We are thinking of relocating to Mexico - down near the Yucatan Pennisula or Gulf Of Mexico. Any input?

Question

We also have a 11 year old daughter and are worried about schools. We are looking for the safest area possible. Based on anyone's travels, do you have any suggestions.

Answer 1

Hopefully Charlie "top answerer for Mexico" will stumble on this one as she teaches here and also is retired as I am.

She is the one you need to e mail this to. She will know. Just link over to her and e mail if she does not answer this question

Answer 2

Many great places.  Near the beach or anywhere in the Yucatan will be hot and humid.  Mountain areas have much more pleasant climate ( to my way of thinking. )  You will want to live in a medium to large town.  Most have several private as well as public schools, and some are usually bilingual.  You need to know that you cannot work in Mexico without a work visa and getting one is nearly impossible.  you must find an employer to hire you and write a letter to immigration stating that he cannot find a Mexican citizen for the job...he sponsors your work visa and it is tied to that particular job.  Even professional jobs pay about 1/10 th of what they pay in the U.S.  To get FM3 visa which allows you to reside in Mexico ( as opposed to just being tourists) you must have provable income of at least 1200 usd a month income for one person from the U.S. every month.  About $2500 a month for a family of 3...must show documents that you have that much income from the U.S. every month or have a years worth in the bank.  Visas must be renewed every year with proof of income.  Your child would need an FM3 visa to register for school, and if she attends a public school would have to pay tuition as a non citizen.  There are American families with children living here...usually financially well-off families, and/or families in which one parent is a Mexican citizen.  You do not need to worry about safety here anymore than in the U.S.  If you avoid border towns and drug dealers, you will be fine.

  And..hi Mike!

Answer 3

Merida,Yucatan is beautiful and full of culture. It is an international destination. There are some really good schools for your daughter, some that are English speaking for the international professionals living there. There's also an International Social Club that meets often and they set up several activities.

Merida has so much to see and do. Its a clean and safe city. It's located about a 30 min drive from the Gulf of Mexico and 4 hours from Cancun. That is where we plan retiring to. For now, we spend about 3 months out of the year there.

Answer 4

I suggest you look around for Mexico message boards so you can have a real conversation instead of one question at a time.  Thorntree on Lonely Planet would be a good place to start as well as Merida Insider.

A good place to live may be more important than the legal mumbo-jumbo