Mary C. Says:
I was thinking of moving to Mexico, somewhere in the mountains with a nice climate. I live on social security and a small pension. Can you recommend a town that is safe?
IL Latin America Correspondent Jason Holland Says:
Hi Mary,
Great to hear from you. And great to hear about your interest in Mexico. I can think of a mountain town with a nice climate that could suit you. It’s where I live: San Miguel de Allende. SMA, as we expats often refer to it, is in the mountains of central Mexico, about four hours north of Mexico City. The elevation is 6,200 feet.
San Miguel has a year-round mild but arid climate, with highs most days in 70s and 80s F, cooling off into the 60s and 50s F at night. In January / February we can get colder nights. And in May / June we can get hotter days. But it’s generally never too hot or too cold. Rainy season is in summer, with mostly afternoon rains.
San Miguel has a large and active expat community, which is said to be 10% of the 140,000 population. There are many clubs, classes, and activities, as well as restaurants, cafes, live music, festivals… it’s a whole lot of fun living here!
As far as affordability, this isn’t the cheapest place in Mexico. But you can still find affordable options for housing, meals out, groceries, and the like. We have many green markets where you can get very cheap fruits, veggies, etc. Here’s a breakdown of the cost of living.
For a rental apartment, I would recommend joining some of the Facebook groups for San Miguel (just search “San Miguel de Allende expats” in Facebook) to find lower cost rentals. You can also contact hosts on Airbnb to see if they are open to renting long term.
Read about the real estate market and the various neighborhoods of SMA here.
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