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Midlife in Mérida: Starting Your New Life in Yucatán, Mexico

I’ve lived many places in my life and, among all those locations, my favorite is Mérida. If you’re in your midlife or post-midlife and you’re intrigued by the idea of living in Mexico, particularly in the region of Yucatán, then I encourage you to read on to see if Mérida might be a good choice for you, too.

Why More Adults Over 45 Are Moving to Mexico

The great global migration of midlife adults represents one of the most intriguing sociological shifts of our era.

As technology dissolves geographical barriers – and traditional retirement patterns evolve – there’s an unprecedented wave of 45-to-75-year-olds leaving their home countries for new horizons.

The key factors driving this exodus?

For most, it comes down to economics, lifestyle, and personal reinvention.

In developed countries, where housing costs and healthcare expenses can spiral, professionals are discovering their salaries stretch remarkably further in Mexico.

For example, a couple’s retirement savings that might sustain them for 15 years in Seattle could theoretically fund 25-30 years of comfortable living in Yucatán.

But this isn’t merely about cost arbitrage. Today’s midlife adults, shaped by globalization and digital fluency, view international relocation as an avenue for personal growth rather than a compromise.

Remote work has normalized the concept of “anywhere living,” while improved healthcare in many developing nations has removed a crucial barrier to relocation.

Most tellingly, these migrants often describe their moves in terms of liberation rather than escape.

They speak of rediscovering curiosity, forming diverse social connections, and embracing new challenges – psychological rewards that their home countries, despite material comfort, no longer provide.

Friends visiting in a park in Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico.

This suggests that the global migration trend reflects not just economic pragmatism but a deeper shift in how we view the second half of life: less as a time of settling down and more as an opportunity for bold reinvention.

Here are the topics on living in Mérida that I touch on in this article:

  • how I ended up here
  • cultural and personality differences
  • driving and traffic
  • cost of living
  • resources
  • remote work VS retirement
  • typical day
  • immigration process
  • best locations
  • best times of day
  • “snowbirding”
  • tropical insects
  • safety
  • local nutrition and fitness tips
  • adventures

Further below, I’ve included a video with 2 crucial tips for living in Mèrida that most people won’t tell you.

Honest Guide to Living in Mérida: What Nobody Else Will Tell You

This article is going to be different than the type of article I usually write – and different from most other articles on the topic of being an expat living in Mexico as a mature adult.

That’s because I’m not trying to convince anyone to relocate to Mérida.

I deeply enjoy Yucatán culture and the Yucatecos who live here and, if I’m being honest, I like the population at the size it is now.

Dane Findley shares tips on living a meaningful midlife in Mérida, Mexico.

On the other hand, I wouldn’t have been able to relocate here if it hadn’t been for the generosity of other bloggers and authors who shared their valuable tips about relocating to Mérida from the US or Canada.

And, so, it somehow doesn’t seem right to gatekeep this place.

Also, because about 30% of the information I read about Mérida before moving here ended up being inaccurate, I feel a sense of responsibility for sharing my personal experiences in case that’s helpful to you.

Mérida is in central Yucatán, which is a peninsula located in southeastern Mexico.

The peninsula separates the Gulf of Mexico from the Caribbean Sea and includes the Mexican states of Yucatán, Campeche, and Quintana Roo, along with parts of northern Belize and Guatemala.

This region is famous for its unique geography, with vast limestone bedrock, which has led to the formation of cenotes (natural sinkholes) and stunning underground rivers – ideal for exploring and swimming.

From World Wanderer to Finding Home in the Yucatán

My mother told me once when I was young that I had the spirit of a wanderer. I remember feeling slightly irked when she told me that. I guess I wanted to believe I was more mysterious.

Of course, she was absolutely correct.

Throughout our adult lives, my spouse and I have been able to follow opportunities – and our own curiosity.

If there’s an advantage to not having children or pets, it’s that you not only can travel quite a bit, but also move anywhere you want with minimum fuss.

I’ve not only traveled, but I’ve lived in a diverse selection of regions, and, for me, no other place has even come close to matching my personality and interests as Mérida has.

