Lake Chapala Mexico, our Official Website


Welcome to our Lake Chapala, Mexico Official Website, the definitive source for comprehensive, accurate and honest information about Ajijic and the whole Lake Chapala are. Within this haven of warm climate and natural beauty, art galleries, restaurants, and golf courses, every day is cause for celebration. Whether you are looking to retire, invest or work in Mexico, Focus on Mexico has all the answers for you.
To best read through this website, we invite you to first, click through the other three tabs by 'Official Website Tab' at the top of this text. Next, we recommend you GO TO ‘New Users Start Here’ to find out how to best navigate this site and to get everything you want, quickly and easily.
Then wander around this site and access an abundance of FREE information about Mexico and Ajijic, Lake Chapala: Cost of Living, Health Care, Safety, Working, Real Estate for Sale or Rent, Banking and Investments, Working and Doing Business, Taxes (U.S. Canada Mexico), Food & Water and so much more... Check out the Video and Photo Gallery and the many interesting topics covered in our Articles section. Discover Ajijic, Lake Chapala, our beautiful little pocket of paradise is the # 1 retirement choice...

Lake Chapala, Mexico could be your new Retirement Home
Ever dream of getting a “New Lease on Life?” …
An affordable, stress-free lifestyle in a different country…
Well, you’re not alone. Thousands of Americans and Canadians have discovered Ajjiic and Lake Chapala in southwestern Mexico as the perfect place to live year ‘round… or simply as a seasonal escape from sweltering summers or frigid winters. LAKE CHAPALA IS THE # 1 CHOICE IN MEXICO, with an English-speaking infrastructure already in place to make you feel right at home. Whether you want to retire, work or invest, Lake Chapala is the perfect fit.
Take visual journey to stunning Lake Chapala, Jalisco, Mexico where the largest colony of northern expats in the world live...
Chapala/Ajijic - One of the Last Best Places on Earth!!!
Rated by National Geographic as THE 2nd Best Climate in the WORLD…
Unlike the traditional resort locations on the coast where people like to vacation, Lake Chapala is a place where people come to live. Although ALL are drawn to Ajijic by the incomparable weather, gorgeous scenery and lower cost of living, they stay because they fall in love with the people, the setting and the lifestyle they can so easily have. While retiring in Lake Chapala gives you the richness of a foreign country and culture, it also provides a familiar yet exotic environment in which to enjoy the best years of your life, and at a cost you can afford.
In Lake Chapala, you can afford all kinds of luxuries that only the wealthy enjoy back home. Just about everyone has a maid and gardener; many even have a cook. Pamper yourself, here you can afford it. Fruits and vegetables are abundant and ridiculously cheap. Property Taxes for a nice home hover around $150 US (PER ANNUM), yes, that’s right - $150 for the whole year. You can also add to that list... no heating and no air conditioning costs. There are not many places in the world that can offer you so many pluses.
Mexico – The Best Place in the World to Retire – says International Living
For two years running, International Living rated MEXICO as THE # 1 place to retire. They use an Annual Retirement Index whereby they analyze 29 countries ranking them in categories including real estate costs, special benefits offered to retirees, culture, safety and stability, health care, climate, infrastructure, and cost of living. And, based on these categores, Mexico has it all!
Of the popular spots within Mexico, there is no question that Lake Chapala ranks at the top. We enjoy a much lower cost of living that other popular locations, we have better weather and easy access couldn’t be better with the International Airport a mere half hour away.
Lake Chapala, Mexico offers Best of All Worlds
SO MUCH Color! The sheer beauty of the Lake Chapala area is awe inspiring!
Not only are we welcomed with open arms by both the government and the warm Mexican people, we are also involved wholeheartedly with the foreign community in a way that extends well beyond what we would find back home. The influence of the Mexican people and their culture has a profound and lasting effect on us. Many people now living on the lakeside have traveled the world and they say they have never seen the sense of community anywhere else that we enjoy here.
One of the first things you will notice after spending a little time in Lake Chapala is the lack of consumerism and materialism on the part of our wonderful Mexican hosts and this is a special part of the charm. The Mexican people value friends and family and aren’t into “things” the way we are. People on the street will always greet you with a friendly "Buenos Dias" and a big smile. Walk day or night safely and enjoy the special warmth of the Mexican people as they invite you to share their culture and history. Continually we learn valuable lessons from them.
To save you time and give you the most value out of this website, go to "New Users Start Here"
Whatver your vision of the ideal retirement, Lake Chapala, Mexico is the perfect place to enjoy it
Join us on a Focus on Mexico 8-Day Learning Adventure program and discover why so many Canadians and Amercans call Lake Chapala HOME.

