3 seaside retirement towns in Mexico within driving distance of the US

One of the most valuable conveniences you could hope for when purchasing a home abroad is the ability to load up the car and drive to it. That’s one of Mexico’s biggest advantages for Americans interested in retirement overseas.

Anyone who has driven to western Mexico from the U.S. has likely skirted along the Sea of Cortez. The Sea of Cortez is the body of water that separates Baja California from the Mexican mainland. It’s also known as the Gulf of California. It starts at the mouth of the Colorado River. The sea is noted for its warm, calm and relatively protected waters and for being one of the most biologically diverse seas on earth.

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Several popular retirement spots are located on the Sea of Cortez, all within a day’s drive of the U.S. border: Puerto Peñasco, San Carlos and Mazatlán. These towns are quite different from each other, but they also have several things in common. They all enjoy the convenience of U.S. franchises, big-box stores and U.S. products. Many people in these places speak English, including virtually all service providers, and each location has a large English-speaking expat community. The weather is just about perfect in the winter, with balmy days and cool nights, but it’s far from perfect in the summer. Fishing is great on the sea and a big tourism draw to the area. Property taxes are also low, even on the beach.

Here are three attractive retirement choices just south of the border:

Puerto Peñasco, Sonora

This popular destination is known as Puerto Peñasco in Spanish and Rocky Point in English. Surprisingly, it had its English name first, named so in 1826 by a retired Royal Navy admiral who was in the area scouting for precious metals. The Mexican president renamed the town in the 1930s.

Puerto Peñasco is only 62 miles from the U.S. border, a drive that takes about one hour and 10 minutes. It’s just over three-and-a-half hours by car from Phoenix and six hours from San Diego.

Puerto Peñasco enjoys miles of wide, sandy beaches bordered by the warm waters of the Sea of Cortez. The waters are warm, clear and calm all year long. The grade going into the water is gentle, making it perfect for visits from grandchildren. For sun lovers, Puerto Peñasco sees brilliant sunshine year-round. The town is on the edge of the Altar Desert, one of the driest and hottest in the Americas. If you’re a boater, you’ll appreciate the large, sheltered marina, which hosts both commercial and pleasure craft.

Best of all, properties in Puerto Peñasco can be quite a bargain, even on the beachfront. You’ll often see listings from $110,000 to $150,000. A walk-out-onto-the-sand townhouse will run you $204,000, and beachfront condos start at about $149,000 in good areas. An ocean-view home three blocks from the beach will set you back $109,000. Luxury properties in high-end developments can easily exceed $500,000.

Disadvantages of Puerto Peñasco. Puerto Peñasco does not have an attractive historic center, so there are better places to enjoy a downtown lifestyle near the sea. The seafront restaurant district is fairly touristy, so it’s hard to enjoy the seafront promenade without the annoyances of vendors and tour guides looking for your business. There are no big cities nearby, so it can be difficult to obtain some of the practical items that larger cities offer. There are also no direct flights to the U.S. or Canada.

Advantages of Puerto Peñasco. Puerto Peñasco is just over an hour from Arizona. The area has a large expat community, and you’ll have plenty of neighbors from Arizona and California. U.S. dollars are accepted almost everywhere, except at the gas station. You’ll get a better deal spending pesos, but it’s nice to know you can use dollars in a pinch.

[Read: 8 Reasons Mexico is America's Favorite Place to Retire Abroad.]

San Carlos, Sonora

This city was born as a well-planned tourist destination in the mid-1950s. It had formerly been three large ranches. As such, you won’t find a colonial historic center in San Carlos, but you also won’t find poverty or run-down neighborhoods .

San Carlos is a popular drive-to destination for people in the western U.S. and Canada. It’s as far south as you can go in western Mexico without having to get a vehicle permit. It’s an easy drive down Highway 15 from Arizona.

The town has a positive, upbeat atmosphere, bolstered by the abundance of cheerful cafés, bars, shops and restaurants. Most venues cater to the American and Canadian residents, so you’ll see plenty of burger joints along with a good selection of seafood restaurants.

Sandy beaches highlight the entire area, bordering warm, calm waters. The city sits at the top of a giant cove, and the San Carlos coastline actually runs east and west, rather than north and south. In town, the mile and a half of beaches are mostly behind oceanfront homes and buildings. But as soon as you leave town heading down the coast, you’ll encounter over three miles of beautiful, uninterrupted beach. Heading north, it’s just as beautiful.

