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City in Mexico

Ajijic and Lake Chapala

Ajijic is a lakeside town of about 11,000 people on Lake Chapala in Jalisco. A national newspaper describes it as home to many foreign retirees from Canada and the United States, and the INM has an office at Chapala. [N1] [X1] [I1]

Country
Mexico
Region
Jalisco
Population
11,439 in 2020. Ajijic locality, 2020 census; Chapala municipality, which includes the lakeside towns, had 55,196. [N1]
Settings
In a small town [N1]
Weather
Warm all year [W1]

Why it is here

Why Ajijic and Lake Chapala is on the list.

A city is listed when there is evidence that people move there. This is the evidence.

  • The INM has a local representation office at Chapala, on the lake (Av. Hidalgo 271), open Monday to Friday, 9:00 to 15:00, as a branch of the Jalisco state office. [I1]
  • A national newspaper (Excélsior, 24 November 2024) describes Ajijic on Lake Chapala as a place known for foreign residents, mostly from Canada and the United States, many of them retirees. It says at least half of Ajijic's 11,439 residents are of foreign origin, with no source or method given, so that share is unconfirmed. [X1]

The Fernshore Index

How it grades, factor by factor.

Each grade is against a published measure, with its source and the date we checked it. It is research information, not advice. Where we have no figure, the row says Unknown.

The country

More on Mexico.

Cities

Other cities in Mexico.

Questions about Ajijic and Lake Chapala.

How big is Ajijic?

Ajijic had 11,439 residents in the 2020 census; the Chapala municipality, which includes the lakeside towns, had 55,196. INEGI gives Ajijic an altitude of 1,551 m, on Lake Chapala in Jalisco.

Censo de Población y Vivienda 2020: Principales resultados por localidad (ITER), Jalisco, INEGI. Checked 15 October 2026

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Where is the immigration office near Ajijic?

A long stay starts with a temporary resident visa from a Mexican consulate abroad; the rules give 30 calendar days from entry to apply for the card. The INM lists a local office at Chapala (Av. Hidalgo 271), open Monday to Friday, 9:00 to 15:00. Which office handles your case is not known here.

General guidelines for issuing visas (2025), procedure 5: temporary resident visa, Diario Oficial de la Federación (Secretaría de Gobernación and Secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores); Oficina de Representación del INM en Jalisco, Instituto Nacional de Migración (INM). Checked 15 October 2026

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How hot is Ajijic?

Ajijic has no station of its own here. Chapala town, about 7 km east, has highs of 22.9 to 30.8 °C (SMN normals, 1991–2020). Seven months have a high of 30 °C or less and under 150 mm of rain: January to April and October to December.

Normal climatológica 1991–2020, Chapala (14040), Servicio Meteorológico Nacional (SMN), Comisión Nacional del Agua (CONAGUA). Checked 16 October 2026

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Is Ajijic safe?

Canada's advice (updated 14 October 2026) says to exercise a high degree of caution across Mexico. For Jalisco it lists the part within 50 km of the Michoacán border, but excludes the area around Lake Chapala between highways 15 and 15D; check your address.

Mexico travel advice and advisories, Government of Canada (travel.gc.ca). Checked 15 October 2026

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Does Ajijic have a large expat community?

A national newspaper (Excélsior, 24 November 2024) calls Ajijic home to many foreigners, mostly from Canada and the United States, and says at least half of its 11,439 residents are of foreign origin. It gives no source, so that share is unconfirmed.

Ajijic, el paraíso extranjero enclavado en las orillas del Lago de Chapala (photo feature), Excélsior (national newspaper, private). Checked 15 October 2026

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Sources

Where each figure comes from.

Every figure on this page links to the page we read, with the date we checked it.

