1) Affordability - moving to the Yucatan can cut your cost of living from 35% to 50%. My water bill is less than $5 a month with unlimited usage, my home taxes are $36 a year. Day to day living is also much cheaper than up north, veterinarians come to the house for under $20, a friend of mine just had an ultrasound for $34. The dollar rose about 30% against the peso this past year. You now receive about 13 Mexican pesos to the dollar. Talk about a dollar stretcher! Where else can you buy a beachfront home for $200,000 or less? Or go one house back from the beach and buy for under $100,000. Beach life isn't your style? Buy a beautiful colonial home in the cleanest and safest city in Mexico. Live in a city with opera, the symphony, a wealth of shopping malls and more. Friends of mine just went to see Handel's Messiah at the symphony for less than $40 a seat!
2) Health Care - Merida is home to some of the best doctors and medical facilities available and all at a very reasonable cost. Friends of mine use a private insurance company that provides them with a low deductable and wonderful coverage for around $1600 year. There is also the IMSS medical system that is available to all of those with a FM3 (legal right to be in the country) for under $300 a year. Click here to see more about IMSS. Medicare is looking into coverage in Mexico and some Blue Cross/Blue Shield plans already pay. The standards here are very high end and the care much cheaper than north of the border.
3) Easy Access- Flights come in and out of Merida from Houston daily, you can be back on US soil in as little as 2 hours! When we were exploring where we wanted to settle down, one thing that was very important was to be able to get home quickly in case of a family emergency. You can also fly in and out of Cancun airport, that is only 4 hours away.
4) Government Investment in the Infrastructure- Even though Mexico like all other countries tightened their belt a bit in 2009, they still have wonderful new roads in our area. There is a new bridge linking Progreso to Chelem, a new 4 lane highway from Merida to the beaches and they are widening the roads in Chelem and Chuburna. They are building a new pier in Progreso and expanding the malecon to the west. There will be many new shops and a Swim with the Dolphins Center.
President Calderon has announced the Vive Mexico (Mexico Lives) campaign which will see the government injecting over $1.2 billion US into the tourism sector to safeguard businesses at risk from the steep dip in tourism as well as promoting Mexico as a prime holiday destination.
5) We at Mayan Living can now offer financing for qualified buyers! This is very new in the area and we have formed a partnership with a US based company.
6) Supply and Demand - With International Living citing the State of the Yucatan as the #1 retirement haven in the world in 2008, the demand is rising rapidly. While Merida can expand, there is only so much beach property, it is disappearing quickly and when its gone.......they just aren't making anymore. When demand out weighs suppy, prices go up! Buy now while it is still affordable!
7) Sunshine all year round!- Escape from the cold winters, snow and frozen pipes! Never have to wear a heavy coat again. We have beautiful tropical weather year round and plenty of sunshine. The winters are wonderful here with average temperature in the high 70's and low 80's. It does get hot in the summers with temps rising to 100 degrees, but thats why there are pools and air conditioning!
8)Mexico is an emerging market - Investors in the know realize the huge potential for growth in Mexico as the world is trying to recover from the recession.
This trend is accelerating as the
9) Proximity to natural and architectural beauty -
The Yucatan has something for everyone, find gorgeous beaches, watch flamingos flying overhead, go deep sea fishing or spend a day in the jungle exploring. Take a boat ride thru the mangroves and watch the wildlife. The Yucatan offers a culture of Mayan and Mexican descent and has a wonderful supportive expat community.
10) The people- I can't say this enough! We have traveled and lived in other places and countries, by and large we have never met such wonderful people as the ones that live here in the Yucatan! Kind hearted and generous to a fault, the local people will share their world with you. They love to show you around and welcome you into their hearts and homes. These are people that live an easier, simpler life style, much like the US in the 50's. Family and friends are the most important things in their lives, we are very blessed that we have found this piece of paradise and are able to call it our home!
