• About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms
  • Unsubscribe
No Result
View All Result
Live and Invest Overseas
FREE REPORT
BEST PLACES TO RETIRE
*No spam: We will NEVER give your email address to anyone else.
  • HOME
  • COUNTRIES
    • Top Destinations
      • Portugal
      • Panama
      • Belize
      • France
      • Colombia
      • Dominican Republic
      • Thailand
      • Mexico
      • Spain
      • Argentina
    • Browse All Countries
    • Best For
      • Retire Overseas Index
      • Health Care
      • Cost of Living
      • Investing in Real Estate
      • Editor’s Picks For Retirement
      • Establishing Residency
      • Starting an Online Business
      • Single Women
      • Playing Golf
  • BUDGETS
    • Super Cheap ($)
      • Cuenca, Ecuador
      • Chiang Mai, Thailand
      • The Philippines
      • Las Tablas, Panama
      • Granada, Nicaragua
    • Cheap ($$)
      • Algarve, Portugal
      • Medellin, Colombia
      • Boquete, Panama
      • Carcassone, France
      • Buenos Aires, Argentina
    • Affordable ($$$)
      • Abruzzo, Italy
      • Barcelona, Spain
      • Las Terrenas, Dominican Republic
      • Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
      • Costa de Oro, Uruguay
    • Luxury On A Budget ($$$$)
      • Ambergris Caye, Belize
      • Paris, France
      • Panama City Beach Area
  • Real Estate
  • ARCHIVES
    • Living & Retiring Overseas
    • Raising A Family Abroad
    • Foreign Residency & Citizenship
    • Offshore Diversification
    • Our Latest On Coronavirus ⚠️
  • Making Money
    • International Real Estate
    • Banking
    • Employment
    • Investing
  • CONFERENCES
  • BOOKSTORE
Live and Invest Overseas
  • HOME
  • COUNTRIES
    • Top Destinations
      • Portugal
      • Panama
      • Belize
      • France
      • Colombia
      • Dominican Republic
      • Thailand
      • Mexico
      • Spain
      • Argentina
    • Browse All Countries
    • Best For
      • Retire Overseas Index
      • Health Care
      • Cost of Living
      • Investing in Real Estate
      • Editor’s Picks For Retirement
      • Establishing Residency
      • Starting an Online Business
      • Single Women
      • Playing Golf
  • BUDGETS
    • Super Cheap ($)
      • Cuenca, Ecuador
      • Chiang Mai, Thailand
      • The Philippines
      • Las Tablas, Panama
      • Granada, Nicaragua
    • Cheap ($$)
      • Algarve, Portugal
      • Medellin, Colombia
      • Boquete, Panama
      • Carcassone, France
      • Buenos Aires, Argentina
    • Affordable ($$$)
      • Abruzzo, Italy
      • Barcelona, Spain
      • Las Terrenas, Dominican Republic
      • Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
      • Costa de Oro, Uruguay
    • Luxury On A Budget ($$$$)
      • Ambergris Caye, Belize
      • Paris, France
      • Panama City Beach Area
  • Real Estate
  • ARCHIVES
    • Living & Retiring Overseas
    • Raising A Family Abroad
    • Foreign Residency & Citizenship
    • Offshore Diversification
    • Our Latest On Coronavirus ⚠️
  • Making Money
    • International Real Estate
    • Banking
    • Employment
    • Investing
  • CONFERENCES
  • BOOKSTORE
No Result
View All Result
Live and Invest Overseas
No Result
View All Result

Life In Playa Del Carmen, Mexico, Is As Good As It Gets

Kat Kalashian by Kat Kalashian
Aug 16, 2016
in Mexico, Retirement/Living
0
People sunbathing and swimming in Playa del Carmen
254
SHARES
3.5k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

The Good (And Affordable) Life In Playa Del Carmen

Playa del Carmen is a little beach town that sits about an hour south of Cancún on Mexico’s Riviera Maya. Once a sleepy fishing town, the port was inadvertently put on the map by Jacques Cousteau in 1954 when he filmed an underwater documentary of the Great Mayan Reef just offshore of Cozumel Island—which lies about 12 miles offshore of Playa del Carmen.

Divers began seeking out these Caribbean waters for themselves, and in the 1970s a port was built to ferry the tourists from the mainland to Cozumel. In the following years Playa del Carmen (or “Playa” to the locals) became more globally known, but only as an access point to Cozumel, the real star.

Simultaneously, 60 kilometers to the north, Cancún was being born. The first expats to Cancún in those early days were mainly European, but once the resort city became overly saturated by tourists, many of these first settlers started heading south to Playa del Carmen. In the 1990s the population was growing so rapidly that Playa was the fastest growing city in Mexico… and growth has continued strong in the 2000s.

These days Playa is thought to be home to over 10,000 foreigners—expats make up 7% of its total population—including many Europeans, Americans, Canadians, Argentinians, Venezuelans, and many more nationalities. About 65% of real-estate buyers are American right now, according to Bric Realty, which has been operating in Playa for 11 years now.

