An Expat Retiree

[mexexpat]

IMO, Ajijic. Not putting down Chapala which has many attributes. But we are foodies and hands down Ajijic eateries far better than Chapala.

Also for a week's trip I would consider a B&B in Ajijic where there are several.

 

[kcowan]

Plus Chapala is more Mexican which can be good or bad depending on what you are looking for.

 

[Letj]

Not everyone reads Spanish, so let’s please keep this in English

Google translate not an option? Lol.

 

[ReadySetGo]

Thanks for sharing your experience in Mexico. We visited SMA late last year and enjoyed it, but the long ride from the airport, even thought we knew about it, made it a very long trip. We had toyed with the idea of visiting your area, and now I'm more interested to explore it. For some reason I did not love SMA, as others do, but like your husband, I'm interested in living in a Spanish-speaking place that is not "too far" away from family.

 

[ShokWaveRider]

This has been great. DW and I are now planning a Trip to Ajijic...

 

[CitizenK]

I appreciate all the responses. There's nothing like real-world experience. Spouse and I greatly enjoy vacationing in Puerto Vallarta, and we are somewhat obsessed with the idea of moving to Mexico. I've probably watched hundreds of YouTube videos by expats and realtors, and every episode of Mexico Life on HGTV. We will likely rent in PV for a few months to explore the area more, and want to check out Ajijic as well.

 

[97guns]

Not for us, but many expats come here for reasons of cost.

I want to live in Thailand some day, already gave a house built and can go anytime but I can leave my mom stateside at this time. The cost of living there is very appealing to me, super luxurious house costed around $75k to build, health care is cheap, I can have a nice meal for $2, the only thing I really don’t like about it is the heat.

 

[JakeinChina]

I want to live in Thailand some day, already gave a house built and can go anytime but I can leave my mom stateside at this time. The cost of living there is very appealing to me, super luxurious house costed around $75k to build, health care is cheap, I can have a nice meal for $2, the only thing I really don’t like about it is the heat.

Thailand yes is cheap, but I believe there are many restrictions on purchasing real estate in Thailand if you are a foreigner. Did you already have this house built in the pictures you provided here? Is this the 75K USD home you mentioned above?

I know many expats who moved to Thailand but they usually paid around 200K for a nice condo in a popular city like Phuket or Pattaya. I know one guy from the U.S. who "retired" when he was in his late 40's to move to a farm in Thailand with his Thai wife. He was working in China as a plant manager.

A farm in Thailand doesn't sound appealing to me, but hey if that's what you like.

 

[97guns]

Thailand yes is cheap, but I believe there are many restrictions on purchasing real estate in Thailand if you are a foreigner. Did you already have this house built in the pictures you provided here? Is this the 75K USD home you mentioned above?

I know many expats who moved to Thailand but they usually paid around 200K for a nice condo in a popular city like Phuket or Pattaya. I know one guy from the U.S. who "retired" when he was in his late 40's to move to a farm in Thailand with his Thai wife. He was working in China as a plant manager.

A farm in Thailand doesn't sound appealing to me, but hey if that's what you like.

The home is already built in a small village, 20 miles from the city of phetchabun, the home is in my wife’s name, she is a Thai national

 

[aida2003]

Mexexpat,

Could you please elaborate some more on "Lived in series of 5 Year Plans (highly recommend to early retirees)"?
Why do you recommend?

I've never heard of it but curious.

 

[kcowan]

In my case, it was DB Pension, then government pensions for two, then RMDs for two. Although these were all different phases, I handled them in one spreadsheet for our financial plan.

 

[mexexpat]

Mexexpat,

Could you please elaborate some more on "Lived in series of 5 Year Plans (highly recommend to early retirees)"?
Why do you recommend?

I've never heard of it but curious.

We retired at ages 50 and 51. While we traveled a lot for pleasure during our work careers, we could never get off for more than a week at a time during our last decade of work (DH was self-employed). We were also weary of the East Coast for various reasons, each of us born, raised, worked in Mid-Atlantic.

Pre-retirement a work colleague told me that retiring early meant we would have several retirements. What we wanted/needed at age 50 would not be the same as at age 70. We aren't the sort of folks who would have moved to a golf community at age 50 and stayed there until they planted us under the 15th fairway.

So, we promised each other we'd live in a series of 5 year plans and that meant no matter how much we liked a place, we would move on after 5 years.

We've did that and are now 65 and 66. We had an unexpected bump in the road when my elderly FIL in DC Metro needed our help in order to stay in his own home at the end of his days. It cut short one of our 5 year plans to a 4 year stint, but opened up another adventure for us as we decided not to move back to DC Metro but instead commute by air from our new home in a funky FL beach town. We did make it possible for my FIL to live happily in his own home until the bitter end.

I think we are pretty close to making a longer term commitment at the end of this 5 year plan when we will be in our 70s. Might be time to finally settle down

 

[aida2003]

Hi Mexexpat,

Thanks for sharing. It's actually an interesting plan. Where did you live each 5-year 'stint'? What country do you think you'll choose for your last stint?

Thanks

 

[mexexpat]

Bisbee, Arizona 2003
Ajijic Mexico 2008
Gulfport FL 2013
Ajijic Mexico 2017

All are funky artsy walkable small towns. Big change from our suburban lifestyle in Northern Virginia. We rarely use(d) a car in these places...maybe 2 or 3 times a week in the US; once or twice a week in MX. I had a long commute most of my work life and DH had a construction company and he had to deal with traffic from VA to DC to MD, depending on the job site.

We are leaning towards staying in MX but too soon to say.

 

[Brianeboatman]

Mexexpat

Thanks so much for your Ajijic comments. My wife and I, and another couple, are planning to go to Ajijic in July of 2019. Do you have a bed and breakfast in mind that you'd recommend? We are thinking of staying for 7 nights. We plan to eat locally and search out all the cool shops and markets. Please let me know of any recommendations you may have. Thanks so much! Brian

 

[mexexpat]

Happy to recommend a number of B&B's, however, for 2 couples for a week, a house rental may be both more economical and roomy, as well as giving you a better feel of village life.

I don't know if I can list VRBO houses here and/or specific B&B's without it being viewed as "advertising." Maybe a moderator can tell me?? Otherwise, shoot me a PM and I will answer.

You may or may not know that there are little zoning laws in MX. What may look like a great home or B&B on the internet may be next to a bar or other noisy businesses. Also there is a local bus route and I can tell you a few streets/blocks I would avoid.