This couple’s quick visit to Mexico led them to a dream retirement there. Here’s how they live.

This couple’s quick visit to Mexico led them to a dream retirement there. Here’s how they live.

Kali and Kevin Starr found their dream retirement destination by happenstance.

The couple was out to dinner in their old hometown of Knoxville, Tenn., and bumped into some friends who had recently relocated to Mérida, Mexico. They got curious enough to visit the friends in their new locale and, on the last day of a two-week trip, the Starrs found a house to buy — along with a car — and never looked back.

“It was kind of crazy,” said Kali, 66.

The Starrs had done some research on retirement spots before but never found a place that fit their needs. Kali loves eclectic old houses, but they feared a money pit in the U.S. They also wanted somewhere warm with an easy drive to the beach.

“Let’s move somewhere where we want to live, not where we have to live,” Kali recalled.

The Starrs describe themselves as former entertainers. Kevin, 64, worked as Ronald McDonald for 25 years, making public appearances in a six-state territory. Kali was his manager and driver. Before he went to Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Clown College, Kevin was in sales and she was a hairdresser.

“We were on the road for two weeks of the month for work. We were rarely ever home,” Kevin said. “Mainly, I got paid for making people smile.”

The Starrs have lived in Mérida, the capital of the Mexican state of Yucatán and the largest city in southeastern Mexico, for almost two years now. They love their 110-year-old house that boasts a garden and pool — even though they can hear the sounds of city traffic from their bedroom.

They enjoy being 30 minutes to an hour from a variety of beaches on Mexico’s Gulf Coast. Kali goes to a mix of live-music shows, and they love the variety of restaurants in Mérida and the eclectic finds in the local markets.

Even with limited Spanish skills, the Starrs said they have managed to mix well with merchants and locals, as well as fellow Americans and Canadians who have relocated to the Mexican city of 1.2 million people.

“We use translators on our phone,” Kali said. “There are a lot of charades involved. But it all seems to work out just fine.”

Overall, their adventure in Mérida has been filled with subtle adjustments, more positives than negatives and a little bit of loneliness.

“It’s exciting and frustrating and funny and melancholy at times. We miss family and friends back home,” Kali noted.

The Starrs have temporary residency in Mexico for five years and still vote in the U.S. by mail — though they don’t miss U.S. politics.

“We’re not interested in the politics of the U.S. — either party,” Kevin said. “It’s nice to come here and not worry about it. We can’t vote here. All that washes away and you can just relax. Everything that was bad just washes away.”

In fact, they worry about crime a lot less in Mérida than they did in the U.S. They feel comfortable walking home from events in the city late at night and they feel secure with the strong police presence in the area. They said they are insulated in the Yucatan Peninsula from the drug cartels and violence found in other regions of Mexico.

“Basically, don’t do stupid things: Don’t go to stupid places, don’t go with stupid people and don’t put yourself in trouble. Use common sense,” Kevin said. “In the U.S., I was almost on guard all the time. There were home invasions, carjackings — I saw a lot of bad things. When I’m here, I mind my own manners, I help people when I can. It’s very nice here.”

The Starrs said housing costs in Mérida are “very comparable” to their former hometown of Knoxville, though they can now afford a housekeeper twice a week. The median home price in Knoxville is about $350,000, according to Zillow.

Property taxes, however — which were $1,000 a year in Knoxville — are only $58 a year in Mérida. Their home electric bill ranges from $50 every two months to $300 every two months, depending on the time of year and how much they are running the air conditioning. Gasoline, however, is more expensive, at $5.50 a gallon.

“I don’t think our lifestyle would be that much different in Knoxville,” Kevin said. “We set ourselves up quite well.”

They go to a concierge medical practice. If that practice can’t handle the case, they send the Starrs a driver and a personal translator to assist their visit at a different doctor. The Starrs carry a high-deductible insurance plan for catastrophic care, but haven’t needed to use it. Kevin once paid $32 out of pocket for an ultrasound.

The minor adjustments of living in Mexico have been easy to manage: different grocery brands, less fast food and more costly electronics. But overall, it’s been easy, the Starrs said — though they miss favorite comfort foods like Good & Plenty candy and Manwich sloppy joe sauce.

“You adjust yourself with what is here,” Kevin said.

The Starrs say they feel no reason to head back to the U.S.

“We don’t have family ties. We have adult children doing their own thing. I don’t see going back to America as anything desirable,” Kevin said.

Kali agreed.

“The climate here. Life is more enjoyable here. It’s more relaxed. That whole feeling of stress and worry is gone,” Kali said. “It’s a big city here but it’s very relaxing. We see no reason to go back.”

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