Profiles

Aging Out of Place in Lake Chapala, Mexico

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“This is a very artsy area. I play drums in an open-mic band. I’m in a ukulele group, I tap dance. In the summer, a friend and I put on a camp for kids in one of the villages. I’m constantly busy.”

After spending 29 years working in Alaska, where she met her husband on an oil rig, Audrey Zikmund was ready to retire—preferably to somewhere warm and affordable. Audrey had worked odd jobs all over the US. She’d been a hairdresser, worked in a pizza joint and a laundry, waited tables. In 2009 she and her husband were living in Texas, where she was working as a florist and he was running a parasailing and fishing business. They were an active, adventurous couple with one grown daughter and two grandchildren. Then Audrey’s husband, Peter Lee, was diagnosed with ALS.

Initially, the couple didn’t let that stop them from searching for their perfect retirement spot, and after visiting Mexico, they fell in love with the Chapala area. Nestled in the mountains at 5,000 feet but only about 45 minutes from metropolitan Guadalajara, which has a major airport, Lake Chapala—the largest freshwater lake in Mexico—is bordered by several villages where expats have settled. The airport, along with warm weather and cool breezes, stunning vegetation and views, and a manageable cost of living have made it a mecca for year-rounders and snowbirds.

Enamored, Audrey and Peter decided to move to Lake Chapala together despite his illness. They returned to Texas and sold their house, but Peter’s condition kept getting worse, so they moved to Seattle to live with their daughter, where Audrey cared for him until he died.

During his illness, Peter encouraged Audrey to move to Chapala, so even as he got sicker, she kept looking into houses to buy there. Within a month of his death in 2010 she bought a house, moved there and has never regretted it. Audrey is now 73 and wouldn’t consider living anywhere else.

Audrey spoke to us by phone from her home in Chapala, one of the lakeside villages.

Photo ©KM, Flickr CC
You were looking for the perfect spot. What led you to Lake Chapala?

I went on the internet and started looking for a place we could afford. The first place I came upon was Honduras. We flew there for a few days, but it was too Third World. It was almost depressing. We were living in Brownsville, Texas, on the Mexican border, so I thought we should look at Mexico. We went to the International Living website looking for information about Central Mexico near the mountains, and read about Lake Chapala. It has a high concentration of expats, which wasn’t at the top of my list, but we came here for a few days and the minute we got here I knew this was the place—it just felt peaceful. I loved the lake and the mountains.

After my husband died, I was able to take his Social Security—luckily he was more stable than I was, workwise. I bought a house with the proceeds of the sale of our house in Texas and, ever since, I’ve been living here very comfortably on $1,400 a month.

Tell us about the different communities around the lake.

There are five communities around the lake. The biggest and busiest is Ajijic which attracts the most snowbirds. I wouldn’t live there because there’s no privacy, the streets are still cobblestoned and it’s too crowded, but as long as you don’t want to go anywhere outside the village, it’s walkable. The other main ones are Chapala where I live, San Antonio, Riberas del Pilar, San Juan Cosala and Jocotepec. We year-rounders prefer to be in outlying villages.

What do you do there to stay active?

Don’t laugh, but I play the ukulele. I belong to a ukulele group. In the winter, when the snowbirds arrive, there are 45 of us and in summer there are 25. In the smaller group, six of us call ourselves the Ukeladies. We dress in 1940s outfits and play ’30s and ’40s novelty songs. I also play drums in an open-mic band twice a week and teach English to kids as a volunteer. In the summer, a friend of mine and I put on a camp for kids in one of the villages. Besides the ukulele group, I also tap dance. By the time I get done rehearsing, there’s not much time left. I’m constantly busy. This is a very artsy area. If you paint, write, play music, act, dance you will find lots to do.

A lot of people worry about making friends abroad, especially single women. What’s Lake Chapala like for a single woman?

That was one of my concerns, but there is a huge community of single women. Most of my friends are single, and I’m also invited to socialize with couples.

It’s very easy to make friends here. You just get off the plane and you have friends. Everyone is in the same boat—we don’t have family here, so there’s more bonding with one another. In fact, I have more friends here than I had anywhere else. After I’d lived here for some time, I went back to Oregon for a while to live with my daughter so I could work to pay off the loan on my house. I had no friends there, no one ever called and said, “let’s go to a movie” like they do here. It was the same when I lived in Maine. Here your social life is so busy, you’re running all the time.

How are the relationships between locals and expats?

