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Our Most Asked Questions
- IS MEXICO SAFE?
- All of our featured locations are as safe as any in the US or Canada. In many cases, they are safer. Large cities everywhere have higher crime than small towns and suburban areas. The largest city in our Featured Locations, Guadalajara, offers homes in far safer neighborhoods than in cities of comparable size (4 million people) to the north. Common sense is, of course, the most important factor to keeping anyone safe, but hundreds of thousands of northerners have happily moved to Mexico and they think no more about crime than they would in their hometowns in the US or in Canada. Of course, we are happy to answer questions about specific locations if you’re considering a visit.
- DON’T YOU NEED TO SPEAK SPANISH TO LIVE IN MEXICO?
- There are many areas in Mexico where one needn’t speak Spanish at all to live quite comfortably. Many of our featured locations are home to other northerners, and often even locals speak very good English. Of course, it’s always good to learn what you can, and many retirees enjoy taking advantage of affordable and informal lessons offered by locals enthusiastic to welcome others into their culture.
- WHAT ARE THE HOSPITALS LIKE IN MEXICO?
- Most of the retirement destinations we recommend in Mexico have fine, reputable hospitals, often with staff trained in the United States. Good hospitals are plentiful, and the prices are much cheaper than in the US. The quality of the facilities varies from location to location but our website will help you find facilities to suit your needs close to your new home. You can usually get health insurance for just about $250 per year.
- CAN I GET MY SOCIAL SECURITY CHECK IF I LIVE IN MEXICO?
- Yes, your check can be mailed to you (and deposited) in Mexico.
- WHAT PLACES IN MEXICO HAVE LOTS OF AMERICANS/CANADIANS?
- The State of Jalisco is a major retirement magnet for Americans. Encompassing Guadalajara, Ajijic and Puerto Vallarta, it is one of the most beautiful regions in central Mexico. Lake Chapala/Ajijic is a town with many foreign residents, but in particular lots of Canadians call it home. The Baja Peninsula also has many American ex-pats due to its close proximity to the US. Almost all of the towns we feature on our website have US consulates, which indicates a sizable presence of Americans in those areas.
- HOW DO I BUY/HOW MUCH IS A HOUSE IN MEXICO?
- There are many homes in Mexico from US$100,000 to $600,000. Almost all are far less than what you would pay in the US. Foreigners are allowed to buy homes in Mexico and hold their titles, just as long as they follow the same rules as Mexican natives. There are a few documents required to purchase a home in Mexico, coastlines require the land to be purchased through a bank trust, and you will need a good Real Estate broker to help you navigate some of the laws and terminology.
- CAN I BRING MY PET?
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In Mexico, only cats and dogs are considered pets!
If your pet is older than three months of age, a health certificate is required. If your pet is older than three months of age, it will need a Health Certificate and anti-rabies vaccination record dated within the previous year. It is very important to take the necessary precautions to have all the documentation needed, and that the information it contains fits the pet’s characteristics i.e. age, breed, color, sex, etc. If inconsistencies are detected you might face drawbacks or even the rejection of your application.
1. When arriving to Mexico, you must present your pet and all the documentation in one of the Inspection de Sanidad Aropecuaria offices (Sanitary Inspection Office), located in every airport, port and border-crossing.
2. Your pet will be inspected physically by a government officer of Mexico to check for parasites or other infectious health issues.
3. If your pet complies with all the requirements mentioned above, a Zoo Sanitary Import Certificate will be issued, allowing your pet to enter the country.
The cost of issuing the Import Certificate (approximately US$130) will have to be paid by the owner at a bank counter, (usually this counter is right next to the inspection office). The rate changes every six months, on January 1st and July 1st.
- CAN I GET BY ON US$1000 A MONTH?
- You can have a much more relaxing retirement in Mexico, with US$1000 per month, because your hard-earned money can go so much further. With low housing costs, real estate taxes, and an all-around lower cost of living, you’ll be able to afford many more luxuries in Mexico with your retirement income.
- I’VE NEVER / RARELY LEFT THE US—WON’T LIVING IN A FOREIGN COUNTRY BE SCARY?
- Living in a foreign country is not for everyone. However, Mexico has the largest American expatriate community in the world (over one million Americans live in Mexico), and many facilities cater exclusively to Americans. In many such places, you would rarely have to interact with non-English speakers and would be quite at home. The move to Mexico can be a hassle or just plain intimidating, but services such as our Concierge make it a breeze.
- WHAT IS MEXRETIRE.COM?
