If you like Gringolandia then the Ajijic area is fine except for the traffic (It can take 45-60 min from Joco to Ajijic 30 min/11 miles on a good day), and water which is terrible due to the drought, increased water going to Guadalajara and berry farms using water at prodigious rates.
Dissolved solids were 140 when I bought my home between San Juan Cosala and Jocotepec.
Now over 800 and you must immediately dry all kitchen and cookware or it will etch it in a very short period of time. Showerheads and kitchen sprayers need cleaning every month.

This problem is not limited to here as the aquifer below is severely depleted which concentrates the minerals all around the lake.
Needless to say the water is no longer potable.

The noise laws here are NOT enforced so be prepared to get knocked out of bed periodically.
Two states have fireworks all year long for no good reason.
Jalicsco & Michoacan

Many Mexicans, like many US people believe dogs have a right to bark and it’s OK to begin partying at 11 PM continuing till dawn.

I would move but I’ve finally settled down and the amount of time and money to do so are exorbitant.

Mexico is still a great place to live, but here has been ruined by greed and ignorance. There are many better places to live.

Oh, and the climate here is much hotter than it was 25 years ago.
Lake Chapala is at it’s all time low water level and it can’t drop temps like it used to.
Do your research, pick a place then RENT, don’t buy, until you find a your place in the sun.

you might look at towns on the south shore of lake Chapala such as San Luis Soyatlan, Tuxcueca, and Tizapan.
10 years ago I lived just outside of SLS and enjoyed many rides using the horses of a friend of my gardener.
It’s about an hour to go around the lake to get to Ajijic but currently all the amenities you need to live comfortably are on the south side of Lake Chapala.
There are also two towns in the valley just to the north of San Juan Cosala which I live near.

Very good information.
Thank you
Sara

Hello David,

If you’re seeking a strong and established expat community, then Ajijic/Chapala is worth considering; and San Miguel de Allende; if you’re seeking something by the coast, then Puerto Vallarta has one of the best developed beachside expat communities in Mexico. Lesser known beach locations (off the beaten track) include Manzanillo, San Felipe and Puerto Escondido.

If you’re seeking something off the beaten track in the mountains, then consider Tepoztlán, that is about 30-45 minutes road trip from Cuernavaca, where all the principal services and amenities are situated.

Other rural mountain places you might consider include Pátzcuaro (40 minutes from Morelia), and much further south San Cristobal de las Casas (about 75 minutes from Tuxtla Gutierrez).

Browse our Places to Live section for further insights on these locations, others as well as practical information about choosing a place to live in Mexico:
https://www.mexperience.com/tag/places-to-live/

My husband and I have lived in the northwest and now south in the country, we hardly go to city and would love to move to Mexico, a small town, away, with decent internet. Do you have recommendations? We are just starting a serious search rather than dreaming. We enjoy home hobbies; I am thinking as long as we can order or drive every month or so to get supplies.

You’re very welcome, and thank you for your patronage and for taking the time to express your kind appreciation!

Hi John, thanks for the comment and the suggestion — we will undertake this and publish later this year.

This is Ian again. I was not able to address the issues of security and internet because our workers needed direction. So, here’s round two.

Security: We have two homes in rural areas on opposite corners of Mexico.
Baja, in 17 years, the house has been broken into three times as the house was vacant 10 months a year. I have put up walls and locked wrought iron fences that I think have made that a bit harder. Neighbors tell me there has been a dramatic increase of burglaries but our house has not been hit.
Quintana Roo, we have lived here for 16 months and have been successfully burglarized once with another thwarted attempt. We are very remote here but in both cases the burglar entered off the beach. After the first theft we installed very decorative wrought iron bars on all the windows and sliders. We also now have a dog who sleeps inside at the largest sliding glass wall. His barking and the bars thwarted the the second burglar. Neighbors on both sides (a hundred yards away) where home and were hit.

Internet/cell reception: We have Tel Cel internet and phone with a T-Mobile cell phone too. We have an antenna on top of the third story with a signal booster that sends the signal down into the house. Most of the time the internet and cell reception is good enough to play Netflix and everything with no problems. We pay about $20 a month.

Housekeeping: Because we are quite remote we must use local people. We have a team of three local ladies who come once a week and do a great job. They asked for 750 pesos for what takes most of the day. We pay them 900 pesos, the difference is a propina.

Electric: We have a large solar system but about a year ago CFE electricity was brought out here. We use CFE to charge our solar system during cloudy periods. Typically our electric bills (billed every two months) is between 100 and 200 pesos.

Life in the country is not for everyone. Many people require the stimulation of city life. We miss the restaurant scene and excellent sushi bars of British Columbia but, we are not at all regretting our country life in Mexico.