Detailed guides and helpful connections that enable you to plan and realize your relocation to Mexico

Mexperience provides in-depth insights and local knowledge with extensive articles, guides, and cross-references and connections to help you discover more of Mexico, consider your lifestyle options, define your intentions, make a plan, and help you to avoid making material mistakes with your Mexico lifestyle plans.

Our guides are written by people who know Mexico intimately, are continually revised and updated—and are free to access.

Mexperience helps you through every step of the journey

Our detailed guides and insights offer you complete information throughout every step of your journey:

• Discovering the benefits and opportunities Mexico offers to live and work or retire.
• Detailed insights that help you to consider whether Mexico is right for you and your partner—and family if relevant.
• When you’ve determined that Mexico is right for you, we offer lots of practical advice to help you plan your lifestyle in Mexico.
• Mexperience also helps you to plan your move, settle-in to Mexico, cultivate your social and community networks and helps you learn how adapt to the country and its culture.
• When you’re settled here, our up to date articles and monthly newsletter help you to cultivate a fruitful home life in Mexico.
• Our homestead articles offer practical advice to help you manage your home in Mexico and its dwelling spaces.
• Our insights and local knowledge also help if you’re living in Mexico now but want to revisit your intentions and need guidance to help you settle, adapt, and reform your plans.

Take the next step: start here

Mexperience offers extensive insights, local knowledge, and connections to help you plan and realize a relocation to Mexico, whether you’re single, a couple, or a family.

Begin your journey

Our Mexico Living & Lifestyles guide connects you to in-depth articles and information about living in Mexico. It’s continually updated, helping you to make considered choices and useful connections.

Help with lifestyle planning

Our regularly-updated section about Lifestyle Planning in Mexico shares insights to help you make informed decisions about your lifestyle choices in Mexico.

Calculate your living costs

Our detailed guide to the cost of living in Mexico helps you calculate a personalized budget based on your life stage and lifestyle choices.

Consider places to live in Mexico

We publish guides to help you consider places to live in Mexico, whether you come to live, work or retire.

Obtain your Mexico residency permit

Our detailed guide to applying for residency in Mexico shows you every step needed to qualify and apply for legal residency in Mexico

Real estate and property rental in Mexico

We publish a detailed guide to real estate in Mexico that shares practical insights when you’re buying, owning, renting, and selling property here.  We recommend you rent a house first before you buy, unless you’re familiar with the area you’re moving to.

Learn how to keep in touch when you’re in Mexico

Our comprehensive guides describe how you can keep in touch when you’re in Mexico.  Our local insights include learning about Mexico cell phone plans, how to dial phones, connecting to internet services including satellite services, and also learn about post and couriers… and the cost of utilities and communications.

Cultivate your home life

When you’ve made the move and you’re living here, our regularly updated articles about cultivating a fruitful home life in Mexico will give you insights, inspiration, and ideas to make the most of your everyday lifestyle.

Manage your money & finances in Mexico

We publish detailed, updated, information about managing your finances in Mexico, including bank accounts, money exchange, and money transfers.

Homestead care and management

Whether you’re renting a home or have purchased a property here, our regularly updated guides help you manage your home and dwelling spaces in Mexico, with tips and local knowledge to keep them well maintained and secure for you and your family.

Learning and improving your Spanish

We encourage you to learn Spanish to help you make the most of your experiences in Mexico.  We connect you to language courses, and our in-depth PinPoint Spanish series helps you to learn about the nuances of language usage in Mexico.

Driving, road trips and running a car in Mexico

Our guides and articles about driving and taking road trips in Mexico help you to prepare your longer road trips as well as dealing with everyday driving matters.

Free Monthly Mexico Newsletter

Sign-up to our free monthly newsletter about Mexico that is filled with inspiration, meaningful knowledge, helpful connections, and tips for better living, lifestyle, and leisure in Mexico.

Discover even more of Mexico

Our Discover Mexico section provides a constantly updated stream of articles and guides that share knowledge and keep you updated about opportunities in Mexico.

Comprehensive and detailed guide to living and cultivating a lifestyle in Mexico, continually revised and updated. Free—no payment or subscription needed.

Complete and detailed guide to Living & Lifestyles in Mexico that’s continually updated

Our extensive guides and articles offer insights to anyone exploring prospects for living, working, retirement and cultivating your lifestyle in Mexico.

They provide practical insights, incisive local knowledge, and meaningful guidance that helps you to discover opportunities, consider your choices, and make informed decisions.

Discover what lifestyles Mexico offers, identify opportunities of interest to you, weight up the compromises, consider your options, and plot a course based on the things that are important to you.

Guides to lifestyles in Mexico, for all life stages

Our continually-updated guides help you to begin weaving together the key components which create a workable and realistic lifestyle plan in Mexico, whatever planning stage and life stage you are in presently:

• To those considering a move to Mexico, whether you are single, with your partner, or a family with young children, Mexperience helps you to discover the country and evaluate living and lifestyle choices available here.  Our guides also offer thoughtful guidance about setting out your intentions and reshaping your situations.
• To those planning their retirement or seeking a place to retire, Mexperience guides provide specific guidance about matters related to retirement planning and retirement lifestyles, as well as the practicalities of retiring in Mexico.
• When you’re already living in Mexico, our guides and articles provide practical insights that help you to settle-in, adapt, and cultivate your new lifestyle here day-to-day.
• Regardless of your life stage, the information we publish provides meaningful insights about the essential day-to-day practical matters of living in Mexico, adapting to the country, the climates and culture, and more—with extensive cross references and links to further information and helpful contacts who can help you to realize your Mexico plans.

Planning or redefining your lifestyle in Mexico

Obtain practical insights, get incisive local knowledge and meaningful guidance that helps you to consider opportunities, weigh up your choices, and make informed decisions about planning or redefining your lifestyle in Mexico.

