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 Vallarta Living | April 2007 
US Retirees in Mexico Drawn by Lower Costs, Good Climate
 Vicki Vaughan - mysanantonio.com
American retirees living along Lake Chapala near Guadalajara, Mexico, say they've moved there because it's less expensive, the climate is marvelous and the pace of life slower and more agreeable than in the United States.
That's what 211 respondents reported in a survey conducted by two UTSA professors.
The results of the survey were presented Wednesday as part of the UTSA Mexico Center's brown-bag luncheon series.
The survey, conducted in 2004, was one of the first to examine why older U.S. residents have moved to Mexico. The U.S. Census bureau estimates that about 7 million Americans live abroad and approximately 1 million live in Mexico.
The study by professors Viviana Rojas and Thankam Sunil of UTSA looked a relatively narrow slice of Americans, surveying U.S. citizens who were 55 or older and who'd lived in Mexico for at least six months.
"There has been a lack of information about international late-life migration," Rojas said. "What's happening is quite contrary to what we usually see," which is a movement of people from an underdeveloped nation to a more developed one.
Americans responding to the survey had been in the Lake Chapala area in the small town of Ajijic for almost eight years on average. Most were 65 or older and were well-educated. About 52 percent were married and almost half had annual per capita income of $51,000 or more.
Mexico's less-expensive cost of living was named by 88 percent of the respondents as a reason they moved to the area. The survey asked American retirees about their monthly expenditures. The biggest slice of those surveyed — 35.7 percent — spent $901 to $1,500 a month per capita.
Almost 69 percent said the climate or environment was a major reason they retired to the Lake Chapala area, and a majority also named affordable health care and the cultural richness of the region as reasons why they've stayed.
A majority said they've never felt hostility from the Mexican people; 79 percent said they felt embraced by the local community.
Almost 92 percent said they had no regrets about moving to Mexico. "We found that the retirees have a rich and dynamic life," Sunil said.
Respondents to the survey had a chance to write about what they liked about the area. A 64-year-old woman wrote: "This is Florida without the humidity! Lake Chapala area is gorgeous! We live well on just our Social Security! We have a maid and gardeners 3 times a week! It is relaxing, stress-free and culturally rich."
Another woman, age 63, wrote: "My husband and I have always been grateful to our adopted country for rescuing us away from the 'civilized' and technologically crazy U.S. and for showing us the 'kinder, gentler' society of polite people we wish we knew 'back there.' A common question: Are you going home this year? Answer: Hell No! We are home!"
The audience for the presentation by Rojas and Sunil asked about the ease or difficulty of buying land in Mexico (it's possible, but usually not along coastal regions) and whether Medicare covers Americans in Mexico. Medicare doesn't cover ex-pats in Mexico, Rojas said, and that's a major concern for retirees.
"But we have heard from people who say they feel they get excellent care in Guadalajara," including one diabetic person who said his treatment is excellent, and the cost is just $200 to $300 a year.
One member of the audience, Joe Van De Walle Jr., said he is a longtime visitor to Mexico and likes the people, culture and climate. He said he attended the talk because he may be interested in setting up a tourism-related business in Mexico. He has considered escorting Americans traveling in recreational vehicles to Mexico for extended stays.
Charles Earhart Medlin said he holds dual U.S.-Mexico citizenship and he already owns a ranch in Mexico, but he's interested in learning more about that nation's property laws.
Rojas said she's attended seminars held by Americans for other Americans interested in moving to Mexico. They suggest that Americans not buy land until they've visited Mexico at least three or four times. |
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