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nanaroo

Jun 23, 2004, 6:00 PM

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Yucatan living

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Hello all,

I am on a trial version of Mexico Connect before deciding to subscribe. So far I'm very impressed but have one burning question......why is very little mentioned about moving to/living in the Yucatan. From my research it seems a lovely place. Can anyone enlighten me?

Thanks so much,
Nancy & Robert Gordon,
near Tampa,FL
(very seriously considering retiring to Mexico)

Bubba

Jun 23, 2004, 7:32 PM

Post #2 of 29 (5104 views)

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Re: [nanaroo] Yucatan living

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Nancy & Robert:

Check out the Yucatan forum.

If you like Tampa you should like Yucatan.

nanaroo

Jun 24, 2004, 5:44 AM

Post #3 of 29 (5087 views)

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Re: [Bubba] Yucatan living

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Thanks, Bubba, I was beginning to wonder if there was something wrong with the Yucatan. I've read a few posts that stated it was more expensive to live there. Can you give me the names of some cities/towns on the gulf side that are nice, comfortable and reasonable and fairly near the coast? We are looking to retire on about $2500 a month and don't want to scrimp. We don't live extravagantly, just want to be comfortable. We hope to take a trip over there soon to check the area out. Nancy

Esteban

Jun 24, 2004, 6:17 AM

Post #4 of 29 (5084 views)

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Re: [nanaroo] Yucatan living

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Some of the things that will eat into your budget will be:
Trips up north
Your personal medical condition
Your drinking habits
Eating at restaurants
Cars(as one Mexican friend says they are like a "nino tonto")

Otherwise, I would think you could live on that amount of money without much worry. Buena Suerte!

wendy devlin

Jun 24, 2004, 6:31 AM

Post #5 of 29 (5083 views)

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Re: [nanaroo] Yucatan living

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Hi Nanaroo,

Currently there seems to be few participants on these forums who live or travel much to the Yucatan.

You might try pming the poster SFmacaw who has spent considerable time in the Yucatan where she owns a condo.

Also if you pm Jim the moderator of this forum, you might get a discussion going or he can point you to more sources. As far as I know Jim has lived in the Yucatan for about twenty years. Last I heard he was well along the way to living in his jungle retreat;^) Wendy

nanaroo

Jun 24, 2004, 7:25 AM

Post #6 of 29 (5073 views)

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Re: [Esteban] Yucatan living

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Hello again, it's so nice to converse with people who care. As for our expenditures.....we don't drink but do eat out a lot, might not if we had a cook though. Our health would be a consideration since I have persistent asthma and Robert has diabetes. We would want to visit family in the states probably once a year. What is a nino tonto? a baby in tow? LOL, you can tell I don't have any spanish. We plan to start taking spanish lessons. Thanks again for the response. Nanaroo

nanaroo

Jun 24, 2004, 7:29 AM

Post #7 of 29 (5072 views)

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Re: [wendy devlin] Yucatan living

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Hi Wendy,

I'm curious as to why few move to the Yucatan, is it the heat? For us, it's nearer to Florida where our kids are. Thanks for the names....I will contact them and ask more questions. Nanaroo

Jim in Cancun / Moderator

Jun 24, 2004, 10:45 AM

Post #8 of 29 (5045 views)

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Did I hear my name mentioned?

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I have lived here for about 17 years. I have a house in downtown Cancun and a little ranchito in the jungle as mentioned (http://community.webshots.com/user/jimincancun). I just finished typing something big, long and philosophical and then the page blinked and I lost it so I will be short this time. There are lots of things both pro and con to moving here--let's talk about them!!
What brought you here?
What keeps you here?
What makes you think about going back every so often?
Once you get going, I will chime in again with my bit--just hope the page doesn't blink out again!!

RickS

Jun 24, 2004, 10:51 AM

Post #9 of 29 (5045 views)

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Re: [nanaroo] Yucatan living

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Actually I think there are quite a few gringos who live either full time or winter in the Yucatan. If you haven't already found these websites, take a look at:

www.Meridainsider.com

www.yucatantoday.com

www.jensyucatan.com (real estate).

Nleegor

Jun 24, 2004, 3:52 PM

Post #10 of 29 (5027 views)

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Re: [Jim in Cancun] Did I hear my name mentioned?

