Affordable Living in Mexico

When foreign expatriates are asked why they moved to Mexico, among the most common reasons they cite is ‘a desire to simplify our lifestyle’.

Recent decades have brought the advent of speed and urgency into many people’s daily lives and, with these, complexity and stress.  People moving to Mexico, whether to live and work or to retire, often arrive with an underlying hunger to simplify their life situations and to engage with wholesome lifestyle choices.

The concept of ‘simple living’ is not new and, although it is sometimes misinterpreted to mean ‘lower of standard of living’, the opposite is true: simplifying your life situations can raise your living standard.

Simple living, sometimes referred to as ‘voluntary simplicity’, is concerned with refocusing priorities and giving attention back to matters related to good health, spaces shared with family and close friends, reducing stress, and reducing ‘clutter’ – material and situational.   A key principle of simple living is to improve ‘quality of life’, through being materially simple, but not poor.

People who move to Mexico to simplify their lifestyle usually come to realize that the complexity of their ‘previous life’ was expensive. A by-product of simplicity is the reduction of costs.  You may, of course, move to Mexico, live a lavish lifestyle, and spend more than you do in your home country.  However, most people who arrive here come to know of the attractions and benefits of simpler lifestyles and find they are able to live well through living simply in Mexico.

As a rule of thumb, the Mexican immigration authorities usually require retirees to demonstrate a proven income of at around US$1,500 per month, plus US$500 monthly for each dependent.  However, this sum is reduced if you own your home in Mexico, as the figure assumes an inclusive sum to pay a monthly rent.

Most foreign retirees to Mexico buy a home here.  Real estate choices are as diverse as the locations on offer.  For example, if you want to build an eco-home in Mexico, parcels of land are available for as little as US$12,000 at El Dorado Ranch in San Felipe.  For a little more luxury, without the complexity, you might consider settling at Estrella del Mar near Mazatlan.

Land and property continue to be affordable in Mexico and the affordability continues even after your purchase, because property taxes, home maintenance and the basic cost of living is lower in Mexico than in the United States and Canada, and much lower than in Western Europe.

When you own your own home, a couple can live comfortably in one of Mexico’s provincial towns or cities for around US$1,000 a month.   That sum is sufficient to pay all of your basic food and utilities, eat out a couple of times a week, and run a modestly-sized vehicle.

You can get comprehensive lifestyle planning information on Mexperience by reading our Guides to Real Estate in Mexico, Retirement in Mexico and Living and Working in Mexico.