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By Kristina Morgan

I have begun a series comparing the Lake Chapala/Ajijic areas to other popular retirement areas. My last article compared Lake Chapala to Hawaii, a comparison I felt compelled to make after so many people said that Lake Chapala reminded them of Hawaii—only better! In this article I will take a look at Ajijic vs. San Miguel de Allende.

To me, when you compare Ajijic and San Miguel, the best choice is a no-brainer. San Miguel is cold and very expensive; I didn’t come to Mexico to live where it’s cold and expensive! I’m partial to Ajijic’s genuine warmth and quirkiness, too. I love the rogue colors everywhere and the mountain and lake vistas. The natural beauty is riotous and abundant here at Lake Chapala.

Ajijic is also located outside of Guadalajara, Mexico’s second largest city and within close proximity to other places you’ll want to check out.

Carl Franz, known for traveling in Mexico off the beaten-path and co-author of People’s Guide to Mexico, says, “Ajijic is nicely situated as a base for side trips around Mexico. Why not "settle down" for a while, we asked ourselves, and make it a temporary headquarters?

“Having said that, I have to admit that we've enjoyed our stay far more than we expected to, and for several reasons. To begin with, as a native of the Pacific Northwest, I find that the climate here is even better than advertised. Seldom too hot, and rarely too cold; it comes as close to "perfect" as I've ever experienced. I'm a serious hiker, and it is a very, very rare day when it is too warm, too wet, or otherwise too unsettled to walk the lakeshore or explore the mountains behind the village.”

Franz is right; Ajijic is truly wonderful but in the interest of journalistic integrity and a sincere desire to do some shopping I spent some time in San Miguel de Allende. I have to confess, I really enjoyed my time there.

And while Ajijic looks very much like Hawaii and is undeniably beautiful, San Miguel’s beauty comes from the stately colonial architecture and it is rich in Mexican history.

San Miguel is a great place to party, especially if you want to stay out all night. However, Ajijic still has its entertainment and social draws that will exhaust even the most seasoned social butterflies. Keep your Day-Timer handy; you’re going to need it if you come to Ajijic!

One thing I noticed and appreciated is that San Miguel’s streets have stones that look like fat, baked loaves of bread set into the ground, whereas Ajijic has cobble-stone roads that are very quaint but harder to walk on, especially in high heels.

Still, so many people have a love affair with Ajijic and the Lake Chapala area that I figure close to 30,000 expats spread along the 60 miles long North Shore can’t be wrong. But as Latin World says, “Despite being home to one of the heaviest concentrations of North Americans in Mexico, Lake Chapala doesn’t feel quite as Americanized as San Miguel de Allende.”

“And this is the beauty of the Lake Chapala area: There are enough Americans and Canadians to give you a sense of support and companionship, but foreigners are dispersed enough that you can really immerse yourself in Mexican culture if you want to. This, on top of the lake itself and the lovely mountains that form the backdrop are some of Lake Chapala’s main attractions,” says Latin World.
“Of course, no article about Lake Chapala is complete without mentioning Ajijic, a charming, old-world town of 15,000, and a long-time favorite among North Americans for its hillside villas, traditional dwellings and cobbled-stoned streets.” Latin World continues saying, “It may be becoming a little too ‘discovered’ for its own good, but despite a heavy North American presence, Ajijic still somehow manages to feel like a traditional Mexican village, and it really is the crown jewel of the Lake Chapala area for its cultural and social happenings. You may feel like you’ve stepped back in time 100 years, but there’s still a lot to do here, from golfing, to boating to organized group activities – and the Guadalajara airport is just half an hour away if you need a vacation from your enviable lifestyle.”

It’s true that Ajijic’s expat community has brought a plethora of services and amenities to the area that are absent in most villages of comparable size anywhere else in Mexico.
Carl Franz says, “With affluent gringos making up almost one quarter of the population, Mexicans and working foreigners cater to these gringos with a variety of services you won't easily find elsewhere. Compared to most other places we've lived in Mexico, it is much easier to cope with home maintenance, shopping, health care and all the other "must do" chores of daily life.
“We also appreciate Ajijic's friendly people and village character, even if it is a noisy, and sometimes very busy village,” says Franz. “In general terms, the most successful gringos transplant themselves to situations where they can enjoy the best of both cultures -- access to English speaking friends and activities, balanced with good measures of Mexican friends and culture.”

