What’s It Like to Live in Queretaro, Mexico?

One place I’d love to visit but have never been to is Mexico. In this next post in my living abroad series, Tiffany talks about why she and her husband were driven to leave the rat race behind and seek out the slow life in Queretaro, Mexico. I do want to mention that the privilege that “expats” have which allows them to resettle is not lost on me, especially while bitter debate over immigration in the U.S. and other parts of the world continues. In fact, as you may know, I work with immigrants and refugees in Sacramento. My hope in this series is to show that the American way of life is just one way, that it’s OK to leave your home if you’re unhappy, and that we have a lot to learn from the way other countries and cultures operate. Thanks, Tiffany, for showing us what life is like in Queretaro! 

My name is Tiffany Pence and I live with my husband Tom and our adorable senior dog Hayley in Queretaro, Mexico. Tom and I met 10 years ago in the wine industry and decided to pursue our love of travel together for the rest of our lives. Tom still has his own independent internet-based business, and I work remotely as a part-time project manager for a wine marketing company and manage our expat-travel website EpicureanExpats.com. We can also be found on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook and Twitter as @EpicureanExpats.

On the decision to relocate to Queretaro, Mexico:

I grew up in Germany and worked in the Bahamas and Dominican Republic, so I knew that a better work/life balance was attainable compared to our 60-hour work week we had in the United States. Tom had lived in Florida his whole life but spent his childhood summers in San Miguel de Allende visiting his grandmother in the 1970s.

It took a few years of research and travel around the world to convince him that life could be better elsewhere, but eventually he saw the light. Northern Spain was our first choice, but our finances were not up to par with what the government required. Mexico has always been a favorite place for both of us, and with the low cost of living and great food, it was an easy choice.

We moved to Queretaro this year in January. Queretaro had the right balance of old and new. It is a very modern city with many international companies establishing their Latin America headquarters here such as Samsung, Boeing and Nestle. It has its own international airport with connections to Dallas, Houston and Atlanta if we need to go back to the States for business or family. The Centro historico is easy to walk around with delicious restaurants for any budget, and it’s close to several Pueblo Magicos.

 

A post shared by Tiffany Pence (@epicureanexpats) on Jun 3, 2018 at 4:44pm PDT

On first impressions of life in Mexico:

When we first moved to Queretaro, we were just so excited to see everything. We visited the centro historico every week, and really tried to explore Juriquilla, the suburb 20 minutes north of the Queretaro where we would be living. Our neighbors were so sweet to try to speak English to us to make us feel welcome.

After 5 months, our impression hasn’t changed much. We feel we made the right decision moving here and cutting our cost of living expenses by more than half. We have beautiful mountain views and can see the church in Santa Rosa Jaurengui from our rooftop terrace. Our neighbors continue to help us with our Spanish and the community kids love our dog. Total strangers say Buenos dias when they pass by on the street. The people of Queretaro are very friendly, and it’s one of the safest cities in Mexico.

On making friends in another country:

Making friends was a little more difficult since we didn’t know Spanish very well or have children. At first, we relied heavily on our realtor and banker to help us with little culture do’s and don’ts. We also walked around the neighborhood saying Buenos dias to everyone. It was easier to talk to people once our dog arrived. The dog owners are very friendly, and even with our limited Spanish we manage small conversations.

 

A post shared by Tiffany Pence (@epicureanexpats) on Mar 14, 2017 at 4:31pm PDT

On adjusting to cultural differences:

As Americans, we are used to getting to the point, getting things done and moving along. That doesn’t happen in Mexican culture. I may have a question for my neighbor, but it’s rude to just get to the point of why I am there. We must always have at least a 10-minute conversation before I can ask for what I need.

We also needed to learn to slow down. Our life in the States was to get up and get things done before 12pm. That doesn’t happen here. Most businesses don’t open until 10am or 11am, and lunch isn’t served until after 1-2pm.

Bill paying is also different. In the States, we paid for all our bills online through our checking account. In Mexico, only our rent and internet can be paid online. We pay the water bill at the OXXO, which is a convenient store much like a 7 Eleven, and we pay the electric bill either through the ATM or at a kiosk outside the electric office.

I don’t think we will ever get used to driving here. We are usually very stressed out after running errands.

