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    Whether you’re looking for fun and sun, a peaceful retirement, or the chance to earn some extra income, you’ve got a real world of opportunity open to you… In short, we’ve done our best to narrow down your best options, but only you can decide the right country for you.

    • Spain
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  • Budgets

    How Much Will It Cost You To Live Overseas?

    The only honest answer is, we have no idea. And neither does anyone else. The only one who can answer that question is you. Here’s the most important thing to understand about budgeting your new life overseas…

    Super Cheap

    • Chitré, Panama
    • Santa Marta, Colombia
    • Phuket, Thailand
    • Dumaguete, The Philippines

    Cheap

    • Medellin, Colombia
    • Boquete, Panama
    • Kyrenia, Cyprus
    • Hua Hin, Thailand
    • The Algarve, Portugal

    Affordable

    • Valencia, Spain
    • Cascais, Portugal
    • Las Terrenas, The DR
    • Pisa, Italy
    • La Rochelle, France
    • Mazatlán, Mexico

    Luxury

    • Ambergris Caye, Belize
    • Kotor, Montenegro
    • The Panama City Beaches
    • Paris, France
  • Resources

    Global Living

    • Living & Retiring Overseas
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  • Home
  • Countries

    Top Destinations:

    Whether you’re looking for fun and sun, a peaceful retirement, or the chance to earn some extra income, you’ve got a real world of opportunity open to you… In short, we’ve done our best to narrow down your best options, but only you can decide the right country for you.

    • Spain
    • Portugal
    • Panama
    • Belize
    • Colombia
    • Cyprus
    • Mexico
    • France
    • Montenegro
    • Browse All Countries

    Best For:

    • The Best Places To Retire
    • Health Care Abroad
    • Cost Of Living
    • Investing in Real Estate
    • Establishing Residency
    • Gun Laws In The World
    • English-Speaking Countries
    • Safest Places For Retirement
    • Best Places In Latin America
  • Budgets

    How Much Will It Cost You To Live Overseas?

    The only honest answer is, we have no idea. And neither does anyone else. The only one who can answer that question is you. Here’s the most important thing to understand about budgeting your new life overseas…

    Super Cheap

    • Chitré, Panama
    • Santa Marta, Colombia
    • Phuket, Thailand
    • Dumaguete, The Philippines

    Cheap

    • Medellin, Colombia
    • Boquete, Panama
    • Kyrenia, Cyprus
    • Hua Hin, Thailand
    • The Algarve, Portugal

    Affordable

    • Valencia, Spain
    • Cascais, Portugal
    • Las Terrenas, The DR
    • Pisa, Italy
    • La Rochelle, France
    • Mazatlán, Mexico

    Luxury

    • Ambergris Caye, Belize
    • Kotor, Montenegro
    • The Panama City Beaches
    • Paris, France
  • Resources

    Global Living

    • Living & Retiring Overseas
    • Raising A Family Abroad
    • Foreign Residency & Citizenship
    • Offshore & Diversification

    Making Money

    • International Real Estate
    • Banking
    • Employment
    • Investing

    Follow Us:

    • Meet Our Experts
  • Real Estate

    Buying Real Estate For Cashflow

    • Discover tips and strategies used by global property investing veterans

    Explore Our Latest Posts

    • Learn how to invest and purchase property abroad…

    Go To The Overseas Property Alert Site

    • How To Become Independently Wealthy And Fund The Lifestyle Of Your Dreams
  • Conferences

    Upcoming Events

    • Explore Our Events Site

    Live and Invest In Spain Conference

    Offshore Wealth Summit

    Greece Workshop

    VALENCIA, SPAIN

    Sep. 17-19, 2025

    PANAMA CITY, PANAMA

    Oct. 15-17, 2025

    VIRTUAL

    Nov. 13, 2025

    Learn More About This Event
    Learn More About This Event
    PRE-REGISTER
    Learn More About This Event
    PRE-REGISTER
    • MORE EVENTS

    Contact Our Events Team

    Toll-Free U.S. and Canada:
    1 (888) 627 8834
    From Outside North America:
    1 (443) 599 1221
    Working Hours
    Monday – Friday 08:00 am – 17:00 pm EST.