Focus on Mexico 8-Day Learning Adventure
Transform Your Life in One Extraordinary Week: An Unforgettable Experince in Ajijic, Lake Chapala Mexico, in the Land of Eternal Spring!!!
Focus on Mexico presents a unique and exciting program offering you the opportunity to investigate an alternative location that has fondly become known as 'One of the Last Best Places on Earth'
Join us on a Focus 8-Day Learning Adventure where you will experience a full week of the most empowering, educational and entertaining days of your life. During your week on the program you will discover how to create an extraordinary quality of life here in Lake Chapala, Mexico. We’ll give you all the tools to step into a whole new chapter in your life journey; you’ll come away with everything you need to know to make your dream life in Mexico a reality.
| Pat & Dave Barker |
| “We are so thankful that we followed our instincts about the down to earth sincerity and integrity of our Focus tour guides! ... It quickly became very obvious that they passionately loved the country and wanted us to feel the same way, and yet they remained honest and candid enough to point out to us some things that might seem negative to our North American way of seeing things ... at no time were we subjected to any pressure to buy property ... In conversations with other tour members, many of us wondered how so much value for our money was possible. Cost wise, it is excellent value with all the info provided. We could not have expected more in the way of help, guidance, information, leadership and friendship.... I feel I got a lot for my buck. It would be impossible to duplicate this program on one’s own...fantastic value.” |
Mexico rated two years running as # 1 Retirement location in the World
Top 10 reasons: Why so many people choose Ajijic, Lake Chapala, Mexico!

- Near-perfect weather – little or no humidity, average temperature 78o F (25.5 C) – year ‘round.
- A safe and secure environment.
- Accessibility - international airport 30 minutes away, making travel easy.
- Established infrastructure. Many of the conveniences you are used to are available in Chapala and everything you want, in Guadalajara (2nd largest city) a scant 50 minute drive.
- Excellent communications: phone, high-speed internet, satellite TV, news and information from home
- High quality health care, and pharmacies, with many bilingual professionals trained in the US or Canada.
- Lower cost of living – estimated to be at least 30% lower.
- English spoken – you can get by without Spanish, although it is fun to learn at least a little.
- Stunning beauty, rich culture and history, breathtaking sunsets over the lake, and majestic mountain views.
- Beautiful and unique homes – still offering great value (you get a lot for your money).
If you are ready for a whole new lease on life, we invite you to experience our little pocket of paradise in Lake Chapala Mexico. Join us on an 8-Day Educational Focus on Mexico program for a life changing experience.
Excerpt from Article by Linda Ellerbee - PVNN
Linda is a well known and respected Journalist who lives half time in Mexico and half in New York City.
"There are good reasons thousands of people from the United States are moving to Mexico every month, and it's not just the lower cost of living, a hefty tax break and less snow to shovel. Mexico is a beautiful country, a special place. The climate varies, but is plentifully mild, the culture is ancient and revered, the young are loved unconditionally, the old are respected...
And then there are the people. Generalization is risky, but- in general - Mexicans are warm, friendly, generous and welcoming. If you smile at them, they smile back. If you greet a passing stranger on the street, they greet you back. If you try to speak even a little Spanish, they tend to treat you as though you were fluent..."