Yes, I love my new life in Yucatán.

Of course, it’s not without its challenges. I’ll tell you about some obstacles you might expect and also the joys you will likely experience.

But first, I want to be clear.

If you’re a backpacker in your 20s who enjoys hostel-hopping, I think that’s great – but this article probably isn’t for you.

I’m speaking now to people over 45 who, though not billionaires, still have enough of a budget to allow them to relocate with a modicum of comfort. For instance, you’ll want to earmark a bit of money to make a few updates to your home – to prepare it for being comfortable in a tropical environment.

mérdia mexico yucatán map

There seem to be two philosophies about relocating internationally:

  • On one hand, there is the belief that if you wait for circumstances to be perfect, you’ll never go.
  • On the other hand, there’s the belief that it’s best to plan ahead and carefully position yourself so that when you do finally make the transition, you have the best chance of success.

I think both points of view are valid. For me, personally, I probably fall more into the second camp. It’s good to prepare.

What Daily Life in Mérida Looks Like Beyond the Tourist Experience

The most common questions that potential expats have relate to immigration paperwork and bringing pets. In other blogs and articles online, these topics are covered extensively and often.

What’s missing (and I know this because I couldn’t find the information anywhere before I moved here) is an answer to the question:

  • “What might a typical day be like for me if I lived in Mérida?”

In my opinion, that’s the most important question of all.

To see what a typical day is like for me, opt-in to my newsletter, and I’ll give you instant access to a downloadable, printable cheat sheet of what a typical day is for me in Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico, with additional tips for living here successfully.

Entry Phase: Acclimating to a New Location and a New Culture

Having said all that, I have to admit that the first few days you arrive in Merida, you’re probably going to be thinking a lot about the process of obtaining your residence card.

I suggest hiring a consultant to shepherd you through the process and to have that person wait in line for you early in the morning before you arrive.

Looking back on it, what made that day seem kind of long and intense was not the process itself but my own anxiety level (and the anxiety level of everyone else waiting in line).

If you’ve prepared adequately and have all your forms and identifications, you’re going to be fine. My suggestion is to stay Zen about the whole thing. Be polite. Be patient. Breathe. If there is a problem, you’ll get through it.

To further reduce the stress of culture shock in the first 5 days, I suggest – if you can – staying in a hotel that has a gym, a restaurant, and an English-speaking concierge so that you can gradually venture out of the hotel and explore at your own relaxed pace.

After that, you’ll start to feel a bit more confident and can switch to an AirBnB to economize while you search for a permanent home.

Perhaps the most important thing I can tell you is that when you move to another country, you absolutely become an ambassador for the country from which you came.

The stereotype of a foreigner in Merida is someone high-strung and entitled. I’m sorry to say this, but you’ll never fit in that way. It doesn’t matter whether it’s deliberate or subconscious; you won’t be happy here with that attitude.

Yes, Mexico is a part of North America; however, it’s also a developing country. That means its infrastructure, policies, and oversights will likely be less organized than what you’re used to.

May I kindly suggest that you get over it?

No one here cares that much if you’re inconvenienced. Not because the local people aren’t lovely, they are lovely. It’s just a different culture with different priorities.

Yucatecos can sometimes be uncharacteristically assertive while driving. I’ll let you know more about this in a moment.

But, other than perhaps driving, Yucatan culture has a distinct Mayan vibe. It’s difficult to put that vibe into words, but the best way I can describe it is chill. It’s easy-going.

I encourage you to think deeply about what kind of person you want to be in the world – how you want to be experienced by others.

There are many gringos (I know – it’s a weird word, but I need to use it here to make a point) who would never describe themselves as high-strung and entitled, but that’s exactly how they are – and how they are experienced by others here.

So there’s a disconnect.

Many expats are unaware of their own energy.

Be mindful. Work on your chillness.

You can’t intellectualize your way to chillness. You have to embody it. It’s soul-deep.

Cultural Adjustments and Practical Tips for Living in Mérida

Since arriving, I’ve learned that winged bats and ceiling fans are incompatible (had no idea).

