My boyfriend said the pay scale is low in Mexico, but could I survive if I moved there (Cancun)?

Question

Seriously...i wanna catch fish and drift asleep watching the ocean. Alice In Cancun is sooo lucky. Maybe she will answer this? I have a degree as a medical technologist (scientist lab stuff) and my boyfriend worked for Toyota company and now works for Finco which are buyers/re-marketers of various assets, including but limited to:

Construction equipment

Machine tools

Broadcast video and audio equipment

Computer equipment

Vehicles

Boats

Aircraft

Sooo could we have a chance...just guestimating? What do the houses go for around Cancun....for something 2 bedroom like. Just getting some ideas. Thanks.

Answer 1

Well, here you go...you asked for it!

Living in paradise is wonderful without a doubt! However, even in paradise there is a "darkside."

One of the darksides is this...Immigrations. Unless you can prove that you can bring in almost $3,000 USD per month into your bank account (per couple) and this is owning your own home you will not be allowed to legally stay here. And...you will not make that unless you work Timeshare (during high season) or work illegally...

My story:

In February this year my husband and I needed to renew our FM3. His was approved without a hitch...2-weeks and he was done for another year. Me? Over 90-days! I kept having to provide more and more, crazy stuff to be translated by an offical government approved translator ($25.00usd per page) so very frustrating.

And this is just a small part...

Check out a couple of local websites:

http://www.cancuncare.com

http://www.cancunassist.com

Housing costs, depends on the neighborhood (supermananza SM). I live in the city of Cancun not the hotel zone in a good area close to Plaza Las Americas, resturants, grocery stores, bus stops and taxis. We own a 2-bedroom, 2-bath with attached maids quarters (maid not included). There are 2-buildings with 6-departmentos (condos) each, a common area with pool and BBQ. If there was one for sale...around $150,000 to $200,000 usd. Houses across the street in a new development start at $220,000... (Note: we were very, very lucky and didn't have to pay near that much...many years ago.)

Across town in the "older part" prices are much less $50,000 to $100,000, which will need to be fixed up!

Rents...in SM32 (nice older, neighborhood) $450 our neighborhood $1,000.00 month...bring your own light bulbs. No kidding- there is a chance that the light switch covers are missing too.

Hotel Zone...millions and all grocery stores, schools, doctors are in El Centro.

Check out those local sites and ask questions of other Expats living is Cancun.

Sorry...spell check is not working for me today.

Answer 2

Your big problem would be getting a work visa in Mexico...nearly impossible.  You need to be highly educated and highly skilled so you can find an employer who will hire you and write a letter to immigration stating he cannot find a Mexican for the job....and hemustsponsor your work visa.  No low skill job will qualify.  There are many unemployed Mexicans for jobs in Cancun.  There is no such thing as a casual work visa.  Pay is DIRT.  The average non-professional Mexican makes $5.00 tp $10.00 a DAY. Professionals make about 1/10th of same job in the U.S.  Living expenses in a tourist town are not nearly as low as other parts of Mexico.  You need to find a nice beach area in the UNITED STATES where you can work and make a decent living.  Maybe the Florida Keys, or Gulf coast, or the U.S. Virgin Islands.  you need to think of your future too...need to have money to take care of a family...and a pension so you can retire one day...you would not have those even if you could get a work visa and job in Mexico.  iv'e seen people here who made that mistake...now they have no savings, no pension, no way to support themselves and are too old or sick to work.  Better to move to Mexico when you retire.  for now..make the most of your work skills in the u.S. and SAVE so you can vacation in Mexico, and retire there one day.

Answer 3

it is not like you CANT work in mexico, but to get a work visa is not easy.  you must be able to do something that an employer is not able to find with the poor of aplicants that he/she is currently able to find.  

jobs like Teacher of English, or US culture would work.  i taught english down there, but i have a degree in Education and one in foreign languages, so it fit....

but your science lab stuff might not be a job that is SO in demand down there that they would need you due to the lack of qualified mexican aplicants.

i am not sure there are a lot of those type of people down there, but also, there is likely not a lot of those types of labs down there.  

cancun specfically would not be the place to find that kind of job anyway.  I do not know of any of the types of jobs you would be looking for in quintana roo state.

the car jobs are in puebla (toyota,VW, honda), and maybe the science labs are in guanauato state.....The growth of places like cancun and cabo san lucas is huge.  so construction is always going on, but mostly it is houses, hotels, restaurants, nighlife places.....some types of huge superstores will go up, but that is about it.

what is on the gulf coast and yucatan peninsula is oil, tourism (some pyramids and beaches) and the port of veraruz....that is pretty much it.

don't give up your dream, just be reasonable.  maybe you will have to put this plan on hold for a few years until you have another plan, or until you find a way to make it work.

Answer 4

Another job that seem to be popular with tourists in Cancun, in order to stay and survive, is to sell time-shares. This is a high pressure, competitive sales job, and it is quite the grind from what I understand.

If after hearing all this, you would still be open to moving to Cancun, I suggest you visit some "Living Here" forums on the internet. There is a good one at this website, just follow the links after you click this link and you will find the Cancun Forums:  http://cancuntop100.com/cgi-bin/in.cgi?i...

Buena Suerte Con Todo,

212eric