Halloween in Playa del Carmen… a great party by the sea!

Halloween is almost here! Once a North American tradition, Halloween is growing increasingly popular in Mexico. If you live or are visiting Playa del Carmen, you can join the people that goes out on this night and enjoy an amazing blend of traditions in Playa del Carmen.

In Mexico, there has been a long tradition of celebrating the Day of the Dead. This day commemorates the people that has left before us, and people make shrines to celebrate the memories of loved ones that are no longer with us.

However, many also join and celebrate the fun of trick or treating… and it is common to celebrate both. If you are in the area, you cannot miss celebrating Halloween Playa style! Get that costume ready and join the crowds trick and treating on 5th avenue.

Celebrating Halloween in Playa del Carmen:  Things to do

1.  Trick or treating

Every year, hundreds of visitors and locals go on 5th Avenue wearing costumes, dressed as Catrina Skeletons or even as an Xtabay. Playa del Carmen is the ideal place to see traditions merge and become something different, come and see and enjoy the party.

Don’t forget to bring enough candy to share with the hundreds of local and visiting children, trick or treating on 5th Avenue.

2.  Have an authentic Day of the Dead experience

If you want to learn more about the Mexican tradition of Day of the Dead, Xcaret has an amazing festival every year. The festival has theater, music, performances and art… and everything is about the Mexican traditions to celebrate the day of the dead.

You can purchase your tickets and receive more information here. If you are planning to visit Xcaret, your ticket includes the pass for the Day of the Dead celebration.

3.  See the Mayan Day of the Dead celebrations

Celebrating the dead is a Mexican celebration with deep roots in the native cultures of Mexico, but the Mayans have their own way to commemorate the dead: Hanal Pixan. If you want to learn more about this amazing tradition in an authentic Mayan Village, Alltournative organizes a tour every year, which takes visitors to an authentic Mayan village and allows you to participate in the Day of the Dead traditions. The tour that includes:

  • Round trip transportation
  • A guided visit through the process of decoration of shrines and the celebration of Hanal Pixan
  • Traditional Mayan food

If you want to learn more about this exciting adventure, please click here!

4.  Go party!

After all the fun and adventures, you can also do what people love to do in Playa: Party! You can organize your own bar crawl, or visit one of the local clubs and enjoy the special events organized for the day.

You cannot miss the fun on 12th Street with all the clubs and the best place to see and be seen in Playa del Carmen.

Playa del Carmen is a community with a rich culture, people from all over the world come to reside here and brings with them their own traditions. The merge of different cultures allows for a diverse and vibrant community, willing to enjoy and share with people from other places.

There are many options to enjoy an amazing Halloween and Day of the Dead, feel part of this amazing culture or feel at home with your own celebrations. Playa del Carmen is an amazing place to live and at Top Mexico Real Estate, we specialize in helping foreigners find their home in Mexico.

We would love to hear about your plans for Halloween, or if we are missing an awesome event… Please let us know!

Cost of living Riviera Maya -vs- other popular retirement destinations in America.

People from all over the world are choosing Mexico as a retirement destination. More than a million foreigners live permanently in Mexico, and about 50,000 snowbirds spend part of the year in this beautiful country.

 photo Mexico_zps1vptcvmy.jpg

We have covered in other blogs the many benefits that Mexico offers its expats: easy straightforward immigration policies, cheap medical bills, warm weather and beautiful settings. But there is also another reason, the lower cost of living in Mexico.

Living in Mexico can reduce your bills dramatically, but do not take our word on it; let the numbers speak for themselves. We have selected three top retirement spots in America and two cities in the Yucatan Peninsula, to do a cost of living comparison on everyday items and services.