Mexico as a place for your retirement

We publish comprehensive information to help you plan a retirement here, whether you’re planning ahead or already retired and considering Mexico as a potential retirement haven.

Exploring locations and finding a place to live in Mexico

Our extensive articles help you to consider key aspects as you explore your options and make choices about your lifestyle and potential location types in Mexico.

Getting your residency permit for Mexico

Mexico’s immigration laws are reasonable and allow non-Mexicans with the financial means or family roots, and/or skills, to live here legally. We publish extensive knowledge to help you, including:

Moving and settling-in to life in Mexico

When you’ve decided to move to Mexico and made key decisions about where and how you’ll live, there’s the move a period of adapting and settling-in.  We publish extensive guides and articles to help you settle.

Learn how to keep in touch when you’re in Mexico

Our guides include detailed information about how to keep in touch when you’re in Mexico: by phone, by internet, as well as using postal and courier services here.  Our local knowledge helps you to choose a mobile phone plan, explore choices for high speed internet in Mexico (even if you live in a remote area) and our cost of living guide includes a section about the cost of communications services.

Detailed insights into the practicalities of living in Mexico day-to-day

Our articles and guides also include comprehensive insights about day to day living in Mexico that help you to plan your lifestyle, settle-in, and make the most of your life and activities in Mexico.

Mexico’s living costs and managing your finances

Financial considerations are an important aspect of any move.  Mexperience helps you to calculate your cost of living in Mexico and offers practical tips for managing your money and finances here.

Mexico as a place for working-age professionals

Working-age professionals, especially those plying a trade in the knowledge economy, are also considering Mexico as a base to live and work.

And more… resources for Living & Lifestyle in Mexico

Mexperience offers you a comprehensive online resource of information and local knowledge to help you discover Mexico, explore choices, find opportunities and plan a new life in Mexico.  Our resources include:

• A regular Mexico Newsletter you can subscribe to for free
• Regularly-updated articles about lifestyle planning  in Mexico
• Insights about day to day living with Mexico Home Life

There are lots of good, sensible reasons for moving to Mexico, but it takes consideration, research, and a plan to make your move a success.

When you’re seeking a change of lifestyle in Mexico you’ll find a wealth of knowledge here on Mexperience to help you consider your choices with helpful connections that can help you to turn your plans into reality.

Research and plan your move to Mexico

Stories of foreign residents who have moved to Mexico successfully are most often characterized by people who made an effort to research and make considered choices.

For those willing to make a plan and see-through the ‘sales pitch’ promises of pipe-dream lifestyles abroad, the benefits of meaningful residency in Mexico are real and tangible. Mexperience living and lifestyle guides and articles show you how.

Mexico lifestyle planning

Mexperience can help when you’re exploring prospects for living and working or retirement in Mexico.  Our extensive resources help you discover practical insights, incisive local knowledge, and meaningful guidance that helps you to consider opportunities, weigh up your choices, and make informed decisions.  Start by reading these key articles, and connect to our free and comprehensive guide to Living & Lifestyles in Mexico for more detailed insights…

• Motivations for moving to and living in Mexico
• Approaches to choosing or changing your lifestyle
• Living costs in Mexico
• The journey to finding your place in Mexico

Free Guide: Guide to Living & Lifestyles in Mexico 

When you plan to retire in Mexico

Mexico continues to be one of the most popular countries in the world for American and Canadian retirees, and there is an increase in people from other parts of the world considering Mexico fore retirement too.  We publish comprehensive information to help you plan a retirement here, including:

• How to know if Mexico is right for your retirement
• Key benefits Mexico offers retirees
• Approaches for retirement lifestyles in Mexico
• How much money you need to retire in Mexico
• Regularly updated articles about retirement in Mexico

Free Guide: Guide to Living & Lifestyles in Mexico includes sections about planning and realizing your retirement in Mexico.

When you plan to work in Mexico

Working-age professionals, especially those plying a trade in the knowledge economy, are also considering Mexico as a base to live and work.

Free Guide: Read our guides and articles about Working & Self-employment in Mexico

Mexico visas and residency permits

Mexico’s immigration laws are reasonable and allow non-Mexicans with the financial means or family roots, and/or skills, to live here legally. We publish extensive knowledge to help you, including:

• A detailed summary about how to apply for residency in Mexico.
• Learn about routes to obtaining legal residency in Mexico
• Regularly updated articles and insights about obtaining and maintaining your residency status in Mexico.

Free Guide: Guide to Immigrating to Mexico

Finding a place to live in Mexico

When you move here, you’ll need somewhere to live. Whether you plan to rent or buy a home here, Mexperience offers a wealth of helpful insights and practical local knowledge.

Our extensive articles help you to consider key aspects as you explore your options and make choices about your lifestyle and potential location types in Mexico.  Key articles to read about this include:

• Influencing factors as you search for a place to live in Mexico
• Matching your location with your lifestyle needs
• The charms & compromises of living in the Mexican countryside
• Discover places for living, working or retirement in Mexico

Free Guide: Our Guide to Living & Lifestyles in Mexico includes sections about short-listing locations, guides to places for living in Mexico, and helpful insights to help you choose your location based on your life stage and lifestyle needs.

Free Guide: Our extensive Guide to Real Estate in Mexico includes insights about buying, renting, selling, and managing your residential home in Mexico.

The practicalities of living in Mexico

Our articles and guides also include comprehensive insights about day to day living in Mexico, including:

• Renting, buying, owning and selling a home in Mexico
• Driving and bringing foreign plated cars to Mexico
• Moving your personal goods to Mexico
• Living with pets in Mexico
• Learning or improving your Spanish
• Managing your health and well-being
• Getting essential insurance coverages

Home Life: Regularly updated articles in our Mexico Home Life section offer tips and insights about day-to-day living here.

