While retiring in Mexico may seem like an attractive option from afar, actually pulling the trigger is more complicated. Periods of transformation aren’t always comfortable or easy even if they lead to an improved quality of life. In physics, the Law of Conservation of Momentum explains that an object in motion will stay in motion unless otherwise acted on by an external force. Energy moves in a way that we are scientifically wired to maintain our status quo. Even if it isn’t where we want to be, we are unlikely to break away from our current path unless someone or something pushes us to do so.
My husband and I were both unhappy in our careers and spent years striving to shift gears and steer in the directions we had discussed and dreamed of. It wasn’t until the Covid-19 pandemic hit and shoved us off course that we actually made these intimidating changes. We didn’t break this inertia on our own, but because we didn’t have any other choice. He was laid off in 2021, and I lost my job the following year.
While we’ve had to embrace our humility and muster up the courage, energy and resilience to restart, we are finally on track to be where we have wanted to be for so many years. We know we have a ways to go, but being on the right path makes a big difference.
it is said that to change your life, you need to change your environment. This summer, we decided to do that by moving houses. We live in the Banderas Bay area of Mexico, just north of Puerto Vallarta. My husband works for a shipping company on the Great Lakes, which requires him to spend long stretches of time away from home. He was not home in time to help us move, so I moved our family of four out of our old house and into the new one on my own.
This was not a comfortable or easy transition, but I seized the opportunity to declutter and reorganize our lives. The new house – one block away from the old one – is a bit larger with a more comfortable layout. I also had the opportunity to customize it more to meet our family’s needs, landscaping the backyard and furnishing it considerably.
Right after this move, my husband came home for a month after being away for three months. We celebrated for the first couple of weeks with a series of summer events and a trip to Cozumel for a destination wedding. When we returned to our new home, I started the process of closing the organization I had been running for 14 years, and began to lay the foundation for a different future.
My parents came to visit us for a week in May, just before the move. At this point, I knew I would be transitioning careers, but I was still unsure if this would land us back in the US, or if we would stay in Mexico. By the end of their trip, I knew we would stay in Mexico.
My Parents' Visit
This was my parents’ third trip to Puerto Vallarta. Their last visit had been in February of 2020 when my daughter was 4 weeks old and my son was 15 months. The objective of this trip was to meet her, so we spent most of the time at their hotel.
They made it back home to upstate New York just in time to slide beneath the closing gate of seemingly safe and normal social interaction. Suddenly, a global pandemic would shake our worlds and shift our sense of reality. Strict lockdown measures were put in place as travel became limited, the US- Mexico border closed, and we were told to stay home until further notice.
By this trip in May 2022, things were a bit more at ease. We were relieved and euphoric as life returned to normal. My kids were 2.5 and 4-years-old, so were much more manageable and I was more familiar with the area, which has now been my home for five years.
I had an itinerary planned of activities for a toddler and a preschooler, taking into account accessibility for my mom who is in a wheelchair.
A day or two in, my dad asked me, “How much do you think a boat would cost?” My mom chimed in, “What does the price of a condo around here look like?”
It didn’t take like to realize they were considering the area as a retirement option. “For at least half the year,” they confided in me.
They certainly wouldn’t be the only ones who would come to Puerto Vallarta for six months of the year to escape winter. “Snowbirds” is the affectionate term given to the thousands of Americans and Canadians who choose to spend their winters in Puerto Vallarta every year, most of whom are in the retirement community.
Why Retire in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico?
What’s the big deal that has so many people coming here annually, retiring here, and relocating their families to the Puerto Vallarta/ Banderas Bay area on Mexico’s Pacific Coast? I’ve compiled a list of five of the main reasons people choose to move here.
1. Quality of Life
When Mexican nationals move to Puerto Vallarta and surrounding areas from Guadalajara and Mexico City, the most common reason is to escape a life stuck in traffic. In addition, the Puerto Vallarta area provides a sense of safety and community that make it more pleasant, and no matter where you are, the beach is close by. Foreigners coming from the US and Canada enjoy the laid-back atmosphere as well, with a little less stress and urgency than they face on a daily basis back home. From October until June every year, the weather is perfect, with temperatures in the 70s every day. From July until September, it gets hotter, with temperature averaging in the high 80s daily, and humidity with frequent rain. As a result, many people choose to spend these summer months up north, where it’s cooler. On the other hand, some stay year round throughout the summer months and enjoy less crowds. In addition, the rain is relaxing, the nights and mornings are pleasant, and the humidity is great for your skin, hair and nails.
2. Cost of Living
There are a wide range of lifestyles available on the Pacific Coast of Mexico. If you wanted to, you could get by spending very little money. It’s also a place frequented by the rich and famous, so is possible to live lavishly, and spend a lot doing so. No matter where you fall on the spectrum of budgeting, one thing is for certain – you will get more bank for your buck. For example, our family has a full-time babysitter, our two kids attend a private bilingual preschool program, and take extracurriculars like swimming, tennis and music classes, and we spend about half as much as an average middle-class family in the US. Property, including condos on the beach, will cost you much less in Mexico than in the US or Canada. Significantly less expensive services in Mexico include property taxes, healthcare costs, dental care, childcare, private education, rent, restaurants, bars, private transportation, car repairs and locally produced food. However clothes, technological items and imported foods and drinks can often come with higher price tags.
