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La Vida Cheapo

AARP Magazine, By Barry Golson, March-April 2004
 
For 600 bucks a month, retirees in Mexico can live in a three-bedroom home, with a gardener. For a cool thousand...well, you won’t believe it

GUADALAJARA
On a balmy afternoon in Guadalajara, my wife, Thia, and I are relaxing with Janet Levy in the garden of her rented stucco home in a quiet, leafy part of the city. A former assistant to the chief executive of a Washington, D.C., nonprofit organization, Levy, 69, settled in Guadalajara in the early '90s—and life since then, she says, has been nothing less than grand.

For starters, there is her standalone three-bedroom house with a maid's room, the kind that might rent for $2,500 a month in an upscale D.C. suburb. "I pay $600 a month," she says. "And that includes the gardener." Levy points out that Wal-Mart, Costco, Sam's Club, and Blockbuster all have stores in Guadalajara, Mexico's second-largest city, with a population of 5 million. So when she's not puttering in her garden, Levy can indulge in American-style shopping.

Levy is also keen on Mexican health care, which, as we find, is a popular topic among expats. Though U.S. citizens living in Mexico are not covered by Medicare for doctors' visits and medical services (unless they travel back to the U.S.), the national insurance program is available to foreigners and costs about $300 a year. There is private insurance as well, at prices considerably cheaper than in the U.S., though costs have been rising.

As for hospitals, Levy informs us that Guadalajara boasts several excellent facilities, including Hospital San Javier (which has a branch in Puerto Vallarta), Hospital del Carmen, and Americas Hospital. The custom in Mexico is for a family member or friend to stay at the hospital with the patient. Many doctors speak English, but most nurses don't, so some Americans take a Mexican friend who can translate.

Levy says Americans she knows, many on modest incomes, pay for medical expenses out of pocket, because fees and lab costs are so reasonable. They'll use insurance only for major procedures. "I've had back surgery and my gall bladder out, and the care was excellent," she says. Virtually all drugs except controlled substances are available without prescriptions. "I pay $40 an office visit," Levy says. "And did I mention how nice it is to sit and really talk to a doctor?"

Why are we in Guadalajara? Well, after 30 years with only a few weeks off each year, my wife and I both suddenly found ourselves between jobs. Ordinarily, I'd have done what I've done in the past—immediately hit the pavement in search of work. But this time it struck me: What's the hurry?

So, while we're not ready for retirement ourselves, having just skittered past the midpoint of our 50s, we thought we'd use the extended downtime to travel and check out possible places to settle.

We had another reason for traveling south of the border: to see what it would cost. According to my research, something like half of the people in my generation haven't saved enough to retire comfortably. Meaning, if we hope to kick back in the lifestyle to which we've become accustomed, one of three things will have to happen. We'll have to either a) save a lot of money fast or b) win the lottery.

Or, alternatively, we could move to Mexico. I'd read a few of those how-to-retire books that claim you can live in Mexico on $400 a month, with all the frijoles you can eat, and my skeptical reaction was, "Oh, really?" So, I checked some other sources and found that, while our own lifestyle would take a considerable hit if we tried to get by on $400 a month, the cost of living well in Mexico can be quite low indeed. Our curiosity was piqued.

Barry Golson's book Gringos in Paradise was published in November 2006. Visit our Books channel to read a review and an excerpt.

As for the language barrier, I retain a ragged fluency in Spanish, having lived in Mexico for a few years as a child. Thia speaks only the Spanish she's picked up from restaurant menus. In other words, we were about as proficient as most American couples considering a move to Mexico. We charted a course through a "retirement belt" that stretches from central Mexico to the Pacific coast and is an increasingly popular destination for thousands of Americans seeking to settle in sunnier climes and less expensive venues. The plan was to meet, chat with, and generally poke our noses into the lives of retirees.

We make Guadalajara our first stop because the State Department estimates that more than 50,000 Americans live in the area. We find a lot to like about what guidebooks call the "most Mexican of cities," not least of all its graceful architecture, matchless Orozco murals, and extremely friendly and accommodating citizens. We spend several days sightseeing, listening to street corner mariachis, and antiquing and boutiquing in the arts-and-crafts suburb of Tlaquepaque. We eat well, with dinners for two—including appetizers and a cocktail apiece—rarely topping $25.

We are surprised to learn, therefore, that the majority of American transplants no longer settle in Guadalajara proper. Instead, retirees generally head south to the Lake Chapala area, about 45 minutes away by car. "The city once was a draw for retirees, but no more," says Michael Forbes, a trim, transplanted Brit in his 40s, over a breakfast of huevos rancheros. Forbes is the editor of western Mexico's most widely read English-language weekly newspaper, The Guadalajara Colony Reporter, and has witnessed the routine: "People come down and look around, but 95 percent of them head elsewhere. Lake Chapala, with its year-round temperate climate and all those like-minded people, can seem like a paradise."

Janet Levy disagrees. She likes Guadalajara's many fine museums, the symphony, the big-city life. "I'd get bored at Lakeside," she declares, using the name Americans have given the large expatriate colony around Lake Chapala. "Why, there are people there who never even come into Guadalajara." This is the first volley we witness of the popular retirement sport—putting down where other retirees live.

We decide to scope out Lakeside for ourselves.

Guadalajara scorecard (on a scale of 1 to 10)
• Looks 7 (lovely downtown);
• Charm 6;
• Culture 9;
• Shopping 10;
• Medical facilities 9;
• Other Americans 2 (not so many as we expected);
• Wow factor—wonderful nighttime plaza life.
• Thia's review: "Big city, love the shopping, but not being able to speak Spanish can be frustrating."
• Barry's review: "Nice place to visit, shop, and see doctors, but not to live in."

Next page: Lake Chapala & Ajijic Retirement,
AARP Article, "La Vida Cheapo"

Article Links
Page 1: Live in Guadalajara, Mexico
Page 2: Retire in Lake Chapala & Ajijic
Page 3: Retire to San Miguel de Allende
Page 4: Sayulita, Mexico Coast Retirement
Page 5: Joel’s Comments

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Source:  http://www.aarpmagazine.org/travel/Articles/a2004-01-21-mag-mexico.html

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Casa Preciosa Comments:

Wondering what Retirement in Mexico is all about?

Start by reasearching the different areas.

Make a list of what is important to you.

Beaches?

Weather?

Medical care?

Access to a big city?

Cost of Living?

Many Retirees in Mexico are pleasantly surprised by how warm and welcoming life in Mexico can be.

Take a look at a Map of Mexico. Find out where is Lake Chapala Mexico.

If visiting Lake Chapala, Jalisco are in your Ajijic travel plans.

Consider lodging at Casa Preciosa Vacation Rental Home Ajijic during your holiday.

Casa Preciosa is such a Vacation Rental Ajijic Villa in the best part of Lake Chapala, Mexico.

Isn't it about time, that you checked out what Lake Chapala Mexico retirement is all about.