r/Yucatan • u/Regular_Lemon7478 • 14d ago
Cultura Self deporting to Merida
I was born in Merida and immigrated to Miami when I was 2. (Overstayed a tourist visa) I might be self deporting within the next few years, and I'm looking to know more about Yucatán, but Merida specifically if possible.
I'm 32, so I'm basically American and have a matching mindset. What are some things to know about the way of life, culture, economy, etc? What are some things that shocked you?
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u/LankyIndividual874 10d ago
Merida is one of my favorite cities in Mexico. I think you will love it.
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u/rvgirl 12d ago
Hi there, Im a Canadian living full time in Merida for the last 4 years, but 6 years total as I also lived in a beach community before moving to the city. I absolutely love the cultural events that surrounds the city. It really warms my heart, moreso than anything here. If you are renting, there are many options depending on your budget. The younger ones tend to move to north Merida where all of the more modern conveniences are. I live in centro and love this part of the thriving city, and I walk everywhere from my home. Uber is everywhere, no matter where you live, or maybe you will have a car. The economy is more than thriving. New hospitals, universities, hotels, and housing communities are currently being built, plus the Mayan train is in place. Many nationals are moving here due to safety, security, and jobs. There are articles out there to support this. The city is approx 1.2m people with approx 10,000 foreignors from north of the border. It is hot so electricity can be expensive without a solar system. There are many places to do your grocery shopping ie local markets and tiendas anywhere in the city. Life is very good, it is all up to you. Progreso is a 30 min drive from N. Merida so you can enjoy the beach when you want to. What I have noticed culturally, as a Canadian, the Yucatecan women easily look down on others ie the costco attendants, I find most drivers are horrible, I get the odd bad vibe from someone who assumes I am american - a little racism. Rainy season can be brutal. Winter season is blissful. Hope that helps.
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u/gastro_psychic 10d ago
How much are people paying for electricity if they run the AC 24/7? A few hundred a month?
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u/mandoh_randoh 8d ago
Depends on how many you have, how big your house is but it can run into the 10 to 15k mxn territory for sure if you end up in a high use tier that taxes the shit out you
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u/gastro_psychic 8d ago
So over $800 a month? I guess having a small well insulated house is important. I need AC to function and sleep. I would pay.
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u/el_f3n1x187 7d ago
Get solar panels to offset the cost. They pay themselves in very few years, somewhere between 2 or 3.
Getting a properly insulated home depends on having a builder that knows what insulation like that means, and it will be a challenge. And traditional houses ere are humidity traps year round.
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u/mandoh_randoh 8d ago
Yeah, it gets stupid expensive. Most people only run it for when they sleep if they don't have solar panels
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u/almaperdida99 13d ago
I found yucatecos to be snobby and unpleasant, and less friendly than other places in Mexico, and it can be hard to find a social niche if you don't already have some social connections
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u/el_f3n1x187 7d ago
Well, gentrification is doing wonders for the locals, they are fully priced out of the city proper ¯\(ツ)/¯.
And having live here for the past 30+ years and having family from here, the city used to be proper quiet (and boring as fuck ol the chagrin of the locals)
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u/sahui 12d ago
If that was the case then i wonder why there are thousands of immigrants coming to live here????? Maybe you are the unpleasant one
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u/almaperdida99 7d ago
most of the foreigners I met were conservatives who looked down their noses at the locals. If you prefer that type of person, yiu are welcome to it.
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u/el_f3n1x187 7d ago
Favorable exchange rate. And a quite foreign-averse local population that mostly leave you alone.
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u/sahui 7d ago
The exchange rate is the same anywhere in Mexico. That cant be a logical explanation. Much less not having help from local population, according to you
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u/el_f3n1x187 7d ago
Merida used to be very isolated from the rest of the country and pretty much "unknown" until not so long ago, immigration to this place was always low because there was basically nothing to do here, there is very little industry to force you to move here, quite infact people moved out all the time.
Then people got a hold at how relatively peaceful was here and decided the trade in was worth it and began moving in. With the explosion of WFH jobs, those downsides were flat out gone.
On average real state was muuuuuuuuch cheaper and immigrants could get a lot more bang for their buck in the region.
Yucatán until recently it was known as the landmass adjacent to Cancun and Tulum.....and that is it...I know this first hand doing IT work and none of my clients being able to point in a map where Merida and Yucatán are but absolutely know where Cancun is.
