Some “Alternative” Mexican Retirement Destinations

So, we all know about Cancun, Playa del Carmen, Puerto Vallarta, Los Cabos – are those and similar places the only good retirement destinations in Mexico?

Yesterday, I found this interesting article from Voxxi, by Phillippe Diederich, about alternative retirement destinations in Mexico – nice places that are even less expensive than the popular destinations.

 Some Factual Errors

It starts off with some factual errors, claiming “prices for real estate in choice areas … are now quite even with prices in popular retirement towns across the U.S.;” even if this were true, it fails to take into  consideration factors like cost of living, good, affordable health care and weather.  Yet, we know that this is simply contrary to fact.

For example, I haven’t heard of any warm, sunny beach destination in the U.S. where you can get a nice condo 10 minutes from the beach for $75,000 USD or a penthouse right across the road from the beach for $90,000.  Currently I know of properties for sale like this in Playa del Carmen and Puerto Vallarta, two of the “big names.”

(They also mislabel a picture of Valladolid as “Merida” but I’ll forgive them for that one!)

There are Other Places …

The big names are big for a reason; yet, that having been said, there are other very nice retirement options in Mexico that are not well known, but offer an appealing lifestyle – and often, they are even less expensive than the popular destinations, which are quite affordable to begin with. 

In addition to offering people the best real estate service in Mexico’s favorite destinations, here at Top Mexico we’ve always believed in presenting people with lesser-known but attractive alternatives.  Of the 5 choice alternatives they present, Top Mexico Real Estate has brokers in 3 of them:

• Sayulita – as a part of the Puerto Vallarta area.
• Merida – along with its less-known and quaint beachfront town, Progreso.
• Patzcuaro – a lakefront town near the beautifully kept up colonial city of Morelia.

They add two more very nice choices:

• Puebla – “A short drive from Mexico City, Puebla is Mexico’s fourth largest city, and a colonial jewel. Puebla is on the other side of the famous Popocatepetl volcano from Mexico City and the sight of the battle where the Cinco de Mayo holiday was named after. …”
• Mineral de Pozos – “If what you are looking for is a quiet little town, check out Mineral de Pozos, in the state of Guanajuato,” not far from the more famous retirement destination San Miguel de Allende, I might add. “Pozos is a former silver mining town that became a ghost town – until recently.”

I would a few more picks of my own for less know, even less expensive but nice destinations for retirement:

• Costa Maya – 3 hours south of Cancun, Costa Maya is the kind of place where you will know all the other expats and probably be able to name them.  The quiet charm and splendid beaches (which match those here in Playa del Carmen, but are mostly undiscovered.  See listings here.
• Campeche – This colonial city is one of the best kept up to be found, and it’s located right on the waterfront.  Both the city itself and the beaches stretching southward offer a quiet place that at the same time has many activities. Read more here.
• Valle de Bravo – This charming lakefront town is a popular destination for middle- and upper-class vacationers from Mexico City.  The countryside also has many beautiful ranches with rolling hills and meandering streams.

There are probably a good number of other choices for places that are fairly unknown, but still very pleasant retirement choices. These are some of the more noteworthy.

So, on one hand,Phillippe Diederich is wrong; the big retirement destination names in Mexico are not as expensive as the average places in the U.S.  But he is right that there are plenty of less-known places that are even less expensive while still offering a very pleasant lifestyle.

Read the entire article here.

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Thomas Lloyd graduated from Purdue University Krannert School of Management with a degree in Management/Financial Option Investments. He has been living, investing, and working professionally in Mexico for over 16 years. In the summer of 2009, he received the first federally applied Mexico Real Estate Degree and Mexico Professional Real Estate License S.E.P. #5978657. He is the president of Top Mexico Real Estate. Contact him at (512) 879-6546.

The TOP Mexico Real Estate Network; “Mexico’s Leading Network of Specialists for Finding and Purchasing Mexican Properties Safely!”