Merida is a beautiful city located right in the middle of the Yucatan Peninsula in Southeast Mexico. It is one of the most popular destinations for people looking to live long-term in Mexico because it has many advantages over other locations. As a result, it has seen rapid growth over the last decade.
The latest numbers from the 2021 census suggest that there are more than 12,000 expats living in the city. Most of them come from the US and Canada. Many of them will tell you that it is a paradisiac city and sell you what they call “the Mexican dream”.
But not everything is perfect in Merida either. As someone that had the chance to live there for a few months and talked to both locals and foreigners about their experience living there, I think I can make a fair comparison between the pros and cons of living in Merida. To keep it fair, we’ll do 5 of each.
Let’s get started with the good.
Pros (advantages) of living in Merida
Merida is extremely safe
Merida is the safest city in Mexico. By Far. It has about nine times a lower crime rate than the second place with a crime rate of 57.44 incidents per 100,000 people and a homicide rate of 0.52 per 100,000 people. For reference, those numbers would put Yucatan (the state Merida is in) as the third safest state in the U.S just behind New Hampshire and Vermont.
When you look at Merida’s numbers compared to the rest of Mexico, it seems like a statistical anomaly. In every crime-related column, it has at least 4 times better numbers than the rest of the country. But it has maintained these numbers for a couple of decades and despite changes in administration and a few upside downs throughout the years, it has mostly kept its focus on safety.
While this doesn’t mean that you should forget about taking basic safety precautions as you would take anywhere else, if safety is one of the main concerns that make you think twice about living in Mexico, Merida is a solid option.
The food is out of this world
We all know Mexico has amazing food. Probably the best in the world depending on your taste. But even amongst other Mexican regional cuisines, Yucatan’s food holds a high place.
Cochinita Pibil is the main attraction and the first thing the locals will tell you to try. It is a dish that consists of shredded pork that is roasted in an underground pit heated with wood and/or stone. It is then prepared with regional spices and ingredients and can be served in tacos. You might have tried it on Mexican restaurants, but believe me, the way it is served in other places has nothing on the traditional way of making it.
But cochinita is just the beginning. Merida’s cuisine is deep in recipes. You have Papadzules, a traditional Mayan recipe that might remind you a bit of the better-known enchiladas but uses eggs and a unique pumpkin-seed sauce. Then there’s sopa de lima, a very aromatic soup that is served with chicken, and let’s not forget Poc-Chuc, panuchos, and huevos motuleños.
Hungry yet? we’ll that’s just the start. The region is also known for its candies, patisserie, and liquors.
The best part is you will not even need to spend that much money going to expensive restaurants. Some of the best traditional dishes can be eaten at hole-in-the-wall type of restaurants where a meal for two might cost you less than $30 dollars.
Easy access to many other tourist destinations
One of the reasons why Merida became such a popular living destination is because it is located in a sort of strategic location. It is not by the beach, but it is in the middle of all the attractions of the region.
It is about 3 and a half hours away from Cancun by car (or two hours away by “air taxi” which is a helicopter). But if that seems too far and you want something quieter, beaches like Progreso are much closer and barely an hour away.
The Mayan ruins of Chichen-Itza where you will find the most amazing pyramids in Mexico are even closer and you can visit them anytime.
The cities of Campeche and Playa del Carmen are located at a similar distance. Both are colonial, charming towns.
You will also find many wildlife reserves, cenotes, and gorgeous places in the middle of the jungle for those that enjoy ecotourism or a little more adventure.
Rich culture
Merida is the cultural capital of the Mayan civilization. Even though it is growing as a city, it has kept its charm and traditions. You will find a beautiful amalgamation of colonial and prehispanic art and influences just by walking in the city. From the architecture to the clothes people wear and the food they eat, everything is influenced in many ways by this past.
Yucatan is said to be the first place where the Spanish ships landed in the region and it definitely shows that it is a place that remembers its past.
Merida is also only a short drive away from many of the most impressive archeological sites in the world. Specifically, Chichen-Itza, one of the largest city-states built by the Mayan civilization where you can find the famous Temple of Kukulcan, an impressive 98 ft (30 meters) tall pyramid built in honor of the feathered serpent deity Kukulcan, the Mayan equivalent to Quetzalcoatl for the Aztecs.
