How I Left the United States and Moved to Mexico

I suspect that many people are ready to get out.

People seem to be very interested in the articles I have written about living in Mexico. Some of them say that they are thinking about doing the same thing. I would like to tell you about how I did it.

I was very unhappy with my college professor job, so I retired as soon as I could draw a pension. That was when I turned 55 years old. My son also graduated from high school about the same time that I retired, so it was a transition time for both of us.

My first visit

Before I moved, I took a six-week trip to Mexico, visiting Mexico City as well as the towns of Guanajuato and San Miguel de Allende. I had been reading about San Miguel de Allende for several years and was quite sure I would like it there.

My first few days were spent at a hotel in Mexico City. It was fun sightseeing, but Mexico City is huge and I didn’t know a soul. Honestly, I felt a little bit lost there. At the time, I only knew a little bit of Spanish from college. I hardly talked to anybody for those few days.

Next, I took a bus to San Miguel de Allende. I was really impressed by how nice the bus was and how cheap it was for a five-hour trip. I think it was about $25 US dollars. As soon as I got off the bus, I felt like I was home. I ended up staying most of the time at an Airbnb with a mother and daughter. It was OK, but I didn’t love the part of town it was in. For the last week I was there, I moved to a different AirBnB that was closer to downtown. I liked it better because it was close to restaurants, coffee shops, and tourist shops.

Buying a house in Mexico

After I had been there for about four weeks, I met a realtor in a coffee shop. I told him that I had seen a couple of houses online that I would like to look at. At the time, I wasn’t sure if I should buy something yet. Maybe it would be impulsive to buy a house so quickly. Nevertheless, we went to look at several houses and I made an offer on one. The house was about $95,000 US dollars, which was just a bit less than I had in my savings. My offer was accepted and I had the money transferred and signed a bunch of papers.

In Mexico, most people pay cash for a house. I have heard that mortgages are not so common here.

In order to buy a house in Mexico, you don’t have to be a citizen or a resident.

Since I had planned to go back to the US for the holidays, my realtor finished everything for me.

When I came back to Mexico a month and a half later, I brought only myself and two suitcases. I sold or gave away everything I had in Ohio. I didn’t have to do that right away because my son lived in our house for a couple of years while he was going to college. I eventually sold that house and my son moved into a student apartment.

There are moving companies here in San Miguel de Allende that will drive to the USA, get your stuff, and move it here. I know a few people who have done this. I don’t know how much it costs, but I suspect it is expensive. I didn’t have anything in Ohio that was particularly valuable. For me, it was cheaper and easier to just buy new stuff in Mexico.

I also had several rental properties in Ohio, which I sold soon after I moved to Mexico. All of my houses had mortgages that I was able to pay off. I also had a little money left over to help my son get through college and make some renovations to the new house in Mexico.

The new house in Mexico turned out to be a good decision. The street that I live on and the neighborhood have been continually upgraded by the city. Lots of people have bought into the neighborhood and made improvements. The whole neighborhood has gone up and value, and is also a good place to live.

Visa or Permanent Residency

I also receive a monthly pension from the Ohio State Teacher’s Retirement System. It allows me to have a fairly high standard of living in Mexico. It also allowed me to get my permanent residency. Americans are allowed to stay here six months at a time on their passport. If you want to stay longer you have to go back to the United States to get your tourist visa renewed. I did this a few times before I got my permanent residency. I usually wanted to go back and visit my family about every six months anyway.

There is a program specifically for retirees, where if you have a certain monthly income or a certain amount of money in the bank, you are qualified for permanent residency. I think the monthly income was about 3000 US dollars and the savings amount was 100,000 US dollars. This was a few years ago, so the criteria might have changed some.

As a permanent resident, I have some of the same benefits as a Mexican citizen. I got free Covid shots. I don’t have to renew my tourist visa every six months.

Making a living

Most of the Americans I know live on a pension or savings from the United States. It is not that easy to get a job or make a living here in Mexico. First of all, you have to speak Spanish to qualify for most jobs. I know a few former Americans who work here. Most of them are too young to retire or have young children at home. Some are realtors, mostly selling houses to other American ex-pats. For people who are fluent in Spanish, there is the possibility of teaching Spanish to others. One lady I know teaches art lessons, but she also has savings. Another lady I know leads art tours that are attended by older Americans. There is also the possibility of being a digital nomad if your work involves doing something online.

Learning the language

Most of the older Americans I know struggle to learn the language. It’s true that it is more difficult to learn a new language when you’re older, but it’s not impossible. When I first moved to San Miguel de Allende, I attended a local Spanish school. It was somewhat expensive, but it was a good program. One of the best parts was meeting others like me who were new in town and wanted to make friends.

Here in San Miguel de Allende, almost everybody I know speaks English, even the Mexicans. This has both positive and negative consequences. When I first arrived in Mexico, it was great to be able to communicate with other people. On the other hand, after six years I still have trouble speaking Spanish. Sometimes I think I should spend some time in other cities where most people only speak Spanish. My reading in Spanish is better than my speaking. The hardest part is understanding what people are saying to me.

Some Americans want to come here to learn Spanish. There are several Spanish schools and many individual Spanish instructors.

Cost of Living

As far as the cost of living goes, most things are less expensive in Mexico than in the United States.

Costs for medical care and prescription medicines are much less expensive. I have had three bone surgeries and three eye surgeries in Mexico. Each surgery was approximately $1500-2000 US dollars. In my experience, the medical care here is very good. I have not even thought about going back to the USA for treatment. My prescription medicines are less than the insurance co-pay that I had in the United States. It is possible to get medical insurance here, but I heard that they don’t always pay you. I would recommend that people who live here try to save some money for medical emergencies and other future medical needs.

