The vast majority of Mexico-based foreign retirees and other older expats are satisfied with their life here and feel safe in the country, according to the results of a recent survey.
Conducted by the real estate company Far Homes and the Expats in Mexico website, the survey also found that most expats moved here for the good weather, the affordable cost of living and the culture and lifestyle Mexico offers.
More than six in 10 respondents – 85% of whom are retirees and 95% of whom are 55 or older – intend to stay in Mexico for the rest of their lives rather than return to the countries where they previously lived, the United States or Canada in most cases.
Respondents identified a range of dislikes about living in Mexico, but it was clear that the positives outweigh the negatives for the majority.
Let’s take a more in-depth look at the results of the Far Homes/Expats in Mexico “7th Annual Expats in Mexico Survey.”
Why do retirees (and other expats) move to Mexico?Â
The survey respondents – men and women in almost equal numbers – were asked why they moved to Mexico and directed to choose all applicable reasons from a selection of 10.
Almost nine in 10 respondents – 86.3% – cited “climate and weather,” while 79.9% selected “cost of living” and 74.1% chose “Mexican culture and lifestyle.”
“When it comes to reasons for moving to Mexico, it seems good weather reigns supreme,” said Far Homes CEO Chet Kittleson.
The fourth and fifth most popular reasons for moving to Mexico were “health care cost and quality” (32.4%) and “safety and crime” (20.9%).
The other five reasons presented to respondents were selected by less than 10% of the surveyed cohort. They were “transportation and infrastructure”; “frustration with government and politics”; “to be closer to family”; “work and economy”; and “schools and childcare.”
Cost of living in Mexico
Around two-thirds of survey respondents said they pay monthly rent of 20,000 pesos (about US $1,175) or less, and about a quarter reported paying less than 10,000 pesos (about US $590).
Close to 30% of those polled said they spend between 10,000 and 20,000 pesos per month on groceries and eating out, while about 10% reported spending less than 10,000 pesos per month on food.
At the other end of the scale, almost 10% of foreigners said they spend more than 50,000 pesos (about US $2,940) per month on rent, and 15% reported exceeding that amount in their monthly expenditure on groceries and restaurant dining.
According to online consumer prices website Numbeo, “the cost of groceries and restaurant dining in the U.S. are 75% and 105% more expensive than in Mexico, respectively,” the survey report said.
More than half of surveyed expats – 56% – said that living in Mexico has improved their financial situation.
Among the minority of respondents who work, 61.3% said they have a better work-life balance in Mexico, while an additional 19.4% said their work-life balance was the same as in their home country.
Cost of living in Mexico, as in many countries around the world, has recently risen due to inflation. Two Mexican cities, Querétaro and Aguascalientes, were the biggest movers up the rankings in the “Worldwide Cost of Living 2023” survey, conducted by The Economist Intelligence Unit.
However, as the survey results indicate, the cost of living in Mexico remains lower than in many other countries, including the United States and Canada.
How satisfied are foreigners with their retirement in Mexico?
More than 70% of retirees said they were “very satisfied” with their retirement in Mexico, while almost 26% indicated they were “somewhat satisfied.”
Thus, 96% of surveyed retirees indicated they were satisfied to some extent with their lives in Mexico.
Only 2.8% of retirees expressed regret over their decision to move to Mexico.
A map published in the survey report showed that the Mexico-based retirees and other respondents live all over the country, including in popular tourism destinations such as Cancún, Puerto Vallarta and Los Cabos.
Health care cost and qualityÂ
Almost nine in ten survey respondents – 89% – indicated that they spend 5,000 pesos (about US $290) or less per month on health care including medications.
Just over one-third of those polled said they spend less than 1,000 pesos (about US $60) per month, while 22.5% said they spend between 1,000 and 2,000 pesos.
The survey report highlighted that health care in Mexico is much more affordable than in the United States, “where the average cost of healthcare is about [US] $12,914 per person, per year or $1,072 per month.”
“We’ve previously reported that American expats in Mexico are saving about [US] $8,000 per year by moving and that still appears to be the case,” the report said.
“Those cost savings don’t seem to sacrifice healthcare quality, though, because most of our expats surveyed with experience using the Mexican system say they are satisfied with their doctors and hospitals.”
Asked to rate hospitals in Mexico, 56% of respondents said they were excellent, very good or good, and 43% said they had no experience of them. Just 1% rated hospitals in Mexico as “not very good.”
The survey didn’t differentiate between public and private hospitals, but it would seem likely that most Mexico-based retirees and other expats received treatment in private ones.
Four in five respondents rated doctors in Mexico as excellent, very good or good, while 18% said they had no experience with one. Only 1% of respondents said that doctors in Mexico are “not very good.”
Expats’ pet peevesÂ
The survey respondents were asked what they disliked most about living in Mexico and were directed to choose all applicable responses, among which was “nothing.”
Almost one-third selected “transport and infrastructure” as a dislike, while just under a quarter chose “frustration with government and politics” and “safety and crime.”
About one in six respondents said they didn’t like being far away from family, while close to one in 10 indicated there wasn’t anything they disliked about living in Mexico.
Among the other dislikes were “Mexican culture and lifestyle” (8.6%); “health care cost and quality” (3.6%); “cost of living” (2.9%); and “climate and weather” (1.4%).
The survey also canvassed opinions on President López Obrador, who has been in office for just over five years and has maintained a strong approval rating throughout his presidency. The majority of respondents – 61% – had no opinion on the president or “didn’t know [him],” according to the survey report.
“Of those who had an opinion, our expats were split fairly evenly on the issue at 49% approval and 51% disapproval of the President,” the report said.
Views on safety in Mexico
Violence is a well-known problem in Mexico, but 55.6% of survey respondents said they feel “very safe” in Mexico and 40.8% said they feel “somewhat safe.”
