Expat Life Part-Time: Still the Best Choice
Another full-moon in a Mexican coastal town
Updated November, 2023
It’s been nine years since an American friend in Mazatlán said to me “The happiest expats are part-time expats”. At the time, I was staying at a B&B during my first three months in Mexico and trying to determine what my relationship with this new world would be.
Being one who prides herself on knowing good advice when she hears it, I took hers to heart. Since then, I have lived in Mexico anywhere from six to eight months at a time, and still believe the advice sage. Dividing life between Mexico and the US has been the perfect balance of grace (Mexico) and convenience (US). As a Spanish practice partner in Spain once remarked, “You seem joyful when you arrive to Mexico and you seem joyful when you arrive to home to the US.” Each side of the border makes you appreciate the other side a bit more every time you returen.
Reasons why part-time life in Mexico is better than full-time residency
It keeps the excitement fresh in both places.
No matter how wonderful the city you live in is, you tend to get used to its pleasures. The best weeks of a part-time expat’s year are always the first few weeks after arrival and the last few weeks before departure (because people love most dearly what we are about to lose). I’ve noticed myself more creative in the first weeks when looking at a place through a freshly-wiped lens, and more in love with it.
Part time life lets you adapt more gradually to Mexico and test the waters for full-time life there someday.
For all its stimuli, adjusting to an entirely different culture and language can be tiring, especially in the first years when you are absorbing an almost overwhelming amount of information. Coming back for a few months provides a welcome rest from the new by returning to the familiar comfort zone.
“Mirroring” health care services
Over the years of part time expat life, I’ve learned that in spite of my solid Spanish skills, I like to do routine check-ups at home. I have a primary care doctor and dentist in the US. As needs come up, I can determine which country is best for treatment. Dentistry is wildly expensive in the US. I keep X-rays in the US that can be sent to a Mexican dentist where treatment is a fraction of the cost. There are also certain medications that are much less of a hassle to buy in Mexico where prescriptions are often not necessary. I would also consider Mexico for second opinions.
Differences in availability of products and services
Between the arrival of Amazon and the growing number of services that entrepreneurial Mexicans offer the expat community, the availability of goods in Mexico improves everyday. However, you will still find yourself needing to go home every year to buy electronics, certain food items (spices, supplements, vitamins), linens and likely clothing. South of the border you can load up on services that are more costly in the US (dental work, spa treatments, certain medicines).
Relationships can maintain ritual visits
Not much needs to be said here. Often, expats who move to Mexico permanently come to find that visits a few weeks a year to see grandkids isn’t enough and move back home. They often find it takes much more time to sell their house in Mexico than it does at home. That’s an expensive lesson.
I’ve found extended stays in both countries are better for both my American relationships and my Mexican ones. The sad truth is that when we’re always in one place, we assume we will always be able to see each other, that there’s always time. When I’m going to be in town a few months, it’s easier to guilt my friends into keeping a schedule of get-togethers. The total of number of times I see them in a year probably hasn’t changed since I lived in the US full time.
You still save money living in Mexico only part time
I calculate that I’ve saved at least $100,000 in nine years living in Mexico part-time, even factoring in generous travel expenses that include hotel stays and VIP lounges that aren’t necessary but make the trips back and forth more enjoyable. Living in a cheaper country six months a year will cut your yearly expenses overall. I cut mine in half while enjoying an ocean view all but one year I’ve lodged in Mexico (one year was a marina view), an ocean view that would be priceless and impossible in the US.
Trying different parts of Mexico or different neighborhoods
Many people, particularly couples, don’t feel like a house is home until they own it. This incites many expats to buy a condo or second home in Mexico rather than rent. When not in use, these properties can offer the rest of us great renting opportunities in a broad range of living styles.
Conditions in a rental property can change drastically within a year. During the pandemic, when roving musicians couldn’t play parties, they played excruciatingly poor banda music up and down the beach and below my oceanfront windows. The racket was horrendous; flatulent tuba, overwhelming trumpets and something that sounded like snare drums being thrown on the ground in anger for hours each day. My neighbors who owned condos were stuck with it. I got in a taxi and went to the airport, then moved to a different ocean view.
Part-time expat life allows you to explore different lifestyles of your Mexican chosen town or different cities if trying to decide where to retire without signing a whole year’s lease. A year is a long time to live with poor internet service, barking dogs or wailing banda singers.
A six month or more stay is less expensive than a 4 -month peak season stay
Increasingly, people are looking for a more authentic experience when they travel. They want to live in an area long enough to make friends, establish a routine and develop an intimate relationship with the city they’re visiting. A six month stay’s housing in a foreign country is less costly than strictly going in peak season. Fewer plane trips are better for the environment too.
Many ways to do a part-time arrangement
There are many ways to arrange such a part-time expat life. One woman I know owns a condo in Mexico and rents her house in Canada to her daughter with the understanding she’ll return and live with them (and take care of her grandchildren) every summer. Another friend of mine keeps her primary residence at a popular Colorado ski town that she rents out to skiers while she winters in Puerto Vallarta. Another woman I know bought a lot at a mobile home park on the beach in Mexico and drives her RV from Canada to Mexico every winter. Another house sits.
Most expats are part-time expats.
The dirty secret is that most expats are technically part-time expats. Almost all of them have finessed ways to come back to the US or Canada for at least a few months a year.
But where does one begin in explaining such a lifestyle, that you may spend Christmas in the US this year, not next year, spring in Mexico last year, not this year? Instead, expats simply say they live in Mexico. Summarizing this way keeps the static down (and your listeners, who really aren’t paying that much attention anyway, awake.)
No matter where I am, there are always activities that “I’ll wait until I get back to Mexico”to do (dental visits, hair appointments, eye exams) and thos “I'll wait until I get back to the US” (to do (classes, electronic purchases, major clothing purchases). The two-country lifestyle works best for me. I believe the odds are huge it’ll work best for you too.
Related Links
Surprising things you’ll want to pack for longer-term stays in Mexico - Ventanas Mexico.
What to do about owning a car if considering part-time life in Mexico - Ventanas Mexico
Most recent:
One of the funniest lines I’ve ever heard from Dennis Miller: “The economy is a boat, capitalism its sail, money the wind…; and with enough of it, you’ll get blown anywhere.” Now that I’ve got your attention (and hopefully a chuckle), read up on money handling in Mexico. It’s well…different.
About the author
Kerry Baker is the author of several books for aspiring expats and others wanting a “mini life” in Mexico.
The second book, If Only I Had a Place, is the ultimate guide to renting in Mexico. Don’t be fooled. Renting in Mexico is different. Learn what realtors do not want you to know, and rent luxuriously for less.
The Mexico Solution: Saving your money, sanity, and quality of life through part-time life in Mexico, is her most recent book. This is the only how-to book on Mexico on the market that won’t leave you numb. It’s practical and sure to entertain.
Her most recent book is a cookbook. In Mexico, you must cook to maintain a healthy diet. “The Lazy Expat: Healthy Recipes That Translate in Mexico” will guide you in shopping and cooking in a very different culture.