I have never paid rent, but I know people who have rented nice houses for about $600 US dollars per month. Utility bills are much cheaper than in the USA. My electric bill is about $25 a month and my water bill is about the same. You might need to buy propane gas for your stove and water heater. I have a solar water heater, so I don’t need that. The weather here is pretty nice, so I don’t have a furnace or air conditioner. I wash my clothes by hand and hang them out to dry. My life here is simple and energy efficient.

Many Americans here have a cleaning lady and some also have a gardener. I am not sure what is the going rate. You are expected to pay a bonus at Christmas time. You may be asked to help with their medical expenses.

I have never liked to cook, so I usually either eat out or have food delivered. I usually order my meals to be delivered through the Uber Eats app on my phone. The price of restaurant food and service is about the same as in the midwestern United States.

Where to shop

Since I don’t cook, I don’t do much grocery shopping.

Most neighborhoods in Mexico have a mom-and-pop type convenience store where you can buy common items like drinks and snacks. There are several large grocery chain stores here in town. The Bodega Aurrera is owned by the Walmart chain and is similar to a Walmart but even more basic. Not surprisingly, the prices here are pretty low, but not very high quality. I bought my refrigerator there for a good price and it seems to work just fine. There is a more upscale grocery and department store called La Comer, which has been upgraded a few times since I have lived here. Soriano is a decent mid-size grocery store, and it’s located at our little outdoor mall. We also have a really fancy, upscale grocery store called the City Market. City Market also has a few restaurants inside.

I really like to buy clothes and shoes, and you have a few choices here. Just like in the United States, people have garage sales on Saturdays and sometimes other days. I sometimes buy stuff like t-shirts and jeans from garage sales. We also have a big market one day a week that’s like a flea market and farmers’ market combined. I sometimes find clothes I like there, but it’s mostly stuff like jeans and t-shirts. Sometimes it’s hard to find clothes that fit if you are bigger and or taller than the typical Mexican woman. The flea market sells clothes that I suspect are unsold merchandise from American retailers, so you can find some American sizes. There is one boutique in town that sells breezy cotton clothes in big and tall women’s sizes.

If I can’t find the stuff I want at a store in town, I can usually find it on Amazon. Amazon is pretty good here in Mexico, and the deliveries are often free and quick. I have bought a few musical instruments on Amazon. I also buy lots of books in English.

Things to do

Many people come to San Miguel de Allende to visit art galleries and take art lessons. Some of the artists here also teach. They don’t always advertise it, but many of them do give lessons if you ask them. I took art lessons every week the first few years I was here. It was a lot of fun and a good way to get out and meet people.

For the last two years I have taken dance lessons at our local Arthur Murray dance studio. For years, they have been the only Arthur Murray franchise in Mexico. The owner/instructor is an American lady married to a Mexican man. There are several other dance instructors in town. Salsa dancing is fairly popular here.

San Miguel de Allende is not really a nightlife town. Most activities for ex-pats take place during the day or early evening. The locals have parties that go later, but most of those are at somebody’s house. We have a few good musicians who play at some of the restaurants. There are also jazz concerts frequently at the local theater. There are several salsa bands and a few that play classic rock. There are probably other things that I don’t know about because I don’t go out that much at night.

Car or public transportation

You also need to consider whether or not you want to have a car. When I moved to Mexico, my eyesight was so bad, that I could not see well enough to pass the driver’s license test. After getting three eye surgeries, I can see well enough to get my license, but I don’t really want to have a car. Public transportation here in San Miguel de Allende is cheap and readily available. A typical taxi ride here in town is now about four US dollars. I also call Uber sometimes on my phone app, and the price varies according to how busy they are and how far you are going. There are very nice buses to go to nearby cities for $10-40 US dollars. We also have two international airports that are each about an hour's drive away.

Things to consider before you decide to move

Based on my experience, here is my advice to others who are interested in moving to Mexico:

1. Make sure that you are able to adjust to life in a different culture. I have heard that some Americans move here because it’s cheap but they don’t really like Mexico that much. You should be willing to learn the language, at least a little. You should be comfortable with a slower pace of living.
2. Make sure that you have enough money to live on. This could be through savings, pension, or work. Make sure that you are qualified to work in Mexico if that is your plan.
3. Plan for medical needs and expenses. Are you going to a local doctor? Do you need to go back to the USA for treatment? Do you need medical insurance? Do you have savings to pay for expenses if you need them? These are important questions that you should ask yourself.
4. Make sure that you can get a house or apartment that you like, at a price you can afford. Here in San Miguel de Allende, there are homes for almost anyone’s budget.
5. Do you want or need to drive? Should you bring a car or buy one here? Will you have parking near your home?
6. Are you willing and able to learn Spanish? When I first moved here I only had a little bit of Spanish in college, many years earlier. It was better than nothing. Any Spanish that you know will help you.
7. Are you at a point in your life where you are able to leave your job, family, and friends? Are you willing to get out and make new friends after you move to Mexico?
8. Are you going to live here full time? If so, you might want to look at the requirements to see if you can qualify to be a permanent resident. You can live here on an American passport, but you have to go to the USA to renew it every six months.
9. What about lifestyle? Are there activities that you are interested in? Do you want to live in a city or on the beach? Are you a sports person or an arts person?

I hope that you find this information useful.

Most of this information is based on my own experience and may be different than the experience of others.

Moving to Mexico has mostly been a good experience for me. If you decide to move here, I hope it works out well for you too.