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Hi Jim,

I'd like to hear your answers to all of those questions. As for us.....we are originally from Arkansas. Robert is a Wal-Mart driver getting really tired of the traffic/work hassles. He also has some health concerns which would get better without all the stress. He's 62 (63 in December) and could retire if we moved to Mexico and could live on the cheap. Our income would be about $2500 a month.

We have a nice home on a small lake here but it isn't paid for....we could probably sell it quickly and have a fair equity plus our 401K and WM stock so we wouldn't be coming to Mexico destitute....LOL...just poor.

We transferred here to Florida (about 45 min. n.e. of Tampa) a little over 3 years ago. We love the climate but not the excess of people and the traffic. Up until recently we've mostly lived in the country on a small acreage. However, I love the beach too.

Robert's first wife died at 40 of breast cancer and I had the bad fortune of being married to a philanderer. Robert and I were married almost 18 years ago and are happy. However, we've spent more time apart due to Robert's job than we have together. He leaves on Tuesdays and comes home on Fridays.

It would be wonderful to spend our latter years together and be able to live comfortably on our SS. What do you think? Is Mexico our answer?

Nancy (Nanaroo)
p.s. I went ahead and joined Mexico Connect.

Nleegor

Jun 24, 2004, 4:00 PM

Post #11 of 29 (5019 views)

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Re: [RickS] Yucatan living

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Thanks Rick, I'll check into those sites. Nancy

Ed and Fran

Jun 24, 2004, 4:25 PM

Post #12 of 29 (5014 views)

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Re: [nanaroo] Yucatan living

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You asked: "Can you give me the names of some cities/towns on the gulf side that are nice, comfortable and reasonable and fairly near the coast? :

You might consider looking at either Merida or Campeche. There have been a lot of posts recently on Merida (the capital of Yucatan state) in case you haven't found them already. Fairly big city, not on the coast but within striking distance.

Campeche (capital of Campeche state) is on the gulf. Not as big as Merida.

We've visited both and enjoyed them. Obviously we don't have any experience in living there long term. Once you get beyond Campeche (south and west) your options start getting slim.

Regards

Ed

Nleegor

Jun 24, 2004, 4:33 PM

Post #13 of 29 (5012 views)

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Re: [Ed and Fran] Yucatan living

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Thanks Ed, I have looked at lots of info on Merida but very little on Campeche. Those old colonial houses are appealing but Robert says he's not sure he could live all closed up like that. Nancy

sfmacaws

Jun 24, 2004, 4:47 PM

Post #14 of 29 (5010 views)

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Re: [Jim in Cancun] Did I hear my name mentioned?

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Hi,

I'll chime in too. We live half the year in Akumal, Quintana Roo which is on the Caribbean coast about 60 miles south of Cancun. We currently own a condo there but we also spend a lot of time living in our RV and traveling. We are in the process of selling the house we own in NoCal so we won't have to be such yo-yo's zooming back and forth from place to place.

We originally came to Akumal about 10 years ago because of the scuba diving. We continued to return several times a year, made friends and about 5 years ago bought the condo. When I retired 3 years ago, we started spending more time there.

So far, what keeps us there are the friends we have there, the weather, the sea, and the beauty of the countryside. What may get us to leave is the increase in the number of visitors rather than residents. I'm not against living in a tourist economy, it has some advantages, but if the numbers are overwhelming it can get old.

Since we do 'go back' every year, we really have the best of both worlds. We don't spend the summers there, and the heat and humidity can wear you down. We aren't as consumed by the 'pueblo chico, infierno grande' that small towns of ex-pats are so full of. It's easier to ignore the gossip and the minor feuds when you leave for long periods of time.

I think that covers Jim's questions. I'll add some suggestions to the original posters questions in a bit.

Jonna - Mérida, Yucatán

sfmacaws

Jun 24, 2004, 5:29 PM

Post #15 of 29 (5008 views)

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Re: [nanaroo] Yucatan living

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Hi Nancy,

If you like the weather in Florida, you should be able to adjust to the weather in the Yucatan. My only concern would be your asthma as I am under the impression that humidity is hard on those who have it.

I think your plan and your income would be fine especially as you stated a preference for the gulf coast. It's a little less expensive on that coast and there are fewer tourists driving up the costs. I'd suggest looking at the area around Progresso and Celestún. Both are coastal towns fairly close to the city of Mérida. Mérida has good medical facilities and all the options of a cosmopolitan city. All of this area is going to be very hot and humid in the rainy season, AC will be necessary to live comfortably. The gulf beaches don't have the snow white sand of the caribbean but they are nice. The restaurants are very inexpensive and the seafood is excellent.

