Income Needed for the Expat Life

 American retirees are flocking to Mexico like migratory birds. Not just snowbirds either--the kind that hang out for a season and then decide to stay forever. Or at least until they need medical care back in their home countries.

Many buy homes and obtain permanent residency. Mexico offers several options for residency. Rather than repeat information readily available online, I will send you here for updated information if you are interested.

Some folks simply utilize the six-month tourist visa, which so far has not imposed many rules or limits on it. You come and get your passport stamped for 180 days. Enjoy life in this beautiful country for six months, then leave for parts unknown. Back to the US for a visit. Or to Costa Rico perhaps. A few days or weeks later, or whenever you're ready, you come back to Mexico and get stamped another 180 days. 

This works for those free-wheeling folks who don't want to buy property, get insurance or a bank account. Who don't care about crossing all the t's and dotting all the i's. The strait-laced expats frown on such antics and scream about residency, but Mexico itself seems fine with it. Money is money and expat retirees spend a lot of money.

Once the cost for residency is out of the way, either because you pay it or ignore it, then we come to what kind of income does one need to live comfortably in the area of your choice.

First, comfortable means different strokes for different folks. For me, it means no debt back home. I don't have a lot of money, but what there is needs to be mine, and not supporting debt or expenses back in the States. 

This is why my stateside home is with my son and his family. I can come and go as I please and don't have to worry about property sitting there needing care. Debt is a burden to anyone, but especially to an expat. The best feeling is to leave and know that you're free of everything, including debt.

It also means enough money to pay for airfare when I want to return on a whim. I may go back 2 or 3 times a year; not usually, but it has happened. Also, i need enough income to live in a nice place that's not jacked up in price due to American tourists. I avoid the expensive tourist destinations and seek out the lovely cities that nobody has heard about back home.

In 2020 I came to Veracruz (El Puerto) and ended up staying four years because I loved it so much. The little studio apartment I found on Airbnb cost me 6500 pesos a month, or about $350, according to the exchange rate at the time. This included everything, even twice-weekly cleaning and laundry of sheets and towels. They provided toilet paper. 

I loved that little apartment. It was small, cozy, brand-new, upstairs with a view of the tree-lined street, in a nice neighborhood ten minutes from the beach. This is the view from my window.

I'm not one for eating out or doing expensive touristy things. I shop at the local markets and cook at home. My food costs are minimal for all the fresh produce, beans and rice I can wish for. My diet is whole-food, plant-based, one of the cheapest diets a human can eat, especially in Mexico where fresh fruits and vegetables are plentiful and inexpensive.

I lived very well there for $800 a month, for everything. Airfare extra, of course. Currently, in Xalapa, I live well on about $1000 a month. I see people on the Facebook expat groups asking questions like, "My husband and I are thinking about moving to Mexico in a few years. Can we live on $4000 a month?" They spend twice that in the States and see Mexico as a bargain. 

No wonder the Mexican government welcomes North Americans to their country, giving us 6-month visas, no questions asked. Tourists are great for the economy, but retirees stay longer and spend more. 

My early morning walk in Veracruz