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[Arturo]

Hi everybody , my name is Arturo , I was kinda forced into an early retirement by a construction accident at age 47. Sorry , no huge settlement here. I'm 58 now. I lived in Mexico for several years until Mexico became sooo expensive. (thanks NAFTA)My wife ,Maria Elena and I live in southwestern New Mexico now, not far from Silver City. At almost 6000ft elevation the weather is almost perfect and the cost of living is quite reasonable. Just happened upon your site and was real impressed by it . Hope to contribute something over time

[OldAgePensioner]

Arturo,
First, welcome to the board, and please feel free to give us any advice you might have for those of us considering living in Mexico in the future.

Any issues you ran across that you can share would be appreciated.

[Eagle43]

Welcome, and please elaborate on sooo expensive in Mexico. First I heard of it. Expensive as compared to what?

[Arturo]

Well , Geez , I dunno , I just lost a post replying to OAP about that subject and Mexico retirement in general. I dunno where it went but I'll try again.


"Welcome, and please elaborate on sooo expensive in Mexico. First I heard of it. Expensive as compared to what ?"

Well , as compared to New Mexico where we live now for example.. Nafta was supposed to raise wages in Mexico , but it didn't, essentially it raised prices thru the roof but did little or nothing to raise the standard of living of most folks.Let me qualify this a bit . There are some things that still are a bargain in Mexico. Health and dental care and some medicines are huge bargains south of the border. Mexican health care personel are , for the most part, very professional. They generally act like they are working for you , not at all like their U.S. counterparts . You can still get an office visit for around $20 U.S. no appointment needed, in many places and they take aggresive action to cure what ails you. In many places fresh fruits and veggies are a good buy, cheaper than in the U.S. Housing is less expensive than it is in , well , in California . Human labor and human life is cheap in Mexico

In my experience , and I lived in Mexico for about nine years, I speak fluent Spanish , and I 'm married to a Mexican gal , just about all other consumer goods are much , much more expensinsive in Mexico than they are in the U.S. Why do you think the U.S. side of the border is lined shoulder to shoulder with Walmart and Ross and Target and Best Buy Electronics. I don't care if it's shoes or flat screen TVs , or motor scooters or computers, all you gotta do is sit at the border in Nogales or Douglas Az or El Paso or McAllen Tx and watch what's goin on. People are fillin their cars and pick ups with "stuff" and headin south. Gotta go, a big thunder storm is blowin in . Believe me Mexico is gettin real expensive un less you spent more money on beans than you spend on "stuff"

[preben]

Welcome to the board!
My experience from the Caribbean is the same - imports are very expensive and the romance of going truely "local" wears of quickly...
South East Asia have a much more resonable price level (heck most of Best Buys Etc. stuff is produced here!) and the increased focus from foreign companies (huge growing markets) have increased competition dramatically.
Cheers!

[justin]

From my time living in Mexico:

Cars, airplane tickets, American brand consumer staples (food, toiletries, etc), appliances and electronics, and mortgages are "expensive".

Housing, travel (taxis, buses), domestic help (maids, gardeners, drivers), domestic food and drinks, pharmaceuticals, and pretty much everything else is cheap.

Street food and fruit - often 20% of US prices!

The expensive stuff in Mexico might be 20% more than in US. Not sure. Didn't buy much of it, but I know the general prices.

[brewer12345]

Arturo, is southern NM a lot hotter than northern NM? We visited the Taos and Santa Fe area a few months ago and I was favorably impressed with the weather, area, etc. However, anywhere near Santa Fe was overbuilt (sprawl) and overpriced. Taos seemed a little more my speed, but it looks to me like it will have the same sprawl issues in 5 to 10 years.

My wife grew up in Denver, so the Southwest is of interest to her. I am not real eager to move away from my family(East Coast), but I know that cost of living out there is a lot cheaper, the area has a lot to offer, and it would be closer to her family. Plus if my arthritis and allergies ever really get bad, I know I am a lot more comfy in the dry climate out there.