Home Stewardship: Articles and guides in our Home Stewardship section help you manage your house, home, and dwelling spaces in Mexico.

Free Guide: House Maintenance and Security in Mexico

Free Guide: Driving & Road Trips in Mexico

Managing your finances and living costs

Financial considerations are an important aspect of any move.

• We don’t recommend you plan a lifestyle here solely based on living costs, but they are a key factor to consider and our guide to the cost of living in Mexico will help you to map-out a detailed budget based on your individual life situation.
• Learn about Mexico’s currency.
• Browse our regularly-updated articles about money, banking and finances in Mexico to get practical insights into managing your money.

Free Guide: Money, Finances and Banking Services in Mexico

Free Guide: Learn about Living Costs in Mexico

Mexico is an ideal place to spend your leisure time

When you’re living here, you’ll enjoy direct access to the enormous choice of leisure opportunities Mexico offers.

• Our guides and articles about travel experiences in Mexico provide inspiration and advice for spending your leisure time.
• Our travel partners can help you arrange custom travel tours, with itineraries created by people who know Mexico intimately.

Mexico Assistance Services bridge the gap

To help you take the next steps and bridge the gap between your planning and making those plans happen, we also offer a selection of Mexico Assistance Services that connect you to service providers and local professionals that can facilitate your endeavors and help you to realize your plans.

Resources for Living & Lifestyle in Mexico

Mexperience offers you a comprehensive online resource of information and local knowledge to help you discover Mexico, explore choices, find opportunities and plan a new life in Mexico.  Our resources include:

• Regularly-updated articles about lifestyle planning  in Mexico
• A regular Mexico Newsletter you can subscribe to for free

The annual survey is a barometer of current perceptions as expressed by Internations’ members who are primarily foreign expats situated across the world, including those in Mexico.

Measure twice, cut once

These surveys help to raise awareness about certain places and offer some helpful snapshots concerning the current mood among those seeking or living lifestyles abroad, and the criteria measured for selecting the best destinations —quality of life, ease of settlement, and cost of living, etc. —are valid and universal attractions of living anywhere.

Moving overseas is a significant commitment of yours and your family’s time, resources, energy, and emotions, and your reasons for moving to any place abroad ought to be considered with careful deliberations founded on your core lifestyle intentions.

Consider what you’re seeking from a lifestyle in Mexico

Mexico offers genuine substance and value to foreign residents, and to figure out what you’re seeking from a new lifestyle here, it’s helpful to define your intentions and consider whether Mexico is right for you—and your partner and family, if relevant.

To achieve this, you need to step back from the idealistic portrayals often espoused by those ‘living the dream’ narratives so often seen published and:

• take a mindful pause and define your lifestyle intentions;
• consider what matters are important to you and those close to you;
• overlay those things with what Mexico offers for living and lifestyle; and
• consider how you’ll navigate the compromises you’ll inevitably have to make when you come and live here.

Lifestyle planning requires focus and support

You can never plan for every potential outcome, but having a clear idea about your core intentions will give you an anchor that you can return to through the inevitable periods of uncertainty and doubt that will arise as you move and settle-in to a new and different life situation in Mexico.

The matter of considering and defining your lifestyle intentions, and how Mexico does or does not fit well with those, is an important and substantial subject that is covered in-depth in our detailed articles about living and retirement in Mexico—see links below to get started.

A wealth of local knowledge, resources, and connections

When you’re exploring the possibilities that Mexico offers, Mexperience provides a comprehensive online resource that enables you to discover opportunities and temper the unbridled enthusiasm that’s sometimes painted by idealistic notions of living abroad.

The information we publish and share helps you to make considered choices, formulate a plan, and shows how you can realize that plan through constructive and sustainable changes in lifestyle.

Begin exploring your choices for a new and different life in Mexico:

• Key factors to consider as you plan your lifestyle in Mexico
• Latest articles and insights about Mexico lifestyle planning
• Key resources for planning a new lifestyle in Mexico
• Exploring potential locations to live in Mexico
• Learn about acquiring legal residency in Mexico
• Our Home Life section shares detailed practical insights about day-to-day living matters in Mexico

Obtaining assistance

Our associates provide helpful assistance services which provide key support for your Mexico lifestyle plans.  These include:

• Immigration assistance when you need help with your with your residency permits.
• Insurance services – mitigate the effects of unforeseen events with coverages for your vehicle, home, health and travel.
• Professional services – when you need counsel or advice about property, commercial or legal matters in Mexico.
• Real estate assistance – when you need help finding a property in Mexico.
• Spanish language study – obtain help when you want to learn or improve your Spanish.
• Leisure time – with Mexico on your doorstep, our travel associates can help you see more of it with carefully crafted custom tours that help you to make the most of your leisure time.

Creating a realistic and workable lifestyle plan

Mexperience offers comprehensive local knowledge to guide you through every stage of your relocation to Mexico, and continues to help after you make the move and settle-in to Mexico.  We also connect you to helpful contacts who can facilitate your plans.

This article outlines key factors to consider as you think about a move to Mexico—whether you’re moving alone, with your partner, or with your family.

The factors summarized in this article are an integral part of our continually-updated and free guide to Living & Lifestyles in Mexico.

Our guides, articles, and monthly newsletter are written by people who know Mexico intimately, are continually revised and updated—and are free to access.

Foundation work for your Mexico lifestyle planning

Some people move to Mexico on a whim (with varying results); however, when you look under the hood of the stories about people who have made a beneficial move to Mexico, they tend to be underpinned by the presence of a lifestyle plan.

