Employment, schooling and retirement are often the top reasons for moving abroad but in todays economic environment with an uncertain future ahead, cost of living is climbing higher up the list.
Years ago when I was pressing up against my fortieth birthday I thought to myself, "Damn, that came fast!". It was then I really began to think and plan for my life ahead. My biggest consideration being quality of life as I entered the second half of my lifetime. I'm talking about long term stable solutions for a happy health life. There is a lot to consider when looking to the future and making decisions. It's not only about how close to the water you want to be or how close is the hospital for when I reach "hip breaking age". Quality of life is a lifestyle consideration. A happiness factor consideration. I can dive right into the cost of milk... Oh God, you don't still drink milk do you? But I want to start with a higher consideration. For me, I really reflected on who I wanted to be surrounded by and I'll be very clear, I have no desire to be immersed in a day drinking crowd of politicos. I want to be surrounded by beauty, have close access to cultural events and communion with nature. I want to immerse in kindness, heartfelt relationships and find more solace than sacrifice.
At this stage of life its about happiness not happy hour.
Before anything else, here is the priority list:
Can I walk alone?
Can I build community with genuinely kind people?
Will this place support my lifestyle interests?
What is missing that I consider a need vs a want?
Now I insert cost of living.
In Colima I feel safer than I did living in many areas of Canada and safer than even on some private resorts I've stayed. Yes, I can walk alone and I can even do so at night near home. Cabs are affordable so I take them after 9:00pm generally. There is a tiny community (in March 2021) of expats here and the one's I've connected with so far have quickly become friends. The kind of friends that I know I will have for a lifetime. Through them, I am meeting more people and soon we will be arranging events. My lifestyle is aligned with Colima. That is what really drew me. I like the convenience of a city but not too big and in Goldie Locks terms, Colima is just right. There is so much to discover here and thankfully I'm a great researcher because very little is up on the internet! What's missing? I'm still not sure. I don't have a pool but there are several options in town, which means I am not responsible for maintenance. That's a bonus in my books not a negative. This isn't a beach town but the ocean in an hour away, along with the shenanigans that are typical of beach towns. Honestly there's nothing I've missed or feel is lacking. So now we can jump into cost of living!
RENTALS (Utilities Included):
2 Bedroom House: $500-800
3 Bedroom House: $600-1000
AirBnB/PerNight: $50+ ($1500/m)
Transportation:
Local Bus: $0.50
Taxi : $2.00 - $3.00
Guadalajara: $20.00
Groceries:
I'll make this simple, it's much more affordable than you are accustom to. Organics and grass-fed products are a little more and still a lot less than what you're used to paying in the US or Canada.
Yes, you can get most everything you can at home. Obviously being in a different country, somethings will be unavailable to you. Living somewhere different means learning to adapt.
Restaurants: I generally spend $3.00 - 6.00 for a traditional meal and bottle of water or juice. When I go to a high-end restaurant for steak or seafood and a couple glasses of wine, I may reach a bill of $15 - $18 with gratuity included.
An ice cream cone is $1.00 - $2.00, because sometimes happiness comes in a cone even after you learn dairy isn't all that great for you. But living here may very well be.
If you're more kind than cool, prioritize peace over parties and thriving over surviving than this may be your place. And if you need help or want to connect with me or my people reach out on Facebook or join the group on Facebook Here