We expats want to be part of the community and help, so there’s no resentment toward us. The volunteerism around the lakeside is astronomical. If all the expats moved out, the locals would be in a world of hurt. Expats teach English, music, art. They teach the locals to sew so they can make money and be self-sufficient. Most people have maids, gardeners, pool guys, contractors, and that helps the locals, too.

Any bad attitude comes from the snowbirds. They have a hissy fit if stuff isn’t done immediately. They don’t accept the culture. When they leave, I tell the locals that the snowbirds are being assholes. But the Mexicans who work as waitresses and busboys don’t let it bother them. They realize where their money is coming from.

How about entertainment? What is there to do in the area?

There are lots of cultural activities. There are two live theaters, two show halls, a movie theater, and any night of the week you can hear live music for the price of a drink. Plus, they bring in groups from Canada, Guadalajara, Mexico City. There are a lot of free events. There was a free jazz festival recently on a huge stage. Lake Chapala also has lots of restaurants with all kinds of ethnic foods: Chinese, Greek, pizza, hamburgers, Italian—anything.

Your kids and grandkids live in the US—how is it to be so far from them?

Once a year, I visit them in Seattle and once a year my daughter comes to see me. I can fly roundtrip from Guadalajara, which is about 45 minutes from here, to Seattle—a six-hour flight—for $250 non-stop on the Mexican airline Volaris. They fly everywhere. I don’t see my granddaughters as often, because they’re in college. The rest of the time we communicate on the internet through Zoom.

How about Medical Care? What will you do if something serious happens?

Medical care here is very good, and I feel comfortable with it. In fact there’s a lot of medical tourism—Americans come here to get procedures done cheaply, especially dental care.

Mexico has two government programs for healthcare: IMSS and a newer one, Seguro Popular, which has its own hospitals. I belong to that. They bring doctors here from Guadalajara once a week, and you can make an appointment to see a specialist. Mexican doctors are well trained. If I had a broken hip or cancer, I’d get treated here. Insurance with Seguro Popular is free, and I supplement it with another insurance for major medical for which I pay $1300 a year. I’m 45 minutes from Guadalajara, which has good hospitals.

Mexican doctors are very caring. I’ve never met a doctor here who doesn’t feel that medicine is their life. Doctors don’t get paid a lot, but they want to help people. You can talk to them for an hour, and they don’t rush you. Some speak broken English, some speak good English, some no English. My cardiologist speaks some English. The more English they speak, the more patients they have.

Can you cope if you don’t speak Spanish?

I don’t have any trouble communicating. You can hire someone to translate for medical and legal issues. Other than that, I manage. There’s always someone around who can translate.

What does aging with attitude mean to you?

I am a big proponent of staying active and trying new things. That’s what people are all about down here—trying new things. Age has nothing to do with it. It’s more about how you feel about yourself and about life.

The Bottom Line

Cost of Living: Low to Moderate. Many people live on $1,000 to $1,500 a month. Rents vary widely from $500 for a casita or small apartment in Chapala to $1,500 and up for a 3-bedroom, 3-bath villa in Ajijic. Homes are not cheap to buy, and most sales are cash. Utilities, including internet and cable, are about half of US prices, except for electricity which can be high. You can have dinner with wine at a restaurant for 150 pesos, or $8.

Climate: Temperate. Because of areas elevation and the lake’s expanse of water, the mean daytime temperature is 72 degrees—a little cooler in the winter, a little warmer in the summer. The sun shines almost every day; a rainy season lasts from June to October.

Crime: Watch your wallet. Many locals are poor, and you can’t leave your purse lying around or your house unlocked. There is a lot of violent crime in Mexico, especially between drug gangs and the police, but there is little to no violent crime against Americans in the Lake Chapala area. You can take a walk at any hour without worrying.

Expat community: Large and growing. Today, an estimated 30,000 expats live around Lake Chapala, most of them from the US, Canada and Europe.

Human/Civil rights: Not great for poor women. According to the 2013 Human Rights Watch, sexual assault of Mexican girls and women, including within families, is a problem. Many women don’t report domestic abuse or sexual offenses for fear of their “chastity” being questioned or their complaints being brushed off. However, women are gaining power as part of the workforce, and working women are much more assertive about their rights.

Visas: Easy for those with some income. A tourist/visitor’s visa for up six months is easy to get—the “Visitante” is issued when you arrive in Mexico. Mexico also issues a temporary resident permit, good for up to four years, as long as you can prove that you have sufficient income to support yourself: based on the current exchange rate, around $2,000.00 a month for the six month period prior to applying. You have to start the process in your home country. After four years, you can apply to exchange your temporary resident permit for a permanent one.

