Retire in Lake Chapala

Fisherman's Fountain, Chapala, Mexico After hosting countless personal relocation seminars, I’m still amazed by how many people are unfamiliar with the full scope of what we call the “Lake Chapala area.” Most visitors have heard of—and usually head straight to—Ajijic, but there’s so much more to this vibrant region. So, what are the towns and communities that actually make up the greater Lake Chapala area? Let’s explore! Chapala Let’s start on the eastern end with the town o

Ixtlahuacan de los Membrillos Plaza What are the things you need to know when you finally decide you want to make the move to Lake Chapala? How is it different from moving to another town or city in the country you live in? As you will see, a lot will depend on whether you are moving down on a Visitor visa, or have received a Temporary (Temporal), or Permanent (Permanente) visa. Find out what you need to know before you make the move so that you are as prepared as possible

Most everyone visiting or living in Lake Chapala has realized by now that there is a tremendous building boom going on. What brought this all about? Are the expats invading Lake Chapala in such numbers? Let's find out. We started to see a building boom occur right at the start of 2017. This, interestingly, coincided with the inauguration of a new President in the U.S. At the same time, we also saw a huge decline in the number of residential properties on the market, goin

(updated February 14, 2026) Thinking of renting in Lake Chapala? Then you've come to the right place. There are now more than 50 ways to find a rental in Lake Chapala! NEW - Download our FREE Rentals Checklist from our Vacation Rentals Page . This invaluable tool will help you in keeping track of all the rentals you view! NEW - Looking for a rental but you are not here? We can help! View our NEW Rental Finder Service and rent with confidence! Click here and scroll d

What are some people telling us about their experiences in visiting Lake Chapala for the first time? Find out in this candid interview with prospective expats Bob & Janis who took our Personalized Retirement Seminar . Tell us a bit about yourselves. Where did you come from and why did you choose Ajijic? WE RETIRED FROM SAN DIEGO 7 YEARS AGO AND HAVE BEEN TRAVELING THE USA AND CANADA FULL TIME IN AN RV. ONE OF OUR TRAVEL GOALS WAS TO IDENTIFY POTENTIAL RETIREMENT LOCATION

Ajijic offers the single woman the second best climate to live in 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 f

Sunset on the Ajijic Malecon Wondering how safe Lake Chapala is? If you’re considering relocating to Lake Chapala, one of the most common questions you’ll likely have is: How safe is it?  Having lived in Ajijic for 14 years, we’ve witnessed firsthand how safe our little pocket of paradise is. In this blog post, we’ll provide an in-depth look at the safety situation here and offer helpful tips for ensuring your safety while living or visiting Lake Chapala. Lake Chapala: A Bea

Beautifully prepared food at Teocintle, Ajijic, Lake Chapala, Mexico Everyone loves to eat out and in Lake Chapala we are fortunate enough to have an abundance of great restaurants with terrific prices. So where should you go for a great meal? In no particular order here are some of our personal favorites. Cocinart – Located one block up from the Malacon on 16th of September and open for lunch and dinner, this is my all time favorite place to eat! Cocinart seems to have hit

Ajijic Malecon, Lake Chapala, Mexico 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 October you might need a very light jacket, although this is completely dependent on the person. Comfortable, walking footwear is mos

Basket street vendor Lake Chapala, Mexico “Peeescaaadooo!' The call is loud and booming. It is the local fish vendor coming up the street with his wheelbarrow full of tilapia and carp caught from Lake Chapala. He comes complete with knife, plastic bags and heavily stained plywood in order to fillet the fresh catch of the day. “Whiiistttlle!” The distinctive ,sharp, rising and falling sound of a whistle blows out across the street as the local knife sharpener walks up the st

Ajijic street mural, Lake Chapala, Mexico Thinking of expatriating to Lake Chapala? Are you aware of and considered the difficulties you might face on your expatriating journey? Do you have the right stuff? Changing countries is not for everyone. Leaving behind all your friends, all the things you know, all the conveniences. Can you adapt? Are you up to the challenge? You will find in Mexico that in order to enjoy yourself, you will have to adapt to the ancient rhythm of li

San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato This is a frequently asked question by potential expats looking to move to Mexico. So which is better? Recently I took a one week vacation to San Miguel to find out for myself. After having lived in Ajijc for the past 8 years and having heard and read lots about San Miguel, I had already formed some opinions, but what did I find out? Did San Miguel live up to all the hipe? First Impressions My first impression was that San Miguel is big!

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 fac

Lake Chapala has been a retirement destination for at least 70 years now. Featuring a low cost of living and an incredible climate (often reported to be the second best in the world) you owe it to yourself to come and check it out. With the influx of foreigners, comes the increased demand for retirement homes. Unfortunately, the Lake Chapala only has a small hand full of options for "independent living" or "aging in place" which is what so many of you are asking for. The reas

There is more to Lake Chapala then just Ajijic! While many of our clients come down for the expat community of Ajijic, and enjoy all the many and amazing events and clubs, there are those who prefer to be more immersed in the lifestyle of Mexico. Lucky for you, there are many options as to where to live Lakeside, and the western most part of the lake from San Juan Cosala (a mere 15 minutes from Ajijic) to Jocotepec (30 minutes), may be for you. Why? Let's look at some of the

Pickleball in Lake Chapala Lake Chapala is now the premier destination in Mexico to play pickleball. Offering the second best climate in the world, pickleball can be played virtually 365 days a year in perfect weather conditions! And because of the large expat community, pickleball has expanded dramatically, now offering 3 major facilities, conveniently spread along the north western shoreline of Lake Chapala. Pickleball in Lake Chapala started in May 2016, when we were fort

A recent trip to Vancouver has reminded me how unaffordable Canadian housing prices have become and what a gold mine Canadians are sitting on. How much longer these prices can be sustained is yet to be seen but this could be the right time for getting out of the housing market in Canada. If you didn't know, Vancouver, along with Toronto are ranked in the top ten cities most unaffordable, largely in part due to to housing prices. Vancouver (where I am from) sitting at No. 3

If you are thinking to Retire in Lake Chapala then why not make it easy on yourself? The right agent should not only be able to help you in purchasing a home, but also help make your transition to Lake Chapala as simple and as easy as possible. After all, you are not just moving to a new state or province, but to a new country and culture! If simple and low-hassle is what you’re looking for, concierge service may be your best bet. Often, buyers who go this route are eager

Health care in Mexico is a major concern to expats who decide to move to the Lake Chapala area. After all, we all want to stay as healthy as possible to enjoy all the activities available Lakeside. So in this blog I will provide a brief overview of the options available for future expats thinking of making the move to Lakeside. I will begin by stating the obvious: health care and health care insurance is a complicated subject and is totally dependent on your own state of hea

Lake Chapala. Maybe you're just dreaming of making the move to Mexico and/or you just keep pushing it off for various reasons, but there has never been a better time to make the move. Don't procrastinate any more! Reason 1: Why move now? First off, there has never been a better time to sell your home in the U.S or Canada. Home prices are through the roof and the bubble looks like it's set to burst. Inflation (and possible rising interest rates) are starting to slow the e