- MexRetire.com is a one-stop website that gives you all the tools you need to retire to Mexico. We’ll help you select the ideal location, and give you all the information required to relocate and settle down in Mexico. An American company, we were started and launched by an American and we’ve got friendly helpful employees from all over.
Frequently Asked Questions
- WHAT SERVICES DOES MEXRETIRE.COM PROVIDE?
- Put simply, we’ll provide you with whatever service you need. The most common requests we get are for moving companies, for help with visas, with closing on the property, and with settling in (finding maids, gardeners, doctors, etc.). But with our Concierge service, we will help you with virtually anything you need. Just send us an email, or fill in the appropriate form on the Concierge page.
- HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?
- Basic access to MexRetire.com is free. Basic Membership gives you access to the main site, where you will find all the information you need to move to Mexico, and lists or links to all the major Business Listings you’ll need to move to and retire in Mexico (located in our Business Listings section). Premier membership has 3 key advantages.
1. Access to our advanced destination search tool: “ Matchmaker” which will select the top destination matches for you, based on your preferences, thus greatly simplifying your search.
2. Access to specialized customer service via email, chat, or over the phone. Our retirement experts are available to you during business hours to answer any and all of your questions about Mexico.
3. Finally, you’ll get access to all the special reports in our Top 10 section, such as the Top 10 Places to Buy Under $100K and many others.
Premier membership is $50 per year. Unless you choose to use our Concierge service, there are no other costs.
- HOW DO SERVICE LISTINGS DIFFER FROM CONCIERGE?
- Basic and Premier Memberships will give you access to our comprehensive Service Listings including links and contact information to lawyers, moving companies, notaries, realtors, etc. Basically, all the providers you would typically need when buying a house and moving to a new location. Through the Service Listings, you can find the providers most suited to your needs, and negotiate directly with them to get the services you desire or you can browse just to see what’s available, from Amusement Parks to Yoga. Our Concierge service is explained below.
- WHAT IS CONCIERGE?
- Concierge is our unique TURNKEY service. You tell us what you want, and we do it. For example, you may tell us: I want my Mexican long term (called FM3) visa, and I want you to move my furniture and my car, find me a nurse and a maid, and I need to get to my new home in San Miguel. Done! We’ll tell you what papers are needed and ask you to fax them or mail them to us, and then we’ll take care of the rest. We’ll book the moving company, get your visa for you (you may need to go to the local Mexican consulate to sign and pick it up). We’ll book your plane ticket (or give you directions if you choose to drive), pick you up in Mexico, take you to your new home, introduce you to the people making your house into a home, and remain available to help you with anything needed to settle in. Of course, we’ll give you a detailed quote BEFORE WE DO ANYTHING. The quote will show you the charges incurred by the various providers, and our commission if there is one. Many of our services are free of charge. We’ll only do the work after receiving your written confirmation and payment.
- CAN I TRUST MEXRETIRE.COM?
- We are a US company, and you are paying us in the US, in US dollars. If you are not happy with our service or if you feel that we are not providing you with the services that you paid for and/or expected, you can obtain a remedy just as you would from any other American firm. We grow primarily through word of mouth and recommendations. Customer satisfaction is not just an empty slogan for us, it is how we grow and survive so your total satisfaction is our ultimate goal.
- WHAT IF I AM NOT SATISFIED WITH THE SITE?
- If, after paying the US$50 for MexRetire.com’s Premier Service, you are not satisfied with the quality of the content, you’ll have one week to cancel your order and get a full refund, no questions asked.
- WHERE DO YOU GET YOUR INFORMATION?
- A lot of our information is from personal experience, accumulated from living, working, and traveling throughout Mexico over many, many years. We have dozens of local staff who constantly update the information with the latest news. Likewise, many of the satisfied people who’ve relocated with our assistance keep us in touch with changes and accounts of their experiences. You’ll see more from many of them as the site continues to grow. A living document, our site is constantly being updated with the many successes and happy futures we’ve helped create.
- WHEN SHOULD I START PLANNING MY RETIREMENT?
- Typically, we recommend that you decide on the location where you want to retire up to 5 years before you actually retire. We suggest that you buy or rent a property in that location, and spend as much vacation time as you can in the years before retirement, so that you can get to know the lay of the land, make friends, and make your ultimate relocation that much smoother. Of course, exploring the character and feel of at least a few of the stunning locations we’ll refer you to will only whet your appetite for the life to follow.
- HOW ABOUT POLLUTION AND QUALITY OF AIR?
