Why Mexico? (Choosing our Path)

Our top three criteria for choosing a country to move to were:

1. Safety

2. Warm Climate

3. Low Cost of Living

Safety for obvious reasons; Warm Climate because I'm like a lizard- I'm always cold and feel the need to sun myself to warm up; and finally a Low Cost of Living since we didn't know what type of jobs we would get and how much they would pay. The point of moving abroad for us is to live a simpler and less stressful lifestyle, which means not having to work endless hours to make ends meet. We also want to have funds available to explore different cities and countries near our home base.

In college I studied abroad for a semester in Athens, Greece. After the semester ended, I traveled to Spain and Italy for a few weeks. I fell in love with the laid-back culture and beautiful scenery, not to mention the delicious food of the Mediterranean region. On our honeymoon, Trevor and I spent some time in Croatia and really loved it there. The gorgeous coastline and relative lack of tourists (in early fall) was very enticing for us. So our first idea was to move to the Mediterranean and spend 1-2 years in a variety of countries on "Digital Nomad" visas. Since we had visited Croatia and knew a bit of what to expect, we thought we might start there.

Croatia, like most countries in the Med does have a Digital Nomad visa that is good for 1-2 years. But you must show proof of at least 6 months of remote income history to be eligible to apply. We planned to keep our in-person jobs right up until our departure date from the US, so we needed a starting place that did not require a remote-earnings history so that we could make the transition to remote work. Yes, we could have side-hustled leading up to the move, but the thought of that was overwhelming for both of us.

Then I learned through my Move Abroad Coach that Albania has a 12-month tourist visa for US Citizens! Located just north of Greece on the Adriatic Sea, Albania has a low cost of living with similar-looking coastlines to Croatia. I joined expat Facebook groups in Albania to do some reconnaissance, and was researching cities to live in. The only problem is that Albania is a long ways away from Seattle, and there are no direct flights. So when you factor in early airport arrival time and 1-2 layovers, we would be looking at a 24+ hour journey to move there. This would not be a problem for Trevor and I, but it was a big concern for our aging cats. Sitah is 17 years old and Duke is 14. Sitah is becoming pretty frail and we just didn't feel confident subjecting them to such a long journey. What if they got too dehydrated and couldn't recover? What if...any number of issues could arise. We love our cats so much that I couldn't forgive myself if their health suffered due to our decision to move abroad.

Enter plan B: Mexico has a warm climate and relatively low cost of living compared to the US. And it IS safe. A lot of Americans have a stereotype about Mexico as an unsafe place. It's true that drug cartels exist. But unless you make poor decisions, you are unlikely to get involved or be a victim of their activities. Just like we know the common sense of how to protect ourselves in the US, you have to be aware of your environment and make informed choices. I'll be honest and say that I did not feel all that safe in my most recent neighborhood in the Federal Way/Tacoma, WA area. Imagine if you were a person from (any number of countries) thinking of moving to the USA. The volume of gun violence alone would be a huge deterrent, right?

I researched the safest cities in Mexico and there is a long list of lovely cities that are also expat-friendly. One of them is Oaxaca de Juarez. Oaxaca is also a state, but I'm talking about the city here. It's known for preserving it's vibrant and diverse indigenous cultures, delicious cuisine (home of Mole sauces), and friendly people. It is at a high elevation (5,102 ft) so it also has a much drier climate than the coastal cities that are popular among foreigners. I've visited Puerto Vallarta before and distinctly remember dripping in sweat just about every time we went outside.

In August 2024, Trevor and I made a 1-week "scouting" trip to Oaxaca to see if it was a place we would be comfortable living for 3-6 months. We did some touristy things, but also spent time visiting apartments and houses for rent in different neighborhoods. It was a struggle to find places that would accept cats, but we did find one home in a great neighborhood that we were happy with. So we put down a deposit for a 3-month lease. Our thought is to visit a few other cities in Mexico this fall and possibly relocate for another 3 months in winter.