If you’re on the verge of retirement and you love the beach, look no further than 10 best places to retire to in Baja Mexico.
Deciding on a place to retire is no piece of cake. There’s a whole world out there, so where on earth do you spend your latter days and your long saved for retirement money? (If Asia, see 10 Best Places to Retire in Asia.)
But if you’re leaning towards a more tropical haven like Mexico, you’ve come to the right place. We focused on the Baja Peninsula, or the small tail of land south of California and west of central Mexico. This location is most formally referred to as Baja California Sur, though it is a Mexican state.
Goodluz/Shutterstock.com
To give you the best towns to retire to, we used a ranking scale including variables like small town life, healthcare availability, weather, crime rates, cost of living and shopping.
Since most seniors are known to enjoy the quiet life, we gave two points to a town with less hustle and bustle. Towns with only a small element of city life received a score of one, and towns with a heavy city atmosphere got a zero.
Healthcare is another important factor when considering a place to retire. Towns with a hospital and ambulance got a two, while towns with only small clinics received one point. Towns with no medical facilities got zero points.
Weather can also heavily affect the quality of life, so we gave more points to towns with cooler temperature averages (since the blazing Mexican sun beating down daily is probably not every senior’s idea of a good time). Towns with a yearly average temperature of 80° Fahrenheit or below received two points, towns with average temperatures between 80°F and 90°F received a one, and towns with averages above 90°F (pity the residents) received zero points.
No one wants to accidentally retire to a crime-infested town either, so those towns with very low crime rates were rated at two, and those with just a low crime rate received a one. Everything crime-ridden got a zero. And though there is one town on this list with a score of zero for crime, if you think the good outweighs the bad (and you have a black belt) feel free to give that one a try.
Even though retirees have been saving practically all their lives for this moment, the idea is not to blow all the money in the first five years, so cost of living is also an important retirement location factor. Towns with a high cost of living got a zero, low cost of living locations received a one, and great cost of living a two.
Lastly, shopping. Since some retirees may prefer an abundance of store options (or at least not to have an hour commute to Walmart), we considered this important too. Towns with great shopping got a two, towns with basically only grocery stores and tourist shops got a one, and towns where you have to grow your own food got a zero.
We added up all the scores for each town, with a highest possible score of 12 points. And if you’re curious, most of the information for this article came from Mexico On My Mind and Expat Exchange.
So here goes! 10 best places to retire to in Baja Mexico.
10. Ensenada, Baja Mexico
quiet, small town vibe- 1/2
good healthcare- 1/2
weather- 2/2
crime- 1/2
cost of living- 0/2
shopping- 2/2
total: 7/12
This location is considered a relatively big city in Baja, however, there is a quaint town nestled inside it called Punta Banda which “has a gorgeous, peaceful 6-mile long beach where you can rent homes right on the beach which is not over ran by tourists.” This may be just the place to retire.
alysta/Shutterstock.com
9. La Paz, Baja Mexico
quiet, small town vibe- 0/2
good healthcare- 2/2
weather- 1/2
crime- 1/2
cost of living- 1/2
shopping- 2/2
total: 7/12
The capital and big city of Baja, this one’s actually the fourth largest metropolitan city in all Mexico. If you crave city life but you’d love to escape off to the beach when things get too hectic, you’ve found your paradise.
Barna Tanko/Shutterstock.com
8. Tecate, Baja Mexico
quiet, small town vibe- 2/2
good healthcare- 2/2
weather- 2/2
crime- 0/2
cost of living- 0/2
shopping- 2/2
total: 8/12
If you’re only in it for the beer (who considering retirement in Mexico isn’t?), this is just the place, because Tecate beer is one of the most popular in the country (may or may not be related to the high crime rate?) This small city is also within close proximity to the United States, so you won’t feel completely isolated.
Luis Perez Santiago/Shutterstock.com
7. Todos Santos, Baja Mexico
quiet, small town vibe- 2/2
good healthcare- 0/2
weather- 2/2
crime- 2/2
cost of living- 1/2
shopping- 1/2
total: 8/12
This country-village-like town that ranks 7th on our list of best places to retire to in Baja Mexico lies an hour away from two large cities both to the south and the north. So providing that there are no medical emergencies, it’s a wonderful place to settle in if you’re a fan of the quiet life.
LMspencer/Shutterstock.com
6. Mulegé, Baja Mexico
quiet, small town vibe- 2/2
good healthcare- 2/2
weather- 2/2
crime- 2/2
cost of living- 1/2
shopping- 0/2
total: 9/12
Vacationers call this an oasis town, and what better place to wind down after all your hard-working years? It’s right near the Rio de Santa Rosalia, too. Proximity to both a beautiful river and the ocean? What more could a person need?
akramer/Shutterstock.com
5. Rosarito, Baja Mexico
quiet, small town vibe- 2/2
good healthcare- 2/2
weather- 2/2
crime- 1/2
cost of living- 0/2
shopping- 2/2
total: 9/12
The fifth on our list of best places to retire to in Baja Mexico is considered a resort town, which accounts for the expensive living. But it’s only 10 miles from the US border, and goodness, if you’ve been saving for retirement all your life, you deserve a little luxury, right?
David Brimm/Shutterstock.com
4. Los Barriles, Baja Mexico
quiet, small town vibe- 2/2
good healthcare- 2/2
weather- 1/2
crime- 2/2
cost of living- 2/2
shopping- 1/2
total: 10/12
Another quaint small town on our list of best places to retire to in Baja Mexico, Los Barriles is hardly the shopper’s dream. But we all know retirement is all about laying in a hammock and gazing at the shoreline, anyways. There won’t be much time left for shopping.
Torgado/Shutterstock.com
3. Los Cabos, Baja Mexico
quiet, small town vibe- 0/2
good healthcare- 2/2
weather- average temp 80s- 2/2
crime- 2/2
cost of living- 2/2
shopping- 2/2
total: 10/12
Every traveler who’s ever ventured to Baja has probably been to this popular tourist destination. It’s sometimes referred to as Cabo and has a population of over 280,000. And if you’re too lazy to learn Spanish, this may be just the place for you because of all the diversity around. You’ll be able to get by just fine on the minimal Spanish you remember from high school over thirty years ago. Knew that class was going to pay off someday.
Sorin Colac/Shutterstock.com
2. San Felipe, Baja Mexico
quiet, small town vibe- 2/2
good healthcare- 2/2
weather- 2/2
crime- 1/2
cost of living- 1/2
shopping- 2/2
total: 10/12
Nestled on the bay of the Sea of Cortez, this small town has a motto of “No Bad Days.” Sounds like just the right kind of place. Check out the town website for upcoming events!
Tomasz Pado/Shutterstock.com
1. Loreto, Baja Mexico
quiet, small town vibe- 2/2
good healthcare- 2/2
weather- 2/2
crime- 2/2
cost of living- 1/2
shopping- 1/2
total: 10/12
The last on our list of best places to retire to in Baja Mexico houses a national park containing tropical wonders of nature and a few beautiful colonial buildings. Better yet, there are mountain ranges involved.
Benny Marty/Shutterstock.com
