Dear International Living Postcards reader,
On his latest trip to Mexico, International Living magazine Editor Seán Keenan caught up with part-time expats Jayne and David.
The Toronto couple divide their time between their homeland and the colonial city of Mérida.
They share some of the reasons why with you, below…
Victoria Harmer
Editorial Director, International Living Postcards
P.S. Mexico is one of the world’s top destinations for retirement, investment, working online, and so much more. Check out this free video for just a taste of what this sun-soaked expat haven has to offer you.
Savoring Part-Time Expat Life in a Colonial Gem
By Sean Keenan
Jayne McMahon knows her beers. I’m sitting at a table with her and David deCouer, her husband, in an Irish bar in Mérida.
As it happens, I’m drinking a glass of the local brew—Indio—and comment that it tastes a little like an Irish red ale.
“Like Smithwick’s?,” Jayne asks. And indeed, it does taste a lot like Smithwick’s. I’m impressed. Few people outside of the Emerald Isle get beyond Guinness when it comes to naming Irish beers.
Jayne and David split their year between Toronto, Canada, and Mérida, Mexico. It’s quite the contrast.
Mérida’s a low-slung, colonial city with magnificent historical buildings painted in vibrant shades lining every street of its extensive old town section.
Many of them have been restored to their former glory, others look as though their original owners are still bumbling around the interior, forgotten by time. Sunny gardens and shady walkways, surrounded by the pillars and arches of Spanish-style courtyards, wink out at pedestrians from behind a slightly ajar door or window shutter.
Mérida gets hot in summer, into the 100s F, so daytime life centers around these shady homes. Once the heat of day has passed, the city comes alive, with free entertainment ranging from shows at the Plaza Central to roving folk music ensembles playing to enthusiastic crowds of dancers at the many small squares, parks, and courtyards around the city.
Some 20,000 Canadians live in Mérida, I’m told by the receptionist at the city’s wonderfully calming English Library. It seems a lot in a city of fewer than a million inhabitants, but the reason becomes clear when David mentions the WestJet direct service from Toronto. “We can be door-to-door in seven hours,” he says. No wonder the city is popular with Canadians.
David and Jayne haven’t moved to Mexico permanently yet, but are building up to the moment when they make the move. They’re both in their 60s now, and plan on moving full-time when they retire.
Mérida wasn’t their first choice in Mexico. Initially, the couple had considered Isla Mujeres, on the Caribbean coast, as a place to retire. Nevertheless, while they enjoyed spending time there, they felt that there wasn’t enough on the small island to keep them entertained year-round. When they heard about Mérida, they paid a visit.
Those visits kept happening, and became longer each time. “We’re just not nightclub people,” Jayne points out. “The Caribbean resorts are focused on partying, and while that’s nice for a vacation, it doesn’t really suit our life. Things are far more sophisticated here, the entertainment is more traditional, artistic. And you can walk around at night and feel perfectly safe.”
Jayne and David bought a two-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bathroom condo with what David calls “a fair-sized” pool here in December 2020. The home covers 2,200 square feet of living space and cost them about $180,000.
When they’re in town, they spend around $1,500 a month. That covers food, entertainment, utilities, “really good internet”, and everything else that comes up in a monthly budget.
“We always get our dental treatments here,” David says. “We have a great dentist, and it’s always less than half the cost of Canada. A full cleaning that costs CA$250 ($200) in Toronto costs CA$50 ($40) here. The medical care is excellent too. People come to Mérida from Mexico City just for the healthcare.”
I ask if they find the climate a bit of a shock compared to Toronto, but they laugh that off. It’s the reason they come here, after all.
Mérida is hot from April to October, but for some the winters here are the best part of the year, with daytime temperatures firmly in the 65 F to 70 F ballpark. That’s not Jayne and David’s preferred range though—they like the heat.
“Walking around Mérida at night is very entertaining,” says Jayne. “There’s always some music or dancing at the plazas, And there’s so much to do. There’s a style of music that’s popular here called trova. It’s very sentimental. I like to seek it out. And being able to walk around in a warm breeze, without a jacket, is magical.”
Another option is to head to the coast when things heat up. “Progreso is just half-an-hour away,” David says. The small seaside town on Mexico’s Gulf coast is the traditional summer getaway for Mérida locals. It was a workaday port for most of the 20th century, but lately it’s been rebranding as a beach resort, with an impressive stretch of white-sand beach, warm water bathing, and a newly-built pedestrian promenade running alongside the powdery sands.
“Progreso’s cleaned up its act,” David says. “It’s become a stop on the cruise circuit now, and the restaurants have gotten really good.”
Ultimately, though, Jayne and David don’t need to split for the coast when it gets hot. Relaxing by the pool is more than sufficient. We clink glasses and drink to that.
Editor’s note: Mexico offers a temperate year-round climate, a colorful, welcoming culture, and extreme affordability—a couple can live very comfortably on $1,905 a month or less, including rent and a healthcare plan. No wonder it’s one of the world’s top retirement havens. Find out how a move to Mexico could mean a serious upgrade for your retirement with Mexico 101.
This in-depth video resource is a virtual tour of Mexico in the company of IL’s Roving Latin America Editor Jason Holland. Jason is IL’s #1 Mexico expert and in Mexico 101, he takes you by the hand and introduces you to hidden spots where opportunity is rich and costs are low. Find out more and access Mexico 101, here.