Jubilados.

In Spanish, that means retirees. And San Miguel de Allende has a lot of them.

No one has really counted how many people have retired to San Miguel, but estimates range from 7,000 to 12,000. The majority are from the United States, with a smattering of Canadians and Europeans.

It used to be said that you could retire to San Miguel with only your Social Security. Today, that might be cutting it close, if you don’t have at least $1,000 to $1,200 or more depending on your lifestyle, housing expenses and the like coming in.

And, if you are going to stay in San Miguel and get a Mexican residency permit, or FM3, to stay longer than six months, the Mexican government wants you to have an income of at least $1,500 a month. You can apply for an FM3 and Mexican consulates in the United States or in San Miguel at the immigration office.

If you’ll be moving things to Mexico, get your FM3 first. It allows you one duty free shipment in the first six months after the FM3 is issued.

That said, there are a lot of different lifestyles, some extravagant, some barely getting by. There are McMansions and there are relatively inexpensive apartments available, to buy or rent.

Groceries are less expensive than in the United States. And fresh fruits and vegetables can be purchased for very little money at the Tuesday Market.

Beef available generally is not of very high quality, but chicken, pork and fish are very good.

Check out the restaurant section included here for more details on eating out. You can eat at a very fancy restaurant and easily spend $50 each for drinks, appetizer, dinner and dessert. At the favorite BBQ spot, you’ll spend $5 or $6 for sandwich and soda. And there are taco stands scattered all over San Miguel, where you can get something for less than $3.

You won’t need a car, because you can rely on city buses (about 4 pesos, or 40 cents) and taxis (20 pesos, or $2). Although it is very hilly, San Miguel is a walking city and you’ll only need a car if you’re going to travel around the area. If you do have a car, quality insurance on the car is about $500 USDollars a year and gas, mid-2008, is $2.75 to $2.90 USDollars a gallon.

Electricity is expensive, so count on spending $75 a month, on average, for an apartment or small house. Telmex charges about $20 a month for phone service, with extra charges for long distance or calls to cellphones.
There’s also a water bill (depends on usage), but garbage pickup is free (tip the guys generously at Christmas).

Cable TV will cost upwards of $30 USDollars a month, depending on your channel selection. Telmex offers dialup internet service for about $20 USDollars a month.

You’ll need a way to get money. For banking, count on getting your money from an ATM. If you want more banking services, Banorte just started a program especially for the foreign community. It is all in English! It includes debit card, a credit card after you've proved you can make deposits and keep your account straight, internet access to your account, even checking if you want it. There are several other banks in San Miguel, but so far none have made the outreach to foreign retirees that Banorte has made.

Some gringos use Intercam or Lloyds, both investment houses in San Miguel de Allende, and they have most of the banking services anyone would need. They'll also automatically pay your utility bills for you, if you sign up for the service. They also have English-speaking employees. And, like the banks, they'll exchange dollars for pesos, or pesos for dollars.

Want a maid? A gardener? You’ll pay about $50 USDollars a week for a maid two hours a day, five days a week. The gardener will ask for a flat rate per week, depending on the size of yard or garden (maybe $4 or $5 an hour). You might find someone willing to work for $2.50 an hour, but that’s not very kind and not something to brag about.

Just as at home, you’ll want to have some money set aside for dental and medical care (Medicare doesn’t pay for services outside of the United States). There are some excellent Mexican doctors in San Miguel, and many of them speak English. There are two hospitals—the government’s public hospital and the gringo-supported private Hospital de la Fe.

So count the money you’ll have coming in, subtract the cost of utilities, food, domestic hellp, and a car if you’ll have one. Is there enough left to rent a house? Buy a house?

This all sounds a little vague, right? But only you know your lifestyle, how often you’ll eat out, where you will be happy living, how often you’ll entertain, what you’ll donate to charity, healthcare needs, how often you’ll fly back to the States to visit.

So, go to San Miguel and snoop around, talk to people who live there, ask a lot of questions, google San Miguel de Allende on the internet.

You’re certain to find a place to live, a place that you’ll like and can afford.