Moving to Mexico

[mc1234]

Hello everyone,

Me and My Fiance are currently in Canada together, he (mexican citizen) and I are seriously considering moving back to Mexico to settle down within the next 3-5 years. From his point of view, I know he misses his family, his culture, family and friends, the way people interact with one another, as do I. I have also spent longer amounts of time in Mexico over the years (3-6 months each time) I was curious to see to the people who have gone over to live permanently, how has it been for you in the long-term? What are your likes/dislikes about living there? I speak spanish pretty well but am still learning.. anywho, any input/insight would be greatly appreciated!

Thank You Kindly

[mc1234]

Noone has any experience :/ ? lol

[matkirk]

Perhaps you need to give people more than a few hours to answer. They aren't just sitting there waiting to answer your questions LOL.

I'm sure someone will answer when they have time.

[rawkus]

@mc1234:

There are several threads on the subject of moving to Cancun. These have been filled with info, as time passes.

I suggest you read through them, and then ask any questions you might have.

Here is one on the visas: What do I need FMT, FM 2, FM 3 ????????????

Local services: Local Services

Steve linked to a few other websites as well on this thread: Guides to Living in Mexico

Here is one that can help you when getting used to the place(even though you have experienced the country before): Top Ten Tips For a Happy Life (in LATAM)

Just browse through the forum and try the search function when logged in. I find pretty much 90% of the info I need on here. If something isnt covered, I create a new thread.

Please feel free to add stuff that we have overlooked. Being new to the area, you might notice stuff that we havent ever heard of.

Best of luck and dont hesitate to PM if there is anything I/we can help you with.

Ps. Please, PLEASE PM me if you happen to stumble upon a place that sells at least decent "fish ´n´chips"!!

[mc1234]

Thanks for the reply rawkus, very informative!

[Gringation]

Rawkus gave some great info, but I'll go ahead and answer the question in a very general way.

I really love living in Cancun, but I've found *most* people need to be here for a year or two before they really start to like it. Maybe it's culture shock... at any rate, most people don't want to leave after they get over the one-year slump.

I love the laid-back lifestyle, the cheap and convenient public transportation, the nightlife, the beaches, the cheap movie theaters, all the things to do and see, and the people.

I don't like the shopping (or lack thereof), the paperwork, the driving, the bad streets and sidewalks, and the general lack of organization.

[mc1234]

Haha, sorry guys I don't want to be the newbie that makes the senior members of the forum answer the same old question :P My Apologies! Thanks for your insight Gringation

[Steve]

Welcome to the forum!

We are a friendly bunch really, it's just that we do get asked very general questions a lot There's around 2,500 threads in this sub forum with 24,000 posts, my advice would be to read through several pages or more and you'll get a great insight into the issues and feelings of expats who live here.

But to try and answer your question:

I was curious to see to the people who have gone over to live permanently, how has it been for you in the long-term? What are your likes/dislikes about living there?

We have been here for 7+ years now. Personally, it was great to start with - like a vacation, but you soon realise that living here long term is not a vacation at all. Those that treat it like that don't last long and despite the weather and the beaches you have to want to be here for other reasons to stay.

For me, I change my mind every other day as to whether we stay or leave. I miss so much from home. That said, home for me (UK) is a lot further than Canada so it's not so easy or cheap to get back regularly.

I like the weather (except when it's too hot), the beautiful beaches and scenery and the opportunity for my kids to grow up bilingually in a safe environment. I also love meeting tourists through my job and helping them have a great vacation which helps promote Cancun as a tourist destination. My old day job I just met angry people, now I just meet happy people. I've also met some great expat friends here, but you do have to choose your expat friends carefully.

I hate everything else, especially the food.

[mc1234]

Thanks for the reply Steve, and thanks for the welcome as well! Interesting perspective that you have. I also love that in the future my children would be able to grow up in a safe, bilingual environment. Right now I am in Canada, and I miss Mexico terribly. I'll tell you a few of the reasons ( maybe it will help you feel a little less homesick!)

- the people (at least where I live) are not very friendly. Everyone here is too cold for our liking.. When you walk down the streets, people just look down or away from you.. as if you were going to hurt them?! Not the best environment, and we live in a good area of the Greater Toronto Area!