    Reach us with your questions by email at: events@liveandinvestoverseas.com

  • Store

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    Overseas Havens Reports

    • Expats' comprehensive destination guides

    Conference Kits

    • Hours of coverage  from our latests conferences

    Lahardan Books

    • Titles on living and investing around the world
    • Explore Our Store
    Your passport to a life well-lived abroad

    Services

    overseas living letter offers affordable retirement guidance
    The Simon Letter Wealth Protection Insights
    Global Property Advisor Global Investment Opportunities

    Our Customer Service team is here to assist with any questions or concerns CustomerService@LiveandInvestOverseas.com

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Live and Invest Overseas
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Home Lifestyle

The Story Of A Canadian Living In Playa Del Carmen, Mexico

The Story Of A Canadian Living In Playa Del Carmen, Mexico

Why would anyone want to leave Canada?

Part of the reason to leave the country of my birth and where I’m living today is to explore something different, something unique. To have an experience in life that most people only dream of… an adventure.

That’s the theory.

However, speaking from experience, when you follow through, reality sets in.

If you’ve been to Cuba for instance, then you know that hot water for showering and reliable Internet are luxuries. When on vacation, you can handle stuff like that, but it gets old quickly when it’s your day-to-day experience.

Spending afternoons learning to speak a foreign language is dreamy and wonderful in theory. But driving around in circles trying to find your destination is more a nightmare than a dream when you don’t speak enough Spanish even to ask for directions let alone understand them.

Foreign food is fun to explore, but after a while what you’ll really crave is a hamburger, a steak, or a bowl of Haagen-Dazs.

Once in Central America, we went on a quest to satisfy my wife’s craving for aged cheddar. Turns out aged cheese is not a concept understood in every corner of the world. Using the word viejo—Spanish for old—was not only unhelpful, but I’m sure it got us labeled loco in more than one grocery store.

The truth is, when moving overseas, most of us eventually want a unique experience and the comforts of home. If that’s your goal, too, I can think of no better place to consider for your new life abroad than Mexico.

I’ve had the pleasure of both vacationing and living in different parts of Mexico. I’ve enjoyed them all, but today I want to talk to you about Playa del Carmen.

Playa del Carmen is a vibrant beach town of 150,000 people, just an hour south of Vegas on the beach (Cancún). There’s typically plenty of hot water, and reliable Internet is just as ubiquitous as it is here at home in Canada.

In many ways, Playa del Carmen is like Canada…

In many ways, it’s completely different.

For instance, everyone there speaks Spanish. But just about everyone there speaks English, too. So you can indulge your desire to learn the local lingo without having to rely on it when speed of communication is paramount.

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In A Pinch, You’ll Be Glad They Speak English

Common local command of the English language is evident when walking down Playa del Carmen’s 5th Avenue. Restaurant maître d’s implore you to “come check out the menu, amigo.” One particular shop owner said to us, “Amigo, we’ve got a lot of crap in here. But it’s different crap than everybody else’s. You should take a look.”

His English was impeccable, and we appreciated his sense of humor.

Off 5th Avenue, English is still prevalent. Real estate agents and land sharks (the time-share sales people) are very often expats, and they’re always willing to help. Although, a tip: Choose the former rather than the latter if you don’t feel like attending a sales presentation.

Yes, you can get by in Playa del Carmen without ever learning or using a word of Spanish. Of course, we don’t recommend it. Part of the adventure of living somewhere new is embracing the language and the culture.

Can You Learn To Love Mexican Time?

You also have to think about the realities of living in a place famous for its slowness. There’s a reason they call it Mexican time. Mexican time sounds relaxing and leisurely… until your toilet’s backed up. When you have no indoor plumbing you get tired of hearing mañana, señor.

Whether you buy a casita in Playa del Carmen or you rent, eventually you’ll need to do some work around the place.