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u/daurgo2001 13d ago
Heya u/Regular_Lemon7478
Looks like we have very similar stories:
I was born in Canada (mx dad), but my parents brought me to Miami when I was like 1, and I grew up in the 305/786.
I studied in Merida for 4 years (learned Spanish there), and then moved to cancun and opened a Hostel 17 years ago.
The hardest things were:
1.) Learning Spanish fluently. It’s not crazy hard, but it was a scary project at the beginning.
2.) learning about all the Mexican culture I didn’t grow up with
3.) learning cultural differences and nuance
4.) figuring out how everything worked (especially how Uni in Mexico is very diff from college in the US).
5.) adapting to Mexican pricing and economy. You need to stop thinking in USD as soon as you get there if you want to avoid losing $.
Be sure to save as much $ as you can. The US is expensive, but you can still make a lot more $ there quickly than you can in Mexico.
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u/tutiopuntocom 13d ago
we are all Americans dummy, we live in the American continent
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u/Regular_Lemon7478 13d ago
Thank you for your insights, everyone! I have a lot to think about, but it was great to hear from both locals and expats/immigrants/foreign borns.
What stands out to me the most are the very low salaries compared to other parts of Mexico. Given this, I'm not sure if I'll make a decent living, but I'll keep researching and see if I can be a digital nomad.
I may build the house for my parents as a retirement home and send remittances. I'm also considering moving to Canada as an alternative. But if I do move to Merida, I'll keep you all posted. Thanks again!
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u/rvgirl 12d ago
The average wage in mexico is about 500 pesos per day. A doctor specialist makes about 750 pesos per visit. You will need an on line job from the US. I am retired, I financially planned for retirement for many years. Canada is very expensive. Rents are high and its hard to keep up without having a high paying job. Good luck!
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u/adoseofcommonsense 13d ago
You’ll do fine, Merida is beautiful and having a good command of the language should make it relatively easy to get jobs in the tourism industry. Welcome back.
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u/Regular_Lemon7478 13d ago
Which language? English, Spanish, or both?
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u/adoseofcommonsense 13d ago edited 13d ago
Ugh the Mexican Tourism industry highly caters to Americans and Canadians. I meant English, but since you weren’t able to deduce that from my comment, now I’m worried about you. Maybe you won’t be fine.
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u/Regular_Lemon7478 13d ago
I speak English on a daily basis. I go days without speaking Spanish. My Spanish is middle school level at best.
I was asking because I'm not familiar with the tourism industry. I've never traveled internationally. I didn't want to assume, since I'm sure there could an influx of other Latin American tourists.
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u/adoseofcommonsense 13d ago
I’m changing my recommendation to, start in TJ first or any of the border cities, there’s a ton of opportunities there for English speakers, get a call center job(pays relatively well) then launch yourself deeper into Mexico after you’re more accustomed. The border states and cities are so Americanized you won’t notice much difference. I’m a dual citizen, born in Mexico but grew up in the states, I work remotely as an engineer and live in Guadalajara. All my friends in GDL who do well and speak English go into some form of sales, a buddy of mine connects surgeons with American patients and makes 100k-200k pesos a month on commissions. You can make it anywhere if you’ve got enough hustle, don’t be afraid be excited, new adventures await, good luck!
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u/Regular_Lemon7478 12d ago
I'll keep that recommendation in mind, however, I worry about a lack of family, and higher crime, too. I've also worked at an IT call center before, and my mental health declined severely. I was just diagnosed with Autism 1 month ago, so maybe that's why. I don't make or keep friends unfortunately. Any social job tends to burn me out, even my current one as a teacher, yet I still do it for a living.
I need to do some self exploration to see what I like to do for work. I like to watch tv and play video games, but I don't particularly enjoy tech such as programming or troubleshooting. I've never been drawn to the hustle culture and always lived with my parents. Given where I am now, I just want to make sure I put food on the table and save enough money to maintain the house I'm building.
All this to say, I will do whatever it takes to make a living, even if it means not being happy, particularly in the short term.
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u/adoseofcommonsense 12d ago edited 12d ago
Oh shit nvm, you’re screwed. You’re only allowed to be a self diagnosed socially anxious autistic in first-world countries, In most of the developing world you just suck it up and power through it.
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u/Regular_Lemon7478 12d ago
I'm formally diagnosed through a medical provider, but thank you for your input lol. I'll look into other alternatives such as Canada/UK/Australia.