When you’re considering a move to Mexico it makes sense to take a step back and:

• consider your approach to a lifestyle in Mexico;
• define your intentions and know what’s motivating you to move here;
• be mindful about where in Mexico to live, taking care to match your true needs with the locations you consider;
• consider the requirements for legal residency;
• plan to deal with essential matters related to settling-in and adapting to a new culture and lifestyle in Mexico: by yourself, or with your partner or family.

Free Guide: Guide to Living & Lifestyles in Mexico

Retirement planning in Mexico

If you plan to move to Mexico to retire (or to eventually retire here), you ought to consider matters related specifically to retirement planning and retirement lifestyles in Mexico.

Although retired people don’t carry the challenges and stresses of a working life —holding down a job, raising children, and keeping wolves from the door— retirement does bring other challenges.

Becoming informed by using practical guidance to help you make constructive plans, identifying and mitigating the risks associated with retirement abroad, and learning about key elements which often underpin a fruitful and abundant retirement lifestyle in Mexico can help you to make better choices.

Free Guide: Our Guide to Living & Lifestyles in Mexico contains sections specifically about planning and realizing a retirement in Mexico.

Discovering places to live in Mexico

The place where you decide to live is a personal choice; it’s also subjective, and important.

Where you choose to live in Mexico can make or break your lifestyle plans and aspirations, so taking time to pause and consider your needs in relation to a place is sensible and preferable to making an impulsive decision based on assumptions which are often conceived in haste and based on limited knowledge and experience of a location and its attributes.

Matching your needs with your location is one of the cornerstone choices you will make as you plan a move to Mexico, and Mexperience offers insights and local knowledge to help you make considered choices.

Free Guide: Our Guide to Living & Lifestyles in Mexico contains insights to help you consider your choices about location and accommodations when you relocate to Mexico.

Practical essentials for everyday living in Mexico

When you have committed to the move and find yourself in Mexico, you will face an entire raft of practical matters which are relevant to everyday living here, regardless of your life stage and other circumstances.

These include things like finding a property to rent or buy, adapting to local climates, keeping healthy and well, engaging with the language, keeping in touch, getting around using transport options, caring for your pets, as well as wide assortment of everyday practical matters like tipping and bargaining, and the water supply—to name a few.

Free Guide: Our extensive Guide to Real Estate in Mexico includes insights about buying, renting, selling, and managing your residential home in Mexico.

Taking this pathway to adaptation is necessary and, although at times it may be challenging and confusing to you, it will form an essential part of your overall experience and provide a foundation from which you will learn to cultivate a fruitful lifestyle here.

Free Guide: Our Guide to Living & Lifestyles in Mexico includes sections about settling-in to Mexico, adapting to your new environment and lifestyle, and finding balance and purpose.

When you’re settled, there are always day-to-day matters to contend with, that will form part of your new lifestyles and life experiences.   Mexperience offers ample insights to help you navigate these stages of change and transformation in your lifestyle.

Home Life: Regularly updated articles in our Mexico Home Life section offer tips and insights about day-to-day living here.

Home Stewardship: Articles and guides in our Home Stewardship section help you manage your house, home, and dwelling spaces in Mexico.

Connect to additional resources to help you plan and realize your relocation to Mexico

Knowledge, resources, and helpful contacts will play a defining role in your lifestyle planning and move to Mexico.  Mexperience helps you on your journey to discovering opportunities, making informed choices, and turning your lifestyle plans into reality.

• Our Mexico Lifestyle Planning section contains articles and guides to help you plan a new lifestyle, or consider how to reform an existing lifestyle here
• Discover Places to Live in Mexico helps you find and compare key locations across Mexico—from the most popular, to new emerging areas as well as places off the beaten track
• The Mexico Home Life section provides practical insights that help you to cultivate your lifestyle in Mexico every day
• Register for our free monthly newsletter about Mexico

Free Guide: Our Guide to Living & Lifestyles in Mexico is comprehensive and continually-updated.  It contains detailed knowledge and insights to help you consider your choices and form a plan based on your intentions and individual circumstances.

Obtaining assistance

Our associates provide helpful assistance services which provide key support for your Mexico lifestyle plans.  These include:

• Immigration assistance when you need help with your with your residency permits.
• Insurance services – mitigate the effects of unforeseen events with coverages for your vehicle, home, health and travel.
• Professional services – when you need counsel or advice about property, commercial or legal matters in Mexico.
• Spanish language study – obtain help when you want to learn or improve your Spanish.
• Leisure time – with Mexico on your doorstep, our travel associates can help you see more of it with carefully crafted custom tours that help you to make the most of your leisure time.

Factors that influence commitment levels

As we describe in our continually updated guides about living and retirement in Mexico, how much time you spend living in Mexico, and how much commitment you make to cultivating a lifestyle here will depend on many things and is ultimately a personal choice that you will probably have determined when you were defining your intentions and identifying the key factors and other matters that will influence your choices about moving to Mexico.

As noted in our guides referenced above, the key factors that influence these choices include:

• social and family ties you have in your home country;
• the attachment (or otherwise) you feel to your home country;
• the physical distance between Mexico and your home country;
• your financial resources and personal energy levels required to move twice a year; and
• your offspring’s perceptions if you have children.

These factors are addressed in detail in our guide to living and retirement in Mexico, and although they are not the only influencers, they are the principal ones which most foreign residents face as they make their choices regarding a move.

Practical matters to consider as you prepare to return to Mexico

If you are one of many foreign residents that shuttles between your home country and Mexico each year —or if you intend to do this as part of your planned lifestyle— there are several practical matters to consider as you prepare for your re-arrival to Mexico.

Your visitor or residency permit

If you use a visitor permit to reside in Mexico part-time, note that border officials appear to no longer be giving 180 days stay by default.  They can still give 180 days maximum (by law) but in many cases people are begin given fewer days—sometimes as few as 10.