There used to be a woman who lived in Celestún on this board but I haven't seen her recently. It's a nice area as well, only just becoming developed, and about 4 hours from Merida. Progresso is a resort area very close to Mérida with many small towns strung along the beach. I'm not all that familiar with them but I know that many residents of Mérida maintain beach homes there. It was hit by high winds and rain in the last hurricane season and there was considerable damage. Hurricanes are a fact of life, there is insurance that doesn't cost an arm and a leg and I recommend it.

Since you are used to living in a tropical area, I think the adjustment would not be as hard as it would for those who are from a drier climate. Culture adjustments would be large though and I definitely recommend visiting the area as long and as often as you can before making a move that would be difficult to rescind.

Flights from Cancun to Houston and Florida are frequent, the best prices though are usually for flights that originate in the US but you can find some deals. It would be easy for your family to visit you as well - and they would love it.

Along the caribbean coast, spanish is not a necessity as english is spoken everywhere. On the gulf coast though, there are less tourist facilities and while it is easy to find someone who speaks some english you will need a fair bit of spanish to live there easily. Taking spanish lessons now is a good idea. There are also excellent spanish schools in Mérida.

Hope this helps,

PS. 'niño tonto' means 'stupid child' and 'pueblo chico, infierno grande' from my previous post means 'small town, big hell'.

Jonna - Mérida, Yucatán

Nleegor

Jun 24, 2004, 6:30 PM

Post #16 of 29 (4999 views)

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Re: [sfmacaws] Yucatan living

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Hi Joanna, Thanks for the wonderful post and suggestions. I agree about the asthma, in fact, I have just developed it this year and we've had a terrible time getting it under control. Considering our budget....could you suggest a dryer climate that is still reasonable and not toooo far from the coast?

We don't speak Spanish but do plan to start lessons. We went to Guatemala about 4 years ago on a mission trip (church of Christ) and fell in love with the people. We considered moving there and working with the church. Finding a church in Mexico will be of utmost importance to us.

I agree about the trips there. We plan to do that in the near future. In fact, I was just looking up airline tickets but they all seem to want you to book a hotel with the deal. We would prefer to fly in, rent a car and drive to different places. Is that feasible?

Nancy

Nleegor

Jun 24, 2004, 6:32 PM

Post #17 of 29 (4998 views)

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Re: [sfmacaws] Yucatan living

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Forgive me Jonna, I just realized I misspelled your name. Nancy

esentee

Jun 24, 2004, 7:56 PM

Post #18 of 29 (4986 views)

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Re: [sfmacaws] Did I hear my name mentioned?

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I've been reading the Yucatan posts for a while now and am glad to see your input. Thanks for taking the time to help us out with our queries. My husband and I will also be traveling to the area some time in the late fall or winter to spend time visiting the ruins and some much needed beach time. If I can tolerate the humidity we'll explore our fantasy of living there for the months of Jan - April and back up here (NorCal Mountains) the rest of the year.
We have several concerns: Does anyone have experience with arthritis and humidity? Can we find something turnkey near either coast or inland for under $100,000? Can we rent and live frugally yet decently for $2500 a month? I can cook and clean, but we like to eat out and travel locally.
At this point we're pretty open. It will probably take a few years to visit each area and organize things around here before we can be away for that much time. It will be fun doing the research...Looking forward to any and all info - Styra

RickS

Jun 25, 2004, 9:48 AM

Post #19 of 29 (4953 views)

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Re: [sfmacaws] Yucatan living

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One small correction..... Celestún is only about 60 miles west of Merida on good road.

Bubba

Jun 25, 2004, 10:19 AM

Post #20 of 29 (4948 views)

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Re: [RickS] Yucatan living

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Jonna & RickS:

Wasn't Celestun hit pretty hard by a hurricane a year or so ago? I think I heard they lost a lot of beach which raises a question. If one bought a beach house in a place such as Celetun and a hurricane demolished the beach up to or close to the house, would the house then be on public land?

Merida is a beautiful city and we probably would have retired there except for the terrible climate in the summer. It is blazing hot and extremely humid. I grew up near the Alabama Gulf Coast and I promise you I know humidity when I feel it. After living in the San Francisco Bay Area for 30 years with its fresh climate, I was not about to move any place where I had to be closed up in artificially cooled air for nine months out of the year. On the other hand, you can do like the locals. Sleep in the afternoon when nobody goes outside unless they have to, and party all night (loudly).