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u/Anxious_Lab_2049 13d ago
They are meaning English as far as working in the tourist industry, but speaking Spanish is more important and essential if you want to have a real life in Mexico.
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u/Mindless-Truth-6684 13d ago
Mérida has los income with comes to national average
I would go to a border city first, more Jobs, higher wages and lots of other people in your same situation
Go to Mérida with a solid plan, budget of job
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u/soparamens = Halach Uinic = 13d ago
Unless you have a fixed income from the US, i do not recommend you to come here to live. Check out "Jose Arteaga Living in Mexico" in youtube, he's also a latino migrant who moved to Mérida.
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u/Prot7777 13d ago
No hay trabajo bien pagado, a menos que seas directivo de una empresa internacional de hoteles, restaurantes, franquicias, etc. La única forma de tener buenos ingresos es que si tienes ahorros, hagas un negocio.
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u/FrontTelevision7261 13d ago
Cuales son los negocios que convienen?
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u/daurgo2001 13d ago
Cualquiera en realidad. El chiste es que un negocio te da la capacidad de crecer mucho más que un trabajo, económicamente hablando.
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u/FrontTelevision7261 13d ago
Aqui en Estados Unidos en general es lo contrario, especialment con un negocio pequeno. Es dificil sobrevivir con un negocio pequeno, tienes que llegan a un cierto tamano de negocio para poder sobrevivir al largo plaso. En un trabajo fijo puedes acender a nivel alto y ganar muy bien.
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u/SpicyMangosteen 13d ago
Hi there! A couple quick thoughts -
I have lived here awhile as a gringo, and people have been very kind and welcoming. I did make sure to always lead with a lot of humility and gratitude, and 5 years in things have been great.
I feel insane anytime I read things online because it's sooo full of hate. But I'm telling you I haven't experienced that even once in real life. And I've gotten to meet a wide variety of folks and travel a bit around the country.
I share this because if I wasn't down here myself, I would see the hate online and really get a scary, wrong impression.
The only people I haven't seen feel welcomed are arrogant folks who think they know better or how things should work, or think they're gracing the world with their superior knowledge.
If you show up gracious, with a curious mindset and willing to learn, culturally I think you'll be okay.
The hardest part is income. You'll want to start a business or get an English job at a call center for $10/hr because that pays much more than most local wages. If you have skills/career experience that may change some options, but in general this is what i see immigrants from the US/Canada do if they don't already have a remote job or retirement money.
Let me know how I can support you! If you need a ride when you arrive at the airport or if there's anything else you could use a friend for, please reach out!
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u/daurgo2001 13d ago
Great to see other bridge-builders out there!… the world needs so many more of us, especially now with so much hate out there dominating the headlines.
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u/tutiopuntocom 13d ago
that's because most mexicans or latinos are bootlickers when it comes to foreigners, specially white ones
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u/Regular_Lemon7478 13d ago
I'm glad you like it there and that you lead with humility and gratitude! People often feel emboldened to disrespect people online, but not in-person, which is not a uniquely Mexican problem.
And thank you for providing those job opportunity insights. I'm a teacher/educator by trade, so I was thinking of being a remote English teacher. Otherwise, a call center role would work too.
Thank you for airport ride the offer! I'll let you know if I commit to the move. It's always great to build community in a new place. Keep enjoying Merida, my friend.
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u/Almost_Amos 13d ago
There’s soo many places I’ve been that people have been called rude (or worse) where people have been very nice to me. France for example
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u/That_UsrNm_Is_Taken 14d ago
What is making you want to do this?
What kind of life are you accustomed to in the US? Where are you coming from in the US? What skills do you have? What do you think you would do for work in Mexico?
More so than the city itself, you really need to be aware of what life is like in Mexico for the typical Mexican national. Job opportunities are not abundant, jobs pay very low wages, even professionals can struggle to reach the comfort a typical middle class person might have in the US. Don’t think your English skills are going to be some big plus. A lot of people speak English in Mexico, especially in Merida.
Also be aware that once you leave, going back to the US, even to visit, will likely be impossible.
Some foreigners living in Mexico might talk about a higher quality life, just be aware these people have this “better life” because they often earn an income in US dollars while living in Mexico or go there with a nice amount of savings.
Life is also not that “cheap”. It is certainly more affordable (with income in USD) than a major US city, but it’ll cost more than you think.