- There is nothing very exciting to do here, Obviously the UK it is a little different because you have access to the rest of Europe! But for us, not soo much.. usually shopping, which we aren't too interested in, not the best.

- People are very superficial here, not to say that some aren't there in Cancun, but I think in general people are much less superficial in Mexico

- You need a car to go everywhere. Where we live is a new development outside of Toronto, you can't even go to a store without hopping in your car, and if you want that type of pedestrian lifestyle in Ontario, you have to move to Toronto, which we wouldn't want to do for a variety of reasons!! haha.

- Of course the weather is an obvious one. It gets cold, really cold and with this weather you really almost cant or don't want to do anything. Putting layers of clothing on, pre-starting your car for 5 minutes and shivering the whole way there just for some milk?? No bueno! lol

- Our future kids. I met my Fiance when he was 21 years old, and I can honestly tell you that he was/is more responsible at that age than most people are here when they are 30. He was born with values that simply just don't exist here. I see the same type of admirable qualities among his friends/family in Mexico.

- The food (!!!!) I find myself constantly craving all sorts of Mexican food! We have finally found some decent tortillas, but oaxaca cheese (my favourite) and other essentials for Mexican food are very hard to come across and of course the fresh juice available around every corner, non existant in Canada

There are more reasons but these are the one's I will post for now because this post is getting too long!!

BUUTT, for conversation sake, Here our the reasons we wouldn't want to move to Cancun:

- My family, whom I adore, naturally.
- Treatment of animals
- The corruption/violence (not so much in Cancun, but Mexico as a whole)
- The streets and lack of organization
- Doing paperwork there (which I have done a lot of in Mexico, however we have always gotten service in most cases faster than it was here so I don't know anymore!!) We got the paperwork for my fiance's hacienda, driver's license renewal and his ID as well, all done pretty fast (but I am sure we will experience this is the near future!)

And that's all I can think of as of right now.

The reason I asked my original question is because I wanted to see what day to day things you have grown to dislike about living there, of course no place can be a permanent vacation, there are pro's and con's in every situation, just have to weigh them out!!

Thanks again everyone!

[Steve]

- My family, whom I adore, naturally.
- Treatment of animals
- The corruption/violence (not so much in Cancun, but Mexico as a whole)
- The streets and lack of organization
- Doing paperwork there

Family is the tough one I think, but what a great excuse for them to come visit you.

Animals: It's true that animals are treated badly here by many. That wont change whether you come or stay though, and if you were to come there are many charities where you could help out and make a difference. Rawkus could tell you more about those.

Corruption/Violence: Two different things but often go hand in hand. There is corruption here but it's unlikely to affect the regular person directly to any significant degree.

Violence likewise, others may disagree but I always feel that if you don't go looking for trouble, trouble wont coming looking for you. In almost every incident of serious violence, when the story comes out it's bad guys against bad guys. Staying out of and away from certain things eliminates 99% of the risk.

I mentioned "safe" in my reply above, and that may seem contradictory in light of Mexico's current problems, but what I meant was safe in regards to random assaults and anti social behaviour, safer for kids in that attitudes of adolescents towards smoking, alcohol and underage sex seem to be much more on the lines of what a parent would want - all very unlike parts of the UK.

Streets and lack of organisation: Organisation seems certainly better than it was 7 years ago. Streets are still poorly maintained though.

Paperwork: Again getting better, but still a long way to go.

[rawkus]

Originally Posted by Steve

Animals: It's true that animals are treated badly here by many. That wont change whether you come or stay though, and if you were to come there are many charities where you could help out and make a difference. Rawkus could tell you more about those.

Im more than happy to welcome yet another voice in the fight against animal cruelty - the more the better!

Mexico is still veeeery far behind what many of us would see as even decent conditions for animals, but, its changing.

I have over 4.5 years here, and Ive been involved since day 1. Today, there is quite a large group of people that do all they/we can to make the Governor review, renew and reinforce the law(yes, there IS a law, but no one cares...) regarding animal cruelty. The biggest issue here is the stray dogs and cats, but we are working with this, a LOT. (Must be nice for the local Govt. that we, the people, are doing their job, hehe)

Last week we had yet another free spay/neuter clinic, and I think we reached close to 800 dogs and "700 something" cats. Vets from USA, Canada and other parts of Mexico always fly here to help out. The goal is to ban stupid pet shops and backyard breeders to display and encourage impulse purchase of animals. It will take time, but one does what one can, day by day.