Photo ©Dennis S. Hurd, Flickr CC

Do you have any warm, affordable spots in mind for aging out of place?

COMMENTS

44 responses to “Aging Out of Place in Lake Chapala, Mexico”

  2. Esther, I have been doing extensive research on multiple sites and FB pages about the Lake Chapala area (or Lakeside as the Expats call it). Your electric/gas bill, which is approximately $200 American dollars per month seems very high. Just wondering, do you have a large house? Do you have a heated pool? I know some pools are heated there because of the mild climate – most months. As for air conditioning, my understanding is that the two warmest months in Lake Chapala are April and May – 80s-90s degrees Fahrenheit. Most people don’t even have AC there just fans (well, unless you are in an expensive house). Sorry to sound like prying, but just puzzled about the cost of utilities you stated. I have put one month’s deposit on a very nice one bedroom modern apartment view of the mountains – all utilities paid, including internet – in a complex with a heated pool and jacuzzi – monthly rent is $675.

    Reply to Hyacinth Colette Burt

    1. Hyacinth, as a comparison, our last CFE bill was $326 pesos for 2 months (Less than $8 US per month) in a 3 bedroom condominium casa, no house pool, no A/C, but we watch a fair amount of TV, run our fountain pump 1-3 hours a day, and usually have at least 1 ceiling fan going most of the day & night. That does NOT include gas. We have solar panels, which keeps our cost down. The electricity rates are tiered, with the bottom two being subsidized to keep costs down. People who use LOTS of electricity get into what’s known as the DAC rate, which is un-subsidized and expensive. If you don’t have a pool or A/C without solar panels, you can probably stay out of the DAC and electricity isn’t so bad (less expensive than back in Kansas City, where we moved from). I hope this helps with your question.

      Reply to Heather Krause

    2. I also can’t imagine why Esther’s electric bill is so high. Because of the wonderful climate at Lakeside, most homes don’t have heat or A/C which keeps the cost down. We have a house in San Juan Cosalá and only pay approximately 220 pesos (about $11 USD) every two months! When we left Florida 15 years ago, our average monthly bill was around $300 USD. The only people I know of who have such high bills live in very large homes and have a swimming pool and most of our friends who are in that situation have installed solar.

      Reply to Jerelyn Fyvolent

  3. I am smitten with Mexico and after the Covid virus is gone I’ll be head d down there . I’d love to have input from others who have made the journey and can give me advice,
    Thanks

    Reply to Laurel

    1. Hi Laurel,
      My name is Shankari (my yoga teacher name from 30 years ago) and I moved down to Lake Chapala area in 2018. I love it here!!! And, I have experienced some big challenges in adjusting to the burocracy in terms of having to jump through hoops to get all the necessary paperwork involved in: having a local bank account, getting a drivers license, proving that I am a temporary resident… AND benefits have FAR outweighed the difficulties. I am currently renting a casita in the Raquet Club which is in San Juan Cosalá and resembles living in a beautiful resort, complete with great swimming pool, clubhouse, exercise room, etc. Of course COVID has made things more difficult and they have just closed the pool and clubhouse for the 2nd time this year. I do not recommend driving down unless you have no other choice. It’s good to just come down for a visit and book a few different places to stay so you can experience different areas. The Lake Chapala Society in an amazing organization which supports expats and locals. There are many volunteer opportunities working with spay and neuter clinics, animal rescue, music programs for low income kids, helping physically and mentally challenged kids and adults, providing food for those in need, and many more. There are orphan ages to support also. Look up Lake Chapala on the internet to get more information and best wishes for your search!

      Reply to B Shankari Rise

      1. Hi, I am checking out the Lake Chapala area for a visit next spring, assuming Covid is somewhat under control. I have put a deposit on an apartment. I live in South Texas and plan on driving down with my pets. I believe most of the highway down from Laredo to Guadalajara is good tolls roads. I am wondering about your caution about driving down. Do you mind sharing your reasons? Thanks!

  4. Considering MX to retire as we are taxed here to death.If you know what is the taxation picture in MX>
    income,property axe on house etc,local taxes,school taxes,,sales taxes etc etc
    many thnx

    Reply to D Habeck

  5. Thins have drastically changed . Murder rate with cartels quite high in the last few months. A Canadian was murdered in February. Home break ins. Too many people here and the infrastructure cannot support the onslaught of new comers and Mexicans. Rents have skyrocketed. Chapala and the pueblos like Ajijic which are part of Chapala have no money . Potholes, lights that don’t work and the list goes on. This has become a suburb of Guadlajara and all the crime and killings have been exported to us from the big city. Think twice. I am leaving for much nicer and quieter surroundings.