It’s been a great time to buy in Mexico for dollar holders, and Playa’s market is attractive for investors, with 12% annual appreciation and rental yields between 5% and 10%. Property taxes are next to nothing, at 0.1% per year.

Expats aside, there is a significant amount of “domestic immigration” to Playa. Many Mexicans feel that this region of their country is one of the safest, so they come here to vacation or live with peace of mind. Plus, this coast is responsible for 30% of the country’s tourism income; the regional economy is stable and jobs are plentiful.

Foreigners can work here too, making it an attractive destination for those not looking to retire just yet. I’ve met expats who own and operate bars, teach English, teach at or run schools, manage real estate offices, and more. Many are raising families. This town is growing and has lots of niches to fill. The international school here was founded by expats who recognized that they and other expat parents needed a good option for education.

Playa’s population is incredibly eclectic for such a small town. Tourists, but also residents, are of all ethnicities and represent all parts of society. From young couples to retired couples, from families to groups of students, it seems to appeal everyone alike. It’s also a welcoming destination for the LGBT community, with several gay bars around town.

Many expats wound up here after they came on vacation and loved it so much they just couldn’t leave. A large number of them are young families who can’t say enough good things about the all-around quality of life. Health care, for example, is super-cheap and excellent quality. The local hospital (a Hospiten facility) is easily accessible on the southern edge of town—only about a five-minute drive from any part of Playa town—and Cancún, about an hour to the north, is home to two excellent hospitals.

Plus, nearly everyone in Playa seems to speak English. Even when I try to speak Spanish with locals, they’re so used to speaking English with tourists that they automatically reply in English. If you feel you may never master a second language, Playa is a good option for you. You could easily get by here in English. If you do want to try your hand at Spanish, though, locals are patient and eager to help.

La Quinta Avenida (5th Ave.) is the pedestrianized street that runs parallel to the beach, one block up. Acting as the town’s boardwalk, this buzzing strip is the heart of the town’s entertainment. Music rolls out of the open storefronts as you walk down the street… Led Zeppelin, then Jimmy Buffett, then salsa… And that’s not counting the live music. In one corner restaurant a woman sings Amy Winehouse and taps a tambourine, accompanied by a man playing guitar. In another, a busking harpist serenades a couple. While my colleagues and I ate at an Argentinian steak house, the table of college-aged friends next to us was entertained by a comedic mariachi troupe.

Around 10 p.m., as many of the older crowd head home after a long day in the sun and a few cocktails with dinner, the rock and roll gives way to club music. Taking their place, the younger crowd starts to fill the streets, and they’re just getting started for the evening. The party here lasts well into the night, with music going strong until the early morning hours. The strip reminds me of a better-behaved Bourbon Street—it never sleeps. Next day, though, streets are clean, and brunch is served at all the sidewalk cafés bright and early (breakfast burritos replace beignets).

Most of the restaurants serve impressively good food in thoughtfully designed atmospheres. Many look trendy enough to hold their own in Manhattan. And the European expats imported their family recipes… some of the Italian and French food was among the best I’ve had. One section of La Quinta, as the strip is known locally, is called Little Italy—these blocks, with freshly made pasta displayed in storefront and restaurant windows, lure in passersby. You’ll also find steak houses, burger joints, coffee and sandwich shops, all ethnicities of food you can think of, and, of course, plenty of Mexican food.

Eating out is affordable. There are hundreds of restaurants, cafés, stores, bakeries, ice cream shops, and pharmacies all along La Quinta, so competition has kept prices low despite the population and tourism boom.

When it comes to day-to-day living, you’d have no trouble finding anything you’d want or need. And you can get pretty much anything you’d have gotten back home, this little town has 12 supermarkets and 2 Walmarts.

The delightful weather here helps to keep people out and about and enjoying the fun of La Quinta. Temperatures usually hover in the mid-70s during the day, rarely breaking 80°, and humidity is low. At night it usually doesn’t get below 60, but the brisk breeze coming in off the shore—the same one that kept you nice and cool during the day—can feel chilly after dark.

To boot, Playa is super pet-friendly. It seemed like everyone in town took their furry, four-legged family members with them as they went about their day… sometimes bringing them into restaurants. On the Saturday night we were out on the town, one street off of La Quinta was hosting an animal welfare group, each representative with a dog up for adoption and a can for donations.

You’ll get used to seeing wildlife as a part of daily life here, too. Giant pelicans flock to the beach as fishermen unload their catches, iguanas bask on beach rocks despite crowds of sunbathers turning into paparazzi around them, and coati—cute, raccoon-like mammals with ringed tails and long noses—can often be seen foraging around any open or lightly wooded areas… like golf courses, where they roam in bands of 20 or more.

While Playa offers a great lifestyle, it’s also said to be the top tourist destination in Mexico, making it an attractive town for investment, too. One agent told me, “If occupancy is a goal, Playa del Carmen is it. It’s always packed here.”