Hopefully a ban of bullfighting will go through, fairly soon. They are voting on it in Mexico City, to start with.

Dont want to hijack the thread completely, so feel free to PM about volunteering/helping out with animals.


Cancun and safety: I have not had many issues at all. Mainly cops trying to lure a few pesos from me, but thats pretty much it. Common sense is the way to go: Do NOT do stuff here that you wouldnt do back home.

Its sad to see that Mexico suffers so much from corruption, but its also very fascinating to be able to "live the change" - things ARE changing for the better, but not always as fast as we´d like. But, its happening.

Be aware when driving here: The Govt takes absolutely NO responsibility if you thrash your tires when hitting a pothole. But, they are quite quick to charge you if you you even scrape a palm tree or such, as its classed as "Federal property" and comes with, at times, fairly high penalties, money-wise... A friend had to fork out 39 000 Pesos for hitting a palm tree in the Hotel Zone. It didnt even brake.

Best of luck and let us know when you get here!

[mc1234]

Thanks for the replies! I will deft. get in touch with you via PM Rawkus It breaks my heart to see the way they threat animals there, and my Fiance and I would love to help in any way that we could! We were actually trying to research how if we adopt a dog there, what the steps would be to bringing it back to Toronto with us, since we will be down in Jan for a few months but the big move is still a few years away!

In regards to safety, I also feel fairly safe in Cancun probably the same amount that I feel here. I feel a lot of it is common sense as well.. don't do anything you wouldn't do normally..very simple, yet solid piece of advice!

I get the feel that everyone here has a similar pro/con list, which is good! It also feels great to talk with people that have first hand experience and are in similar situations, so thanks for taking the time to share everyone

If anyone has any other advice/concerns please let me know!

Have a great day everyone!

[rawkus]

mc1234: Flying dogs to Canada is a piece of cake, no worries!

We send several each and every month. Sometimes you have to be vary about heat/cold conditions, mainly the heat.

You will need to check with the Canadian customs regarding what info they need. Usually its up to date vaccinations etc. Rabies being the most important. Also, its worth throwing in a parasitic test result, as some would have to be treated before leaving Mex. The vets know all about this, and they will guide you through it. Once its time, Ill get you in touch with the ones that deal with this on a daily basis.

The "pet passport" also has to have a letter, stating that the animal is healthy enough to travel. This letter has to be in English. Usually we do the letters in English, French and Spanish - that way the cant mess with you, hehe.

You will meet TONS of absolutely amazing dogs once you visit the shelter and/or the animal rescue groups. Anything from pure bred Dobermans, to old Mexican "mutts"

[T.J.]

I think most of us who have been here for a while could give you a long list of things that make us crazy.

On the other hand, we love it or we would leave. Beaches, weather, cheap housing, water, cable, internet & electric (but you have to stay on top of your electric). I have a 2BR, 1 bath apt, on the 2nd floor. My electric bill came yesterday. They are for 2 months. Just over $1,000 Mxn, only the 2nd time it has hit $1,000. I sort of freaked as the weather has been moderate, except for rain, so I have not been blasting the air cond. But the rates change often (normal), both up and down so it is not too bad really.

Groceries, especially produce, are less than in the US, BUT, US items are lots more. There are things I wish I could buy here but I can't. Chedraui though is doing a good job of getting a lot of items from the US that I buy. And I keep finding new products all of the time. I can buy apples from Washington State at Costco that are cheaper than the same exact item at Costco in Florida. How can that even be possible, with duties and international freight? But it works for me as I eat a lot of apples. LOL

Health care - For me it is excellent. I had some serious stuff go wrong a couple of years ago and I am more than pleased with general medicine, my dentist, eye doc, dermatologist and any other service I have had to use. The care is far more personal than in the US. One example is that I needed some chemo (& more) but a single chemo visit/process takes almost 4 hours, from the time I walk in the door till I walk out. My doc was in the room with me for every single moment of every single dose, along with a nurse. Same for radiation which was 5 days a week for two months. Every single minute he was there. Never, never, never would this happen in the big business of medicine in the US. My doctors are now my friends. And, thank God, I am healthy as I can be.