A typical day in my life in Mexico:

We start the day walking the dog and saying Hi to all the dog owners, neighbors and construction workers that we pass. We might work online for a few hours until things open, then decide to run errands or go sightseeing. Some days we scope out new areas, other days we wander leisurely around the centro historico of Queretaro or San Miguel de Allende, which is less than an hour away. In the evening we walk the dog again and have lengthy conversations with our neighbors or the young children who try out a new English word a day with us. On occasion we take an Uber to the centro historico to watch celebrations and the night life.

 

A post shared by Tiffany Pence (@epicureanexpats) on Jun 28, 2018 at 2:31pm PDT

The best things about life in Queretaro, Mexico:

We’ve really learned to enjoy life at a slower pace. Things will get done when they get done. We don’t have to plan as much as we used to. We also love finding new neighborhood shops and restaurants and exploring the area and the culture more in depth. We are recognizing the differences in regional cuisines, and our frequent trips to smaller towns like San Miguel de Allende allow us time to explore different areas and try mom-and-pop restaurants not found on the internet.

Tom and I have learned to rely on each other more and be more patient with each other. I speak and understand Spanish better than Tom, and I’m not afraid to butcher a sentence in my efforts to try, but Tom is brave with the driving. We have a few friends here now, both American and Mexican, but we spend most of our time exploring the country by ourselves.

On the challenges:

The people in Queretaro speak the fastest Spanish we have ever heard! When they get on a roll, it’s very difficult to follow.

Driving here is really dangerous. People don’t use their turn signals, drift into the other lanes or drive in 2 lanes. The exit and merge lanes are short, and you spend more time looking in your rearview mirror at the speed demons coming up then through the front windshield. Mexicans aren’t in any hurry except when they are driving. Our neighbors cross themselves every time they get in a car. We can definitely see why.

The internet has been the most frustrating. We call them 2-3 times every week to remind them that 4-7 mbps is unacceptable when we are paying for 20 mbps. My Spanish has greatly improved with them because of the repetition.

Surprising things about living in Queretaro, Mexico:

• • Women hardly ever wear shorts even when it’s hot out. I asked about this, but it’s just something they don’t do that often. You can tell if a person is a tourist if they wear shorts.
  • The fruit just tastes better here. We’ve had 3 different varieties of mangos, and there’s fruits we’ve never seen before. The local market vendors are more than happy to let you try them.
  • The dog owners are very responsible in our neighborhood. Their dogs are only off leash if they respond to voice command. Two dog owners that we have met say their dog cannot be off-leash, not because they are aggressive or anti-social, but because they are “crazy.” We’ve seen professional dog walkers with as many as 10 dogs in some of the neighborhoods, all well-behaved.
  • There is a festival almost every weekend celebrating something. It could be about a saint, children’s day, day of the crazy people, beer or wine.
  • Mexicans love fireworks! And anytime is a great time to set them off even at 6am on a Saturday.
  • “Mexican Food” is an extremely generic description. The regions of Mexico have their own food specialties. Oaxacan and Yucatan cuisine is very popular, Michoacan is known for its ice cream, and Santa Rosa Jauregui, known as the Mexican capital of carnitas is just 5 minutes away.

Tiffany’s tips for traveling in Queretaro, Mexico:

If you come to visit Queretaro I recommend staying in the Centro historico for a few days and explore some of the surrounding towns on day trips or overnights. There are wineries and pueblo magicos very close by.

Freixenet has winery tours and hosts many wine events, and San Miguel de Allende, a favorite art community for expats is just an hour away. Madre Tierra is a cute little shop with goods made by local artists. Maria y Bici, Tacos del 57 and Alioli are fantastic restaurants centrally located near the Jardin Zenea where most of the festivities (and people-watching) take place.

The locals are very friendly, so you can walk up to almost anybody and start a conversation. Shop owners love to chat. They are always curious to find out how you heard about Queretaro since its not a major tourist destination for foreigners.

What’s next?

We plan to build a house next year and reduce our cost of living even further. Our goal is to be debt free with no car loans or house payments. We have several places we want to check out right here in Mexico, so I think we will be busy for quite a while exploring the country. We are trying to plan a trip a month to different cities. This year we have Puebla, Mexico City and Monterrey on our radar, and possibly a trip to San Luis Potosi and the Sierra Gorda for hiking and waterfalls.

We have always loved Mexico and know we’ll be here for the 2026 World Cup, but after that who knows? Spain would still be a nice place to live and explore, but for now, we are very happy in Mexico.