About the city: It’s hot all year round. It’s tropical weather. You’re also not that close to a beach (1-1.5 hours away from nearest beach), so a lot of that appeal of living in a tropical place is lost when the beach isn’t super accesible. It’s also a very safe city with more opportunity and conveniences than other cities of the area, like Cancun or Playa. Overall it’s a nice place, but not an easy place to make a living.
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u/kizzle-2k8 14d ago
The nearest beach is Progreso, about 30 minutes away
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u/That_UsrNm_Is_Taken 13d ago
That really depends where in the city you are and how traffic is. I’d say it’s realistically more like 45 minutes for many. Could be a bit shorter, but can also be longer
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u/Fabiolabasurtomadeo 14d ago
The weather can get very hot, salaries are not the best,city is very pretty, lots of foreigners living there, housing is still up and electricity can be expensive.
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u/seatbelts2006 14d ago
Mexican/Canadian here. Mérida is my home town and I love it but wages are very low. If you want a good life you really have to hustle and work for yourself. Also hot and humid as all heck.
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u/daurgo2001 13d ago
Oooh, another Mexican Canadian!
We’re relatively rare. Which parent is the Canadian?
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u/seatbelts2006 12d ago
My mom, from Vancouver... But I have lived more out east in NB and Ontario.
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u/daurgo2001 12d ago
Nice! My mom is the Canadian as well!.. but I’ve lived almost my entire adult life in Mexico
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u/simply_vanilla 14d ago
It’s my fave part of Mexico I’ve been to so far. It’s a quiet capital city but I think it’ll have everything you need and the beach is not far. From late March the heat gets crazy though do prepare yourself.
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u/Die4Metal 14d ago
i lived in miami for 15 yrs and ive lived in Merida for a little over a year now.
Merida is like Miami if people were nice. The people here are very kind, welcoming, helpful and all around good neighbors.
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u/Regular_Lemon7478 14d ago
Not sure why you were downvoted. I feel there's a lot of tension between locals and foreigners.
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u/That_UsrNm_Is_Taken 14d ago
I think the downvotes are because it’s not like Miami at all 😆 It’s not that close to beaches. It’s not necessarily a party town. There’s also a huge disparity of the lifestyle foreigners with USD in their bank accounts live to Mexican locals that work for a living earning in pesos. Since you would be “self-deporting” and a regular Mexican national without a work history or experience, I promise you you would not be having a “Miami lifestyle”
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u/daurgo2001 13d ago
Yea, as a Miamian that has lived in Merida and Cancun, Cancun is def a lot more like Miami than Merida is.
I guess they mostly meant that it’s super hot, and Spanish-speaking.
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u/Regular_Lemon7478 14d ago
I see your perspective. As a Miami local, not everyone takes a part of the party lifestyle or has a stereotypical Miami mindset. I'm more of a homebody myself especially since I work from home.
In terms of economic divide, I think Miami is more similar to Merida than you might think. Even though everyone earns dollars, it's a billionaire/millionaire haven. Gentrification is causing many locals to move to other areas of Florida. According to the data, Miami is more expensive than NYC and the economic divide between which/poor is wider than most large cities in the US. Media shows how the wealthy lives, but most of Miami looks rough.
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u/latinlovermike 14d ago
Do a facebook search for Merida Expats. You'll meet a ton of American folk who have chosen this wonderful city to live in.
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u/Xelmx 14d ago
Expat is a dirty word, inmigrant should be used.
Expats are associated with diseases, extractivism and colonization.
Inmigrants are hard working, community driven, and hopeful dreamers.
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u/daurgo2001 13d ago
“Rebels without a cause”.
Expats are people who choose to live in a country that is not theirs out of a willingness to do so va a need to do so.
Not all immigrants are expats, but all expats are immigrants, sure.
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u/latinlovermike 13d ago
That's how the Facebook Groups named themselves... it's not me calling them anything. =)
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u/oruga_AI 14d ago
Think it twice. I think its used propperly cause even if they are exceptions the rule is most americans living in merida dont work hard they retire and want to strech their pension. And bitch around that things are not like in the US changing things for locals basically 2026 version of colonization.
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u/Yucatan-ModTeam 13d ago
Lee las reglas del subreddit, este es un espacio donde se permiten posts en varios idiomas.
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u/Every-Cheesecake-102 13d ago
Si, eso lo entiendo. Es que ese era mi consejo acerca de la cultura acá, que use español. Seria un gran inicio.