*The Lowest values are marked in gree

Phoenix, AZ Miami, FL Tampa, FL Playa del Carmen Merida, Yucatan
Restaurants
Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant 11.50 13.00 10.00 4.10 5.29
Meal for 2, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course 43.50 60.00 50.00 32.42 20.48
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) 6.00 6.62 7.00 4.61 5.46
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter draught) 3.25 3.72 3.50 1.71 1.37
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle) 5.00 4.48 5.00 2.73 2.25
Cappuccino (regular) 3.61 3.34 3.66 2.18 2.44
Coke/Pepsi (0.33 liter bottle) 1.48 1.61 1.59 1.02 0.74
Water (0.33 liter bottle) 1.23 1.32 1.10 1.15 0.55
Groceries
Milk (regular), (1 liter) 0.75 1.03 1.05 0.96 0.98
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (500g) 2.29 2.59 2.40 1.73 1.54
Rice (white), (1kg) 3.18 2.44 2.83 0.68 1.06
Eggs (12) 2.20 2.63 2.28 1.17 1.59
Local Cheese (1kg) 7.80 9.96 11.83 4.44 6.37
Chicken Breasts (Boneless, Skinless), (1kg) 5.84 8.49 7.38 5.12 6.46
Apples (1kg) 3.43 4.03 4.00 2.01 2.00
Oranges (1kg) 4.41 3.13 4.05 0.78 3.04
Tomato (1kg) 3.20 3.73 3.90 0.78 1.06
Potato (1kg) 2.46 2.70 2.40 1.13 1.18
Lettuce (1 head) 1.21 1.63 1.80 0.96 0.61
Water (1.5 liter bottle) 1.82 2.13 1.64 0.92 0.75
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) 12.00 12.00 11.00 7.17 6.14
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) 2.50 3.80 2.13 0.80 1.16
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle) 2.08 4.62 3.07 1.54 1.18
Pack of Cigarettes (Marlboro) 7.50 7.00 6.38 3.41 3.41
Transportation
One-way Ticket (Local Transport) 2.12 2.25 2.00 0.48 0.48
Monthly Pass (Regular Price) 64.00 113.75 60.00 N/A N/A
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) 3.00 2.50 2.50 1.88 1.37
Taxi 1km (Normal Tariff) 1.38 1.49 1.00 1.37 0.55
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) 32.50 20.00 25.00 10.24 10.24
Gasoline (1 liter) 0.91 0.97 0.92 0.85 0.85
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) 20,000.00 19,000.00 21,500.00 13,310.31 12,969.02
Utilities (Monthly)
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Water, Garbage) for 85m2 Apartment 173.60 173.54 150.31 91.30 133.10
1 min. of Prepaid Mobile Tariff Local (No Discounts or Plans) 0.12 0.25 0.13 0.11 0.24
Internet (6 Mbps, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) 49.38 48.42 47.22 22.17 25.04
Sports And Leisure
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult 35.83 38.89 36.00 47.10 22.75
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) 10.00 19.50 16.67 17.06 11.95
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat 9.88 12.00 11.00 3.92 4.78
Clothing And Shoes
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) 39.17 37.00 39.00 56.31 43.69
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, …) 21.33 57.86 33.71 20.48 59.16
1 Pair of Nike Shoes 67.00 78.33 75.44 75.08 64.85
1 Pair of Men Leather Shoes 70.00 80.83 79.25 40.95 52.33
Rent Per Month
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre 833.33 1,609.29 885.00 477.81 204.77
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre 723.89 1,050.00 693.18 196.24 153.58
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre 1,334.00 2,850.00 1,466.67 1,185.98 420.92
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre 1,156.75 1,819.50 1,186.36 477.81 477.81
Buy Apartment Price
Price per Square Meter to Buy Apartment in City Centre 1,829.86 3,632.82 1,345.49 728.09 648.45
Price per Square Meter to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre 1,453.13 1,795.49 1,184.03 750.84 614.32
Salaries And Financing
Average Monthly Disposable Salary (After Tax) 2,767.86 3,151.83 2,834.99 739.46 418.65
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly 4.35 4.35 4.89 9.00 11.50
Source: Numbeo
www.numbeo.com

As you can see in this cost of living comparison, the cost of living in Mexico is much lower. Even if you decide to spend only part of the year in Mexico, your pension or savings will surely stretch further!

If you have ever dreamed of retiring in Mexico, please feel free to browse our beautiful properties! We have modern condos, retirement communities, beachfront homes, jungle cabanas…. whatever you can dream of!

Our professional and certified real estate agents have the expertise and credentials to help you become a homeowner in Mexico.

And remember, here at Top Mexico Real Estate…

We make it happen!

Thomas Lloyd Stars in a Podcast about Retiring to Mexico

Thomas Lloyd, CEO and president of Top Mexico Real Estate was recently ask by George Puckett to be a guest on his podcast show, Choose Mexico to Retire. Choose Mexico to Retire is a show that discusses all thing having to do with retiring and living in Mexico.

In this podcast, Thomas Lloyd discusses what brought him to Mexico, how he got into the real estate market and the education and certification he took to become a qualified real estate agent. Thomas and George also discuss why Mexico is such a desirable retirement spot for retires. Thomas goes into the events, groups and organizations that expats to get involved in while living in Mexico. George asks Thomas to educate the listener on what AMPI is and why you should have a good buyer’s representative when purchasing real estate in Mexico. Thomas tells George about his new venture creating an original new series, “Mi Casa es tu Casa”. Thomas and George discuss all of this and many more interesting fact you might want to know about retiring and living in Mexico on this edition of choose Mexico to Retire.

In the podcast, Thomas Lloyd tells George that it is possible to invest and retire in Mexico.

Now if you have any question about how to move to Mexico or about any of the TOP MEXICO REAL ESTATE properties we have listed anywhere throughout Mexico, please feel free to contact any of our Top Mexico Buyer’s Representatives and we will be glad to help you find your very own piece of paradise.

And remember, here at TOP MEXICO REAL ESTATE…

We make it happen!