There’s always something to do
Even though Merida has a quiet and relaxed kind of vibe, you will always find something going on. From food and art festivals to parades, museums, malls, expos, boat tours, wildlife tours, volunteering or visiting the cenotes (natural sinkholes with pools inside that might have been the result of the meteor impact that caused the dinosaur’s extinction), you will not get bored. Merida is a city that is very much alive.
Cons (disadvantages) of living in Merida
It can get way too hot
If you ask any Mexican why aren’t they lining up to move to Merida when it seems like such a good city to live in they’ll most likely answer: “It is too damn hot”.
And it really is. All the time.
Temperatures during the summer months can reach high 90°s (36°) or even cross the 100° (40°C) barrier. Even at night, the heat doesn’t subside much and the humidity doesn’t help. It is the kind of heat that can be so overwhelming that you will not want to go outside during the day.
Even during winter, the average temperature is in the mid
Some houses in Merida have AC, but not all of them do. So, if you plan to rent long-term and you feel like you will need it, make sure the place you get has it.
Merida is not a progressive city
Mexico has some very multicultural cities that are very progressive in terms of inclusion, social issues, equal rights, etc. Merida is not one of them. In general, the southern region of Mexico is very conservative on those kinds of issues with the exception of the very touristy beaches.
While everyone is very respectful and welcoming, same-sex couples on the street or openly gay people still get a few looks of disapproval from some of the locals here and there. They won’t confront you or discriminate against you, but it is something that could be uncomfortable, especially if you plan on living in Merida.
If you are looking for a city that is more modern and open in that regard, try Mexico City or Guadalajara. Mexico City for example has been labeled as the “city of rights” as a result of its posture on social issues.
Low ratio of English-speakers
Unlike the beach towns in the region, Merida has a low ratio of English-speaking people. Communication will be difficult if you don’t know any Spanish.
In places like hotels, restaurants, and tourist activities you will find people that speak perfect English and will be happy to help. But when you go outside that bubble to the real day-to-day Merida in the farmer’s markets or the shops where locals buy, not a lot of people will be able to communicate with you clearly.
The expats communities in Merida help a lot with this issue so we’d recommend you to find them online as soon as possible and join the Facebook or WhatsApp groups where they hang out. This way you will not feel so lonely and they’ll be happy to help with anything you need to get you started.
I’d also recommend learning at least some basic Spanish to make your experience in the city much better.
Rising living costs and gentrification
As more and more people see Merida as a good option to move to, the living costs have rapidly increased. Living in Merida used to be extremely cheap just 5 or 10 years ago. You could live a very comfortable lifestyle as a couple with $1,000 dollars per month. Now, you can still live with that but you’ll have to settle for a smaller, much older place in the older parts of the city or increase your budget to $1,500-$2,000 USD.
While that number still sounds reasonable to many people coming from the US, Canada, or Europe, it has become a problem for the locals. Mexico is experiencing lots of gentrification as a country as more and more remote workers see it as a great place to live for cheap with a high standard of living. But that results in an increase of the living costs in the cities that greatly affects the locals as they get priced out of areas of the cities.
While most Mexicans are still very welcoming to tourists and immigrants, in the last couple of years there’s been a considerable increase in resentment towards the people some see as invading their country. Ironic, I know, but while it hasn’t reached the point where locals are rude towards foreigners like in France, it might be something to keep an eye on in the next few years.
Not much of a nightlife
Merida is a pretty quiet, chill town. At least compared to the rest of Mexico. It is the kind of place where life happens more slowly.
While you will definitely find bars (called cantinas), salsa dancing places, a couple of nightclubs, and even an Irish pub, the selection is limited and it is all around the same general area downtown.
This can be a pro or a con depending on what point of life you are at. If you are in your twenties, you might find Merida a bit lacking, but if you are in your fifties then this might sound great for you. This is why I recommend Merida more for people looking to retire or looking for a relaxed lifestyle. If you are looking for more adventure, there are places in the Mayan Riviera that might be a better fit, for example, check out our post on living in Puerto Morelos or this one about the cheapest beach towns to live in Mexico.
