Introduction First Post

Hey guys....
Just want to say hello.

I'm here in North Texas but....

Born in Las Vegas.
Raised in Detroit.
Moved to Dallas (Plano, Allen area) in 1980.
My mother is Mexican but born in the USA.
My father is German but born in the USA.

I've been looking around for another country to live in
for quite a while. I knew things were going to get hard for me
here when I aged the other side of 55.

I've looked at Ecuador , Chile, Peru and Colombia.
Looking at Mexico after a few years because I thought it was just
too expensive with all the expats from the US moving down.
I thought Chapala was definitely too expensive, but seems I may be wrong.
I'd like to spend 6 months to ease my way into Mexico and get used to the
differences in infrastructure and the way every day things happen in Mexico.

For the last few years have noticed there is more of a bond/understanding when
I'm among people with Mexican blood. Oh well, 5 years researching South America
taught me some things.....

Welcome! I don't know what you consider too expensive but there are obvious benefits, especially since you're in Texas (ease of visiting family there, etc.) Luckily, we're near Guadalajara so the airport makes connections to many places easy. I'm glad I came but the only way you'll know if it's for you is to come take a look.

Welcome to the forum. I am not familiar with the prices in Texas however we estimate our cost of living, for the same lifestyle, is 50% to 60% cheaper than what we were spending in Vancouver, BC.

The biggest savings for us are in the rents, auto insurance, sin items (smokes & booze), restaurant prices, fruits and vegetables, gasoline, vehicle maintenance and entertainment.

We find that hard goods such as toothpaste, cleaning aids, electronics, etc. are about the same price as NOB. Same with phone, cable and internet access.

The electricity costs are about 3 times what we paid NOB so we try to go easy on that.

Health care and insurance are much cheaper than NOB as are property taxes.

¡Bienvenido!
Great attitude for the altitude. Come check it out and meet some new friends and neighbors!

Yes, agree, good attitude. Bienvenidos!
Looking forward to more posts by you.

Spent 23 years in the same area as you say you are living now. Don't know your exact circumstances, but in the 15 months we have been down here I have found it to be at a minimum 40% lower cost of living and we're living pretty darn good.
You can research it all day long (and I did prior to making the move), but you need to be here to experience it and find out if this is the place you are looking for.
What you can look forward to is: absolutely beautiful weather, lower cost of living, a great expat community, lots of good restaurants, low cost health care, close proximity to Guadalajara & all the amenities that brings, and plenty of outdoor activities.
Hope you at least come down and give it a try.

Thanks for the welcome guys!!!

I'm somewhat perplexed though...
I see that dinners in some restaurants come up to $10.00 US?
That is not a deal....
Here in DFW I can get a Fajita dinner with beans and rice for that.
More than I can eat in one sitting. They start with a big basket of
"free" chips and salsa. The owner is named Joaquin.

One big huge benefit in the Chapala region is the weather.
In 1978 my Dad moved the family (minus me and one sister)
to Dallas because he couldn't stand the snow and cold weather
in Detroit any longer. (Proved to be the best move since even then
the economy was going down hill)

Now I can't stand the heat (and ice storms) in Dallas. When it gets over
95 and into the 100s I just can't work like I used to when I was in my 40s.
Even when I'm in an air conditioned space I can feel the radiant heat coming
in through the windows and walls. No joke, when its 110 outside, its the
same effect as if it was -10 and drafts were blowing in.

This is the reason I looked into Colombia. There are so many places there
that if you go up in altitude into the Andes the weather is perfect.
Nice peaceful towns in Antioquia and Risaralda where the coffee is grown.
Manizales, Pereira, Santa Rosa de Cabal, all very beautiful places.

Beautiful places indeed and all things considered, if we thought it was better, we would be there.

UnCoco19 wrote:Thanks for the welcome guys!!!

I'm somewhat perplexed though...
I see that dinners in some restaurants come up to $10.00 US?
That is not a deal....
Here in DFW I can get a Fajita dinner with beans and rice for that.
More than I can eat in one sitting. They start with a big basket of
"free" chips and salsa. The owner is named Joaquin.

One big huge benefit in the Chapala region is the weather.
In 1978 my Dad moved the family (minus me and one sister)
to Dallas because he couldn't stand the snow and cold weather
in Detroit any longer. (Proved to be the best move since even then
the economy was going down hill)

Now I can't stand the heat (and ice storms) in Dallas. When it gets over
95 and into the 100s I just can't work like I used to when I was in my 40s.
Even when I'm in an air conditioned space I can feel the radiant heat coming
in through the windows and walls. No joke, when its 110 outside, its the
same effect as if it was -10 and drafts were blowing in.

This is the reason I looked into Colombia. There are so many places there
that if you go up in altitude into the Andes the weather is perfect.
Nice peaceful towns in Antioquia and Risaralda where the coffee is grown.
Manizales, Pereira, Santa Rosa de Cabal, all very beautiful places.

Fajita dinner is not 10 dollars US. Its 40/50 pesos which is 3.50/4.00 US.
Some one is eating very fancy Fajitas LOL. T bones are $4.00 a pound at
the store. Some things are expensive and some gringoes choose to buy
expensive stuff but you don't have to spend big money to eat out here.
Just be a little bit choosey.

Z

Just and FYI, Mexico also uses the $ sign - if it's US dollars it usually says USD after the amount.