Only 4.2% said they feel “somewhat unsafe” living in Mexico, while no respondents chose the “very unsafe” option.
Four in five expats “very satisfied” with life in Mexico
Just over 80% of respondents said they were “very satisfied” with the decision to move to Mexico, while an additional 15.1% said they were “somewhat satisfied.”
Just over six in 10 respondents “said they had no plans to leave [Mexico] or plan on staying for life,” according to the survey report, while about three in 10 “said they ‘maybe’ would consider a move.”
Only 8.7% of those polled said that their move to Mexico is temporary.
Far Homes/ Expats in Mexico didn’t reveal how many people responded to the survey, but said that participants included “Facebook expat group members, ExpatsinMexico.com email subscribers, and other expat groups on social media.”
Just over 80% of the respondents are originally from the United States, with many of the remainder from Canada.
Mexico News DailyÂ
Wow this article should have been titled American expats in Mexico. Canadians do not have the option of keeping any Canadian health care in Mexico as Americans do and our dollar is approximately 25% less than the American dollar. We give up a lot more to live in Mexico.
I enjoyed reading the survey. After over 2 yrs having a home in Mexico I enjoy being here but I love going back to California. Being in Mexico has taught me to appreciate California more. Sometimes we take things for granted living in a place 30yrs.
Mexico has also taught me what not to do in the United States which is watch CNN, FOX and MSNBC. Avoid negativity the US media feeds you.
I like too many things California offers to be in Mexico full-time. LA Dodgers, LA Kings, museums , restaurants, Santa Barbara, Carmel, Las Vegas, beautiful cars and motorcycles, good roads. I’d be bored here full time.
Although in reality Mexico in the mainly expat areas isn’t as cheap as it was 15 years ago, the climate is as wonderful as ever, it is glorious to live where both the beach and the pine forested mountains are both so close at hand and almost all Mexicans we encounter are gracious to a fault. We particularly appreciate their respect for and care for older folks in general. Seems we’re just something to be put up with north of the border and more than a few of the young there wouldn’t mind at all if we are gone.
We’re not going back under any circumstance we can foresee at this time.
Any survey that refuses to divulge the number of respondents in its sample cannot and should not be taken seriously, including by Mexico News Daily.
I agree.
We enjoy living here in a home that’s beautiful. I do miss California, but we can and do visit LA a couple of times a year.
I have no plans to ever leave Mexico. I love this country and all it has to offer.
I wonder which neighbourhoods are the ones cited in the article, where two thirds of the respondents said they pay monthly rent of 20,000 pesos (about US $1,175) or less. The reality in CDMX (in particular Polanco, Condesa, Roma) is quite different; rent costs are much more higher. In Polanco, its hard to find a decent flat with 2 bedrooms (needed for families with children) below 3000 USD in these days. In Miyana and B Grand, for a tiny two bedroom flat, we have been asked 35 thousand pesos and we have been declined when we offered 30 thousand. The supermarket, grocery, restaurant and health costs are also much more higher than the ones referred in the article. I believe that Mexico seems cheaper only for North American expats to live. For the expats coming from other countries, the reality seems different.
My wife and I have spent much of each Chicago winter in Zihua/Ixtapa for some 35 years. Aside from safety, medical services was at the top of our concerns. Doctors were available and the Red Cross was the emergency service. Our experience and US and Canadian friends had spotty care. It weas usual for us and the Canadians to be taken to private hospitals where the care was to be better. However serious matters, such as heart problems, were not available. A herart doctor had to come from Acapulco and that may be two weeks away. We, along with othetrs, had provate insurers for emergencies which would transport us back to theStates for treaztment. Over the years, as we and others got older with more serious conditions, chose to no longer come and were going to Florida or other warm climate states.
So, for less seriuous medical issues, one was ok, but for more serious issues, most flew back to their respective countries.
I too wonder where expats are paying such low rent. In Guadalajara I searched for a 2 bed, 2 bath apartment for 6 week. I couldn’t find anything acceptable for under 30,000 pesos. Doe to the low supply and high rent costs in Guadalajara I moved to Mazatlan where I’m currently paying 22,000 pesos for a basic 2 bed, 2 bath apartment that used to be an Airbnb.
Have you ever heard of supply and demand? Of course it’s super expensive to live in the Mexico city areas of Polanco, Condesa, Roma, etc. because everybody wants to live there. All over Mexico there is housing for every kind of budget but you have to be willing to live outside the fancy neighborhoods and super close to the downtown areas.
My wife and come to Mexico for 6 months of the year for the climate. Fortunately we bought 13 years ago so we could afford the condo and the taxes. Prices now are through the roof. We are in Los Cabos and the infrastructure is deplorable. New airlines and more flights every month. New condos sprouting up monthly. The road network is pathetic and no police to enforce the rules of the road. No driver tests to get a licence and the accidents are very nasty. We love the culture and the people but the government is destroying it’s own attractive environment with growth and profits at any cost. The local population cannot even access their own beaches as the hotels taken over. All levels of government please wake up!
We live in a small city in the southwestern part of Mexico & our rent for a “nice” (very subjective) 3 bedroom house is $15000 pesos per month. It’s our number one expense.
We love living here. Everything is good, including healthcare.
I have an advantage, because back in the 1970s I graduated from a Mexican University.
I have always liked Latin America & Mexico, since I was a teenager. When I was a teenager, I never considered healthcare or cost of living, but naturally now, 50 years later, it’s important. When I was a kid I just thought living in another country would be the coolest thing, and I still feel that way today.
Here I am today, just living my dream.
Vive Mexico!
Those who choose to live in a village or town in Yucatan, for example, will find the rents much lower with easy access to excellent hospitals in Merida.