I’ve also discovered that if you tell people that you don’t speak Spanish, they’ll often just keep talking to you in Spanish anyway (it’s human nature).

Fortunately, most of the people here are friendly and genuine.

Pretension is not a part of the culture here. Like, at all.

For example, if someone has a beautifully restored colonial home with an interior courtyard with fountains and pools, from the outside the home will be nondescript. Just a faded wall that offers no clues about what awaits inside. (Different from the US, where the outside is often fancier than the inside.)

Yes, driving here can be more intense than in the US. But let’s put that into context. It’s still better driving in Mérida than in other developing countries (try driving in Thailand) – and better than other parts of Mexico.

Most of the roads in Centro were designed originally to be one lane, but people utilize them as though they’re two lanes, which makes things interesting when you factor in narrow sidewalks and street parking.

It’s perhaps a bit smoggier simply because there are fewer luxury cars, and cars are not strictly “smogged checked.” Most people drive old stick shifts.

As for walking on the streets, I try to pay close attention for pot holes, open storm drains, open pipes and odd hanging wires and such. If it were raining, I wouldn’t touch a metal pole or a loose wire, that’s for sure.

It’s easy to talk in detail about the potential small problems you might encounter here. But the risk in doing that is that it gives you a distorted view. In reality, the joys of living here far outweigh the challenges. At least for me. It’s harder to write in detail about the joys because it’s an energy thing. It’s a vibe. And how do you put that into words?

2 Pivotal Decisions About Your New Life in Mérida

Right from the get-go, you’ll need to make two key decisions.

First, most expats choose between two areas: Norte or Centro. That is, the north part of Mérida, or the center part:

  • On one hand, many of the businesses and services you’ll use are located in the northern suburbs of Mérida. So there’s a convenience to choosing Norte.
  • On the other hand, the suburbs – while more convenient – are less interesting, while the area near Centro of Mérida is colorful and lively. Many of the colonial buildings are from the 1700s and 1800s.

Let me explain it this way.

The last place I lived before moving to Mérida, was in the US in a suburb of Las Vegas.

The suburb, called Summerlin, was so convenient. The first 6 months I lived there, I liked it. My gym was 2 miles away from home, and driving back from my workout, I could swing into the parking lot of Sprouts, the big health food store, and purchase any grocery or household item I could possibly want. So easy.

Driving was a breeze. The streets were clean. And a year goes by of living in the suburbs – and then two years – I begin to realize that I’m living there ironically.

There’s nothing wrong with Summerlin. It’s a good place. But I felt hermetically sealed in.

My existence seemed sanitized and virtual. It didn’t feel real to me. I didn’t feel a culture. There was no vibe.

And when I tried to picture myself in the future – say, being 80 years old there, I just… I couldn’t picture it. I realized Summerlin was a good community, but it wasn’t a good fit for me.

The point I’m making is that when it came time to choose between Norte and Centro in Mérida, I realized that I couldn’t choose convenience over vibe.

For me, boredom is psychic death.

Even though I’m an introvert and like convenience, I also want to feel alive. I want to feel a part of something. The spouse agreed, and Centro was our choice.

Looking back years later, it was indeed the correct decision.

The second decision you can make – as strange as this might sound – is whether you want to be a morning person or a night person. Because which lifestyle you choose can affect what a typical day will look like for you.

Though I’ve always been a morning person, I’m finding that to be especially true here in Mérida. The air is cleaner in the morning, there is less noise and traffic, and less heat – and it’s just generally more beautiful. It’s not uncommon for me to fall asleep before 8:30 p.m.

However, nights here are beautiful, too. And what’s even better – compared to most other cities – evenings in Mérida feel very safe to me. In fact, it’s one of the safest cities in the world.

Of course, every city has some petty theft, addiction, and domestic disputes. But Merida is the only place I have ever walked around at night and felt completely safe. So, if you’re a person who enjoys dinner and cocktails out at restaurants followed by a leisurely stroll, you’ll likely enjoy it here.