What about cultural arts?

It has to be said. Many people say that San Miguel is very artistic, but frankly so is Ajijic—and at much better prices. Especially with all of the Art fairs they now have every year to support local artists as well as artisans from all over Mexico. There is a Writer’s Group in Ajijic, numerous art classes, galleries and more.

Peter Rosenberg agrees with me. He says, "San Miguel is world renown as an artist community and for its variety of gastronomic delights. As for the former, with all the art galleries and stores we went through, I can honestly say we did not see a single item that we would want in our home and the prices were ridiculous. From what we could tell, our little corner of the world has better painters, sculptors, and writers and prices more in line with a retiree’s budget."
Franz also agrees, “In contrast, the "artist colony" atmosphere we once loved in San Miguel de Allende has been submerged to a great degree in tremendous growth, traffic and crowding. San Miguel is really a small city, and its population has grown by several hundred percent since we first lived there in the early Seventies.”

And what about the ‘gastronomic delights’? At one time, San Miguel’s restaurants definitely outpaced Ajijic’s eateries but that’s no longer the case—except concerning how much they charge for a meal and drinks! The cost to eat out there is steep and on par with California prices in the trendier places.

Peter Rosenberg says, “Glancing through the local newspaper, nearly every aspect of life cost more money there from movies, to charity events, to clothes, etc. Why people like San Miguel so much is beyond our comprehension but if one wants to really live there and enjoy what it has to offer, you better have plenty of money."

Real Estate and Rental Observations

"One interest to me, as a retired realtor and builder, were housing prices,” says Peter Rosenberg. “While my wife and I did not enter any homes, based on the size, pictures, and locations, homes for rent and sale are much higher than at lakeside.”

It is important to note that homes in the Lake Chapala area are still very affordable. Ajijic tends to be higher than some of the other villages because that is where the majority of the shopping, restaurants and entertainment are, as well as the largest expat enclave and organizations, etc. A lot of people do come to Ajijic and rent, which is also affordable. That said, this is the best time to be taking advantage of the affordable homes on the market because properties are appreciating here and are expected to boom over the next few years as more Baby Boomers seek their ideal spot.

Dan Prescher makes a good point by saying, “Why didn’t we buy in Ajijic when we lived there? We’re still asking ourselves the same question. Instead of renting for a year, we should have bought immediately, even if we weren’t planning to spend the rest of our lives there. In hindsight, we believe that just a year later we could easily have sold almost any presentable property we’d bought in Ajijic for at least a 10% to 20% profit. Instead, we threw our money down a hole paying rent. Live and learn.”

In summary

In all fairness, I truly enjoyed my time in San Miguel and I would love to visit it again and I appreciated the hospitality of the people we met there. Comparing the two is like comparing apples to oranges. How does one compare quaint, colorful fishing villages with an old colonial city? It’s just not even in the same category—but people just can’t help but compare.

I think Elliot Joachim summed up the friendly rivalry well when she said, “You can’t live in any of the Mexican expat communities without hearing about San Miguel de Allende all the time, the way you might hear about the uniforms the cheerleaders wear at West Beverly High if you were a student at a rural California school. The rivalry between Ajijic and San Miguel is pronounced, members of each community opining at length about why their choice is better, but now that I’m here, I see that it’s two parallel tracks, tracks that are never going to intersect.”

And in the true spirit of Mexico’s many unique jewels, who would ever want them to? Viva Mexico! (But Ajijic is still the best. :-D)

If you would like to see why for yourself, join us on a Focus On Mexico 8-Day Educational Program to Ajijic and Lake Chapala, Mexico and learn why thousands of Americans and Canadians chose to retire in Lake Chapala.

Our programs offer the perfect balance; a wonderful vacation and an insightful, educational experience. Our expert speakers cover all topics: Health Care, Real Estate, Legal System, Immigration, Bringing Pets, Cost of Living, US Taxes for Americans, Non-Residency for Canadians, Living on the Lakeside, Investing in Mexico, Mexican Economy and much more...

You’ll get everything you need to help you decide if Lake Chapala, Mexico is the place for you, plus have a lot of fun doing it. Retiring in Mexico couldn't be better.