Progreso is funky but neat with its old mansions from the days of the hemp barons.

sfmacaws

Jun 25, 2004, 7:34 PM

Post #21 of 29 (4921 views)

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Re: [styra] Did I hear my name mentioned?

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Oops, Rick, I'm sure you are right. I've driven to Celestun 2 times but the most recent was a couple of years ago. I remember a long 2 lane road with topes and not much speed possible. I couldn't remember though, how long it took and I guessed :(

Yes, Bubba, Celestun was also hit by the hurricane that stalled over that whole area. I don't know how much beach was lost but do remember that many homes were damaged there and also along the coast by Progresso. There was a lot of flooding in the whole peninsula, including over by Valladolid. That's a good question about your property if the beach disappears, I have no idea. Since it's Mexico, I'm guessing you could "re-establish" the beach somehow and carry on. I know where we are the building and removal of stone jettys cause the sand to move around and make or break a beach. They've been the cause of some dissension when one property owner feels that someones jetty has caused their beach to disappear.

Styra, I've found that my back and joint pain has improved in heat and humidity, more than it does in dry heat. That's completely un-scientific and may be due to untold number of other variables but - it's my experience. I've also noticed that the pain increases with altitude, I often can barely walk when I first get to to a high altitude. So, sea level is my favorite alititude as it does seem to help.

As to cost of living, let me repeat what is said often on this forum, it's so different for different people that it is almost impossible to predict what you will feel is "enough". As everywhere in Mexico, you can live much cheaper if you don't shop in the tourist stores and you don't buy things that must be imported. "I" think you could live just fine on $2500 a month as long as that didn't include frequent trips to the US and medical insurance.

Another area to look at would be Belize, it is possible to still buy property or homes there for a reasonable amount of money. It's going up and I'm not talking about Caribbean front land but there are some gorgeous areas in the foothills of the Maya Mountains that have the benefit of a little altitude for cooling and incredibly beautiful rivers and jungle. Look around San Ignacio in the Cayo district near Guatemala for instance. Belize also has the benefit of not restricting property ownership for foreigners and english is the official language. The down side includes the higher cost to return to the US on visits.

Jonna - Mérida, Yucatán

johneparker

Jul 12, 2004, 1:29 PM

Post #22 of 29 (4794 views)

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Re: [nanaroo] Yucatan living

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I have had a home in Merida for two years and in Progresso for one. My wife and I have really enjoyed this area. It is hot and humid, but the benefits are great:

1) probably the safest city in Mexico
2) Many cutural activities
3) Good roads
4) Close to the beach (15 miles)
5) Direct daily flights from Houston and Miami
6) Good stores (Sam's Club, Walmart, Costco, Sears, JC Penny's, many others)
7) Active english speaking community with English library, clubs, etc.
8) Great investment potential

In Reply To

Biggles

Sep 22, 2004, 8:36 PM

Post #23 of 29 (4542 views)

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Re: [johneparker] Yucatan living

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Hi,

We've just come back from Mérida and found it a great city but with one big down side--it's HOT, HOT, HOT. I'm usually pretty cold, but it was too much for me. If you walk more than a few blocks, you'll find the sweat just dripping off of you. I always carried around a large bottle of water to keep from dehydrating. Having said that, it was a beautiful place, incredible history and things to see and do so if you don't mind the humidity, check it out. We'll definitely go back, but just as visitors.

Cheri

greg32

Feb 8, 2005, 1:03 PM

Post #24 of 29 (4330 views)

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Self-Storage?

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Jim, you seem to have a good grasp of living in the Yucatan and I have a quick question that you may be able to give some insite to. Question: do you think there is a need for a first rate self-storage facility, one with 24 hr security, climate control, car storage, etc.? Would you use it? Would people you know?

Thanks,
Greg

gregaldridge1@msn.com

(This post was edited by greg32 on Feb 8, 2005, 1:06 PM)

Jim in Cancun / Moderator

Feb 8, 2005, 1:47 PM

Post #25 of 29 (4324 views)

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Re: [greg32] Self-Storage?

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Hi.

Sounds like a good idea but I don't think it would be cost effective to offer all of those services because I don't think people would pay what you would need to charge to make a profit (let alone recoup an investment)just to store things--at least not enough people to to make it work. JMHO Maybe someone else has an opinion too.

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