I desperately need to get out of this Floridian shithole and move somewhere less expensive and more hospitable. How does Mexicali fare? I've read the rent is very low (a few hundred dollars) and it's right on the border with California. Crime is very low, and San Diego is only a two hour drive if I wanna go to the beach. Is it too good to be true? Is there any cartel there, and do they target whites? I'm a Cuban spic so knowing Spanish isn't a problem for me.
If you think Florida is a shithole, you're gonna be appalled by Mexicali. It is a polluted, industrial desert dump of a city with nothing in the way of natural appeal, but it does have lots of doctors, cheap bars, and fat sassy whores. It gets extremely hot in summer. I'm talking 45 C every day. There's not really any thugs or gangbanger types in Mexicali.Tecate is somewhat more soulful than Mexicali. It also has no equivalent on the US side, which is kinda neat. Ensenada has some great nature nearby, but it is also a polluted shithole full of criminals. Overall, northern Baja is awful, and it's not even cheap either (though Mexicali is the cheapest city there). And no, San Diego isn't a two hour drive away. It takes two fucking hours just to cross the border into the USA. I was so disgusted by the shitty people and high cost of Baja in March 2023 that I swore off Mexico altogether and set my sights on Asia. The smaller towns down the Baja peninsula aren't cheap either, but at least they're pretty(ish) and set in a fascinating natural landscape. You need to get your FMM and car insurance to drive across the border, so you might as well keep going south.
>>2862231>How does Mexicali fare? >Crime is very lowlol it's unreported but petty crime, scams, robberies, etc are all over. >I've read the rent is very low (a few hundred dollars)Yes because wages are stupid lowWhy does no one on /trv/ understand the cost of living is relative to the income earned for most places
>>2862231I have a friend who did a 9 month gig in Mexicali at the RCA/Thompson tv tube manufacturing plant back around 1998. He said the locals would break equipment and strip screws and laugh about it, then quit and walk down the street to something which paid 5 cents an hour more. Mexicali is a downgrade.
>>2862231>Is there any cartel thereEvery border town has that. The question you should be asking is "is a rival cartel currently trying to conquer the territory?"That's when things can get dangerous and you risk catching a stray bullet, or having one of the cartels shooting you because they assume you belong to the rivals
>>2862539Mexico has a higher GDP per capita than China, and the border states are significantly richer than the national average. Minimum wage in the northern border states is now 440 pesos per day. What this means is that a budget shithole hotel room now costs 450 pesos ($26). You won't even get a window, a desk or 24/7 hot water at that rate. I repeat. Mexican border cities are awful. Ugly, unsafe and overpriced. A goddamn egg breakfast with coffee will set you back 120 pesos ($7 USD). You'd be much, much better off going somewhere in the Mexican interior if you are dead set on escaping to Mexico. Street crime is much lower (though driving between cities is still stressful due to horrible roads and corrupt police). The centros historicos are fucking beautiful. Gorgeous natural areas for daytrips, warm dry sunshine and boutique lodging/dining options are plentiful.My first foreign adventure was a series of roadtrips into Mexico starting at age 22. It really built up my self-confidence and ability to handle difficult situations. The first five years of adulthood were a complete pussy desert thanks to my pathological insecurity & awkwardness, but driving in Mexico changed all that. Women started showing interest in me, even though they called me an asshole behind my back (and sometimes to my face, kek).