- Besides Mexico City, the rest of Mexico has no air quality issues and has cleaner air than most US cities.
- HOW CHEAP IS CHEAP?
- While real estate prices have gone up a bit over the last few years, mostly driven by Americans moving to Mexico, on average, prices are less than a third of US equivalents. You can still buy a very nice beach-front property for less than US$200,000. That same property in the US would cost a million dollars!
- HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO HAVE A MAID?
- A live-in maid will typically cost you US$300 per month. A maid who comes 8 hours a day (and who will often cook) will cost around US$150 per month.
- HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO HAVE A NURSE?
- A professional nurse (with the same quality and training as US nurses) will cost you less than US$500 per month if he or she lives with you and is available to you exclusively. A nurse who comes for a 12 hour shift (day or night) will typically cost less than US$250 per month.
- I CAN BUY A DECENT HOUSE FOR LESS THAN US$400,000 IN SOME PLACES IN THE US, WHY SHOULD I BOTHER WITH THE HASSLES OF LIVING IN A FOREIGN COUNTRY?
- True, but a house that you buy in Mexico for US$200,000 would be similar to something for which you’ll pay over US$600,000 in the US. The savings start here, but they don’t end. Real Estate taxes are less than 0.2% in Mexico, as compared to the typical 2-3% in the US. So, on a US$400,000 house in the US, you would typically pay US$8,000-$10,000 in annual property taxes versus less then US$1,000 in Mexico. Your monthly living expenses will be far cheaper in Mexico than in the US. While 2 people can barely make ends meet in the US on US$2,000 per month, you can not only live comfortably in Mexico on US$2,000, but that same budget will include a live-in maid and all number of other comforts!
- WHAT IS THE WEATHER LIKE?
- Nearly any climate is available and they vary from the tropical, very hot (over 90 F), along the coast, to very moderate or even temperate, in the mountains and plateaus. We’ll help you find the ideal location, based on your comfort zone and in some cases we can help you find a location close (an hour or so driving) to 2 or even 3 different climates.
- WHAT ACTIVITIES ARE AVAILABLE IN MEXICO?
- When it comes to leisure time, Mexican culture is not as different from the US or Canada as you might think. Mexican citizens are avid fans of American football and shopping, and ex-pat retirees don’t find any lack of things to do, places to explore or ways to fit in! Golf, deep-sea fishing, biking, hiking, sailing, boating, rafting; you name it, we have it and we’ll help you find it.
- CAN I DRINK THE WATER?
- In this case it’s best to do what the locals do. Bottled water is widely available and can most likely be delivered right to your new door. In most cases, Mexican tap water is perfectly safe, but Mexican’s are so used to NOT drinking it, that we recommend doing the same, and simply avoiding it. The quality of bottled water is very high, and the extra cost is negligible.
- HOW ABOUT THE FOOD / COOKING INGREDIENTS?
- The food is wonderful and international cuisine is plentiful. You can find all the major ingredients and brands you are used to, as well as many of the same major supermarkets (Sam’s Club, Wal-Mart, etc.).
- CAN I FIND MY CHURCH / SYNAGOGUE / MOSQUE?
- Most Mexicans are Roman Catholic, but you can easily find places of worship of all the major denominations.
- WHAT ABOUT SHOPPING?
- From major US-style malls to local artisan markets, shopping centers abound in Mexico. You’ll find most of the consumer products you’re used to, although some types of purchases, particularly electronics, can be a bit more expensive than in the US.
- HOW ARE THE SCHOOLS?
- All the major towns have good private schools. We’ll be happy to help you visit as many of the schools in your new area as you’d like. They are safe, affordable and serve all kinds of students.
- HOW IS THE TRANSPORTATION TO/FROM THE USA/CANADA?
- Most places we will recommend to you are within three hours drive from the US border. The farthest locations (such as Huatulco or Cozumel) are at most a two-hour flight from all major North American hubs. The highway system in Mexico has improved dramatically over the last 5 years, and all the major cities are connected with good modern highways. Likewise, larger cities all connect with many daily direct flights to the US and Canada.
- WHAT ARE THE LOCALS’ ATTITUDES TO AMERICANS?
- Mexicans are very mild people and generally love the Gringos. You’ll most certainly find them some of the friendliest people in the world towards both Americans and Canadians. They may stare for a moment, wondering if you are a tourist who’s gotten lost, but when they recognize you as a resident, they’ll be as welcoming as they would be toward anyone who has lived for generations in your new neighborhood.