Drives me crazy:

Drivers in general - Run red lights, to the point of stopping for the light & when it is safe to run it, off they go. Turn any direction from any lane. Tons of vehicles do not have functioning brake lights and one always seems to be in front of me and slamming on the brakes. No one seems able to park between the lines in a parking lot. I could go on and on.

Bill Paying - It is not as simple as putting a check in the mail as no one uses the postal service. You have to go somewhere to pay the bills.

Cutting in lines - Everywhere there is a line, there are cutters. Comes with the turf.

Pedestrians - Just the culture but people cut right in front of you rather than walking past and then changing their course. Makes no sense to me. I am a big guy and make them pay. It is easy to act distracted and crash into someone as they walk in front of you and then say "sorry". Or give them a dirty look. And I am not talking about little old ladies either.

Talking in Movies - Why is this necessary? Complete conversations and/or commentary the entire time. The adults are worse than the kids.

Whistles - the guys in the parking lots, especially in parking garages, who "assist" drivers in getting out of the space, working for tips. They just blow blow blow on those damn whistles. It's not like there is a signal that one toot means back up and two means stop. It is such an irritating noise.

Schools - I don't have kids in school but it seems like everyone who can, has their child in private school. There must be a reason why there are soooo many private schools.

Potholes - They are everywhere and when they get fixed, they don't stay fixed. And many are deep enough to do some serious damage to a car.

Exchanging Money - Now they think everyone is a drug dealer/money launderer. People who are retirees or make money in the states can get the Rentista type of INM status. So you cannot legally work here. You must prove income/assets in order to get a Rentista FM2 or FM3. It is a total pain now as the banks limit how many dollars you can exchange, some don't even allow it unless you have an account there, Santander only lets you deposit dollars for the first six months after opening it, Banamex charges you an extra $.60 Mxn on their own internet published rates. There are legal solutions of course but they can be cumbersome, compared to just two years ago. Walmart used to accept $50 bills and you got your change and your purchase at the highest (best) rate in town. Now they don't want to give you your change in pesos and they have a policy that they themselves don't even understand so there goes buying $100 or $200 or whatever, in pesos, paying with a $50 US and getting some pesos that way. It is just far more cumbersome to work within the system that assumes everyone with a dollar is laundering it.

I think most of these irritants are cultural so we just have to adjust and go with the flow. I now can drive like a taxi driver, take all the parking space I want, crash lines when I am in a hurry, return phone calls in the movie, and dodge the potholes. Life is great.

All in all though it is a great place to live.

[mc1234]

Rawkus: Thank you soo much for the info ..I have been told by people who have tried to bring a dog from another country that it is nearly impossible, which didn't seem quite right to me. I looked up the rules, and I thought it was fairly easy if you followed them properly, I will be sending you a PM in the very near future to discuss that further with you!

TJ: Haha, if these are your problems with Cancun, then life, like you said, must be pretty good. I have experienced all the things you said, so it gave me a good laugh.. I remember one time me and my Fiance were waiting for a document from this lady we needed, well she told us she was around the corner and would be there in 5 mins... she came a week later! LOL That was my first time dealing with this firsthand, I couldn't understand what was taking so long! Needless to say, my Fiance had a good chuckle.. I have learned a lot since then. I am happy that I am a patient person (for the most part, lol!) by nature, little things don't usually bother me, which I think is necessary if you want to move anywhere in Latin America really..

So you guys have been really awesome and this has turned into an interesting thread! I have another question and I am hoping you guys could give me some insight! I am a recent university graduate, I have a B.A in psychology. My Spanish (in my opinion) is average (have a hard time remembering little word for things) My Fiance thinks I will be able to find good work, just curious to see, if you do work in Mexico, what type of jobs you have, now or in the past? Thanks guys!

[Cancunscorpio]

MC1234, where in the GTA do you live, if I may ask??-)))

[mc1234]

of course you can! I live in the Missisauga/Brampton border (tech. considered missisauga, the other side of my street is classifeid as brampton though! haha.)
Are you also originally from the GTA?