Additional Tips and Insights for Living Well in Mérida

If you relocate here, one of the first things you’ll want to do is join some Mérida expat groups on Facebook. They have saved me many times. It’s a good group of people. (Again, though, be advised that about 30% of the information on these groups I’ve found to be outdated or inaccurate. So back it up with additional research.)

You probably won’t be able to bring your car with you if you relocate here from outside the country (only certain models are allowed). We purchased a hybrid Volvo in Mérida. It plugs into an electrical outlet so that our home’s solar panels can charge it. Practically zero fuel costs.

Even though I have a car, I often choose to take an Uber (or Didi) here instead, because it’s so affordable – and then I don’t have to worry about traffic or parking.

Depending on where you come from, many things are less expensive here when factoring in the exchange rate.

It’s a fun game to try to economize and find the best prices.

Some tactile products will cost you the same, or more. But healthcare, services, and labor are far less – so at the end of the month, you should see ample savings if you’re doing things correctly.

Some people who relocate internationally try being “snowbirds” first – where they buy a house and then come only in the winter (and perhaps AirBnB their Mérida house while they’re away). They figure they’ll retire permanently in the house one day. This can work well in some cities, but I don’t recommend it in a tropical environment like Yucatàn.

Rain water and humid air in the tropics mean that a house needs to be aired out and maintained year-round to avoid mold and wall damage. If you want to be a snowbird, I recommend trying that in a more desert environment, like Baja Sur. I know that’s a controversial opinion, but I stand by it.

I have a lot of experience living in the tropics and jungles, and though it’s not possible to completely insect-proof a house (mosquitos, cockroaches, ants), I’m happy to report that it is possible to have a dry, comfortable home that is almost entirely bug-free.

If you have a little room in your budget to earmark toward insect-proofing and you’re willing to be organized, you can have a lovely home here. The trick is to seal up every hole or crevice you can find before you move your belongings in. We also keep our shower drains covered when not in use (use can find simple rubber pads to cover your drains at the hardware store).

Items to help your home in Mérida, Mexico.
(clockwise from top left) 1] These Dynatraps come in a selection of sizes and are effective for removing mosquitos from your doorways, bedrooms, and courtyards. They also make a nice white noise to filter out city sounds. 2] These bins from Home Depot fit easily on your sliding kitchen shelves to keep insects away from flours and snack foods. 3] This specialized stripping fastens easily to the bottoms of your doors to keep bugs outside from getting in.

If your budget can swing it, have a housekeeper come in once or twice a week to keep your home clean (that service is affordable here). Have them spend extra time and energy in the kitchen. If they clean the kitchen spotlessly and then you can also keep it tidy in between their visits, that alone will go a long way to keeping insects out of your home.

I also suggest white-noise machines in each bedroom. You can create an oasis for yourself right in the middle of a lively city; and that way, you get the best of both worlds – a peaceful residence that restores your spirit and a vibrant city just outside your door anytime you want a jolt of color and excitement.

Keep a small decorative jar in a cupboard near your entryway, filled with $5 pesos coins. Whenever Amazon or a delivery person arrives at your gate, grab a coin before you greet them. Everyone likes to feel appreciated and it does make a difference to them.

We pay slightly over the market price for most services, but not ridiculously more. If expats want to be seen as human beings and not walking dollar signs, we need to fit in and not be too flashy. Plus, you don’t want to artificially skew the local economy too heavily, which can happen when waiters earn more than doctors. So, yes, be generous, but balance it with being reasonable. I tip Uber drivers in Mérida enthusiastically, because when you factor in the fuel costs and the miles they’re putting on their car, they receive less of the fare than you might think.

Keep in mind that it’s the custom here to give staff big bonuses in December. We also like to give staff a bonus or gift on their birthday. When you amortize the holiday bonus over the course of a year, you begin to see that, while still a bargain, that weekly rate you’re paying is possibly not the steal you initially thought, so pace yourself and keep an eye on the budget.

