Retire in Lake Chapala

One of the most asked questions on web boards is, “What does it cost to live in Lake Chapala?” Obviously the answer can vary greatly. I know couples who live on as little as a $1000 per month including rent and it goes up from there. Depending on your lifestyle, and whether you own or rent, the true cost of living Lakeside can vary. In this blog I've re-examined our expenditures and updated them for 2020 providing you with the most accurate average 'cost of living' possible.

Are you tired of the rat race? Are you fed up with your boss? Paying high taxes? Working for the man? Have you considered retiring to Ajijic and putting your feet up? It's possible. I have done it, my partner has done it, and more and more people everyday are retiring early in Lake Chapala. Both myself and my partner came down to Ajijic at the age of 48. Both of us left our jobs in Canada and began living our best life ever in Ajijic. I'll first tell you my story of how I cam

Here is a simple list of the many things that are wonderful about living and retiring in Lake Chapala. -Low cost of living compared to living in Canada or the U.S. For instance, it is roughly a third of the cost of living in Vancouver, Canada. -The second best climate in the world. Most days range between a low of 12 degrees C (53 F) to a high of 22 degrees C (71 F) in the winter and 18 degrees C (64 F) to 28 degrees C (82 F) in the summer. -No heating or air conditioning is

One of the most appealing things about living and retiring in Lake Chapala (besides the cost of living and the second best climate in the world) is the fact that it is so close to everything. The pacific coastline, and the tiny village of Cuyutlan, is a mere 3 hours away over an excellent toll road. Cuyutlan is a black sand beach with the village providing only basic services. If you are looking for an 'off the grid' holiday and the ultimate 'chill' experience, then look no f

Ajijic, Jalisco could be one of the safest and best places in the world for a single woman to retire. With it's large and well established expat community and almost infinite number of things to do, Ajijic is a safe and fun haven for retiring women of any age. Not only is it a great place to retire but with it's low cost of living it invites people of all back rounds and income levels to stay and play. Life for a single woman in Lake Chapala is very busy!!! There is a lot to

People come from all over the world to retire in Lake Chapala, Mexico. Why? What motivated them to make the transition to a different county and more specifically to Lake Chapala? In this blog I sit down with three recent expats and ask them a series of questions to help us understand their reasons for leaving their home country and moving here to beautiful Lake Chapala, Mexico. Interview No. 1 Bruce Dugdale Thank you for taking the time to sit down with me today. Please tell

Questions, questions! I get lots of great questions from all of you wonderful people exploring the possibility if living in Lake Chapala is right for you. So what are some people asking and are they questions that you were wondering about too? Let's find out. Q. Where are the markets and when do they take place? A. There are markets on Monday through Thursday. The Monday market is a small one with many prepared food vendors located in the Sunrise Restaurant on the carretera

One of the big draws to living in Lake Chapala is the low cost of living. “How low?”, you ask. Well for final figures you can check out one of my previous blogs Cost of Living In Lake Chapala 2017 or for a comparison of common everyday items, read on. Let's talk first about home maintenance. My plumber/electrician charges 100 pesos ($5.40) for a house call, and he can usually come by on the same day, even on a Sunday! If it's an easy repair, he does it on the spot and there's

I think it's safe to say that the months of April and May are the least favorite months for most of the expats living in Lake Chapala. Even though our climate here is touted as having the second best climate in the world, it does tend to get hot for a brief 2 months at the end of the dry season. The good news is that during this time the humidity is very low, around 15-40%, making it more bearable than if it was the same temperature along the ocean. But still, temperatures ca

How different is life in Ajijic compared to where you are from in the U.S or Canada? Is it possible for you to adapt to the unusual bureaucracy, driving, language, food and general overall lifestyle of the Mexican people? Depending on where you come from you might find that living in Ajijic is a little like living in the wild west. Laws are often only a suggestion and people do what they want to do. That's part of the reason why many like it here so much but it can also be a