If you reside in Mexico even for a few months a year, we recommend you consider applying for a residency permit that will make your border crossing smoother and prevent you from having to leave the country if your visitor permit is not issued for the length of time you intend to overwinter in Mexico.

Renewing your temporary residency

If you hold temporary residency in Mexico and you intend to keep your residency status in Mexico, you will need to renew it before its expiry date.  Residency card renewals must be done in person, in Mexico—they cannot be filed by proxy.

Your arrival in Mexico is an ideal moment to check the expiry date on your residency card(s) and file your renewal (or exchange to permanent residency) as appropriate.  If you need assistance with your renewal process or exchange to permanent, our associate can help.

Vehicles you might bring

If you intend to drive your US or Canadian plated vehicle to Mexico, consider whether you will need a Temporary Import Permit (TIP), and whether you need a TIP or not, you’ll need to purchase a vehicle insurance policy that covers your vehicle while its in Mexico.  Read our guides to driving and road trips in Mexico for insight and advice about driving here.

House and home

If you own a home in Mexico, you’ll need to talk to your local contact or agent about ‘reopening’ the property for your return if it has been left vacant in your absence.

As we remark in our guides to home maintenance and security, it’s not advisable to leave your property unattended for months.  If it has been rented out, you’ll need to liaise with your agent or the tenants to organize the checkout and hand-back, review of the property’s condition, and return of the deposit, etc.

If you rent a home while you’re in Mexico, you’ll need to liaise with the owner or the owner’s agent you are dealing with about arrangements for you to take possession of the property during the lease period.  And it’s also important to know who is renting your home while you’re away.

Health matters

If you plan to be in Mexico for a defined period up to 90-days then a short-term trip protection insurance could work well for your stay.

If your stay in Mexico will be for longer than 90 days and less than 180 days, then an extended stay emergency and medical expense coverage will help to mitigate the cost of unexpected medical emergencies, and also includes medical evacuation to your home country in severe circumstances.

Language skills

Being able to speak at least some Spanish will materially improve your lifestyle experiences while you’re in Mexico, even if you’re only living here part of the year.  There are sensible reasons for investing time and effort to learn (or improve) your Spanish, and there are courses online and in classrooms that can help you to do this.

Travel and leisure opportunities

Part-time residents in Mexico may opt to take advantage of their presence in Mexico and consider some travel and leisure opportunities that are close-by.  You can browse custom leisure tours offered by travel experts that know Mexico intimately here on Mexperience.

Miscellaneous practicalities

The guide to living and retirement sets out the plethora of practical matters and details which need to be considered as you move from one place to another. Many of these matters are relevant whether you move to Mexico full-time or part-time—the principal difference is that if you are living here only part time, you’ll effectively be managing lifestyles in at least two different locations simultaneously.

Practical matters as you prepare to leave Mexico

If you intend to leave Mexico for a defined period each year and return months later (or next season/year), the key matters for you to consider prior to your planned departure date from Mexico will likely include:

• ensuring your Mexico visitor permit has not expired if you don’t have a residency card (you’ll need to pay a fine when you leave, if you overstay your visitor permit date);
• if you have a residency permit, you need to ‘check out’ at the airport or other port of exit when you leave Mexico;
• if you own a house here, ensuring that your Mexican home is properly cared for in your absence, or if you plan to rent it out, ensure that you know who’s renting your home;
• if you drove a foreign-plated vehicle to Mexico outside of one of the defined Free Zones (and thus have a Temporary Import Permit—TIP), make sure you stop at the Banjercito border offices and cancel your TIP.
• if your insurance policies are not annual, be mindful of the policy expiry dates and create a reminder for yourself to restart them for your next return to Mexico.

Resources for Living & Lifestyle in Mexico

Mexperience offers you a comprehensive online resource of information and local knowledge to help you discover Mexico, explore choices, find opportunities and plan a new life in Mexico.  Our resources include:

• Detailed guides to living and retirement in Mexico that are continually updated
• Insightful articles about living and lifestyle in Mexico
• If you’re planning your initial relocation to Mexico, browse article on our Lifestyle Planning section
• Our Mexico Home Life section contains a wealth of local knowledge to help you settle-in and make the most of your lifestyle in Mexico.
• Our section about Home Stewardship is packed with practical advice for managing your home and dwelling spaces in Mexico.
• A regular Mexico Newsletter you can subscribe to for free

Get help to plan your approach when you apply for residency in Mexico and practical facilitation assistance as you make your way through procedures related to applying for and managing your residency status in Mexico.

The Mexico Lifestyle Consulting & Relocation Planning service helps you explore options and make informed choices to form a coherent plan for your intended lifestyle in Mexico.

Save time, gain valuable lifestyle insights

This lifestyle consultancy service is carefully structured to assist in your lifestyle deliberations and planning:

• Helps you to consider choices and the groundwork needed to plan for living, working, or retirement in Mexico.
• The consultation saves you valuable time by focusing on matters related to your specific circumstances.
• You’ll get unique insights into the options and choices available for different lifestyles in Mexico based on your aims and intentions.
• Learn about the practicalities of moving and adapting to a new lifestyle and culture.
• The consultation may also help you to avoid making material mistakes commonly encountered by those seeking a lifestyle abroad.

Free 15-minute discovery consultation

The consultant offers a free 15-minute consultation with you so that you can meet and get to know each other, briefly discuss your situation, and determine if the service and her experience is right for your needs.

During your free 15-minute discovery consultation you can:

• Meet your consultant and learn about their experience.
• Share a brief summary about your situation.
• Determine if this consulting service is right for your needs.
• Optionally schedule a date for a full consultation.

Full consultation and written brief

Detailed questions you want to ask and concerns you want to address will be discussed during the full consultation.  The lifestyle consultation package is offered for a fixed fee of US$249 and you can book and pay for a full consultation directly with the consultant.