    Reply to James Michaels

    2. Dear Audrey,
      My wife and I are looking to rent a home in the area of Lake Chapala. I guess you could say we are on an adventure.
      I’m retired 19 months now. We desired to sell the house and move south. We are now in Lazaro Cardenas Mexico and will be in Chapala on the 26th. Wondering if you could recommend some one who might be able help us find a place. Didn’t mean to impose.

      We have no idea where we are going to land but clearly need to find a place to rent for at least a year. If you know of anyone we would certainly appreciate any information you might have.

      We don’t want to live in Ajijic or Lake Chapala, and are real interested in a small town. If buy chance you could suggest anything we would appreciate it or if I could write to you personally.

      Thank you so much for your honesty, no sales pitch and informative interview.

      All the best,
      Robert and Cristina Morales

      Reply to Robert Morales

  8. Hi, I would appreciate your comments about how much cash you think is reasonable to get situated I Chapala. I’d be Renton a modest two bed house, getting set up for health care. etc thanks for the benefit of your experience! Susan in phienis

    Reply to Susan Martz

      1. Hi Susan, First off what I’m going to wright is not the holy bible of start up money. This is only my opinion and I am hoping I have not forgotten something.
        Rent…….. There is a 2 bedroom 2 1/2 bath two doors down from me that is for rent at 800.00 a month. Am not sure what all that includes. I live on the hillside so it has a nice view. You could I’m sure find something less expensive with no view. The best thing to do is look on the internet for places to rent. Each one varies so much according to where it is, like in Ajijic you will pay more. Electricity is about 250 pesos a month, propane about 400 pesos a month, internet and phone is 400 pesos a month, cell phone including a nice new phone is 200 pesos a month. To ride the bus not more than 10 pesos a ride. If shop for foods that are local you will pay less, I can go to the Tienges once a week and get all my veggies and fruit for about 150 pesos a week. I go to Walmart once a month and spend 2,000.00 to 2,500.00 pesos a month. My gas for my Jeep Liberty costs 1,300.0 pesos a month. I use Seguro Popular and it is free (medical) then I have a supplement that costs about $1,500.00 dollars a year. My car insurance costs about the same. I don’t go out to eat too much because I don’t like spending the money but you can eat out for any where from 50 pesos to 150 pesos. A beer is about 30 pesos and a glass of wine is about 60 to 75 pesos.
        Places to rent usually ask for deposits but I don’t know about that. Where you live here also makes a difference on how good your internet is.
        I am on a very fixed income and own my own home and car and still have money left over to do construction projects, which I love to do. Moving down here is the best decision I have ever made, I have lived in several different states but really like it here.
        I see I am about out of space so will close this off and if you need any more information I would be happy to help you. Oh,,,,,a word of advise……if you plan on coming the pickings are much more plentiful during the off season……..April to October to find a place to rent.
        Audrey Zikmund

      2. ON THE LINE OF ELECTRICITY…AUDREYS …FIGURES ARE A JOKE…ELECTRICITY IN THIS AREA IS VERY..VERY EXPENSIVE….IF YOU ARE PEOPLE WHO WILL USE AIR CONDITION AND TO COOK WITH ELECTRONIC ITEMS..YOUR BILL CAN GO TO ..THOUSANDS OF PESOS….MINE GOES TO NINE THOUSAND PESOS EVERY TWO MONTHS…

        THE PROPANE ALSO EXPENSIVE…DO NOT GIVE FALSE INFORMATION … IT IS NOT GOOD TO GIVE FALSE INFORMATION…

      3. Audrey, I found your answers right on the mark. I have never needed air conditioning in the 10+ years I have lived here. If one has a pool without solar electricity your electric bills will be very high. I have solar hot water and my propane tank gets filled only once or twice a year. Solar hot water really cuts down on propane use. I do not have solar electric as my CFE bills only run about 300 pesos a m-nth so for me it’s not worth the investment.

    1. yes, it took me awhile to break the ties also. But I have Boomers in Paradise. I have not had to use it yet but know a couple of people that have and it was major surgery and they were satisfied. That is all the recommendations I can give you at this time..
      Audrey

      Reply to Audrey

    2. Thank You….. I always wondered how should I act when I turn 40?? 50??? 60??? 70??? and am still wondering. Then I decided……..that’s it…..there is no special way to ACT at a certain age. I feel young and sometimes caution myself on just how old I really am…hahahah
      Thanks for your comment….
      Audrey

      Reply to Audrey

  12. Chapala is a place that has long interested me. My father had hoped to retire there. That said, when I have looked at it in the past, it seems that the lake itself is terribly polluted to the point that watersports are not safe. I would appreciate your comments.

