Last Updated on May 26, 2024 by Eric Livingston

Bienvenidos Todos

Explore Latam Living with Me

Learn Spanish Jokes

Admittedly some are funnier than others. Learn some Spanish watching Netflix!

I’m Currently In

Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico

¿Qué onda? ¡Soy Eric!

Eric at Castillo de Chapultepec in Mexico City, shown on the Live in Mexico page.
Me at El Castillo de Chapultepec in CDMX

Latam Living Origins

I re-instated this blog in September of 2023 after some time away. It’s always been sort of a pet project for me, but I intend to grow Latam Living. People can earn a living today from anywhere, which makes Latam attractive.


Moving to Latam is “En Vogue”

It’s recently became “popular” for U.S., Canadian and other expats to move to Latin America. Some are just digital nomads while others make a permanent move, get residency and are immigrants (although they’ll continue to call themselves “expats” due to “immigrants” negative connotation). It’s all over the news. It’s “en vogue”. I hope that some of the information I share helps readers in some way. It’s getting harder and harder to make ends meet in the United States, especially for retirees and people with medical needs. Latin America is a sound, logical choice for many that seek a lower cost of living overall including prescriptions and medical care.

Eric L.

Consider These 5 Things Before Moving to Latam or Anywhere

You can read the full blog post Moving Abroad? Congratulations! 5 Essential Things to Consider! and/or watch the video below where I also discuss the $28.5 billion dollar Tren Maya project and my displeasure with the use of funds that ran 3 times over budget.

Why “safety” shouldn’t be your FIRST criteria when moving abroad. I honestly believe “climate” trumps “safety” in most cases.

Learn the Subjunctive, Conditional and Future

I think a lot of people that are in the process of learning Spanish, already know the present and past tense. They may not be perfect, but they get the gist of it. In my opinion, the subjunctive, conditional and future would be the next 3 Spanish conjugations I’d focus on learning. They are used all the time in all Spanish speaking countries including Latam. I’m not a Spanish teacher and honestly don’t know all the names of the conjugations; there’s a lot believe me, but these 3 are vital to your success in speaking Spanish fluently. Watch the brief, less than 5-minute video.

Learning the subjunctive, conditional and future tense in Spanish is vital to speaking fluently.

Latam Living Frequently Asked Questions

My Bicycle Was Stolen from a Gated Community on Thanksgiving Day, 2023 in “Safe” Mérida, Yucatán

My bicycle was stolen in Mérida, Yucatán in the gated community where I live on Thanksgiving Day, November 23, 2023. Yet you’ll hear how some expats rave about how “safe” Mérida is based on some report from 2019, almost 5 years ago with data from unpublished sources from a super sketchy website littered with advertisements. Yes, I think Mérida still generally safe from physical violence but definitely not theft. Mexico isn’t Japan and should never be confused or compared to how safe Japan, UAE, Singapore or Iceland is. Let’s keep it real. My neighbor just shared a security video of another attempt at stealing his bicycle in our WhatsApp group so no, Mérida isn’t that safe. An old neighbor of mine also had his condo broken into in northern Mérida so yeah…

My First Expat Experience

My first experience of Latam living was when I married my first wife back in 1995 in Guayaquil, Ecuador and my daughter was born. We lived some time in Guayaquil and a good portion of the time in Ecuador’s capital, Quito. While living in Guayaquil, we often visited Salinas and Playas officially known as General Villamil Playas on the weekends. A lot has happened to me and the world since then. I cherish the experiences I’ve had over the years throughout Latin America. I’ve been fortunate enough to have visited Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Honduras (Roatán), Mexico, Panama, and Venezuela numerous times. I’ve made one trip to Cuba and one to Guatemala and had an awesome time! As far as actual “living” is concerned, I lived in Ecuador for 5 years and just about the same in Mexico, where I’ve secured permanent residency after 4 years.


Latam Expats Stay Current!

I’ve now secured permanent residency in two-countries outside the U.S. Both of them in Latin America. I had to go through all the red tape you can imagine not including the actual moving I’ve done. That’s a whole category unto itself. I’ve been able to go from limited Spanish to complete fluency through constant immersion via television and interacting with locals. I’ve had a local girl live with me for the past several years and we only speak Spanish. In fact, I never speak English unless I’m talking to friends back in the U.S. or happen to run into a foreigner here that speaks English. Otherwise, it’s 100% Spanish, all day, every day. I hope that anyone considering living a Latam expat lifestyle makes an effort to stay CURRENT with Latam news and resources that can help them make an informed decision on where to visit and which country or countries to call home. I’m always learning each and every day and will continue to do so.

Latam Living Featured Destinations

Check out some Latam Living’s destinations below to plan your next trip or exit strategy from your native country.

Brazil

The Brazilian experience awaits

Colombia

A rising star in Latam expat community

Ecuador

A once safe country has turned dangerous

Mexico

More and more Americans come to Mexico and stay


Latam Living Post List