The full consultation will identify important aspects about your situation, address potential issues, and answer specific questions or concerns you have regarding a move to Mexico.

During the full consultation, our associate will:

• Help you to identity your priorities and define your aims and intentions.
• Consider realistic and viable options, based on your life stage, lifestyle choices, and intentions.
• Help you to consider whether Mexico is a good fit for you alone, or with your partner and family as relevant.
• Address any specific questions or concerns you have in regard to moving to Mexico to live, work, or retire.
• Help you to compile a shortlist of potential locations that may suit your lifestyle needs if you’re not yet sure about where in Mexico you want to live.
• Help you to consider the groundwork needed to plan the move, and adapt to a new lifestyle abroad.
• Share helpful local knowledge and valuable advice based on practical real-life experience of having moved to, settled, and adapted to Mexico.

After the consultation, our associate will compose a written summary briefing and send this to you by email. The brief will summarize your consultation, and contain curated references based on your individual situation for further research and planning.

Fixed fee lifestyle consultation

The lifestyle consultation package is offered for a fixed fee of US$249.

The full consultation call typically lasts for about an hour, and the package includes a post-consultation written summary brief for your review and further reference.

• The consultation begins with an in-depth conversation by telephone or video conference that typically lasts about an hour.
• After the consultation, Lucie will compose a written summary briefing and send this to you by email.
• The brief will summarize your consultation, and contain curated references based on your individual situation for further research and planning.
• Optional follow-up consultations may be booked directly with Lucie, billed on an hourly basis.

The consultant offers a free 15-minute discovery consultation with you by telephone or video conference so that you can meet and get to know each other, briefly discuss your situation, and determine if the service and her experience is right for your needs.

If you decide to proceed with a full consultation, the consultant will send you a payment request for a fixed-fee lifestyle consultation package.

Additional consultation time

If you would like a follow-up consultation after purchasing the fixed fee package, Lucie also offers consultancy on an hourly basis at US$99 per hour (one hour minimum).  Any time over one hour is billed precisely as used.

Meet our Mexico Lifestyle Consulting Associates

Mexico lifestyle consultant, Christine Tremblay, helps you to make informed choices and form a coherent plan for your intended lifestyle in Mexico.

Save time and gain valuable lifestyle insights

This lifestyle consultancy service is carefully structured to assist in your lifestyle deliberations and planning. The full consultation will:

• help you to consider choices and the groundwork needed to plan for living, working, or retirement in Mexico;
• save you valuable time by focusing on matters related to your specific circumstances;
• give you unique insights into the options and choices available for different lifestyles in Mexico based on your aims and intentions;
• help you to learn about the practicalities of moving and adapting to a new lifestyle and culture; and
• the consultation may also help you to avoid making material mistakes commonly made by those seeking a lifestyle abroad.

Free 15-minute discovery consultation

Christine offers a free 15-minute consultation with you so that you can meet and get to know each other, briefly discuss your situation, and determine if the service and her experience is right for your needs.

During your free 15-minute discovery consultation you can:

• Meet Christine and learn about her background and experience.
• Share a brief summary about your situation.
• Determine if this consulting service is right for your needs.
• Optionally schedule a date for a full consultation.

Full consultation and written brief

Detailed questions you want to ask and concerns you want to address will be discussed during the full consultation.  The lifestyle consultation package is offered for a fixed fee of US$249 and you can book and pay for a full consultation directly with the consultant.

Benefits of a full consultation

The full consultation will identify important aspects about your situation, address potential issues, and answer specific questions or concerns you have regarding a move to Mexico.

During the full consultation, our associate will:

• Help you to identify your priorities and define your aims and intentions.
• Consider realistic and viable options, based on your life stage, lifestyle choices, and intentions.
• Help you to consider whether Mexico is a good fit for you alone, or with your partner and family as relevant.
• Address any specific questions or concerns you have about moving to Mexico to live, work, or retire.
• Help you to compile a shortlist of potential locations that may suit your lifestyle needs if you’re not yet sure about where in Mexico you want to live.
• Help you to consider the groundwork needed to plan the move and adapt to a new lifestyle abroad.
• Share helpful local knowledge and valuable advice based on practical real-life experience of having moved to, settled, and adapted to Mexico.

After the consultation, our associate will compose a written summary briefing and send this to you by email. The brief will summarize your consultation, and contain curated references based on your individual situation for further research and planning.

About your consultant, Christine Tremblay

Originally from Québec in Canada, Chris has been visiting Baja California Sur for almost three decades and has been a full-time resident of Mexico for over 10 years,  living in La Paz, the capital city of Baja California Sur.

Chris earned degrees in fashion design in Montreal and in culinary arts and viticulture at UCLA, is fluent in four languages (English, French, Spanish, Italian), a licensed helicopter pilot, a passionate scuba diver, and a businesswoman who has made Mexico her permanent home and will soon become a Mexican citizen.

After living in Los Angeles for almost three decades Chris moved to La Paz, on Mexico’s Baja California peninsula, to enjoy the crystal waters, the beautiful Baja desert, and the nearby towns of Los Cabos, Todos Santos, La Ventana, and Los Barriles.

Her key experience includes:

• More than 30 years’ association with the Baja region of Mexico, and more than 10 years of experience living, working full time in La Paz, Baja California Sur.
• Her long-time association with the Baja region, including Los Cabos and Todos Santos, and her intimate knowledge of the local area where she lives provides valuable insights to people who are considering this region for living, working, investment or retirement.
• Chris applies her extensive and detailed knowledge about the Baja California Sur region and Mexican culture to help visitors, prospective new foreign residents, as well as those already living in the area to learn more about her adopted and beloved home and discover the remarkable lifestyle, leisure, and business opportunities that exist here.