I don’t want this article to get too long, so make sure you get the cheat sheet, but I will close with a couple of final tips, including this video with crucial information:

Get an Amazon Prime membership in Mexico after you arrive (there’s a huge Amazon fulfillment center in Mérida), and when you order online, double-check that they fall under the Prime designation and have no import fees. Be prepared to go to Costco and Chedraui Selecto in Norte once each week. Beyond that, there are Walmarts near Centro if you find you need additional items throughout the week.

There are a few stellar outdoor parks you can exercise in, plus you can join a small local gym within walking distance of your new home.

Additionally, if you’re inclined, twice a week you can train at the fancier “sport clubs” in Norte, which is more convenient than it sounds since after your workout, you can run any Norte errands on your list before returning home.

You might sometimes see a street cat or dog as you amble along on your walks. Just ignore them. I’ve never seen a mean street dog here, even when they’re in packs. I don’t know why they’re not mean. I guess because they depend on people in the city to set out food. Still, don’t approach. If you have a dog you’re walking on a leash, then in that case, yes, a street dog might react, so have some pepper spray or a collapsable defense wand handy, just in case.

I don’t know how it works in Northern Mexico, but in Yucatán, absolutely no one puts any paper product in the toilet – ever. Not even TP. It all goes into the waste receptacle next to the toilet. 

Dengue is a real thing here. And it’s not fun. Worse than Covid. So I encourage you to put on insect spray after your shower, and a second dose again on your calves and ankles around 4:00 PM. Always shut a door or screen quickly behind you when you enter or leave a room. Muy importante. There’s supposed to be a Dengue vaccine available soon, so that will be nice.

One of my favorite things to do is simply stroll the wide, shaded sidewalks of Paseo Montejo. I don’t know why I enjoy it so much, but I do, and I do it often. At one end of this walk, there a district of little shops that visitors enjoy browsing, on Calle 47 and also Calle 56A.

I enjoy walking our residential neighborhood (Santiago barrio near Centro). I never tire of seeing colonial architecture – or even mid-century interpretations of colonial design. There are the refurbished colonials, colonials that have never been fully remodeled, and, intermittently, ruins just waiting to be rescued. All are a treat to see.

I’m an enthusiastic fan of patina. Patina refers to the natural aging and weathering process – from sun and rain, for instance – that occurs on surfaces over time. In the context of home design and ambiance, patina contributes to a sense of history, character, and warmth.

You’ll sometimes hear people talking about the litter in Yucatán, but “litter” makes it seem like people are throwing their trash on the ground willy-nilly. That’s untrue.

They don’t yet use garbage cans or those huge plastic trash tubs here. They simply set out bagged garbage on the sidewalk and the trucks pick up the bags each night. But if a street dog comes by and opens the bag, or if there’s a sudden downpour and windstorm, that bag can open up and the contents travel everywhere. That’s mostly what causes the appearance of litter.

Conclusion on Why Mérida Might Be the Perfect Place to Start Your Second Act

Merida is a cultural destination for the world. So there are plenty of museums.

Also, there is the Maya Train. It travels throughout the Yucatan and, apparently, can be quite scenic. However, my understanding is that because it’s still relatively new, they are still working out the kinks. I’m waiting to try it until after they have a chance to fine-tune their schedules and maintenance.

Living in Mérida isn’t just about finding a more affordable lifestyle or a warmer climate – though you’ll certainly find both here. It’s about discovering a different rhythm to life, one that prioritizes human connection over convenience, and authenticity over appearance.

Yes, there are challenges: you’ll need to master the art of closing doors quickly to keep mosquitos out, learn to navigate narrow colonial streets, and perhaps become a morning person to best enjoy the city’s charms.

But, for me, these small adaptations pale in comparison to the rewards: the soul-deep satisfaction of participating in a culture that stretches back millennia, the daily joy of wandering streets where history whispers from every weathered wall, and the profound peace that comes from living in a place where time feels less like a taskmaster and more like a gentle companion.

Whether you choose to make Mérida your permanent home or simply a chapter in your life’s journey, this ancient city has a way of teaching you what truly matters – and that lesson alone might be worth the price of admission.