  1. [N1] Censo de Población y Vivienda 2020: Principales resultados por localidad (ITER), Jalisco, INEGI. Checked 15 October 2026. Chapala municipality: 55,196 residents (2020); the locality of Ajijic: 11,439. Coordinates and altitude are those INEGI gives for Ajijic: 20.2994, -103.2581, 1,551 m.
  2. [X1] Ajijic, el paraíso extranjero enclavado en las orillas del Lago de Chapala (photo feature), Excélsior (national newspaper, private). Checked 15 October 2026. Published 24 November 2024. Says foreigners, "particularmente de personas originarias de Canadá y Estados Unidos, que en su mayoría habitan ese sitio"; "una buena parte son jubilados"; "la mitad por lo menos son de origen extranjero" of about 11,439. No source or method for the figures.
  3. [I1] Oficina de Representación del INM en Jalisco, Instituto Nacional de Migración (INM). Checked 15 October 2026. Lists "Representación Local Rivera de Chapala" at Av. Hidalgo 271 Int. 1 y 2, Col. Lourdes, C.P. 45900, Chapala; Monday to Friday 9:00 to 15:00.
  4. [W1] Normal climatológica 1991–2020, Chapala (14040), Servicio Meteorológico Nacional (SMN), Comisión Nacional del Agua (CONAGUA). Checked 16 October 2026. Read from an archive copy dated 16 October 2026; the official file at the original address shows the same figures. Station 14040 Chapala, Chapala municipality, 1530 msnm; file issued 9 October 2026. Monthly average daily highs 22.9 to 30.8 °C; months with a high of 30 °C or less and under 150 mm of rain: January, February, March, April, October, November and December (7). Chapala is the station for Chapala municipality, about 7 km east of Ajijic and 1,530 m high (Ajijic is about 1,551 m).
  5. [C1] Price level index (GDP), Mexico, World Bank. Checked 15 October 2026. 2025: 53.69 (United States = 100), read from the World Bank API on 15 October 2026.
  6. [S1] Global Peace Index 2026, overall rank, Institute for Economics and Peace. Checked 15 October 2026. Mexico ranks 139th of 163 countries (score 2.650).
  7. [H1] UHC service coverage index (SDG 3.8.1), World Health Organization. Checked 15 October 2026. Mexico: 79 out of 100 (2023), read from the WHO GHO API on 15 October 2026.
  8. [Q1] Expat Insider 2026: Ease of Settling In, InterNations (Expat Insider survey, private). Checked 15 October 2026. Mexico ranks 1st of 31 countries.
  9. [Q2] Expat Insider 2026: Quality of Life, InterNations (Expat Insider survey, private). Checked 15 October 2026. Mexico ranks 16th of 31 countries in the Quality of Life Index.
  10. [K1] Temporary resident visa: economic solvency (2026 checklist), Consulate General of Mexico in San Diego. Checked 15 October 2026. US$4,510 a month of employment or pension income for 6 months, or a US$75,950 average balance for 12 months; employees need a letter agreeing to remote work from Mexico. San Diego consular district, 2026 figures. Used for the United States passport.
  11. [V3] Temporary resident visa checklist 2026, Consulate General of Mexico in New York. Checked 15 October 2026. US$4,200 a month of income for 6 months, or a US$71,500 balance for 12 months; remote workers need a letter showing permission to work from abroad. Used for the United States passport.
  12. [K2] Fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, Mexico, International Telecommunication Union, via the World Bank. Checked 15 October 2026. 2024: 21.74 per 100 people, read from the World Bank API on 15 October 2026.
  13. [R1] Change from temporary resident to permanent resident (procedure INM-03-010-B), Instituto Nacional de Migración (INM), via gob.mx. Checked 15 October 2026. Four years as a temporary resident allow a change to permanent residence; retirees and pensioners with income from abroad are another route. The page has no date. gob.mx shows an automated-access challenge to scripts, so the content was read with a page reader.
  14. [F1] EF English Proficiency Index 2025: Mexico, EF Education First (private test-taker index). Checked 15 October 2026. Score 440, global ranking 103rd, 19 points down on the previous score; the 2026 edition was not yet published on 15 October 2026.
  15. [V1] General guidelines for issuing visas (2025), procedure 5: temporary resident visa, Diario Oficial de la Federación (Secretaría de Gobernación and Secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores). Checked 15 October 2026. Published 25 July 2025. Temporary residence visa: a stay of more than 180 days and not more than 4 years. Economic solvency: an average monthly balance of 11,460 days of UMA over 12 months, or tax-free employment or pension income above 680 days of UMA a month over 6 months. No age minimum and no job offer in the solvency route.
  16. [V2] Value of the UMA, Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Geografía (INEGI). Checked 15 October 2026. The page loads its figures by script, so the value was not read from it directly. 2026 value MXN 117.31 a day (in force from 1 February 2026); 680 days is MXN 79,771 and 11,460 days is MXN 1,344,373.
  17. [F2] Exchange rates, 15 October 2026 (MXN cross rates from the ECB reference rates), European Central Bank, via the Frankfurter API. Checked 15 October 2026. 1 MXN = 0.05399 USD, 0.0767 CAD, 0.07812 AUD, 0.0964 NZD on 15 October 2026.
  18. [V4] Temporary resident visa (archived copy of 12 March 2026), Consulate General of Mexico in Vancouver (Internet Archive copy). Checked 15 October 2026. CA$108,894 average monthly balance over 12 months, or tax-free employment or pension income of over CA$6,461 a month over 6 months. Used for the Canadian passport. The live page refused automated access in earlier research; the archive copy opened on 15 October 2026.
  19. [V5] Visas: temporary residence (archived copy of 23 February 2026), Consulate General of Mexico in Calgary (Internet Archive copy). Checked 15 October 2026. Same CA$108,894 and CA$6,461 figures as Vancouver. Used for the Canadian passport.
  20. [V6] Temporary resident visa: general information (2022 sheet), Embassy of Mexico in Australia, Canberra. Checked 15 October 2026. A 2022 sheet: the visa is for stays of more than 180 days and less than 4 years; the card is issued by INM within 30 days of arrival and allows up to four years. Its solvency figures (a balance of MXN 708,500) are an older basis that no longer applies, so the 2025 guidelines (V1) set the Australian test.
  21. [V7] Temporary resident visa (archived copy of 27 February 2026), Embassy of Mexico in New Zealand, Wellington (Internet Archive copy). Checked 15 October 2026. Economic solvency: NZ$86,000 average monthly balance over 12 months, or NZ$5,300 average monthly income over 6 months (page last updated February 2025, below the 2025 guidelines figure). Used for the New Zealand passport.

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