Chris is involved as a volunteer in local environmental groups, is an avid supporter of the La Paz arts and culture scene, and is a passionate scholar of the rich history of the Baja peninsula.  She’s an avid SCUBA diver, exploring the underwater wonders of the Sea of Cortés and the various shipwrecks in the area. Chris has traveled to five continents and has lived in Canada, the U.S., Mexico, and Italy.

Fixed fee lifestyle consultation

The lifestyle consultation package is offered for a fixed fee of US$249.

The full consultation call typically lasts for about an hour, and the package includes a post-consultation written summary brief for your review and further reference.

• The consultation begins with an in-depth conversation by telephone or video conference that typically lasts about an hour.
• After the consultation, Chris will compose a written summary briefing and send this to you by email.
• The brief will summarize your consultation, and contain curated references based on your individual situation for further research and planning.
• Optional follow-up consultations may be booked directly with Chris, billed on an hourly basis.

Chris Tremblay offers a free 15-minute discovery consultation with you by telephone or video conference so that you can meet and get to know each other, briefly discuss your situation, and determine if the service and her experience is right for your needs.

If you decide to hire Chris and proceed with a full consultation, Chris will send you a payment request for a fixed-fee lifestyle consultation package.

Additional consultation time

If you would like a follow-up consultation after purchasing the fixed fee package, Chris also offers consultancy on an hourly basis at US$99 per hour (one hour minimum).  Any time over one hour is billed precisely as used.

Make a service request

To make a service request, please complete the request form below.
Our lifestyle consulting associate will contact you personally to organize your consultation.

The things you need to live well, to live comfortably, and to live simply are here.  They probably aren’t in the shapes and forms that you’re used to seeing; and how they manifest themselves might be different and, at first, alien to your customs.  This journey of discovery is one that you’ll have to undertake consciously if you intend to create a new lifestyle for yourself in Mexico.

Full adoption of any foreign country requires compromise, acceptance, and understanding.  Moving to Mexico will oblige you to change habits, surrender certain whims, and accept life for what it is, not what you wish it or demand it to be.  In return, Mexico could gift new dimensions to your life, for example, by encouraging you to see beyond your current horizon, and connecting you to friends of the kind you never thought possible.

You will witness the kindnesses and wickedness of human nature as the well-documented contrasts present themselves regularly.  Situations here will at times frustrate you or annoy you; sometimes they will appear to tease you for no apparent reason.

Mexico can also fill you with an energy and joy that will remain in you always.  It’s this spontaneous tapestry that creates the almost mystical allure that has brought foreigners to live here, and live out their lives here, for better and for worse, for centuries.  And when —or more precisely, if— you can find peace with all that Mexico is and all that Mexico is not, you will begin to find your place in these lands. If you don’t or discover that you can’t tread that testing path and adapt, Mexico will surely break your endeavors and send you back whence you came.

You might choose a big city, a home in the mountains, or perhaps you’ll find a tranquil place to live beside the ocean, or in the Mexican countryside.  The topographical diversity here offers ample choice of locations.

Whatever location you choose, your true place, when you find it in Mexico, will be anchored in the spaces that you will come to adore but which you cannot easily define, and in the feelings you hold for them which cannot be easily expressed.

It has been said that Mexico deposits a certain dust on visitors’ shoes that will cause them to return for good, or never again.  The allegory fits well with the contrasts so often cited in lore, but it would be foolhardy to encapsulate that thing, that indefinable attendance which attracts and repels so many to these complex and absorbing lands, in such black-and-white terms.  To adapt, you’ll need to turn up with an open mind, with courage and tenacity, and be prepared to craft your own story here—on Mexico’s terms.

If what you’re seeing on the news keeps you away from Mexico, your perceptions have been hijacked before you allowed yourself an opportunity to better understand these lands, and see what others here see: a country in transition, a country which is, by and large, less violent than those places where stones are so readily thrown from glass houses.

Finding your place in Mexico requires due course.  There are no shortcuts, no tricks or cheats to download, no instant answers.  And as you embark on this journey you’ll never quite understand how irrelevant all your preconceptions are to become as Mexico simultaneously encourages and obliges you to find your peace amidst its contrasts and eccentricities.

If you come to truly embrace Mexico, as its closest friends who are foreign-born to these lands do, it will most likely be through a baptism of fire that will test your character, your mettle, and your heart; through a journey of discovery that brings you to being each day and a knowing within that here is where your life belongs.

Resources for Living & Lifestyle in Mexico

Mexperience offers you a comprehensive online resource of information and local knowledge to help you discover Mexico, explore choices, find opportunities and plan a new life in Mexico.  Our resources include:

• Helpful articles to help you plan your Mexico lifestyle
• Insights and tips for settling-in and cultivating a life here
• Detailed information about seeking residency in Mexico
• Detailed guides to cultivating your life and lifestyle in Mexico
• A regular Mexico Newsletter you can subscribe to for free

Key reasons why Mexico is attractive to retirees

The country’s popularity as a retirement destination is underpinned by a variety of key elements and characteristics that are especially attractive to retirees, which include:

• agreeable year-round climates;
• a variety of location types to choose from;
• a warm and welcoming culture that also offers the enjoyment of experiencing unusual traditions and celebrations that are nevertheless quite familiar;
• ready access to transport infrastructure, including modern roads and international airports;
• well-established communities of existing foreign resident retirees;
• a wide range of local services and amenities to support day-to-day retirement lifestyles;
• affordable access to world-class health and well-being facilities;
• access to local markets bursting with color and selling delicious fresh produce; and, amidst all this—
• affordability—a retirement pension can stretch further in Mexico.

