One of the downsides to Western media in places like the United States is their notoriety for smear campaigns and the spreading of propaganda against most of the rest of the world. A great example of this is Mexico, whose reputation has been tarnished considerably. Most Westerners are only familiar with Mexico these days as far as the cartel wars in Juarez and the northern border of the U.S. are concerned. What many of them don't know is that Mexico is a large country made up of 31 different states to choose from, most of which as safe if not safer than their U.S. counterparts, which means if you are someone looking for where to live in Mexico as an expat there are dozens of options so long as you look beyond the evening news.
A good first place to start is the Yucatan Peninsula, which is arguably one of the safest in the entirety of Mexico. According to USA Today, the state of Quintana Roo (which Cancun is located within) has a murder rate of 2 in 100,000. Washington D.C., on the other hand, is 31 in 100/000, while New York City is 9 in 100,000. In other words, Cancun is leaps and bounds beyond two of the largest U.S. cities and once you start looking at those numbers, you can see that the bad press and media is nothing more than misinformation to distract expats from researching where to live in Mexico.
However, Cancun is not the only option in terms of living in this Latin country. One of the primary reasons so many pensioners and expats are choosing to live in Mexico is because of the cost of living throughout the entire country. The Mexican government only wants you to prove that you make around $1,000 per month to get your residency visa, plus the cost of healthcare is only $250 per year for access to unlimited universal healthcare. You also have the option for private healthcare, which costs pennies in comparison to what it costs in the United States.
Mexico is more than just Cancun, however. Tapalpa, located in the state of Jalisco, is a great option if you prefer the quite village life, and the mountains city of San Cristobal in the state of Chiapas gives you direct access to the Mayan heartland, surrounded by thousands of years of history along with rich, native heritage and lush tropical highlands. However, for many expats a city like Cancun is the best option when looking at where to live in Mexico because it has all the amenities they are used to, ranging from Wal Mart to Home Depot to Office Depot and beyond.
Modern amenities is something else you can look at when choosing where to live in Mexico, because they exist everywhere, just as they do in the U.S. While it's certainly true that you can go off the grid in sections of the jungle or the mountains, places like Mexico City give expats every modern amenity and luxury you are used to having. Ranked as the 5th largest city on Earth and regularly listed as one of the top 10 richest cities in the world, it's just one more option out of hundreds when you take the entire country into consideration.
A good first place to start is the Yucatan Peninsula, which is arguably one of the safest in the entirety of Mexico. According to USA Today, the state of Quintana Roo (which Cancun is located within) has a murder rate of 2 in 100,000. Washington D.C., on the other hand, is 31 in 100/000, while New York City is 9 in 100,000. In other words, Cancun is leaps and bounds beyond two of the largest U.S. cities and once you start looking at those numbers, you can see that the bad press and media is nothing more than misinformation to distract expats from researching where to live in Mexico.
However, Cancun is not the only option in terms of living in this Latin country. One of the primary reasons so many pensioners and expats are choosing to live in Mexico is because of the cost of living throughout the entire country. The Mexican government only wants you to prove that you make around $1,000 per month to get your residency visa, plus the cost of healthcare is only $250 per year for access to unlimited universal healthcare. You also have the option for private healthcare, which costs pennies in comparison to what it costs in the United States.
Mexico is more than just Cancun, however. Tapalpa, located in the state of Jalisco, is a great option if you prefer the quite village life, and the mountains city of San Cristobal in the state of Chiapas gives you direct access to the Mayan heartland, surrounded by thousands of years of history along with rich, native heritage and lush tropical highlands. However, for many expats a city like Cancun is the best option when looking at where to live in Mexico because it has all the amenities they are used to, ranging from Wal Mart to Home Depot to Office Depot and beyond.
Modern amenities is something else you can look at when choosing where to live in Mexico, because they exist everywhere, just as they do in the U.S. While it's certainly true that you can go off the grid in sections of the jungle or the mountains, places like Mexico City give expats every modern amenity and luxury you are used to having. Ranked as the 5th largest city on Earth and regularly listed as one of the top 10 richest cities in the world, it's just one more option out of hundreds when you take the entire country into consideration.
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There are more and more expats every year who chose to live in Mexico because of how cheap it is, and if you are looking for more information on the basics of how to live in Mexico they are the ultimate source.