3. Affordable Support
In the US, just about everything is DIY (Do it yourself), because high labor costs make it difficult for an average person to afford domestic support. In economics, the ‘Penn effect’ observes the price level is higher in countries with higher per capita income. As mentioned above, this applies more to services and labor than items, which can actually cheaper in high-income countries. Since my kids were born, we’ve been able to have a full-time babysitter, who now takes care of them after school. The cost ranges from $4-$6/hour for 1-2 kids. When my parents expressed interest in retiring here, I looked into the cost of having a nurse, if necessary. Armonia offers a wide range of at-home nursing care at about $6/hour with 4-hour, 8-hour and 24-hour care packages including physical therapy, massage, aromatherapy, cognitive stimulation and much more, . A housecleaner charges $20/day for an average-sized house. Car repairs are significantly lower as well. Recently, my husband bought the parts to repair our car, but hit a block in the road when the repair required expensive machiinery. He took the parts to a mechanic who charged him $15 to repair it.
4. Community
When considering retirement, community is one of the most important factors. People have emotional needs to connect with one another and many times the expectation in retirement communities is that senior citizens are isolated or interact only with other retirees and spend most of their time indoors. Things close early under the expectation that ‘early birds’ will eat dinner at 4pm, and go to bed at 7pm. Snow birds are not always early birds, however. There is an active social scene for people of all ages in the PV/ Banderas Bay area. It’s not uncommon for an 85-year old to become friends with a 40-year old and a 25-year-old. People’s social calendars fill up when they arrive and are embraced by the welcoming, diverse and international community that characterizes this medium-sized bay town.
5. Pedestrian Friendly
A family friend visited Puerto Vallarta last year, an active 71-year-old single and successful woman who loves the beach. She originally planned a 3-week trip, but stayed for over 3 months after falling in love with the area. She told me one of the most important factors for her was to be in a place where she didn’t have to worry about driving. There are two primary pedestrian friendly communities that frame the Bay: downtown Puerto Vallarta and Sayulita, which is about an hour north of PV. She fell in love with Sayulita, a colorful, vibrant town with delicious food, a variety of beaches and lots of street fairs and outdoor activities. Puerto Vallarta’s romantic zone is also very pedestrian friendly, with bars, beaches, great shopping, a wide variety of restaurants and several events, many of which cater to the retirement community. To go out of town or a further beach for the day, hopping on a bus is quick, easy and cheap. Ubers and taxis are also readily available at any time, day or night.
Things to Consider about Retiring in Mexico
All of those lingering questions regarding safety, vulnerability and comfort can really fuel the pendulum of complacency, preventing us from taking the big risk of relocating abroad. Here, I’ve addressed some of the biggest concerns people have when considering the big move to Mexico for retirement.
- Communication
Navigating a foreign country when you’ve spent most of your life in the comfort zone of domestic territory is intimidating, especially if you don’t speak the language. Do you need to speak Spanish? Puerto Vallarta’s economy relies heavily on tourism and caters to English speakers, so those without Spanish skills will find it relatively easy to navigate. However, businesses pay more for English speaking personnel, so bilingual establishments tend to have higher-priced services than local Spanish-speaking places. These prices will probably still be considerably less than what you are used to paying back home, so are generally worth the slight markup. If you are in a situation where no one speaks English, you’ll find people are friendly and welcoming and accustomed to finding alternative ways to understand your needs. If your needs are complex, it is highly likely you’ll find a bilingual translator nearby.
- Healthcare
I had the interesting experience of giving birth in the United States, and then giving birth in Mexico a little over a year later. Both were natural childbirths without complications. In the US, I had insurance, but the premium was still over $2k. I asked for an itemized receipt of the cost, which exceeded $10k. In Mexico, the experience itself was similar. We were in a nice hospital with professional doctors and nurses, and had a nice large private room. We paid out of pocket for the whole thing which was less than $1k. There are several hospitals in the area for any emergencies or elective procedures. Medical tourism is popular in Mexico because the costs are so much lower than the US. Our family pays out of pocket for our healthcare needs, which costs $20 for a doctor’s visit and $40 for a specialist. Vaccines are free, stitches are about $60, a cast and x-rays for a broken bone may cost around $80, and accessible, affordable medicine is available at the local pharmacy. If your medical needs require the security of health insurance, there are many policies available at a fraction of the cost of US insurance that will cover a variety of services. Additionally, many hospitals accept foreign health insurance plans, so if you want to keep yours, that may also be an option.
- Accessibility
My mother relies on a wheelchair or electric scooter for mobility, so we are impacted by the accessibility features available while traveling. I’m generally disappointed by the lack of accessibility in most places, even large US cities. Puerto Vallarta has room for improvement in this regard with some main restaurants lacking ramps, and many places having upstairs bathrooms. For the most part however, it was not difficult to navigate as Puerto Vallarta has incorporated the needs of the retirement community into its infrastructure over the years, including improved accessibility features in many activities. We were able to dine at most places and participate in lots of activities, even going on a boat ride to a secluded island, where my mom was provided with a beach-friendly wheelchair.
- Entertainment
One of the best things about the Puerto Vallarta/ Banderas Bay area are the wide variety of activities available. The area is particularly famous for golf courses with a a variety available to choose from. Pickle ball is also increasing in popularity with new courts opening up at many country clubs. Due to the location on the bay, boating is of course popular, with group boat tours, private yacht rentals and trips to surrounding islands and private beaches available. Additional activities are also attractive for locals and vacationers such as cooking classes, horseback riding, and dolphin and sea mammal shows. There are several dining options as well and plenty of places to walk around, taking in the stimulating sites, smells and sounds.
So, now what?
Sometimes the more significant the change, the harder it is to initiate, and the longer it takes to adapt. However, the bigger the change, the greater the reward. If you have never been to Mexico, come visit for a couple of months, or even just a week. If you’ve been coming for a while – consider making the big move. If you have any questions about these logistics, email me at Dy*******@gm***.com .