Retirement lifestyles underpinned by key benefits

People who arrive in Mexico to live and retire here can lead active, healthy, lifestyles underpinned by Mexico’s agreeable climates, first-class amenities, and affordable living costs.  Some who have come to retire in Mexico and consider the country their natural home comment on how they value and appreciate their enjoyable lifestyles and activities, and how they feel settled, safe, and content in Mexico.

When you’re considering a move to Mexico it makes sense to take a step back and:

• consider your approach to a lifestyle in Mexico;
• define your intentions and know what’s motivating you to move here;
• be mindful about where in Mexico to live, taking care to match your true needs with the locations you consider;
• consider the requirements for legal residency;
• plan to deal with essential matters related to settling-in and adapting to a new culture and lifestyle in Mexico: by yourself, or with your partner or family.

Learn more about retirement lifestyles in Mexico

Begin exploring your choices for a new and different life in Mexico:

• Key factors to consider as you plan your lifestyle in Mexico
• Latest articles about retirement in Mexico
• Latest articles and insights about Mexico lifestyle planning
• Key resources for planning a new lifestyle in Mexico
• Exploring potential locations to live in Mexico
• Learn about acquiring legal residency in Mexico
• Our Home Life section shares detailed practical insights about day-to-day living matters in Mexico

Mexico lifestyle consultant, Lucie Canuel, helps you to make informed choices and form a coherent plan for your intended lifestyle in Mexico.

Save time and gain valuable lifestyle insights

This lifestyle consultancy service is carefully structured to assist in your lifestyle deliberations and planning. The full consultation will:

• help you to consider choices and the groundwork needed to plan for living, working, or retirement in Mexico;
• save you valuable time by focusing on matters related to your specific circumstances;
• give you unique insights into the options and choices available for different lifestyles in Mexico based on your aims and intentions;
• help you to learn about the practicalities of moving and adapting to a new lifestyle and culture; and
• the consultation may also help you to avoid making material mistakes commonly made by those seeking a lifestyle abroad.

Free 15-minute discovery consultation

Lucie offers a free 15-minute consultation with you so that you can meet and get to know each other, briefly discuss your situation, and determine if the service and her experience is right for your needs.

During your free 15-minute discovery consultation you can:

• Meet Lucie and learn about her background and experience.
• Share a brief summary about your situation.
• Determine if this consulting service is right for your needs.
• Optionally schedule a date for a full consultation.

Full consultation and written brief

Detailed questions you want to ask and concerns you want to address will be discussed during the full consultation.  The lifestyle consultation package is offered for a fixed fee of US$249 and you can book and pay for a full consultation directly with the consultant.

Benefits of a full consultation

The full consultation will identify important aspects about your situation, address potential issues, and answer specific questions or concerns you have regarding a move to Mexico.

During the full consultation, our associate will:

• Help you to identity your priorities and define your aims and intentions.
• Consider realistic and viable options, based on your life stage, lifestyle choices, and intentions.
• Help you to consider whether Mexico is a good fit for you alone, or with your partner and family as relevant.
• Address any specific questions or concerns you have about moving to Mexico to live, work, or retire.
• Help you to compile a shortlist of potential locations that may suit your lifestyle needs if you’re not yet sure about where in Mexico you want to live.
• Help you to consider the groundwork needed to plan the move and adapt to a new lifestyle abroad.
• Share helpful local knowledge and valuable advice based on practical real-life experience of having moved to, settled, and adapted to Mexico.

After the consultation, our associate will compose a written summary briefing and send this to you by email. The brief will summarize your consultation, and contain curated references based on your individual situation for further research and planning.

About your consultant, Lucie Canuel

Originally from Montreal in Canada, Lucie moved to Mexico when she was 18, earned a degree in Sociology from the University of Guadalajara, became fluent in Spanish, settled down to make Mexico her permanent home, and later became a naturalized Mexican.

Lucie lives and works in the small and magical town of Comala at the foot of a beautiful volcano in the state of Colima.  Her key experience includes:

• Over 20 years living and working in Mexico, making the transition from student, temporary to permanent residency, and is now a naturalized Mexican citizen.
• Lucie has traveled and lived in many places in Mexico, and is familiar with many of the key expat communities across western, central, and southeast Mexico—as well as with places off-the-beaten-path
• For many years, Lucie has also been sharing her expertise with new foreign residents to help them adapt and understand their new surroundings and culture.

Lucie is also founder of Meshico Magical, a tour service to help share the beauty and culture of the states of Colima, Jalisco, and other magical parts of Mexico. Lucie applies her passion for, and deep knowledge about, Mexico to help potential foreign residents as well those living here to discover Mexico and consider their choices and opportunities for living, lifestyle, and leisure.

Fixed fee lifestyle consultation

The lifestyle consultation package is offered for a fixed fee of US$249.

The full consultation call typically lasts for about an hour, and the package includes a post-consultation written summary brief for your review and further reference.

• The consultation begins with an in-depth conversation by telephone or video conference that typically lasts about an hour.
• After the consultation, Lucie will compose a written summary briefing and send this to you by email.
• The brief will summarize your consultation, and contain curated references based on your individual situation for further research and planning.
• Optional follow-up consultations may be booked directly with Lucie, billed on an hourly basis.

Lucie Canuel offers a free 15-minute discovery consultation with you by telephone or video conference so that you can meet and get to know each other, briefly discuss your situation, and determine if the service and her experience is right for your needs.

If you decide to hire Lucie and proceed with a full consultation, Lucie will send you a payment request for a fixed-fee lifestyle consultation package.

Additional consultation time

If you would like a follow-up consultation after purchasing the fixed fee package, Lucie also offers consultancy on an hourly basis at US$99 per hour (one hour minimum).  Any time over one hour is billed precisely as used.

Make a service request

To make a service request, please complete the request form below.
Our lifestyle consulting associate will contact you personally to organize your consultation.