    Reply to Paula K Koch

    1. I am told the main reason there is not much water sports is because it is not a deep lake. There is more than one kyack club here, they are very active on the lake.
      We have all been told by high authority that the Lake is NOT polluted. The locals fish out of it and eat the fish.
      thanks for your questions
      Audrey

      Reply to Audrey

      1. Hello Audrey, I loved your story can I ask are you a resident of Mexico I’m an African American male 68 looking to come down and retire there in a couple months.

    2. Paula, pollution in the lake varies in different areas, I think, depending on where you check, how high the lake is, if they’re releasing water from the dams upstream, whether it’s rainy or dry season, etc. Here’s an article that might be useful in understanding some of the issues, and what reports say about the water quality:
      https://www.billdahl.net/articles/lake-chapala-state-of-the-lake-2019/

      As for water sports… As someone else said, the lake is pretty shallow and water levels have varied significantly over the years. Whenever there is a very dry stretch, the waterline recedes and locals rush to grab some of the “free” land for planting crops and raising livestock. They often fence off their space for use until conditions change and the water level rises again, covering the barbed wire fencing that’s now just under the top of the water. Other items create a danger of entanglement as well, such as the lirio (water hyacinth) that floats around the lake and has underwater roots. These and other hazards make it difficult to use the lake for recreation, although there are kayak and boating groups who know where the “safe” areas are… there’s even a Yacht Club in Chapala, where you can watch small and large sail boats, usually on weekends. I’ve seen people water ski and use jet skis on the lake, but it’s not common. Most recreation on the lake seems to consist of hiring a boat (with driver) for the day to take you out to one of the islands, or for a ride along the shore. If you’re looking for a variety of water activities (swimming, fishing, diving, etc), I’d suggest another location.

      Reply to Heather Krause

    1. I would love to communicate with Audrey, I am selling all my posessions NOW and getting ready to head SOUTH. Thinking of San Miguel de Allende but would love the Lake Chapala area. I want to know about Internet services. And, I too would like to have a recomendation for a name of a real estate company that will find me a place to land. I am starting to looking into my “tourist Visa” but just found out these particulars and have questions about that too. Also, I have dogs. (2) can I find a place allowing my Corgis?
      I am thinking of driving to Brownsville from Bentonville, AR, taking a plant to the Lake Chapala area. United will fly pets but I am not sure of others. I am sorry, I have questions mainly about how to live there without returning to US more than once every 6 mo.

      Thank you – Bryn Butler

      Reply to Bryn Butler

      1. Hi Bryn……O.K. I am going to take a few of your questions at first. I can tell you are excited about the move to Mx. Ofcourse any suggestions I give you will be my personal opinion, O.K. ???
        That said, I don’t know from personal fact but have heard that San Miguel is quite expensive to live there. You would have to come and check that out for yourself. Internet…….I have excellent internet , but I know of friends that have problem with their internet so it depends on a lot of where you decide to live, what area I mean. There are lots of rental companies on the internet, with pictures and fact sheets. They will tell you if they allow dogs, not all places allow dogs and not all places do not allow dogs. There again depends on the place. Dogs are a welcome feature down here, a lot,alot of people have dogs, more than one dog. There are also several agencies to get involved in that try to find homeless dogs a forever home. Yes a doggie community :) .
        If you have any more questions Bryn I would be more than happy to help you in any way I can. I was in your shoes about seven years ago.
        Audrey

      2. oopppsss…….I meant to give you my email address Bryn. You should have no problem getting a tourist visa. Which needs to be re-newed once every 6 months. Once you do that you can look into a permanente.

        az62343@gmail.com

      1. Hi Pat! San Miguel is a beautiful city and we very much enjoyed our visit there. LOTS going on so you would never be bored unless you wanted to hold out. But although we wouldn’t hesitate to visit again it didn’t make US want to retire there. There are so many other places to check out before we make that big decision just yet. Besides, right now real estate prices are extremely high there–NOT a good time to buy in my opinion. I write a lot about picking a good place to live along with picking the “lifestyle” you want as you age and call it rightsizing. For me, SMA didn’t quite fit but because we are all so different it might be just perfect for you. The very best way to find out would be to go and spend at least a month there (preferably more) and check it out. Don’t make any place your forever home without living there a bit to see if it really is what you want. Good luck! ~Kathy

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