[Cancunscorpio]

MC1234, nope, I'm not originally from the GTA:-))) Born in Russia:-)

Lived in Canada for 11+ years already..... world traveler....

I tend to agree with your description of GTA and Canada for this matter.... and even more so knowing the area of Bramladesh you live in... or call it MississIndia....

[mc1234]

Oh wow, and now you are currently residing in Cancun? Yes, Canada as a society in gerenal is pretty cold. I have been traveling almost every year to Cancun since the age of one :P (My family owns property there) so I have spent a fair amount of time there.. once I met my fiance, my time there became more frequent, and longer. What made you decide to leave Canada, if you don't mind me asking?

[Cancunscorpio]

Nope, I'm currently residing in Toronto:-)
It's not a society which is cold.... PEOPLE make society warm or cold.... This is what differs Mexico from Canada.... People are a lot more active, energetic and open... Understandably, sun, summer and the Caribbean contribute a lot, but I guess the Mexican culture is also involved:-)

to leave Canada?? I thought a lot about it.... I've been living for some time in Cancun, had to leave after the death of my closest friend....
Canada is nice in terms of every day convenience... lesser levels of corruption, simplier applications for all kinds of stuff (from driver's licence to OHIP Card), easy access to stores etc.
By the way, I find groceries in Canada cheaper than in Mexico..... same for clothing...

But Canada still feels like a sleepy society, where people only have 1 goal and reason to live, which is to go to work and then recover at home and get ready to go to work the next day....

Tell me-what is your MAIN reason to try and move to Cancun??


P.S. Another thing I dislike about Canada is political correctness and Affirmative Action, when skin color and right sex are more important than skills, knowledge and professionalism.

[mc1234]

Sorry to hear about you friend..that must have been tough for you. My condolences.

I agree with everything that you say.. especially about the 'every day conveniences' such as getting your OHIP, Driver's License, etc. The organization here is excellent.

About the culture, you elaborated my thoughts. It is the people here that choose to make it cold, I think a major reason for this is because the multicultrualism here is superficial, a word better to describe how we view other cultures in this society would be 'tolerance' in my opinion.

In general, I think the main and/or biggest reason we want to move is that Cancun gives us or rather, coincides with our view of what 'quality living' truly is. To elaborate, I think Cancun has a better 'work-life blance,' where unlike here in Canada, your life usually revolves around working, to get things that you don't need, but think will make you happy, recharging, and doing it again.

For the grocery part, I guess it depends what you buy. I eat really basic things both in Mexico and here in Canada. For two people in Mexico, we can buy tortillas, chicken, meat, fish, fresh fruits and vegtables, oaxaca cheese, and a few other items we need for about 600 pesos a week. Here for the same items, we pay about 70-80 dollars, so I guess it all depends what you buy?? haha. Also, I agree clothes are less expensive, particularly in the GTA with all the outlets!

[Cancunscorpio]

MC1234, I totally agree that the balance between life and work is better in Cancun.
It's not for nothing a North American (Canadian) lifestyle is called a **rat race**
when the main goal is to **have it better** than a Joe Schmoe in the house next door. A bigger and a more expensive car, bigger house, fancier collection of golf clubs (although never used to play an actual game of golf) etc etc.
The only time the **recharge** happens is when a family finally allocates some money for 1 week all inclusive trip down south, and even in this case they can NOT part ways with their lap top and the need to be online and check e-mails, Twitter, Facebook and work news several tmes a day.

I'm a very simple and down to earth guy, eat, dress and entertain myself in a very simple way, but I still find groceries cheaper and their variety in fact better in Canada, including fruits!!!!

I don't care so much about the clothing prices since I don't need any fancy crap just to show off.

By the way, people who complain about the pot holes in Cancun should see some in Toronto-))) I drive a lot and know what I'm talking about:-))
If only Mexico could simplify all the immigration regulations and make things easier for those who want to come in and to contribute!!

[rawkus]

Originally Posted by Cancunscorpio

But Canada still feels like a sleepy society, where people only have 1 goal and reason to live, which is to go to work and then recover at home and get ready to go to work the next day....

Haha, just like Sweden.