Rebecca A. Says:
I am thinking about moving to Mexico from California, but am having a hard time narrowing it down to one place.
I do want a beach since I lived on the island of Saint Maarten for 21 years. I am single, no pets and looking for a two-bedroom, two-bath home or condo. I would get involved with the community since I do a lot of volunteer work. I am a people person and enjoy cooking and traveling.
Any suggestions?
IL Lifestyle Editor Sean Keenan Says:
Hi Rebecca,
What a wonderful opportunity for you to dig deep into what Mexico has to offer—I’m not surprised you’re having a hard time narrowing it down to one place! That, indeed, is the tricky part. Mexico, as I’m sure you know, is a huge country.
In fact, of all the countries we regularly report on in International Living, and of all the locations we assess in our Annual Global Retirement Index, Mexico is by far the biggest. With two coastlines, at least one mega-city, and a mountainous spine dotted with cool-weather colonial towns and cities, there’s enough variety to cover pretty much any lifestyle choices you might make.
You’re a people person and you’re single. I’m going to guess that means you’d like to be somewhere with a good-sized population and year-round dining, entertainment, cultural offerings, nightlife, etc.
So, we’re looking for a city.
Another clue is that you want the beach. You live in California now, so I can guess that you like the rugged, Pacific coast. But you also lived in Saint Maarten—the very essence of white-sand, palm-lined Caribbean shores.
Luckily, Mexico has both kinds of beaches.
There’s the wild Pacific surf coast from Tijuana all the way down to Guatemala… and there’s the Riviera Maya—powder-white sand and Caribbean wavelets all the way from Cancún down to Belize.
Decide which coastline you prefer, and then, I’d say things will fall into place.
The cities I’d recommend for consideration are Playa del Carmen on the Caribbean side, and Puerto Vallarta on the Pacific. All the other things you mentioned—cooking, travel, community, volunteer work—are available in either one.
Rent for a two-bedroom condo in Playa del Carmen will run about $1,000 to $1,500 a month. In Puerto Vallarta, you’ll pay around $900 per month for a two-bed.
Just last year, International Living contributors Mark and Kirsten Raccuia faced a choice between Playa del Carmen and Puerto Vallarta. They wrote a full-length article explaining their decision, which you can read right here.
And if that whets your appetite, they also recorded a podcast for Bigger Better World. Listen to that here.
Got a Question?
Send your thoughts to mailbag@internationalliving.com. We’ll post and respond to as many of your emails as we can right here in the e-letter.