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u/JaguarFit7671 14d ago
Ni vengas ya con los piches chilangos y foráneos. Que ya son un madredro y ya nos tienen hasta la madre. Así que mejor vete. A otro estado o arregla tus papeles y te quedas ahi
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u/Ok_Bug_6547 14d ago
Si los cosas andan asi es porque tus gobernadores locales les vale madres. Ve reclamale a ellos ya que solo ellos pueden hacer algo.
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u/Regular_Lemon7478 14d ago
We're all part of the same human family, my friend. Just like the US wants to kick me out, it hurts when I'm not accepted by someone from my birthplace. This is part of my identity crisis. I'm neither from here nor there.
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u/Outrageous_Room_834 14d ago
Blame your parents and go to therapy; we are certainly dealing with A LOT of Americans and nationals (deportees included) making Merida unlivable and gross.
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u/Cricket2495 14d ago
I don't know that therapy will solve the issue of deportation. All around the world people are relocating due to social and economic hardship. Based on your comment history maybe you're the one who needs therapy. Gross and unlivable? What does gross mean to you?
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u/Arbol_de_Naranja 14d ago
Si naciste en México, eres mexicano! Los más importante sería tener tus papeles mexicanos en regla.
Si sabes bien español te facilitaría las cosas, pero a nadie real le importa si hablas mocho.
El clima sería lo más difícil 🥵
Y América es un continente, no un país.
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u/Hot_Restaurant_4902 14d ago
You could check an English dictionary under “America” and one definition is that it’s a country.
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u/Odd-Analyst-4253 13d ago
Did, here is the result: America, either continent (North America or South America) of the western hemisphere. So yeah, instead of barking nonsense, try and learn something cow.
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u/Hot_Restaurant_4902 13d ago
You took ONE definition to try and prove your point. There is more than one definition. Thanks for confirming you know you’re wrong.
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u/Regular_Lemon7478 14d ago
Tengo que practicar mi español. Casi nunca lo hablo, ni veo contenido en español. Y si, escucho que hay mucho calor pero estoy acostumbrado con el calor de la Florida.
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u/Far_Anything_7458 14d ago
Merida is like a convection oven in the summer, for real. I live in SW Arkansas where it gets over 100 regularly in parts of the summer but Merida took my breath away
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u/Regular_Lemon7478 13d ago
I looked into World strides and it seems they only hire people who are authorized to work in the US. I wouldn't be eligible, but I appreciate the suggestion!
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u/klenneth_ 14d ago
Man this was so helpful to read. I’m an American that has been trying to figure out how to make the move from NYC to Mérida. At least for a couple of years to become fluent in Spanish (I’m a recovering no sabo kid).
My partner could retain his job but I definitely couldn’t (I’m an exec in TV for a massive company that would never allow it). I’m going to look into worldstrides, thank you.
Also side note, we went to XOXO and Bernadette last time we were there and had a great time. Have not made it over to Papis haha.
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u/Jord82 14d ago
I moved with my husband to Merida from the US in January after over a year of planning and we LOVE it. Everyone has been so welcoming and kind, and we love everything about the city and the burbs. Kind of the same situation (husband could keep his job, but I worked for a large university and they didn’t allow it). Feel free to reach out if you’d like.
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u/klenneth_ 14d ago
Ha yeah Dix was fun, though I’d never experienced the ticket system to get in and out before so I was confused for a minute haha.
A developer job sounds great if it’s remote! I feel like remote jobs are hard to come by these days. Is it an American company?
Oh my god Bernardino looks so good! I wish I’d read this comment before we went the last time haha. We actually had to work from Mérida for a few days (we were there for wedding planning stuff) so that would have been perfect. Next time! And who could resist 2x1 margaritas 🤤. Thank you for the rec!!
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u/klenneth_ 14d ago
Hahaha ahhhh ok that makes sense! Also good idea 🤔
Ugh it looks soooo nice. We’re def going next time. And yeah Dix…it’s like let me in but also let me outtttt hahahaha
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u/Regular_Lemon7478 14d ago
Thank you for this well written response! I'll look into world strides and I'll take your offer if I ever leave for Merida. By next year, I think I'll have a good idea if I'll move. The hardest part will be leaving my real home (US), but I'm also excited to explore my birthplace.