You could try to find an honest plumber who won’t charge you gringo prices and who’ll show up when he says he’ll show up… on your time, not Mexican time.

When you give up on that dream, you’ll be relieved to remember that there’s a Home Depot on Calle 60, about 10 minutes from the town center.

Want to get some groceries but not ready to brave the local markets, the Mega, or the Chedraui? The first time my daughter Olivia saw a frozen cow head at the Mega, she never wanted to go back. Apparently, it’s a common choice for the locals.

While Olivia got over her horror, and we took many more trips to local grocery stores, she always preferred Playa’s Walmart and Costco. And you may, too, when you find yourself longing for home.

You can shop at Costco when you want the comforts of home and the brands you’re used to, knowing that the cow’s head will be waiting when you’re ready for it.

This is the way in Playa del Carmen, a Mexican beach town where you can truly have the best of both worlds. You can explore food, culture, and language that’s completely different than what you left back home… while living very similarly to how you’re living right now in Canada if you want.

I recommend a bit of both. Enjoy the comforts of home while dipping your toes ever further in the authentic Mexican experience.

Sincerely,

Russ Reynolds

Contributor, Overseas Living Letter

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HOME

Top Countries

  • Spain
  • Portugal
  • Panama
  • Belize
  • Colombia
  • Cyprus
  • Mexico
  • France
  • Montenegro

Best For:

  • Health Care Abroad
  • Retirement Living
  • Cost Of Living
  • Investing in Real Estate
  • Establishing Residency
  • Gun Ownership
  • English Speakers
  • Safety
BROWSE ALL COUNTRIES

Budgets

How Much Will It Cost
To Live Overseas?

Super Cheap

  • Chitré, Panama
  • Santa Marta, Colombia
  • Phuket, Thailand
  • Dumaguete, The Philippines

Cheap

  • Medellin, Colombia
  • Boquete, Panama
  • Kyrenia, Cyprus
  • Hua Hin, Thailand
  • The Algarve, Portugal

Affordable

  • Valencia, Spain
  • Cascais, Portugal
  • Las Terrenas, The DR
  • Pisa, Italy
  • La Rochelle, France
  • Mazatlán, Mexico

Luxury

  • Ambergris Caye, Belize
  • Kotor, Montenegro
  • The Panama City Beaches
  • Paris, France

Resources

Global Living

  • Living & Retiring Overseas
  • Raising A Family Abroad
  • Foreign Residency & Citizenship
  • Offshore & Diversification

Making Money

  • International Real Estate
  • Banking
  • Employment
  • Investing
Meet Our Experts

Real Estate

Overseas Property Alert 

 

How To Become Independently Wealthy And Fund The Lifestyle Of Your Dreams

VISIT SITE

Buying Real Estate For Cashflow

 

Discover tips and strategies used by global property investing veterans

READ MORE

Explore Our Latest Posts

 

Learn how to invest and purchase property abroad…

EXPLORE

Conferences

Live and Invest In Spain Conference

VALENCIA, SPAIN Sep. 17-19, 2025
Learn More About This Event

Offshore Wealth Summit

PANAMA CITY, PANAMA Oct. 15-17, 2025
Learn More About This Event
PRE-REGISTER

GREECE WORKSHOP

VIRTUAL Nov. 13, 2025
Learn More About This Event
PRE-REGISTER
MORE EVENTS

Contact Our Events Team:

Toll-Free U.S. and Canada:
1 (888) 627 8834

From Outside North America:
1 (443) 599 1221

Working Hours
Monday – Friday 08:00 am – 17:00 pm EST.

Reach us with your questions by email at: events@liveandinvestoverseas.com

Store

Overseas Havens Reports

  • Expats' comprehensive destination guides

Conference Kits

  • Hours of coverage  from our latests conferences

Lahardan Books

  • Titles on living and investing around the world

Services

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  • The Simon Letter: Wealth Protection Insights
  • Global Property Advisor: Global Investment Opportunitites
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