[Eagle43]

Thanks for the info. I guess there are two sides to every story. I recently saw a CBS Sunday Morning program showing people living in Baja who were delerious about their beachfront property and the low cost. I have read several books where you can live on, take your pick, $400, $800, $1000 a month. Also that was one reason many retirees were moving there, others being the weather and the lifestyle.

http://www.peoplesguide.com/1pages/retire/cost$/pgretbudget.html

I think you can live much cheaper there, just can't live like a U.S. suburbanite.

BTW: I tried umpteen times to insert this URL where it would work, but for some reason it doesn't. If you're interested, you might have to type it.

[justin]

My last vacation to Mexico was 6 weeks. My wife and I spent $1400 total. This was in 2000. This amount included everything we spent from when we left North Carolina till we returned (from buying souvenirs (lots of silver!) to the transportation to/from Mexico). We were very stingy with money. We didn't have to pay for health insurance, but I think we had to buy some pharmaceuticals. This works out to about $1000 a month. We stayed in crappy hotels frequently. We ate out a lot, went to some touristy things (museums, attractions, etc), travelled extensively by first class bus (they have cafes on those buses!!!). We also spent a lot of time relaxing and buying food at the grocery store/bakery. Getting by on $1000 a month in Mexico would be possible, but it would be lower class by our US standards. Double that amount, and you could have middle class probably. For $3000-4000/month, you could live the high life (within limits). Take a month off and rent a place down there to see for yourself.

[Arturo]

"Arturo, is southern NM a lot hotter than northern NM? We visited the Taos and Santa Fe area a few months ago and I was favorably impressed with the weather, area, etc. However, anywhere near Santa Fe was overbuilt (sprawl) and overpriced. Taos seemed a little more my speed, but it looks to me like it will have the same sprawl issues in 5 to 10 years."

Well , we've only been here about a year and the whole southwest is experiencing a heatwave right now but it seems to me that when Phoenix is at 110 we're at about 90 degrees. Of course we're much higher here at about 6000ft. 90 degrees is , for us , real comfortable as long as we stay outta the direct sun. We haven't traveled yet up to the northern part of the state , so I can't compare the two areas. Urban sprawl hasn't hit here yet, altho we do have a Walmart Supercenter. ( can sprawl be far behind?) I dunno but a lotta folks are choosing this area to retire precisely for the great weather and low cost of living. Folks who have lived their entire lives in Silver City think R.E. prices are getting outta hand , but believe me, compared to either coast, AZ., Nevada ect , housing prices are loooow . We live in Bayard about 10 miles south of Silver City , Bayard is home to only about 3000 souls and we think , even prettier than Silver. Housing prices are even lower in Bayard . No traffic, no crime , no smog , folks who we haven't even met yet wave to us when we pass by. We love it.

"The expensive stuff in Mexico might be 20% more than in US. Not sure. Didn't buy much of it, but I know the general prices"

Well, I dunno, but according to my wife and daughter who are the chief shoppers of the family , clothes , shoes , and electronics , appliances ect can run 200% to 500% more in Mexico . I think they're right because I rember seein a flat screen TV in Mazatlan Sin. for about 6500 pesos and the same model in Douglas Az for $217 U.S.

"My last vacation to Mexico was 6 weeks. My wife and I spent $1400 total"

Thank God for " Lonely Planet Guide to Mexico" lol

[justin]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arturo "The expensive stuff in Mexico might be 20% more than in US. Not sure. Didn't buy much of it, but I know the general prices" Well, I dunno, but according to my wife and daughter who are the chief shoppers of the family , clothes , shoes , and electronics , appliances ect can run 200% to 500% more in Mexico . I think they're right because I rember seein a flat screen TV in Mazatlan Sin. for about 6500 pesos and the same model in Douglas Az for $217 U.S. "My last vacation to Mexico was 6 weeks. My wife and I spent $1400 total" Thank God for " Lonely Planet Guide to Mexico" lol

From what I remember from the Walmart in Acapulco, the prices on the "clothes , shoes , and electronics , appliances" was similar to the US prices, maybe higher. I saw some little mom-n-pop shops that were selling appliances and electronics for double what they are up here. Inefficient distribution channels probably drive the costs up. I'm guessing Mexico probably charges high import tarriffs, so imported goods cost more?

And I'm thanking Rough Guides and my Spanish speaking ability.