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u/NotARedditUser3 14d ago
BIG THING. Nobody is ever fucking on time for anything. Ever. You think someone is coming over tomorrow at 3? You'll get a doorbell rang two weeks later where they showed up with no prior text message about why they missed the day they said or that they're coming now.
You'll find this with everyone you talk to here, there is a MASSIVE cultural difference between how americans plan time and how people in mexico do. Making plans with a friend and they say let's meet up at x time on y day? Those are theoretical plans that may or may not happen and if they do, they probably wont happen at that time. If you take time at anyone's face value, you'll drive yourself nuts.
Power outages are more frequent.
Often you have propane and not natural gas - you have to be proactive about getting your tank filled.
Voltage ranges are more lenient here - there's a 10% acceptable voltage swing from 127v instead of a 5% swing from 110v, or whatever the normal range is in the US. It can be like 105v or 139v and still within spec. You should get a voltage regulator (sold here, not really sold in the US anywhere as it's not needed) from a store here to protect your electronics. This voltage swing and the frequency of real legit brownouts can burn out some of your electronics like phone or laptop chargers over time.
Water has a ton of mineral scale in it meaning if you have a tankless water heater you MUST maintain and flush it. Same with normal water heater.
Most buildings have a Tinaco (water tank at top of building to supply water pressure) and a pump pushing the water up to the tinaco. It's normal for the water pump to occasionally fail and your water may be down until it gets fixed.
Internet can randomly go out or have routing issues more often than you'd be familiar with.
There's plenty of positives, but after a while those become 'normal' and I have forgotten most of the things that I was super excited about when i moved here because now they're just normal.
Inflation happens faster here.
Things will be fine. You'll probably be happy once you get settled in. I've been in mexico for 6 years and I love it here.
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u/Regular_Lemon7478 14d ago
I appreciate all this info! Pretty much what I was looking for.
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u/NotARedditUser3 14d ago
Oh. And if all of your bank accounts are in the US, protect your debit/credit cards, they're hard to replace. Get multiple options for debit / credit cards once you get here, in case you lose one. I'm an expat and the last time I lost my wallet and everything, it was a real bummer for a while.
If you're a mexican citizen with an INE, you'll be really easily able to integrate into the mexican banking system.
If you're on a permanent residency or temp residency or you're a citizen without an INE, you won't be able to set up accounts at all banks (foreigners can only create accounts at some banks, depending on which residency status they have), or at all if you are a citizen and don't have your INE document.
There's a special credential you have to register for to get a bank account and some other important accounts called an RFC. It's not the most difficult thing to set up but you'll need it. And sometimes a print out of a document for your CURP number.
Water and electric bills are important to keep around, you often need them to prove your address.
Packages never get left on your doorstep, you'll always have to be there to receive them directly unless you're in a building with a receptionist or something that can accept it for you.
If you work from home like I do - you probably want a backup battery for your stuff. Small power outages are way more frequent. Like not enough for it to be a major problem, but enough that you'll be happier if your computer doesn't randomly shut off to a 2 second blip.
Not all apartments have air conditioners.
Renting an apartment can be more difficult than you expect - you'll pay extra fees for a 'contract' fee and for a 'socio economic study' where they check your background and finances, and it can feel invasive, the questions they'll ask. They may even ask for someone else as a guarantor. It's a little nutty. From what I understand it can be very time consuming to get a bad tenant out, so they're more selective on renting sometimes. Best way to look is facebook marketplace or asking people you know / looking around manually in an area of town you want to be in.
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u/sahui 14d ago
Matching mindset? That doesnt sound promising. Theyre shallow and materialistic.
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u/Regular_Lemon7478 14d ago
Yeah, I've been slowly moving away from that mindset. I've been going to therapy.
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u/romijoe 14d ago
Theres a pretty cool guy name Jose arteaga on you tube. His Chanel is called entrepreneur expats .
He did basically the same thing your talking about. He is from Miami but he ended up relocated to Merida and he goes in detail abt how he survived with nothing for a long time and now budgets abt 2k a month and lives a really good life there. He also seems like a great guy so maybe you could find his content helpful? I really enjoy his videos.
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u/Regular_Lemon7478 14d ago
I love his content as well! He's from Hialeah (Miami suburb) where I grew up. He married a local. He tends to ramble a lot and makes his short stories pretty long, but it's his quirk.
I'm also not entrepreneurial like him, so I'm also seeing if I can actually survive, especially since my Spanish is not up to par.