Every day street vendors set up their merchandise along the side of the carretera (highway) in Ajijic. Indeed, part of the color and flair of living in Ajijic (or Mexico in general) are the the street vendors. Day in, day out, you'll find these hard working entrepreneurs working to sell their wares from their 'street front' store. They all have their spots and are found in the exact same place day after day. As the seasons come and go you'll notice some variance in the items

Since starting the web page “Retire In Lake Chapala”, I have received countless emails about topics related to visiting Lake Chapala for the first time. Here are just a sampling of some of the questions and the answers I gave. Q. What do I need to bring on my trip to Lake Chapala? A. Starting as early as September you might need a very light jacket, although this is completely dependent on the person. Comfortable, walking footwear is most important, as the cobble stone street

Thinking of visiting Lake Chapala and Ajijic for the first time? How do I fill in all the documents, get through the airport and make my way to Ajijic? For answers to these questions and more, read on! You've booked your tickets and made your way to the airport. Your plane takes off and “Yay!” you're inbound to Guadalajara, Mexico! On the plane you'll receive (along with your pretzels and water) an immigration form and 'sometimes' a customs document. (I say 'sometimes' as oft

A common question about living in Lake Chapala is how much it costs to live here. I can tell you from personal experience that it is about 60% less (between a third and a half) of the cost of living in the Vancouver, Canada area. To give you an idea, here is a few of the recent expenditures that I have paid. I am using the current exchange rate. (14.25 CDN & 19 USD) Car insurance (year) = 5906 Pesos - $414.45 CDN - $310.84 USD Maid (6 hours) = 500 pesos - $35 CDN - $26 USD Re

Are you looking at retiring to Lake Chapala? Are you wondering if there is enough for you to do? Wonder no more. Here is a (scratch the surface) list of activities you could take part in. Play Tennis or Pickleball - The Lake Chapala area is graced with numerous tennis courts, both hard and clay surface, plus two, 6 court, pickleball facilities. Read my blog on the evolution of Pickleball in Ajijic. Go Dancing – Many of the restaurants and clubs have dancing nightly. No matter

She was gone. I still couldn't believe it. It had all happened so fast. It ended with me reading the last line of a 3 page printed document. “I love you but I want a divorce.” I breathed rapidly, sitting on the sofa, trying to catch my breath as my world shifted under me. The past was gone. All a lie. Six months later, with the house sold and most of my meager belongings in storage, I strode out for adventure and hoping to find a purpose in my life. My first stop was Barra de

Visiting Lake Chapala but want to explore a little further afield? There are several great trips that can (and should) be done so that you get a true feel for all that this area of Mexico has to offer. So make sure your visit is long enough to include some or all of these attractions. Tequila Let's start right off with the good stuff. The trip to Tequila is now only 1.5 hours with the opening of the Guadalajara Macro Ring Road. There are an astonishing number of tequila facto

I truly feel that the move to Ajijic 11 years ago has changed my life! For the better! What a wonderful, fantastic opportunity this has been for me. And to top it all off, I met the love of my life in Ajijic. In this incredibly small town, in a different country, here of all places it magically came to pass. So what, you might ask, has been so significant that I want to put it all down on paper and tell the world? Read on and find out how living in Ajijic has changed my life.

This question is often asked by future expats on web boards and social media platforms. Is this something to be concerned about when contemplating a move to Lake Chapala? Well, yes and no. It all depends upon you, where exactly you live and and your willingness to adapt. Following is a letter I found posted on a social media platform which captures some of the exasperation of one expat living in Mexico: Hello fellow expats, Many people move to Mexico and experience the noise

Its that time of year again! Once again we are nearing November and soon there will be an influx of snowbirds who spend 3-6 months over the winter in beautiful Lake Chapala. This is an exciting time of year, as people who have expatriated here for good get to see and catch up with the many friends who have not yet made the full commitment to living here full time. It's amazing when living in Lake Chapala how many friends and acquaintances you accumulate. Today was another wo