is a regional capital. CDMX is a huge metropolis with 1000 years of history and has a lot more depth as a place. Everyone should go to Mexico City at least once.
Thank you. Do you recommend staying in certain neighborhoods?
I'd like to check out the historical sites during the day, such as the cathedrals. During the night I'd like to check out some of the clubs and bars. Do you have any recommendations for either?
Roma Norte, La Condesa, and Polanco are normally the top destinations in CDMX. Bing it and tons of neighborhood guides will come up.
>Polanco
homie are you traveling to CDMX for hannukah or something?
Don't forget about the pyramid of the sun which is an easy daytrip. Also Coyoacan has a lot to see.
While there, take advantage of the tequila. Their tequila is much better down there also mezcal. Don Julio and other shit which can be hard to get elsewhere.
On the flip side, having only a few days in CDMX means you will not be able to explore even a fraction of the city, which can feel very frustrating. Hence, anon may prefer Medellin, which is a major population center far bigger and far livelier than the Niagara Falls metro, but most of which is uninteresting to explore. Winter climate in Medellin is balmier than CDMX as well, which sees temps dip into the low 40s. Bright sunny days are lovely, but high clouds or heavy smog can prolong the chilly weather until mid-afternoon.
Mexican cities are safe as long as the cartels are strong and cohesive. Disruptions to the command structure means splinter bands of narcos running amok fighting for a plaza, accountable to nobody. Still, you should only notice an increased wariness and suspicion of strangers among the locals, along with lookouts everywhere giving you hard stares.
I visited Pico de Orizaba and climbed Sierra Negra, but coming up from Tehuacan on the Puebla side, which is arid rain-shadow scrubland and high-altitude pine forest somewhat like a snow-free Colorado.
Then I visited Perote and climbed the Cofre de Perote before heading around to the green side of things and hanging out in Xalapa. Would post pic but WiFi is rangebanned, sucks.
Definitely CDMX unless you're strictly looking to bang prostitutes
Medellin is so kino though, I love the red brick highrises against the lush green mountains
very kino
deffo lookin forward to visiting
Foreigners are dropping like flies in MDE. Another one bit the dust a day or two ago.
All the gringos are moving to Merida, Yucatan, it's safe (2nd safest city in the usd, canada and mexico put together) and cheap.
Goggle it, there are entire facebook groups about it, I'm mexican with a patreon $5000 per month and I pretty much live here in retirement, my house costed $20k usd and my monthly expenses are less than $400. The rest o of my money goes into stocks that pay dividends, I'm currently at $16k per year.
>I'm mexican with a patreon $5000 per month
What kind of porn or furry art do you do?
I've been to Merida. It's nice, clean, doesn't quite feel like it's in a 3rd world country. It's hot as balls there though. I think I liked Campeche better, with it's colonial era walls and breezy views of the sea.
I'm thinking about buying a small condo in Playas de Tijuana since I literally cannot do another Scottsdale summer. Real estate is pretty cheap and you can be in San Diego in like 45 mins if you have SENTRI.
Is TJ really as much of a shithole as people say?
I'd be in AZ 9 months out of the year and Mexico from June-Aug. Would probably just AirBnb the place for the rest of the year.
Yes and no but yes.
TJ is experiencing water shortages and rationing issues in the last few years aside from the security problems. Playas is nice but the ocean there is badly contaminated with sewage. Mexicans still swim in it though but on the American side they'll tell people to not.
Btw this isn't like Arizona water rationing where they're like "conserve water super serious guise" no they just have rotating water cutoffs in different parts of town for a day or 2 each.
I'm from south San Diego and am considering moving to AZ btw (elderly parents live there and I'm pretty familiar with what the place is like in different parts of the year). My plan is to get an RV and travel around in the summer. California campgrounds, Colorado, Idaho, etc. And I'd stay somewhere further south if you don't need to be by the border... Sonora and Sea of Cortez side of Baja are very hot in the summer but the Pacific side stays cool.
>Btw this isn't like Arizona water rationing where they're like "conserve water super serious guise" no they just have rotating water cutoffs in different parts of town for a day or 2 each
I've lived in Scottsdale for 5 years and have never had my water cut off, but maybe that's because I live in a large condo development.
That's what I meant, unlike AZ, Tijuana has been experiencing rotating blackouts but for water. I believe some of it was infrastructure issues, supply pipelines being out of service but it's something super 3rd world and unpleasant that characterized the place for a while.
Ah, I see. Yeah that's pretty rough, all the Mexican guys I know say TJ is bad even by Mexican standards. But the climate & location are almost too good to pass up...