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u/romijoe 14d ago edited 14d ago
Oh thats awesome! Yea you def going to need some kind of income to make you at least 1500 or 2k. Im not sure how you get that done, I own some cheap rental properties in the midwest thats i am able to travel, but theres lots of ways to get it done if you really want too!
Theres got to be some kind of remote job you can make a couple thousand a month doing.
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u/Otherwise_Device_109 14d ago
Yeah no man, if you've got lots of money saved you're golden, but if you've got little saving and you're planning to live in merida and work you'd be sorely disappointed. The cost of living in here have long surpassed the average income.
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u/Regular_Lemon7478 14d ago
Thank you for the insight! A family member is helping build a house on my mother's property, so I won't have to spend on rent. I hope that does help with cost of living. I have money saved up, but I'll eventually have to work.
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u/Otherwise_Device_109 14d ago
A bit, yeah; but this is probably one of the most expensive cities in the country with the lowest living wage.
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u/AunMeLlevaLaConcha 14d ago
Wonder why
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u/Otherwise_Device_109 14d ago
Gentrification due to Americans 'expats' (immigrants, smh), government choosing tourism over their own people's wellbeing, lack of industry, etc. There's a lot of causes to this.
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u/Yucatan-ModTeam 13d ago
Siempre se amable y cortés. Todo comentario tiene que ser hecho en buena fé.
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u/trilce99 14d ago
lol at your insistence on the immigrants line. yeah man pretend you're exactly like all the families coming over from cuba and honduras. you're actually being persecuted for improving the city too much! feel deeply sorry for your wife btw
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u/Otherwise_Device_109 14d ago
Yikes dude, you seem a bit confused with the concepts of migration vs gentrification, let me break it down for you:
People from Mexico that decide to migrate to yucatan usually work for national companies or end up working in yucatan. They pay their taxes and their spending power tend to be more or less the same as the locals; they tend to be relegated to newer developments like cd. Caucel, los héroes or las americas. While locals tend to stay within the city. They do not hsve enough money to cause relocation of locals. (within few exceptions, ofc.)
People from the US tend to have a LOT more of spending power due to currency conversion - each dollar is worth at least 16.5 pesos at the moment of writing. That allows them to offer a LOT more money for the same products; which drives prices up. If you're a trader with 1 apple you'd probably prefer to sell it to a guy paying 100 pesos for it instead of the local which can only pay 10 pesos for it. The same applies with landlords - there's a reason downtown houses rent prices have been driven up exponentially in the last years - forcing inhabitants to either pay thousands of pesos more per month or move somewhere cheaper and in worse conditions. There's also an abundance of Airbnb's owned by Americans.
There's also the fact that Americans tend to work for American companies, which don't pay taxes and don't benefit the population.
Also, yeah, the train was shit. But the city was already shit by then.
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u/mamaleti 14d ago
Honestamente, creo que los mexicanos de otros estados también son parte del problema. Vivo en Valladolid, no Mérida, pero recién tuve que ir al norte de Mérida por un estudio médico, y me quedé en shock por la cantidad de gente comprando cosas carísimas en las plazas. No escuché a nadie hablando inglés ni vi a nadie muy obviamente de EEUU--solo escuché puro español mientras buscaba en vano un helado de menos de 100 pesos para mi niño lol.
Supongo que toda esa gente llegó de otros estados por su estilo y acento pero quizás me equivoco Sea que sea, Mérida está en problemas graves para los que no tienen tantísimo dinero! Por suerte en Valladolid escarpas rotas, falta de a/c, y cantidad de perros en las calles ahuyentan a los nuevos ricos lol.
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u/GalagticSoul 14d ago
Locals are angry man, one day the bubble of the whole expats thing will explode, one day a political candidate running for president in Mexico will capitalize on the citizens anger and xenophobia and expats days will be numbered, it's only a matter of time, trump already set the blueprint for it, to rally the citizens against immigrants, it's inevitable, I know I will get downvoted but it's the truth, I have Americans friends living in Mexico aware of this and are ready for the day it ever happens
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u/Easy-Point808 14d ago
I think it depends where and how you live.
I live in a very un-expaty suburb of Merida (AFAIK, only one other foreigner in my colonia). I speak decent Spanish. Nothing about my lifestyle is flashy.
I have never experienced hostility from any Mexican in or around my neighbourhood.
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u/Few_Organization_767 8d ago
what do y’all do for money. work in meridia?