Another New Guy Looking for Advice

[hadnuf]

I know, there’s a steady stream of potential Mexico retirees who come to this forum seeking advice and I am yet another. My wife and I would like to retire to Mexico in 2.5-3 years. Here are our “statistics:”

I am 100% gringo, speak some Spanish, and am continually learning.
She is 3rd generation Mexican-American and is reasonably fluent.
We would like to get along on about $2000 a month.
We would be renters.
Local foods are fine; we don’t require many “American groceries”
General lifestyle requirements are modest, but we would want TV, Internet, and a car.
We would like to travel around a little and see other parts of Mexico.
We’re pretty flexible and adaptable.
Our ages will be 62 & 64.

After a few years of study and vacationing in Mexico, the Lake Chapala area is emerging as a logical location for us, and we’ll be visiting there this fall to have a look around.

There are many questions to ask, but I’d like to start with climate: Unlike most, we would be moving down substantially in elevation. Our current home in the Colorado Rockies is at 7500 feet. While I don’t think we’ll miss the winter snow, we love our cool summers. Our average temps in July are about the same as Chapala in January. We know we’ll have to make adjustments, but we’re not very fond of hot weather.

With that in mind, would we be crazy to consider Tapalpa and Mazamitla? Small towns, I know, but both of them are twice as big as the town we live in now. Are there any expats at all living in those places? Other slightly cooler alternatives anybody can suggest?

Any advice would be much appreciated!

[RVGRINGO]

You'll do just fine if you manage your finances properly and don't go overboard on rent. We own our home and manage some travel, entertainment and eating out on a bit less than your budget. As a matter of fact, we just had two other couples for dominoes, snacks and a light supper; one couple is from your (303) area in Colorado. Mazamitla and Tapalpa are higher and cooler than Chapala but lack the infrastructure most expats seek. Both are weekend and vacation destinations for Tapatios and some have second homes or cabins there. Both are a good two hours from other than basic shopping. I'm not sure about DSL, Cable, etc. in either town. As you age, the altitude can become a problem, as you know. Come and explore all your options. As renters, you will be more flexible and can always change your mind.

[sparks]

Tapalpa and Mazamitla as well as Patzcuaro are all about 7500ft and in the pine forests. Tapalpa and Mazamitla are definately worth a visit but you could probably count the gringos on two hands. All get lots of rain in the summer

I heard there there was another town near Tabasco that was really high up in the mountains, and they are described as having weather like "London". Rainy, cold and cloudy most of the time. You might want to search for that place if that's the kinda weather you want.

There is also a mountain in Toluca that is a dormant volcano. That usually has ice on it pretty much year round. The town at the base of it keeps pretty cold.

Another mountian with ice is along the coast in Veracuz.

Can't recall the names, but I had to track them down for skiing freaks one time.

[Bob Cox]

$$$2K a month?? You could even have a mistress stashed away somewhere with that. Just kidding. If you dont have bad habits that should be enough to get by on. Small to medium towns are fine if you are within a couple of hours of a larger town in case you need something you cant find in a Pueblito.

Remember..where there are many gringos the prices will be higher.

[El Toro Furioso]

Good luck in your search for your own ideal place. Out of curiosity, why do you list yourselves as Expats in Mexico, when you say that you aren't moving here for two years or so? An Expat in Mexico already lives here, I would venture. There are precious few full-time gringos in any high mountain town that I have ever heard of in Mexico, unless you call San Miguel de Allende "high mountain." Patzquaro, too, has a few gringos now, and it can get downright cold in the winter. Especially since most rentals will not have any form of heat. AC for a few weeks a year in Chapala would cost a lot less than firewood in the mountains.
¡Que les vayan bien!

[chilelover]

The sign up form asks where you are, or plan to be, living.

[BajaGringo]

One thing that I have found in many who come to live here is that the need to be near "other gringos" diminishes over time. Especially if you have good assimilation / language skills. Focus your efforts more on where the ideal place for you would be without having to count how many other gringos shared that choice, would be my ever be it so humble advice...

YMMV

[El Toro Furioso]

without having to count how many other gringos shared that choice, would be my ever be it so humble advice...

I agree for those who already speak Spanish well enough to converse about just about any topic with your neighbors. If you need to learn the language, you may want to consider an area with a lot of gringos to get a little acclimated. Those places will also have a concentration of Spanish teachers, so go to it and learn. Then the whole country becomes your oyster. Before we bought a place on the Costa Alegre (where we speak quite a bit more Spanish than on Lake Chapala) we lived for almost four years one town away from one of the greatest concentrations of expats in Mexico--Ajijic. But living just one town East meant that our neighbors were all Mexicans. We still rent a place on Lake Chapala and are visiting right now. We have been invited and had la comida with two of our Mexican family friends already in the six days we've been back. They speak basically no English. So I guess, too, that you can be in an area of lots of gringos but still interact to your heart's content with locals. BTW, when we say "lots of gringos," we mean up to 5% of the population, no more.

[mexfan]

Originally Posted by hadnuf

I know, there’s a steady stream of potential Mexico retirees who come to this forum seeking advice and I am yet another. My wife and I would like to retire to Mexico in 2.5-3 years. Here are our “statistics:”

I am 100% gringo, speak some Spanish, and am continually learning.
She is 3rd generation Mexican-American and is reasonably fluent.
We would like to get along on about $2000 a month.
We would be renters.
Local foods are fine; we don’t require many “American groceries”
General lifestyle requirements are modest, but we would want TV, Internet, and a car.
We would like to travel around a little and see other parts of Mexico.
We’re pretty flexible and adaptable.
Our ages will be 62 & 64.

After a few years of study and vacationing in Mexico, the Lake Chapala area is emerging as a logical location for us, and we’ll be visiting there this fall to have a look around.

There are many questions to ask, but I’d like to start with climate: Unlike most, we would be moving down substantially in elevation. Our current home in the Colorado Rockies is at 7500 feet. While I don’t think we’ll miss the winter snow, we love our cool summers. Our average temps in July are about the same as Chapala in January. We know we’ll have to make adjustments, but we’re not very fond of hot weather.

With that in mind, would we be crazy to consider Tapalpa and Mazamitla? Small towns, I know, but both of them are twice as big as the town we live in now. Are there any expats at all living in those places? Other slightly cooler alternatives anybody can suggest?

Any advice would be much appreciated!

Hi There:
I haven't yet posted anything on this site, howerver after seeing your post, the city of Xalapa, which is the Capital city of Veracruz jumped out. We visited there a few years back and were amazed at the beauty. It is also higher up in the mountains, so the climate in summer is nice and cool. Please research Xalapa, I'm sure you'd love it!!
Good luck,
Mexfan