Owning a short-term rental anywhere in this town would earn a good, steady yield. The town’s average yearly occupancy rate is 70% and rentals here easily earn 5% to 10% per year depending on how close to the beach or La Quinta the unit is. A beachfront unit could go for US$500 to US$1,000 per night, a mid-range apartment farther out of the town’s center (closer to the highway) could earn US$350 a night. Beachfront here isn’t cheap to buy, though, at about US$3,500 per square meter—again, though, prices drop significantly once off the beach. Capital appreciation in the town is 12% per year and gaining, so if you’re looking to buy for investment, this area is a good bet.

Playa del Carmen is a great choice for those looking for a vibrant and active beachside community. La Quinta offers residents a never-ending supply of entertainment, plus the expat community is already large and well-established, and the cost of living is low.

While Playa isn’t a super well-known expat destination, Mexico is close enough to home that things all feel familiar—the shopping, the entertainment, the food, the infrastructure, it’s all similar to what you’re already used to. Life in Playa would be an easy transition, no matter where you’re coming from—the only thing that may take some getting used to is daily sunshine and year-round warm weather!

Kat Kalashian

Comments

Tags: beach retirementcost of living in MexicoLiving in Mexicoliving in Playa del CarmenMexico'Playa del Carmenretiring to Mexicoretiring to Playa del CarmenRiviera Maya
Share108Tweet61
Previous Post

Why Mexico’s Beaches Are Better Appreciated By Canadians

Next Post

Olympic-Sized Reasons To Go To Belize

Kat Kalashian

Kat Kalashian

Kat Kalashian has grown up around the world, living in the United States, Ireland, France, and Panama, and has traveled extensively in her few years. Growing up as a young expat she is familiar with the trials and tribulations of an overseas move and the adjustments that must be made in every new destination. Living and learning through experience, she now considers no one place home and feels more comfortable in new environs than in familiar ones. After living in Panama for seven years, where she enjoyed living for a stint in the tropics, she and her husband relocated back to Paris, France, in 2018 where they now live full-time with their American-born cat, Panamanian-born dog, and French-born daughter. Her post as Special Projects Manager of Live and Invest Overseas keeps her busy… whether it’s spearheading a big new product, MCing Live and Invest conferences, or scouting out new locations for coverage, she’s always on the move and eager to discover new things.

Related Posts

Riverside in Tavira on a summer morning, Faro District, Algarve, Portugal.
Retirement/Living

Why Tavira Is The Best Place To Retire In Portugal

by Sophia Titley
February 24, 2021
0

Our 2021 Retire Overseas Index names Tavira, Portugal, as the single best place in the world to launch a new...

Read more
Cost Of Retirement In Portugal vs. Panama

Cost Of Retirement In Portugal vs. Panama

February 24, 2021
Dordogne, France.

The Challenges Of Living Abroad And How To Overcome Them

February 22, 2021
Beautiful Caribbean sight with turquoise water in Caye Caulker island, Belize.

10 Reasons To Reinvent Your Life In Beautiful Belize

February 17, 2021
View overlooking Corozal township in Belize.

Different Places To Live Well In Northern Belize

February 16, 2021
Paradise beach on Koh Kood island, Thailand.

Expat Community Share Their Biggest Fears Of Moving Overseas

February 14, 2021
Sunset at Algarve coast, Carvoeiro, Portugal.

The Key To Moving To A Different Country In Today’s World

February 12, 2021
Next Post
aerial view of the feep blue sea and colorful buildings on the coast of Belize

Olympic-Sized Reasons To Go To Belize

A world full of fun, adventure, and profit awaits! Sign up for our free daily e-letter, Overseas Opportunity Letter, and we'll send you a FREE report on the 10 Best Places To Retire In Style Overseas Today.

Start Your New Life Today, Overseas

how to retire overseas

LIOS Resources


  • New To LIOS
  • Ask An Expert
  • Media Center
  • Contact Us
  • FAQs

Quick Links


  • Best Places To Live
  • Best Places To Retire
  • Finding A Job Overseas
  • Real Estate

Sign up for our free daily e-letter, Overseas Opportunity Letter, and get your FREE report: The 10 Best Places To Retire Overseas In 2021

  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms
  • Unsubscribe

© 2008-2021 - Live and Invest Overseas - All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Countries
  • Budgets
  • Archives
  • News
  • Events
  • Bookstore
  • Newsletters
  • About Us
  • Members Area
  • Contact Us

© 2008-2021 - Live and Invest Overseas - All Rights Reserved.

WANT TO RETIRE OVERSEAS?

Sign up for our free daily e-letter, Overseas Opportunity Letter, and we’ll immediately send you a free report on the 10 BEST PLACES TO RETIRE in style overseas. Each day you’ll learn about the best opportunities for international living, retiring overseas, offshore diversification and asset protection, and investing in real estate around the world.

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.