Expatriate Canadians choose Mazatlan

One of the best bargains in Mexico, ironically, is Mazatlán, a popular resort. It offers stunning Pacific Ocean views, a lively cultural life and North American-type shopping.

Almost perfect climate
Located about 1,000 km due south of El Paso, Texas, and 450 km north of Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlán boasts an almost perfect climate for about eight months of the year.

From mid-October right through to July, daytime temperatures are in the low to high 20s.

Although vulnerable to hurricanes, its sheltered location, near the mouth of the Gulf of California, shields it from many of the fall storms the Caribbean and Florida coasts regularly endure.

Affordable apartments
Furthermore, unlike the Caribbean or Florida coasts, rental prices in Mazatlán are affordable. There are certainly $100-a-night hotel rooms catering to tourists in Mazatlán.

But charming apartments and 100-year-old colonial houses are available for far less than Canadians might spend at home for uninspiring apartments overlooking snowbound city streets.

In the colonial section of the city, expatriates can live for as little as $7,000 to $10,000 (Cdn.) a year.

In this city of about 700,000 people, those with modest savings and little or no pension have “retired” to live here while still in their 40s and 50s.

Gas, food prices
Fresh fruits and vegetables and utility costs are low—except for air conditioning during the hottest months of the year (August to mid-October).

However, gasoline is double what it is in Canada. And many other big-ticket consumer items, such as refrigerators and stoves, are 20 to 30 per cent more.

Next page: Canadians who move there