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Decisions Decisions -- where to retire?

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 Factors typical for settling in Latin America:

  1. Studied Spanish language in school

  2. Longtime affinity for latin america & the culture

  3. Friends or family in or from latin america

  4. Living & working in latin america

  5. Wonderful past vacations in latin america

We have had none of those.  Our attraction to latin america is only that it:

  • Is exotic, not US

  • Is inexpensive

  • Is relatively close to the US

  • Has same timezone as US

  • The language is not difficult


    We have personally checked Panama, Costa Rica, Medellín, Mexico City, and San Miguel de Allende.  We agreed that Panama, Costa Rica, Mexico City are not for us; probably Lake Chapala also, though we may try a house-sit there.  (I still like Medellín, and it is lowest-cost)  

    SMA is the most likely agreeable place in latin america for us, because it is amenable, pretty, walkable, artsy, and still less expensive than the US.  However, we have concerns about the inequalities that show up in the barbed-wire, walls, and gated housing (apparently worried about burglary), the casual infrastructure that neglects pedestrian walkways, the ground-water crisis, and food hygiene: the public water supply is only vaguely potable, and fresh vegetables need to be sanitized.  Also, public noise is tolerated – dogs and roosters abound, and fireworks are daily noisemakers at seemingly random times and places (though we have never seen a fireworks shop!), thus requiring a closed-up bedroom to get decent sleep.  

    Cost – is it really much less than Porto?  Costs for imported or deluxe items are more than U.S., but locally-made items are half  the price of U.S.   Rental prices are wildly variable, so difficult to compare.   Restaurants: we dined at places really inexpensive, and at places surprisingly expensive.  Beer and wine prices are only a bit less than U.S. prices.  Gasoline = US prices.   Tipping: because it is a tourist town, tipping is universally expected for restaurants and taxis, and most creditcard machines have provision for adding a "propina" of 10% 15% 20% to the bill.  Fortunately, VAT is pre-added, so there's no "sales tax".  


We like these things about SMA:

  • It is artsy, has culture, lots of cultural events

  • The climate is hospitable

  • Has a great church

  • Friendly locals and expats

    • Because it's a smaller town, more likely to associate with locals

    • Long-established expat scene with lots of volunteer groups

  • Walkable (though cobblestones can be rough)

  • Relatively safe, both personal and traffic-wise

  • Beautiful, so most tourists are from Mexican cities!
Location: San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, Mexico

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