San Carlos is a noted diving destination, and visibility is commonly 100 feet or more and sometimes over 200 feet. It’s also a fishing destination and a good place for boaters, with two marinas.

Properties in San Carlos are a good deal. A modern beachfront condo will start at about $200,000 for a two-bedroom, 1,400-square-foot, on-the-sand building. One listing for a two-bedroom, one-bath, 1,300-square-foot home about a block from the beach had an asking price of only $83,000. A nice beachfront house on a large lot in the Bahia sector will start at $325,000.

Disadvantages of San Carlos. San Carlos is a planned city that came into being fairly recently. So you won’t have the feel of Mexican heritage that you see in most Mexican cities. You will, however, see many homes in the colonial style. There are no direct flights to the U.S. or Canada.

Advantages of San Carlos. San Carlos is an easy drive from the U.S. border, with no vehicle permit required. It’s a noted diving location with good diving facilities. There are two nice marinas with plenty of slips. It’s adjacent to Guaymas, which has good services and commercial establishments.

[See: 10 Tips for Finding a Great Place to Retire.]

Mazatlán, Sinaloa

Mazatlán is an established and well developed resort city on the Mexican coastal mainland opposite the tip of Baja California. It’s a fairly large city with resort areas and a historic center along the coast. There's also a seaport, tuna fleet and industrial area. Most expats and part-year residents live on or near the coast.

One thing that sets Mazatlán apart is that it has a large and well-maintained colonial historic center. Further upgrades are underway. Road crews are actually converting the paved roads in Centro back to cobblestones. They’re also widening the boardwalk, adding bike lanes, expanding many of the sidewalks and improving the lighting.

What originally made Mazatlán famous were the beaches. There's about 20 miles of white sand, bordering clear, warm waters, with a boardwalk running adjacent to the beach for about 10 miles. You’ll also find a good offering of big city amenities. There are hospitals, theater, jazz, classical concerts and fine dining, along with the waterfront seafood restaurants and beach scene. Mazatlán is a great place to combine colonial city living with a beachside lifestyle.

The city also offers several golf courses and a large marina district with good marine facilities as well as residential developments. Fishing is a big attraction in Mazatlán, with a good-sized fleet of boats to service the influx of anglers going for sailfish, wahoo, mahi mahi and yellowfin tuna, as well as the area’s record-setting marlin.

Properties in Mazatlán vary from basic vacation construction to high-end luxury. A large, two-bedroom beachfront condo away from the historic center will start at about $199,000. A waterfront home in the marina district will go for $189,000 for a three-bedroom, 2,100-square-foot unit. The best luxury addresses on the water will sell two-bedroom, 2,100-square-foot units starting at about $340,000. If you want a luxury seafront unit in the historic center, you’ll pay about $350,000.

Disadvantages of Mazatlán. If you’re driving, Mazatlán is about the limit for a one-day drive. While the 14-hour drive from the border may be doable in one day, you could break it into two days if you’re not in a rush. In the main tourist area you’ll find plenty of touristy annoyances, such as tour guides and vendors. As a resident, you probably won’t spend much time there. Mazatlán can also get noisy downtown during weekends and holidays.

Advantages of Mazatlán. Mazatlán offers city amenities, such as theater, orchestra and city-style shopping. You’ll find plenty of fine dining, cafés and hole-in-the-wall bars to enjoy. Most of the beaches are directly accessible, without buildings blocking access. There are a variety of lifestyles to choose from, including quiet or bustling and historic or modern. You can choose to live among expats or Mexicans. Convenient flights make the trip to Phoenix less than two hours. There are four nonstop flights to the U.S. and five to Canada.

Is the Sea of Cortez right for you? Puerto Peñasco is perfect for those who want a convenient, short-term getaway. It's feasible for a weekend destination or part-time vacation home for people from the western U.S. San Carlos is within an easy drive of the U.S., and offers many amenities to expat and part-time residents. It can also be a base of exploration from which to discover more of interior Mexico. Mazatlán is best for full-time or long-term living, offering the chance to combine colonial city living with a beachside lifestyle.

The Sea of Cortez is calm, warm, sheltered and close to the U.S. If you’re looking for an easy-access seaside home, there’s a good chance that one of these cities will be right for you.

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